As a professional services provider, your business has unique needs when it comes to working with and for your clients. During this pivotal time, transitioning to a digital business model is crucial in order to continue business and stay connected to your clientele. From consultations to collecting payments, providing quality service in a remote environment can be a painless process if implemented properly.
If you’re a lawyer, financial advisor, engineer, consultant, or one of the many other professional service industries that generally conduct your business in person, a remote transition may sound difficult. Here are a few tips and tools to help take your professional service business digital.
Free Digital Online Tools For Your Professional Business
Whether you need to work remotely through phone or video web calls, or you want to track your team’s progress, there are plenty of digital tools that can amplify your workflow during this time. These free-to-start digital tools will help your business avoid unnecessary hassles as you transition your professional business to digital.
Video conferencing tools such as Zoom Video Communications, Uberconference, and Workplace for Facebook offers free 30-40 minute video conferencing with their basic plans. These communication tools also include chat and screen sharing options for clear communication during remote or ‘Work From Home’ protocol.
If you have a team of employees adding online project management tools can help optimize productivity. Platforms such as Monday, Basecamp, and HubSpot enable you to build and monitor tasks and assignments, run client meetings, track deadlines, and supervise team collaboration. In addition, there are also industry-focused platforms available that have distinct project tracking and billing features your team may need, such as BigTime for professional services. Keeping your team focused and accountable whilst working remotely sets your business up for success in maintaining daily business operations.
Let’s not forget about tracking your finances. Not only do your employees want to get paid, so do your landlord and your utility provider. Streamlining your business’s financial tasks, including payroll, taxes, and the continuous costs of running your business will give you a better picture of your business’s financial health.
QuickBooks’ accounting software helps you run your business and provides a sense of your business’s overall financial health.
Wave is an accounting software platform designed for small businesses, independent contractors, and sole proprietors with nine or fewer employees.
Stax all-in-one platform is a powerful billing and invoicing solution that gives your business the ability to key in payment information, send invoices, create recurring payment schedules, and accept payment through hosted payment pages.
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How Online Payments Can Help Your Professional Services Business Thrive
Does your business take payments over the phone often? One of the main benefits of utilizing online payment options such as web payment portals, digital invoicing and a Stax platform is the ability to get paid faster. Streamlining your payments with online processing resources provides your business with branded digital invoicing, recurring payment scheduling, and text and email reminders. These tools will significantly cut down on processing time.
Since invoices are the preferred payment method for most professional services such as legal aid, accounting, and vendor services, utilizing digital invoices provides clear payment information and effectively reflects the brand and professionalism of your business.
Adding the Stax Platform allows you to directly key in payment and customer information, all while allowing your employees to run payment without needing to send an invoice or worry about additional hardware. Here are a few more benefits you’ll receive once you shift your professional service business towards eCommerce and remote payment options.
Collecting Payments during this time through automation offers additional flexibility with scheduling capabilities and provides your customers with multiple ways to pay.
Within the Stax platform, you’ll also gain access to important data analytics and business intelligence that will provide you with the information needed to help push your business forward.
If you need to abruptly shift your business model to a more digitally friendly format we understand your struggles and want to do what we can to help you succeed.
As always we are here for you and will do whatever we can to help your business succeed during this time of uncertainty. Interested in finding out how our online products and services help your professional business thrive in a remote environment? Reach out to us today. We will be happy to answer your questions and help you see how we can best support your business.
