Working with clients, or customers, can be difficult at times. Saying the right thing, maintaining the relationship, making them feel heard…it can be a lot to manage. Let’s review some ways to manage those difficult clients when they come around.
• Stay Calm and Professional: Maintain a calm demeanor and professional tone, even if the client is upset.
• Listen Actively: Acknowledge their concerns and repeat back what they’ve said.
• Empathize: Show empathy by understanding their frustration and validating their feelings.
• Set Clear Boundaries: Clearly communicate what is and isn’t possible within the given constraints.
• Stay Positive: Maintain a positive attitude, even in challenging situations, to help de-escalate tension.
• Offer Solutions: Focus on finding a solution rather than dwelling on the problem.
• Follow Up: After resolving an issue, follow up with the client to ensure they are satisfied with the outcome.
• Document Everything: Keep detailed records of all interactions and agreements to avoid misunderstandings.
• When all else fails: Escalate it.
Would you like to learn more about this topic? Reach out to use to find out how we can lead a session for you and your team.
Working as a team in modern times can be trying. Your team may be on-site, remote, or a hybrid of both. Staying aligned is key, so let’s dive into ways to stay on track!
Team Building Strategies
• Promote a Respectful Environment: Ensure every team member feels valued and respected by fostering an inclusive culture.
• Open Communication Channels: Implement systems for transparent communication, such as anonymous feedback tools and regular all-hands meetings.
• Articulate a Clear Vision: Hold regular meetings to update your team on the company’s goals and progress.
• Define Team Roles: Clearly define roles and responsibilities to avoid overlap and confusion.
• Trust in Your Team: Avoid micromanaging and trust your team to perform their tasks effectively.
Enhancing Team Dynamics
• Encourage Collaboration: Foster a culture of collaboration by promoting teamwork and collective problem-solving.
• Provide Constructive Feedback: Regularly offer feedback that helps team members grow and improve.
• Resolve Conflicts Quickly: Address conflicts as soon as they arise to prevent them from escalating.
• Foster Mutual Respect: Encourage team members to respect each other’s ideas and contributions.
Aligning Team Interactions & Communications
• Use Technology: Leverage collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Asana to keep everyone connected.
• Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins and meetings to ensure everyone is aligned and informed.
• Cross-Functional Projects: Create projects that require collaboration between different offices to build stronger inter-office relationships.
• Standardize Processes: Implement standardized processes across all offices to ensure consistency.
• Encourage Transparency: Promote a culture of transparency where information is freely shared across teams.
Would you like to learn more about this topic? Reach out to use to find out how we can lead a session for you and your team.
In today’s tireless and competitive business world, organization and efficiency is crucial for success.Picture yourself as a dedicated business owner juggling multiple invoices, receipts, and emails daily– it can be overwhelming! This is where Richardson Professional Solutions (RPS) has emerged as a meaningful change. We are here to make your life easier!
Our goal at RPS is to help you simplify your back-office tasks and responsibilities, while boosting productivity.We offer multiple services such aschecking PO boxes and scanning mail with precision.This means no more sorting through piles of paper and misplacing something important. With us, your mail is handled efficiently, digitized, and readily accessible whenever you need it.
For business owners, staying organized is not just helpful – it is necessary.We understand the challenges you face and are committed to helping you manage the many responsibilities and moving pieces. By entrusting us with your mail and paperwork, you can save time and focus on growing your business and serving your clients better.
This is just one example of the many ways RPS is making a change.As we celebrate and reflect on the past four years, our journey has been filled with unwavering dedication and support, and a strong commitment to positively impacting communities nationwide. We have provided efficient solutions for our clients that save them time and reduce stress. Whether it is managing back-office tasks, handling correspondence, or offering personalized support, our goal remains the same – creating more time for what truly matters, like spending time with loved ones.We take pride in the progress we have made empowering businesses, nonprofits, and families with services that simplify their lives.
As we markthis significant milestone, we want to thank ourclients, partners, and supporters who have each played a pivotal role in our journey. Your trust and collaboration continue to inspire us as we remain committed to serving you and positively impacting our communities. Happy anniversary, RPS! Here aretoo many more years of success, growth, and meaningful connections.
In the dynamic world of business, growth is a common objective. However, as your business expands, so do the complexities of managing daily operations. That’s where Richardson Professional Solutions steps in as your trusted partner, to offer tailored operations support that can catalyze your business’s growth trajectory. Want to know how Richardson Professional Solutions can be your secret weapon for success? Keep reading!
1. Operational Efficiency
Efficiency is the bedrock upon which sustainable growth is built. Without streamlined operations, you may find resources being wasted, productivity lagging and customer satisfaction dwindling. Richardson Professional Solutions excels in optimizing your operations to ensure every aspect of your business runs smoothly. From process improvements to resource allocation, we’ve got you covered.
2. Customized Solutions for Your Unique Needs
One size doesn’t fit all. Richardson Professional Solutions understands that every business has unique challenges and goals. Our team collaborates closely with you to design a support plan tailored to your specific needs. Whether it’s supply chain management, logistics, customer service, or any other facet of operations, our solutions can adapt to your business.
3. Scalability as You Grow
As your business expands, so do its demands. Richardson Professional Solutions grows with you. Our flexible support services are scalable, thus ensuring that as you reach new heights your operations remain agile and responsive. Knowing that your operations are ready to scale means you can enter new markets, launch new products, or take on more customers with confidence.
4. Focus on Core Competencies
Growth often requires your team’s undivided attention, and the nitty-gritty of day-to-day operations can be a significant distraction. By partnering with Richardson Professional Solutions, you free up your internal resources to focus on core competencies and strategic initiatives. We take care of the operational intricacies by allowing you to innovate and grow.
5. Cost Efficiency and Savings
Outsourcing operations support can be a cost-effective strategy. Richardson Professional Solutions helps you minimize overhead costs associated with hiring, training, and maintaining an in-house operations team. Our expertise and economies of scale enable us to deliver top-notch support while keeping your expenses in check.
6. Strategic Guidance
Our commitment to your success extends beyond operational tasks. We provide strategic guidance based on industry insights and best practices. This means you benefit not only from our operational support but also from our expertise in helping businesses navigate challenges and seize opportunities.
7. Enhanced Customer Experience
The customer experience is a pivotal factor in business growth. Richardson Professional Solutions ensures that your operations support enhances customer satisfaction. Whether it’s by improving order fulfillment, optimizing delivery processes, or enhancing customer service, we help you leave a lasting positive impression.
Richardson Professional Solutions is more than just an operations support provider; we are your growth partner. We understand that your journey toward success is unique, and we are committed to supporting you every step of the way. With our tailored solutions, scalability, cost-efficiency, and strategic insights, we enable you to focus on what you do best while we take care of the operational excellence that fuels your growth. Ready to supercharge your growth? Partner with Richardson Professional Solutions today!
Imagine that you are in the middle of planning your biggest fundraising event. There are half-implemented ideas, lists of to-dos, and you’re missing key deadlines to kick off your event. Invitations, receipts, and sticky notes litter your office space. This is where a project manager comes into play.
A project is a set of tasks that must be completed to arrive at a unique goal or outcome. Depending on the size and scope of the project, these tasks may be simple or elaborate, but all projects can be broken down into objectives and what needs to be done to achieve them.
A project manager is the point person for all the project’s major goals by implementing important plans and managing teams. They follow a project from ideation to completion. At Richardson Professional Solutions, we help you make more time in your business by providing back-office solutions. One of the many services we provide is Project Management.
Here at RPS, we have a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) on staff and can help with any stage of a project, from brainstorming to budget/invoicing and risk management to day-to-day coordination for go-lives or events. We can help with as little or much as you need to help you be successful.
No two clients are the same, and neither are your projects. As a project manager, we are here to fill you in on three simple steps to help you keep your project on track.
1) To keep from losing touch with your project, schedule a set time to work on any open items or check in with your project manager. Put this time on your calendar, so that it’s in writing and so that you’ll get alerts. This scheduled time is particularly useful for answering unanswered emails, completing actionable items, and planning for the next project meeting or presentation.
2) Evaluate your project from multiple perspectives. It is extremely beneficial to run all the potential ways delays could happen in the project. Finding out this information early can allow you to begin working on getting what you need well in advance and have potential solutions mapped out.
3) Keep the group that is directly involved small. A project will only be as successful as the people working on it. Each person on a team should be picked for the skills and personality they bring to the project. Not everyone will be a great fit for every project, and your best team may not even include all your “best” people.
There are dozens of project management tips, and they all have different benefits and limitations that make them good for some environments and bad for others. Do you have a project in mind but don’t know where to start? Reach out to us, we can help point you in the right direction.
A report published by the Xero accounting software company found that 85 percent of small businesses owners admit to working while on vacation, with 60 %checking in proactively at least daily.
We are ready to help business owners during a vacation, so you can make time for what matters. This past week we endured Masters week locally and vacations started in full swing, but a new survey from Accountemps found that 54% of workers say they plan on checking in with the office at least once or twice a week while on vacation. That’s up from 41 percent in 2016.
According to the survey, there were four top reasons people gave as to why they felt compelled to check in:
– Gaining peace of mind that things are under control (54%);
– Keeping projects moving along (53%);
– Avoiding coming back to extra work (47%); and
– Preventing colleagues from feeling undue stress (34%).
Do any of this sound familiar? Below are a few tips for how you can put work aside and get away for real.
One. Plan out specific projects vs. general to-do lists.
It is always hard coming back to a plateful of problems. The key is to create a list of “must do” projects that need to be dealt with right away, and a checklist of items that must get done. Have your team onboard these lists ahead of time and know who is going to do what.
Two. Create an information cheat sheet.
No one can get inside your brain, but you! By providing a cheat sheet the people helping while you’re away can figure things out easier and quicker without having to pick up the phone to give you a call. Your cheat sheet could include:
– Where to find important files;
– Policy and procedure notes;
– Location of critical project information; and
Tips they might find useful in dealing with specific people and/or situations.
Three. Outsource.
Outsource your work while you are away so that your customer service is still 100%. Outsourcing can include:
– Answering the telephone and taking messages;
– Keeping up with day-to-day activities; and
– Filtering your email.
No one likes to come back to a pile of work and feel as if they are drowning. That is where Richardson Professional Solutions can come in to help. We are ready to help business owners during a vacation, so you can make time for what matters.
Since Richardson Professional Solutions was born three years ago through my desire to be at home with my new son as much as possible, helping others make time for the things that matter most to them is extremely important to us at RPS. Essentially, it is why we do what we do.
Today I wanted to share three reasons outsourcing could benefit your organization.
1. First, it can save you time by allowing you to get more done on the important work that needs your attention. Outsourcing those draining, repetitive tasks that distract you from your main role and goal can help you make up some time in your day. 2. Second, it can save you money on not only traditional overhead items like office furniture and computers, but also the intangibles like benefits, wages, and the associated payroll taxes. Working with a vendor rather than an employee you also avoid things like paid time off, performance reviews, and raises. Although vendors may charge you a higher rate compared to a traditional employee, you tend to save money in the long run by avoiding the other items mentioned before that increase the true cost of an employee. So, make sure to keep an open mind when discussing pricing. 3. Lastly, it can make your organization more money by improving your customer service, and productivity, and allowing your organization to thrive. For example- By giving up those mundane tasks mentioned earlier, you now have more time to focus where it’s needed, and your response time to customers improves. Outsourcing can also give you the freedom to grow your business in any direction you choose, meaning you can expand on your services and products because you are no longer limited to the skills and tools within your current team.
At Richardson Professional Solutions we love watching organizations grow and thrive! We can help with as little or much as you need to make time for the important things in your life. No two organizations are the same, and neither are the ways that we support clients.
Whether you would like more time for a new child or grandchild, a hobby, or traveling, I’m Amy Richardson of Richardson Professional Solutions, and my team and I look forward to helping you make time for what matters.
It’s 2023 and we are celebrating our third anniversary here at Richardson Professional Solutions. We love seeing small businesses thrive, so this month we want to bring you some tips and tricks to take into this new year as a small business owner and/or operator.
Did you know that according to the Small Business Administration, 20% of startups fail within the first year, while half go under within five years? Sometimes a small business, although a highly creative idea, can eventually suffer because there is a lack of business sense. Here are 5 tips for small business owners:
Stay organized. Control the chaos by keeping accurate records of business finances, setting and keeping deadlines, and planning ahead by using the scheduling software for things like social media, email marketing, and/or text campaigns.
Maintain a personal touch. This can be as easy as a handwritten letter when a client joins your company or a small note to someone after meeting them at a networking event.
Cut costs as needed. This is the key to staying afloat, especially as a fresh start-up. Decide where spending money is important to you and your business (maybe a special software or a higher-end swag item to make an impression), and where you can stand to shave off a few dollars (premium subscription to something or buying used rather than pre-loved office furniture).
Prioritize customer support. These are the people who help keep your lights on. If they aren’t happy, it will be hard to keep your business running. Make sure to maintain expectations and boundaries, while keeping your promises and providing top-notch customer service.
Build a strong team. A business can crumble in a flash if its workforce isn’t strong. Find people who are passionate about what they do and have the same mission and goals as your business.
Every business looks different to each individual owner. Always remember to set regular goals and change them as your business grows or as you accomplish them. Just like Dr. Ivan Misner said about networking, “Networking is more about farming than it is about hunting.” This too remains the same for small businesses. Enjoy the journey!
Today, I want to tell you why estate planning is important. But why would someone need help with their estate?
An estate plan is a vital component of any financial plan, regardless of the ages of your family members or your net worth. Whether you are single, married, or partnered, there are essential components of an estate plan that can help ensure your family’s financial security.
According to The Balance magazine, there are three key reasons why estate planning is essential for any family.
• Estate Planning Protects Beneficiaries. There are a number of estate planning tools and resources you can use depending on your financial situation. A life insurance policy is among one of them. This quickly provides your beneficiary with a death benefit after you pass away (and they file a claim). The proceeds of a policy can help cover things like final expenses, mortgage payments, and future college tuition for kids or grandkids.
• Estate Planning Protects Your Assets. Without a will and other estate planning resources in place, your assets will be distributed based on the law of the state where you live. Each state has its own set of laws. Even though the recipients of your assets are your spouse and your bloodline, things can quickly become complicated.
• Estate Plans Simplify Things for Your Family. Without a will and other directives in place when you die, you may inadvertently stir up hard conversations between family members. And it’s not always about money. This is especially important with blended families, which may include ex-spouses, new spouses, biological children, and stepchildren. Since each state has its own process for determining heirs, not having a will may cause you to unwittingly exclude someone you care about who isn’t a blood relative or include relatives you don’t want to inherit anything.
At Richardson Professional Solutions, we are a small business that helps other small businesses, non-profits and family estates across the country make time for what matters most by handling their back-office tasks.
Although we clearly have a passion for small businesses, one of our favorite and most rewarding services we provide is estate assistance. What this means is that a family member brings us in to help with tasks for the family like picking up, sorting, and scanning the mail for the estate; paying bills for the estate; being a professional liaison on behalf of the estate with an accountant or lawyer; handling the bookkeeping and document maintenance for the Estate’s accounts; providing fraud monitoring; and so much more.
A quick example is a family who has allowed us to assist them in lifting the burden of the financials off of the family members so they can spend more time with the aging family member in declining health. Not only do we handle the bookkeeping and bill pay, but we have also been a liaison with the repair man, landscaper, and accountant on their behalf, removing that stress.
We also assisted the family with moving the client into an assisted living facility by preparing paperwork for the facility, establishing a post office box, handling mail forwarding and address changes – things that must be done, but are not where the family needs to be focused on spending their time in this stage of life.
We can help with as little or much as your family needs to make time for the important things in your life. No two people or families are the same, and neither are the ways that we support families.
Are you the owner of one of the thousands of businesses in the CSRA? Do you have time for bookkeeping, IT, marketing, recruitment, project, or event management?
If not, maybe it’s time to call for backup. Amy Richardson created Richardson Professional Solutions to help solve the issues most business owners may not have time to address when their time can be better spent building a successful company. In other words, she has created a one-stop shop for all those backend jobs.
Her company provides a balance for business owners. Initially, she started it to create her own balance.
When her son was born in November 2019, she launched her company two months later.
“It started as a side hustle with a baby on my hip,” Richardson explained. “When COVID hit, we were bombarded. The company I started allowed me to work from home, focus on building the business and be a mom.”
The business has changed dramatically post-COVID. While some companies used to offer the ability to work from home as a perk, it has now become the norm for many businesses. By 2025, an estimated 70 percent of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month, according to Forbes.
Richardson has a head start in the remote workforce world. She and her team of seven, deliver a support system for more than 25 clients. Their services include everything from website design and management to employee scheduling and paying bills.
“Still, there is a stigma about working remotely but we are a legitimate business offering our team members health insurance, maternity leave, and a 401k,” Richardson said.
Richardson has a great support system in her professional and personal life. Her husband, Ben, who works remotely for a bank in Ohio, does double duty by providing IT support for Richardson Professional Solution clients and, of course, as husband and dad.
“Since I work from home, my lunch hour is spent with my toddler and if I see my work calendar is getting too fat, I put on the brakes,” she said.
The challenge of owning and running a business is real, especially for a woman.
“Women are the default caregivers,” Richardson said. “We automatically have to make sure everyone is covered.”
Even when she’s away from her home office engaging with the community, Richardson seems to be making the delicate balance of being a business owner, wife, and mom work.
Her clients describe her as smart, honest, energetic, thorough, and creative. Richardson attributes that to her core values, including integrity, being accountable, thinking outside the box, and being a lifelong learner.
At the heart of it all is compassion for her clients and her family.
“I was laying here after putting my toddler back to sleep, staring at his sweet, peaceful face, and I am reminded of a quote I heard some time ago about raising children: ‘The days are long, but the years are short,’” Richardson said. “I think of it often and it grounds me to realize how fast time is passing and that I won’t get these years back. I want to spend as much time as possible with him, and the rest of my family, while still being able to provide us with a beautiful life. My business gives me that freedom.”
