Note: This is the sixth in a series of blog posts with tips aimed at helping field service businesses improve during seasonal slow periods.
During your busy season, I bet the thought crosses your mind, “Man I wish I had time to do this or do that.” All of those little errands and tasks you wish you had time for have to be put off so you can service your customers and run your business. When the offseason hits however, take on those tasks and errands. Do maintenance checks on all aspects of your business from your office to your trucks.
Computers – If you’re anything like me, you don’t have time during your busy season to update, upgrade, and download the latest software and programs for your computer. While we do strongly suggest you keep up on backups for your computer and updates for your antivirus security, there are other updates that do not require immediate action and can be completed in the off season.
If you have Windows, check out this site. It shows you how to set up automatic updates.
If you have a Mac, click here. It explains what the newest version is and how to update.
Also, clean out your computer. Go through and delete files no longer needed (carefully of course!). You’d be surprised how much faster and more efficient your computer will be when it’s not bogged down with files that are no longer of use to you. We recently did this to our main server. After spending a few days searching through files and deciding which should be backed up and saved to Carbonite (our backup program of choice), and which could be deleted forever, we reviewed the space available. You would be amazed how much opened up and how much faster our computers are performing. Plus, it’s nice to have the added assurance that we won’t run out of space during our busy season and be unable to save customer information.
A great piece of free software that can help get rid of the crap on your computer is CCleaner.
Vehicles – Do your vehicles need an oil change? How about a tire rotation? Are you able to have one of your vehicles out of service for a whole day during your busy season?
Use your down time to get your trucks worked on. I suggest you have all of your vehicles checked out thoroughly by your mechanic one day during the offseason. This way, you are able to leave them in the shop for an extended period of time if they need more work than just a typical oil change.
Office – While there probably isn’t much ‘maintenance’ to be done around your office, you can clean it up a bit and restock supplies.
Do inventory for your office staff. Things like ink, paper, staples, even garbage bags or coffee filters. Make a list and stock up. Your office will appreciate having everything they need in the office instead of having to wait for an order to come in or someone to run to the store.
Did you know the second Monday of January is National Clean Off Your Desk Day? Well it is. And what better time to clean then when it’s blizzarding out (unless you push snow then disregard this last statement)? According to a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, the average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet (http://tidbitfun.com/01/09/clean-desk/).
Do a deep cleaning of your desk. Not only will it look nicer with less coffee stains, it will also help you to not feel so overwhelmed. A large mess on your desk can affect your mood almost instantly. Get your desk neat and organized (and try to keep it this way) for the season. You’ll feel more prepared with everything organized.
Want more tips on how to keep your technology in tip-top shape? Download our free Quick and Dirty Technology Checklist today.