Unlike large enterprises which can have whole teams devoted to limited tasks - think "Task force for the unification of stapler specifications and procedures" - small businesses can have one person covering anything and everything.
The time to address "who does what" in an organization is the time when the organization contemplates adding its very first employee. If you are a "one man (or woman) show" and you want to grow, now is the time to start.
Organizing small business starts with an organizational chart. This chart is a thinking tool which evolves over time, so it is a good idea to use a medium which allows change, such as a spreadsheet or "paint" -type program.
To start, think about the main function areas in your company. I will make this easy for you because, guess what? Companies all need basically the same things: infrastructure, selling and performing.
Some companies may have additional main function areas such as R&D, marketing, legal, purchasing, etc. however in smaller businesses, these would probably be tasks or subsets of main areas such as selling or infrastructure.
When building your chart, list the main function areas. Under each, list the tasks which need to be performed.
The first time you start listing tasks, be prepared to feel overwhelmed. You may be shocked at the sheer number of tasks which need to be done in order to keep a business afloat. Fear not, your chart will be your friend. As you continue to look at your organization and its tasks, you will begin to germinate ideas about how to do them better.
Organize and group tasks in ways which make sense to you. You might, for instance, order tasks chronologically, or by similarity, or by shared resources. This brings me to the next step: listing resources.
A resource helps get the task done. Your outside accountant might be a resource for a list of tasks. Someone within the company might be a resource for certain tasks. If you like thinking this way, you might even list non-people resources such as links to websites, paths to files, phone and account numbers of vendors, etc.
If you go this far, you are moving in the direction of creating a resource guide, which is but a stepping stone away from a procedure manual. These tools also promote orderly growth, but are topics in their own right.
The last step in creating your organizational chart is to assign responsible parties to each main area and each task.
Now stand back and look. Does it make sense? Is it orderly? Are people positioned for efficiency and for the best use of their skills? Would outsourcing certain tasks be beneficial?
Use the chart to explore such questions, both with your employees as well as your outside resources. Every six months update your chart and reissue it to your team. This will raise good questions, clarify others, and convey to all the correct impression that your company is positioned to grow.
Virtual assistants are independent contractors or entrepreneurs who provide administrative assistance to multiple clients. Unlike regular assistants, they work out of their homes rather than at your business physical location.
There are numerous advantages to using a virtual assistant:
Location. If you work from home, you dont have to find a place to put an employee. No Overhead. They provide their own office supplies, desk, computer, software, and phone lines. No Benefits. Theyre not your employee, so you arent responsible for paying social security or income taxes, holidays, insurance, vacation or sick pay. Lots of Flexibility. Its significantly easier to find a virtual assistant who can work evening hours or weekendsafter all, theyre working from home. And you can give them more or less hours as your needs change.
There are virtual staffing companies that match virtual assistants with small and home-based businesses who need help running things.
How Do I Know What Im Getting?
Gayle Buske is the president and CEO of http://TeamDoubleClick.com, a highly reputed virtual staffing agency. Her clients are often concerned about hiring someone without ever seeing their face. She reassures them that because the agencies dont get to meet the people they send to their clientsoften theyre in different statestheir hiring processes are a great deal more stringent. In fact Buske admits, We turn away about 70% of the people that we interview. Those who make the grade go through a 9-part interviewing process and then are trained and certified.
Virtual agencies try to match each client with an assistant who is a good fit for their needs. They look at qualifications, personality and work style, and hours of availabilityboth number and times. Whatever your unique requirements, theyll work to find someone whos a good fit.
Common Client Concerns
How do I know that my assistant is actually working the hours Im paying them for?
To allow you to track their progress, many agencies have their staff send daily reports of their activities. They may say how many inbound calls they received, how many outbound calls they made, how many appointments they set, what documents they worked on, as well as how many hours they put in for the day and their cumulative hours for the week. This can help you stay on budgetif you see theyve already worked the total hours you planned to pay them for, you can push back other projects until next week.
How hard is it to work with someone from a remote location?
Buske points out, Theres so much technology now that really facilitates working virtually. She contends its as simple as hitting the speed dial instead of the intercom or attaching files to an email rather than walking them to the next room. Most of your communication will be via phone, fax, and email. There are also online meeting programs (http://GoToMeeting.com) that let you do demonstrations and presentations, such as for training purposes.
And their skills run the gamuteverything from accounting to marketing to graphic design. Whether you need someone to answer incoming calls and do mailers or someone who can manage your entire business when youre away, you can find staff with all levels of skills.
Both Mark Meshulam & By Chris Malta & Robin Cowie are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mark Meshulam has sinced written about articles on various topics from web development, Information Technology and Information Technology. Mark Meshulam offers information, rumination and illumination about people, processes and productivity at work, in his blog See his software produ. Mark Meshulam's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
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