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Post by brichoux on Sept 2, 2013 14:43:19 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
It is very important to prioritize what's most important in running a business. I currently manage a team of about 10 salesmen and sometimes all the information and inquiries from them can get hectic. I have found the most effective way to lessen this workload is through conference calls. We have a specified time of the week where I preface the meeting and then I allow them to ask questions so that I may cover one question only once instead of one time for each person. And also, some questions can wait, but you must be careful when you do wait to answer some questions. Make sure that you right them down, and be sure to respond to them. It is important to prioritize, but whether you are dealing with employees or clients, you must make them feel like they are the most important priority.
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Post by boris on Sept 2, 2013 20:33:08 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: “In a Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait.”
Living in a fast paced world does not mean that you have to be fast paced as well. It is good to take a breather and determine how things need to be prioritized. Being prepared or ahead of what is going to happen is always a good thing. Many questions can be answered by a frequently asked questions page. As an owner of a business you should be able to be ahead of what questions most of your clients are going to have and on your page you should remind them to visit the frequently asked questions page before sending an email.
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Post by billyg on Sept 3, 2013 10:54:39 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
In this link the author is discussing how taking a break from immediately responding to "needy" customers can be worth while. Many customers expect so much that it may become unreal for someone to deliver on everything for everyone. Even with the abundance of technology used to respond to or notify people, things can get overwhelming. The tip she discusses about sending questions in a form that she anticipates customers might have is a great way to reduce some of the overwhelming amount of questions. In my experience, I have found people asking me similar questions about products at work. Being asked over and over tends to become quite annoying especially if I am helping many customers. To combat this, I have placed details signs and images which do a good job at giving customers an answer to many common questions. I hope to improve on this in any way I can to increase efficiency at any job.
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Post by bneedham on Sept 3, 2013 12:32:05 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
I think it is important for anyone working in a business setting to have the ability to prioritze emails, phone calls, meetings, etc. I agree that employees and customers always seem to want an instant response and sometimes it just isn't possible. I think the idea to make a list of frequently asked questions to send out to customers is a clever but this may not work for every type of business. Learning to prioritze is developed through experience.
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Post by beccabourgeois on Sept 3, 2013 12:51:11 GMT -6
I can definitely relate to this article. I am the treasurer of my sorority so I deal with all the finances of it. I am constantly having to write checks for all the different events we have. I also am always writing checks to reimburse members for their expenses. Another task is billing the members for their dues on our online billing system along with many other things. It can definitely be overwhelming at times and I am constantly getting texts and emails about different things. I have always been fast to respond and get things done; however, now it is expected for me to have answers or checks written almost ridiculously fast. I have begun to step back and give myself a break from certain things with it. I know which checks need to be mailed asap, and which things can wait until I have time. I have spent so much of my time accommodating everyone else that my needs and schoolwork started to become last on my to-do list. I am definitely going to take this advice and from now on, take a day or two to respond to those needy texts/emails to show that I have a life too and it's a busy one at that.
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Post by dipanjali1 on Sept 3, 2013 14:43:35 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
This article is a very good one. In this very competitive world, businesses may be jammed up with several different work loads. It is impossible to get them all done at once. So, prioritizing things can be the way out. It is normal for the stakeholders to demand for their work to be done first, but its the decision of the management to prioritize things and get them done accordingly. One other way to resolve this is to proactively address the potential problems.
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Post by katiebourgeois on Sept 3, 2013 15:44:44 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In a Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
Although I have never worked in a place that required me to answer phone calls or emails, I do believe that some things can wait when it comes to answering business questions. As a customer, it is frustrating to call customer service and wait for hours to speak to somebody, but I also understand companies are trying to cut down costs and pay the least amount of wages they can. On the other hand, as a business, I can understand going through emails or phone messages and only responding to the important ones. I do not think it is right to ignore any questions completely, but I think it would be acceptable to respond in a few hours or days. Whenever you get around to them.
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Post by brentgruber on Sept 3, 2013 16:19:10 GMT -6
I think especially in society today a lot of people expect faster response times to many things. Although communication techniques have become easier this does not mean that communication has. I think it is a good idea to have generic responses to questions that are frequently asked to help expedite the response progress. Otherwise, everything else should be prioritized and responded to accordingly. This will help alleviate the problems that may arise.
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Post by zekesonnier on Sept 3, 2013 19:26:07 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can W
I believe Ruth addressed this delicate topic with a diplomatic proactive manner. Ruth implied that time is limited and running a business demands allot of time. Therefore it is essential to prioritize answering client questions by level of importance. I like how Ruth went to the extent to send frequently asked questions and answers to her clients on a weekly basis. This is a great way to not make clients feel shunned as if their inquiries are not of importance. Depending on the service one provides answering client inquiries can be very crucial to the client firm relationship.
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Post by cory on Sept 4, 2013 9:24:02 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
I think this is a very important lesson that all managers will need to utilize nowadays. Our world has evolved drastically in the last fifteen years or so. Information is now at the tip of our fingertips and usually can be found minutes after the actual event happened. With this instantaneous access to information, it is so easy fort people to expect instant feedback for every situation. As a manager, you cannot spend a majority of your time answering the same questions for each client or employee, especially if the information is not pertinent to the tasks at hand. Sometimes it may be best to make them wait for the answer, even if the manager can provide the answer immediately. Making them wait could actually motivate them to solve the problem on their own, which will be beneficial for both parties.
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Post by christiebrown on Sept 4, 2013 14:25:09 GMT -6
I think that knowing how to manage your time and prioritize things in your life is not only essential to success in your business, but essential to succeeding in every day life and being productive. It's not always easy to make a decision on what issues are more important than others, but it is a necessary thing to be able to do from day to day if you want to be successful.
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Post by brittanyfury on Sept 5, 2013 10:30:29 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
This article about knowing when to give your time and when its okay to put something on the back burner for a minute. I intend on running my own business one day, so this bit of advice will be helpful in the future. I think consumers are very "needy" today and want instant gratification. With the numerous social media cites, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, it is easy to communicate instantly. However, some requests are more urgent than others, so it okay to take a little longer than usual to respond to some people. The idea is to let the person know that you are busy, but in a professional and polite manner. I think if you're always taking the time to respond to people as quickly as they would like you to, then you end up with no time for yourself and the things you really want to do. Posting a frequently asked Q&A's forum is a great, effective way to reach out to your consumers without the hassle of answering endless emails and messages. I will definitely keep this bit of advice in mind for my future business ventures.
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Post by dradecker on Sept 5, 2013 10:31:28 GMT -6
INSTANT MBA: In A Fast-Paced World, Some Things Can Wait
Being a full-time college student, while also working full-time at a restaurant, it is easy to see how I could get overwhelmed. The people who have worked in the restaurant industry know that most of the time it is a fast-paced field. There is always something you need to be doing, whether it is tending to a customers drink, or trying to balance putting in orders while your kitchen manager screams "runner." It is important to prioritize the list of things you need to do, and prioritize them quickly. Most of the time when I feel myself starting to get overwhelmed, I stop and take a deep breath. Then, quickly, I go over everything I need to do and decide which things can wait and which things cannot. To me, this is a perfect illustration of this article. Although, I cannot necessarily wait days to do something, I can wait minutes, which is a lot longer than it seems.
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Post by danielleolivier on Sept 5, 2013 23:32:09 GMT -6
In a world where almost everything you need to know is online, most people will go online to look for the answer to their question before they call to ask. When nothing online is available, people will call and ask the same questions over and over, causing frustration and unneeded interruptions in the workplace. Having a FAQ is a great way to get information out there to clients in the easiest, most accessible way possible. In a busy time, it is okay to prioritize and decide what is important and what isn't and an easy time frame to deal with all the issues on the most efficient way.
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Post by natjohnson90 on Sept 6, 2013 11:01:02 GMT -6
I must agree with her when she say, "we live in a fast-pace world." Especially thanks to technology, everyone wants fast responses and results. Sometimes it is good just to slow down for you and your consumers. First, it gives you a break and it make your consumer appreciate your services.
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