Spring clean your business ready for summer

You can get your company ready to bloom this summer with some simple tips from Fergus, the job management software specialist.

G etting your business ready for a profitable 12-week run through June, July and August can mean the difference between a good and a great year. The plumbing and heating sector often experiences a quiet period before the cold weather and ‘heating season’ returns in autumn. But even those trades who suffer from a seasonal lull can still maximise the time to prepare their business to prosper.

Now is a great time to remove any old, outdated systems that aren’t working for you any more and look to make some actionable steps that will set your business up for success. By making some changes now, at the very least you will be ready to take a holiday and enjoy the important things in life, knowing that your business is in good shape.

1. Review your business performance

To grow and maintain your business successfully, you need to know which areas you can improve upon. Reviewing your business performance allows you to gauge your achievements and milestones.

At the same time, check your customer satisfaction levels. Collect any feedback and see where there may be room for improvement. Review your client list. How many new customers did you get? If your client list isn’t growing, you might need a new marketing strategy.

2. Set your business goals

Setting a goal brings everything into perspective. It’s a way to assess where you are right now and where you want to be by autumn. Your business goals for summer can be as simple as having a specific number of clients on your books or identifying the amount of profit you want to make.

Your goal may be as simple as switching off completely. Plan for it and make it happen.

3. Schedule jobs and plan efficiently

Trying to juggle too many jobs at once and with no visibility across your employees’ movements throughout the day can cause scheduling conflicts. If you are also unsure which materials are in stock, on back-order or with a supplier, you have yourself quite a headache.

A centralised scheduling system gives you control by assigning tasks to team members or clients, matching calendars with individual projects, viewing the progress of a job in real time, and breaking down big jobs into separate tasks. With this visibility across the whole team, you can maximise working time and profit.

4. Dust off your website

Tradespeople often rely solely on referrals and word of mouth. However, a website is still vital and can be a brilliant shop window. It can drum up more customers and adds another layer of credibility to your business.

If you don’t have a website or haven’t updated it in years, now’s the time to revise it. Maybe you’ve updated your logo or perhaps you offer more services than are currently listed. Use a service like Wix.com or GoDaddy to help you.

5. Touch base with customers Plan your holiday time: after all, you work to live, not the other way around. Get in touch with your clients to let them know of your holiday operating hours and when you’ll be back at work.

This is a good opportunity to take the time to thank them and to cement relationships. Explain who to call instead or provide them with a call-back form/waitlist on your website where they can leave their details for you to get back to them once you return to work.

If you have business management software, set up an out-of-office automated text and email to let your existing customers know that you’ll be away and when you’ll be back. ■

• For more information and advice on running a successful trade business, and a free trial go to: www.fergus.com