Business never sleeps

Seriously clever smartphone apps let business owners be connected to work 52 weeks of the year, wherever they are. Photo / Thinkstock

New technology allows companies to function over the festive period — even when staff are on holiday. But be careful not to let your days at the beach be dominated by work emails. Susan Edmunds reports.

If you're lying on the beach this summer and spot the person on the towel next to you staring intently at their smartphone, they may be running an international business, not just Facebooking.

The festive season is tricky for companies. Those closing their doors have to deal with a drop in income while still having to cover usual costs like rent and staff salaries.

Those staying open must have the staff to do so, when most people want to be on holiday.

But running the company from the beach has become easier with cloud computing technology and smartphone software for things such as accounting, inventory and point-of-sale data.

Luke Nicholas, of beer brand Epic, which exports globally, built his business with a view to running it from anywhere in the world.

His team of four uses software such as Xero and inventory management system Unleashed.

"The flexibility means we can act faster and respond more quickly. Over Christmas, the staff have an agreement that whoever gets to an order first will email the team to say they've processed the order. We know someone will look within a reasonable time and it means it is taken care of."

Vodafone's head of enterprise solutions, Ben Green, said it was valid to worry about being on hand to respond to customers. "Seventy-eight per cent of sales go to the business that responds first."

He said businesses should have a clear plan - who would be working and who could log in via smartphone or laptop.

Sophie Gilmour, who co-owns food business Bird on a Wire, will holiday in Matakana but will check in. "We will all take a breather over Christmas and New Year but we have about 30 staff and they all need to be paid and suppliers need to be paid over that time."

The business already runs a lot of systems remotely. When she married recently, she continued to check into work while she was away, using her smartphone.

"If I switch off entirely, it makes the pre-work anxiety even worse."

Steve Corbett, founder of Massey University incubator e-centre, said there was a shift to business owners not wanting to detach entirely over Christmas. "A number of [New Zealand business] customers are global and they might take Christmas Day and Boxing Day off but they're not taking a month off."

He said it was not just a Christmas phenomenon. "People are connected 52 weeks of the year."

Corbett recommended those working put restrictions on it.

"Once a day, I try to put half an hour aside and clear everything."

He suggested business owners manage clients' expectations by setting up an automatic response on their email to let people know they would be clearing messages daily.

For those who decide to shut up shop entirely over the period, cashflow is the main concern.

Ken Leeming, a coach at incubator The Icehouse, which offers advice and training to startups and established businesses, said a quiet festive season could be a big problem for businesses operating on tight cashflows.

"If they haven't budgeted and planned, it can be a real burden. A lot of companies really struggle to get enough cash in the bank."

He recommended businesses get rid of stock they could not sell before Christmas and encourage staff to take as much annual leave over the quiet period as possible.

Leeming also suggested being more proactive about chasing debt, such as ringing with a reminder a day before the bill is due.

How to keep up cashflow at Xmas

Own a business and want to dramatically improve your cashflow over the holiday season? Here are some tips to make life more profitable this summer.
•Send invoices immediately, using email
•Write detailed invoices
•Prioritise jobs that are near completion so you can invoice before the holidays
•Set your own payment terms and encourage direct payments to your bank account
•Use your mobile phone to access your accounts and check in during the day
•Have someone else call your debtors
•Use accounts receivable reports