Month: January 2016

10 Admin Tasks You Haven’t Thought About Outsourcing

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We all know that administration tasks are the key processes or activities it takes to run a business, and we also know that they take you away from being able to focus on what you’d really like to be doing – sourcing and attracting new customers or clients.
There’s plenty of obvious tasks I’m sure you’ve thought about outsourcing or delegating, but have you ever thought about these?
1.    Excel Database Creation
When was the last time you collated all of your business cards or contact sheets in one usable database? Put them in the right hands and an experienced administrator will be able to whip up a user friendly Excel database for you – a fantastic cost efficient tool to use for off and online marketing.
2.    Proofreading
How many hours have you spent proofreading your new web, blog, presentation or training material content, only to miss three really obvious mistakes? Outsourcing your proofreading may sound like inefficient use of your admin budget, but an independent eye will not only stay focused on the task at hand, they’ll take a fraction of the time and will be able to add a third party perspective.
3.    Report Creation
It takes a lot of time and effort to write a report or product or service description but it’s a must when it comes to effectively promoting and maintaining your business and objectives. Whilst report writing can often leave you feeling exasperated, an experienced content creator will be able to write an outstanding report or presentation for you, freeing up your time, brain and skills to focus on growing and developing your business.
4.    Copywriting
If you know what you want to say, but you’re not sure how to say it, jot down your ideas and key points to be covered and let an experienced copywriter create your perfect communication. They will be focused on the task at hand, ensure a consistent tone and most importantly strategically place keywords throughout your content which is extremely helpful if your message is going to be shared online.
5.    Data inputting
Most businesses need to do some form of data entry, from adhoc completion of forms through to consistent daily updates. Outsourcing your data entry tasks will ensure your staff can focus on the more important strategic elements of keeping your business running and growing.
6.    Database cleansing
Keeping your databases and CRM systems up to date is vital to the successful running of your business. All businesses process data every day and managing these processes can have a significant impact on costs, not to mention taking your staff away from their key roles. Outsourcing your ongoing data management will allow you to focus on your core business functions, is likely to take considerably less time and will improve productivity.
7.    Preparing presentations
Preparing presentations can be time consuming and frustrating for a business owner, especially if you’re not familiar with Powerpoint or similar slide presentation software. Stop wasting precious time muddling through and get an experienced ally to do it for you. Not only will they save you time but you’re likely to end up with a better quality presentation that you can also use for future reference material.
8.    Legal form completion
Once a legal form or document is created the ongoing information required to be input is often simple and requires minimal expertise. It does however require a high level of accuracy and time sensitivity. Save yourself time, effort and money by outsourcing to a person or team who understand the key aspects of legal form completion and focus more time on what really matters – your clients.
9.    Compiling meeting minutes
We’ve all been here. You have a really productive meeting, make notes of all the important topics discussed and actions agreed, then you leave the meeting room and go back to your endless to do list. The next meeting is booked for 2 weeks’, plenty of time to get the minutes compiled and out to attendees… Except you don’t find time, and it becomes a rush the night before the next meeting (if at all), leaving you and your attendees frustrated with no time to complete the actions. Take the stress away and delegate this simple, yet time consuming, task.
10.    Server and online filing
Get organised, save time and make yours’ and your team’s lives easier. As with historical paper filing cabinets and folders, online filing systems can get pretty messy too. It’s a task that would ultimately save you time locating and saving information, but not one you can justify taking several hours out of your day for. Giving the task to a knowledgeable and proficient team will ensure it gets done – and with no distractions, often in a fraction of the time.

We can help you with all of these tasks and many more. If you can think of it, we’ve likely done it! Get in touch to discuss what we can do for you today.

HR – Are your staff entitled to BACKPAY?

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Based on a real case we are currently managing. Names, business details and terms have all been changed for privacy.

July 2015
Summer owns a Beauty Salon and employs 8 employees, all of whom are paid a basic hourly rate plus commission (based upon an individual’s sales). Summer is happy as they are good workers and she wants them to keep working for her.

The Background

She employs:
– Tracey (age 17), a trainee on a government apprenticeship scheme. She pays her £2.50 per hour working a minimum of 30 hours per week.
– Melanie (age 19), in the second year of her apprenticeship. She works a minimum of 30 hours a week and is paid £2.73 per hour. She queries this amount with Summer as her employer, but Summer insists this is the correct payment for an apprentice.
– Linda (a 16 year old school leaver) started working at the salon in June 2015, but will not start her apprenticeship at college until September. As Linda is not starting her apprenticeship until September, Summer has offered her a normal employment contract and age-related National Minimum Wage of £3.79 per hour from July to the end of August. She will then revert to the rate of £2.73 per hour when Linda starts her apprenticeship.

(In the meantime – Summer becomes unclear of Linda’s correct entitlement after a colleague said that she should pay Linda £2.73 from the date she started her employment, even though she has started working before her college training commences.)

– Kirsty (age 24) has been working at the Salon the longest and is paid an hourly rate of £6.10. She is always very busy with repeat customers and generates lots of business for the salon. She earns the most commission every month.

Summer also employs 3 other Beauticians and a Salon Manager.

The Facts

Summer should know:
•‘cash in hand’ and commission payments should be treated as wages
•these payments should be included when working out if the National Minimum Wage has been met and paid correctly, and included for Tax and National Insurance calculations as appropriate

Summer is not paying Tracey the National Minimum Wage.

Summer should know:
•the current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £3.30 per hour
•this rate applies to apprentices aged 16 to 18, and those aged 19 or over who are in the first year of their apprenticeship
•a worker being new and building experience won’t mean they aren’t entitled to National Minimum Wage.

Summer is not paying Melanie the correct National Minimum Wage.

Summer should know:
•someone who has completed their first year of apprenticeship, and is over 19, should be paid the minimum wage rate for 19-year-olds, which is currently to £5.30 per hour

Summer is paying Linda correct National Minimum Wage.

Summer should know:
•if a normal employment contract is issued from the start of employment, the worker is entitled to the age-related National Minimum Wage from the start of their employment
•the worker is entitled to the apprenticeship rate for the period when the apprenticeship commences
•if she issues a contract of apprenticeship from the start of employment, the employee is entitled to the apprenticeship rate from the start of the arrangement.

Summer is paying Kirsty the National Minimum Wage.

Kirsty is paid £6.10 per hour basic salary plus her commission every month, she earns £8.00 per hour, which is above the National minimum wage for her age; £6.70 per hour.

The four other employees are also not paid the current minimum wage.

The Outcome

A number of the employees are very unhappy when they find out they are not being paid the minimum wage. They are owed a large amount of back pay which is very costly to Summer.

Summer had to pay large amounts of back pay to reimburse her team. She was also fined and named by the government publicly for failing to pay the minimum wage.

Summer was also contacted by a number of employees who historically worked for her, asking if they were owed any back pay.

Summer did not have up to date Contracts of Employment for her employees or a Company Handbook.

Employers have a legal obligation to pay the minimum wage to all their employees and also must give employees a ‘written statement of employment particulars’ (contract), if their employment contract lasts at least 1 month or more.

All businesses with employees should have up to date Employment Contracts in place and an Employee Handbook. An understandable, readily accessible set of policies helps ensure that employees are treated fairly and equally. Formally writing down your business’s policies and procedures and providing clear guidelines means you will spend less time answering questions and explaining the basic rules of your company. It will also protect you as a business from a situation such as this happening to you and ensure you comply with the latest employment legislation.

National Minimum Wage
•From 1st October 2015, the national minimum wage increased: •From £6.50 to £6.70 per hour for workers aged over 21
•From £2.73 to £3.30 per hour for apprentices
•The rates for 18-20 year olds increased from £5.13 to £5.30 an hour and 16-17 year olds from £3.79 to £3.87

•In February 2015 the government named 70 employers that failed to pay minimum wage
•The worst offender was a care provider in East Midlands, Crossroads, which owed £37,500 to 184 workers
•About 100 other cases in the care sector are still being investigated
•All 160 employers named face financial penalties as well as suffering reputational damage
•In the summer Budget the Chancellor revealed plans for a “national living wage”
•The national living wage (NLW) will apply form 1 April 2016 and be payable to workers aged over 25 and will replace the national minimum wage (NMW) for this group of workers
•Initially the NLW will be payable at the rate of £7.20 per hour.

If you’re worried this may affect you, or you would like to talk to us about any other HR related issues, give us a call on 01903 688789 or send us an email to makeithappen@mbsmih.com.

Our HR packages are extremely flexible and cover everything you could need. We offer a fixed fee retainer, can work with you to address one-off issues or on a project by project basis.

We can provide all of the legal documentation required for managing people and equip you with the necessary skills for all your HR challenges. We will work with you to help you structure your organisation with the right skills and capabilities in line with your desired business strategies.

Credit Control Is More Than Just Calling When An Invoice Is Overdue

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All businesses suffer with cash flow problems from time to time, but it’s often the smaller ones that are hit the hardest. They don’t have the expertise for effective Credit Control and don’t want to have to budget or make space for additional staff to do this either.

There is a common misconception that Credit Control means chasing customers that haven’t paid, and so business owners take on the ‘debt collector’ role – A frustrating one that leads to “I haven’t received that invoice” or “Our customer hasn’t paid us yet”, or perhaps pleas of ignorance “We thought we had longer payment terms”. All of which prolongs payment even further, or worse leaves them feeling it won’t be paid at all.

Frustrated and low on cash business owners then turn to collection agencies. A sound theory, they know what they’re doing right? They’ll get the money in. But at what cost? Obviously a small financial one, but that’s not really what we’re talking about here. The more significant cost is the loss of relationship, loss of future business and possible loss of reputation. What if the customer really did mislay the invoice 3 times? What if there are other underlying issues that could have been resolved if the right questions were asked?

Credit Control is more than just calling when an invoice is overdue, it’s building a relationship and speaking to customers regularly to ensure when it comes to pay day, there are no reasons why your invoice is not the first one on their list.

For a set hourly fee, we provide the solution for businesses nationwide. We use our expertise to put in place and run bespoke processes and do this as a direct representative of your company. You keep your reputation, you build your relationships and you ensure your cash-flow keeps flowing.

Why Use Social Media For Business

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We’re often asked, ‘what’s the point in using Social Media for my business?’ So we thought we’d share with you our top reasons for why you’re missing out if you’re not using it.

As a business owner we know one of the top things you’re up against is getting your name out there. Chances are there’s at least one other business locally offering what you’re offering, so how do your customers know about you? Why should they come to you instead of your competitors? Brand Awareness is a vital part of growing your business. You need to be visible and make it as easy as possible for your future customers to find you. What better way to do this than through Free Marketing channels! Every new channel is an opportunity to access new customers and stay in touch with existing ones. You can share valuable content, allow your customers and prospects to validate you and give your brand credibility by being visible. What’s more, search engines are constantly looking for ways to ensure your brand is legitimate. Being active on social media helps to increase your Search Engine Optimisation and signals that your brand is credible, and trustworthy.

We all know that the best advocate is a happy customer. Giving your customers and prospects the opportunity to communicate with you in as many ways as possible not only increases Customer Satisfaction it allows you to share new and interesting information, offers and updates, and be on the front foot should customers have questions or enquiries. The best products and services are provided based on customer need. Social Media channels are a fantastic way to conduct valuable Research and allow you to better understand your consumers.

So what are you waiting for? Happy tweeting, posting, pinning, sharing, chatting and much more!