The year has flown by, and it’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than three weeks away. On top of the personal pressures that the festive season brings, there can be a lot of stress that comes with running a business at this time of year. Whether you have physical office space or your estate agency operates solely online, tackling what needs to be done can represent both a challenge and an opportunity. Being organised for the holiday season is your best chance at reducing stress – and it sets you up to hit the ground running in the New Year.
This is easier said than done if you currently walk the tightrope of trying to do everything yourself. And it’s when having the help of a Virtual Assistant – or a team of VAs – can make a huge difference to enjoying a happy, fruitful holiday season. A skilled and experienced Virtual Assistant who knows exactly what you want and shares your vision and work ethic, can easily step up to provide the extra support you need.
Here is a checklist of 5 ways your Virtual Assistant can help get you organised this festive season:
- Festive season gifts
The prevalence of online shopping means your Virtual Assistant can arrange personalised year-end gifts for special clients and suppliers. All you need to do is sign off on the gift selection and then let your VA take care of the rest.
- This includes keeping a gift and card register to ensure your CRM is updated with important personal details. For example, your clients may celebrate a range of different religious or cultural holidays that you want to acknowledge. Due to varied religious observances it could be that sending certain clients a bottle of wine is the entirely wrong sort of gift to give.
- Brief them as to what you want and your VA can help you source and order gifts for your friends and family – because as much as you want to do your shopping personally, year-end busyness can have you strapped for time.
- Party invitations and greeting’s cards
You may decide to send your clients and suppliers a traditional year-end greetings card or a printed invitation to your office cocktail party. By delegating the management of your CRM system to your Virtual Assistant, they will have made sure that your database is always up to date. As a result, when it comes to mailing or delivering greetings cards or invitations, the correct address details are easily accessible. This is way more efficient than having to hunt for address details or risk receiving a pile of returned mail marked “not at this address”.
- Holiday travel
As much as you may be looking forward to working on your tan in an exotic location, travel bookings can be tedious and time-consuming. Brief your Virtual Assistant accordingly and they will find the cheapest flights, make sure you have an aisle or window seat, arrange your early check-ins and organise hire car at your destination. Let them know what options you prefer when you’re booking accommodation and brief them on any other personal specifications you might have. Your VA will even arrange a bouquet of flowers and chocolates to be delivered to your mum on Christmas eve, while you’re away.
- Diary management
It’s called ‘the silly season’ for a reason – it’s crazy how full your schedule can get in December. Your VA can manage your diary, so you don’t get overbooked in the party season. If necessary, receiving a timely reminder from your VA means you will always know where you’re supposed to be and how you’re getting there. Plus your Virtual Assistant can also set up follow-up meetings in the new year with interesting people you meet at holiday parties.
- Holding the fort
Your Virtual Assistant can make sure that you have business continuity while you’re on holiday. This will allow you to pack away your laptop and get a proper break knowing that day-to-day work is being handled.
- Your VA will uphold your professional brand image as a friendly, helpful ‘voice’ when prospective clients get in touch in response to current property listings – and they can sort and prioritise messages for your return.
- Your VA can also manage your inbox while you are away, so you don’t return to a flood of unread emails.
If you are especially busy, or you have a particular project you want to complete before year-end, you can always take on an additional VA on a short-term contract to ensure that last-minute work or your important project gets finished on time without taking any shortcuts. For example, you may want to revamp your website in time to launch the update early in January. Taking on a web developer to get this project done on time, to a high standard, makes good sense.
The holiday season doesn’t have to be a whirlwind of stress and chaos. By leveraging the skills of your Virtual Assistant, you can stay organised, tackle your to-do list with ease, and still make time to enjoy the festive spirit. Whether it’s managing gifts, travel, or holding the fort while you’re away, a VA ensures that both your personal and professional responsibilities are handled seamlessly.
So, why not take this opportunity to delegate and make this festive season one to truly enjoy? With the right support, you’ll not only survive the holiday rush—you’ll thrive in it, setting the stage for a strong start in the New Year.
