Going on holiday. . what should i do??

[Vision]

At the end of Sept i'm going abroad for 2 weeks so as there's only me i will not be able to ship any orders taken during that time.

I usually just put a notice on the website and on the product pages and checkout etc that orders placed during this time will be shipped when i return.

Does this sound ok?. . i dont know what else i can do.

Cheers

Mark

 

[sysops]

I usually just put a notice on the website and on the product pages and checkout etc that orders placed during this time will be shipped when i return.

Does this sound ok?. . i dont know what else i can do.

On what planet do you think this would sound ok? What would you think if you came across a website with such a notice?

Your choices are clear. Either you don't go on holiday (this is something experienced by most people running their own business at some point during their career), or you hire and train someone to take your place while you're gone.

 

[willitbe]

What do you sell OP and who to?.

Meaning is it a niche little site or bigger?

 

[Vision]

Its Guitar equipment, there are a few high end niche items and one in particular for which i am the only UK dealer.

Mark

 

[willitbe]

Not really very professional then in my opinion. If i was the dealer who supplied you with the uk's only oulet source i would be pretty miffed thinking that sales might be being missed if i saw a " Gone on holiday" sign on your shop.

JMO CHEERS WILL

 

[Pilfo]

More importantly, you should be considering the fact that you're compromising your own security.

Fancy announcing to the whole world, that you're not at home!

Pilfo

 

[i234i]

i know of a few music based shops and music clothing shops that have this, i wouldnt plaster it over your site and your basket. just a little thing of your website.

they dont have it as on holiday tho.

they usually put it as.. Orders placed during x date to x date will be posted one x date due to stocktaking.

sounds a bit more pro.

 

[sm1]

Or - cover the front of your website saying your making necessary changes and will not be able to take orders for a few weeks. You're going to have to make a compromise.

Cheers

 

[Cornish Steve]

I agree with others. There's no way you should put such an unprofessional notice up. Seriously, you need to think how to run a business and be separate from its day-to-day operations rather than working a job that prevents you from taking even a few days off.

This time around, you have a couple of weeks to find someone to step in and train them to help. The only way you'll find such a trustworthy person at this short a notice, and without making a mistake you'll regret in the future, is to ask a member of your family to help - or a long-time friend you know really well.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Take a computer with you to download the orders, explain to each customer there is a two week delay in sending out his / her order, you apreciate this delay may not be acceptable to some customers and apologise in advance, and should they wish to cancell please reply to this email

 

[quikshop]

I usually just put a notice on the website and on the product pages and checkout etc that orders placed during this time will be shipped when i return.

Yes that's fine, as long as your visitors are kept informed they'll be fine with it. Unlike earlier comments (looks at sysops), most shoppers will appreciate that you are a small business and cannot be available 24/7.

 

[Page]

Nothing wrong with having a hols so go for it. Small businesses have to make compromises.

But there may be other options for what to say and do.

We don't know enough about your situation and some of the suggestions may not be appropriate for a business like yours or where you are going on holiday.

But might it be possible for you to do all the cart bit - assuming you have internet access from abroad - and then have someone else send out the goods.

Set up a bit on the front page - word it how you want encouraging people to email you. That way you may not lose them and can reply and keep things ticking along.

If you have access from abroad then you should consider logging in and taking down the message you are thinking of putting up a few days before you return.

Pick up emails on your mobile phone and ...

Etc etc etc.

What is best just all depends.

 

[sysops]

Unlike earlier comments (looks at sysops), most shoppers will appreciate that you are a small business and cannot be available 24/7.

Oh come on - that's not a business, it's a hobby!

Let's say I bought a piece of kit from this website, which I need for an event next week. There's a problem with it, so I go back to the site, only to find out he's on holiday for two weeks. Very poor.

Imagine if you saw a sign on a small high-street music shop saying "I've closed the shop for 2 weeks to go on holiday"...

There's a hell of a difference between "cannot be available 24/7" and "closes for 4% of the year at a time".

 

[duongo]

If you can't bring anyone on board to run things while you are away, why not just close your shop and put a notice/landing page saying 'shop closed due to maintenance and upgrade'..(or something similar)...yes you'll lose 2 weeks trading, but that's the sacrafice you'll have to take if you want to go on holiday. I agree that saying you are going on holiday is not professional.

 

[Westlands1966]

We run a company call Hyperoutlet that deal with 250 merchants and they can divert their calls to our Sales Lines as long as they have products listed with us.We can then take the Sales calls when the retailers are on Holiday or in meeting or simply out of hours and forward these on.

 

[J-Wholesale]

I think some of the commenters here are over reacting. Many large businesses shut down for periods during the year. The problem is not the fact that you're shutting down, more that you've picked a terrible time of year to do it. Your customers would hardly blink if you shut down for 'restocking' for two weeks after Christmas - a lot of businesses do this.

 

[downsouth]

well a lot depends on how busy you are, I'd say go on hols refresh yourself this time and think about a better strategy for your net hols.

Personally I wouldn't advertise the fact that you are away, just continue trading as 'normal' perhaps as suggested get some form of mobile internet access to check up on emails, orders etc.

Could you not get your supplier to dispatch the orders for you for a short period??

How many times have we seen signs on doors about owners being away, closed early, on hols etc. The world today is 24*7, so you might lose a few customers this time, but we all have to have some down time.

if your a reputable company, good products, prices etc then they will return

 

[Barnie]

large companies wont take on tiny brands with lower sales so smaller companies like mine pick up from there,

if im a consumer after a niche produce i accept that im going to have to buy it from a small niche company

sad to say it but its smaller one man bands that bring the hard to get items into the uk,

i would also just put a front page up stating your re profiling your website and a launch date, and pull the os site down, you could just keep links up to pdf price lists

other option is set up business in Italy and just close for 4 weeks every summer like the rest of them do

 

[TestAPlug]

Its not a good idea to publically broadcast your holiday plans! I am sure you can take a few hours out of the holiday to email customers and inform them of your situation. KEV

 

[downsouth]

if im a consumer after a niche produce i accept that im going to have to buy it from a small niche company

sad to say it but its smaller one man bands that bring the hard to get items into the uk,

Couple of good points there, defo agree, so often the larger companies dont bother to source them or source cheaper, inferior versions

purely after the High net profits, about time so companies thought just who they are servicing, customers or shareholders!!!!

 

[stugster]

Have you not got a friend you can get to cover you? Process orders and reply to e-mails for 2 hours a day?

Tell him that anything that sells, he can have the profit on?

There are Internet cafes around the world too, so make sure you know where your nearest one is.

Get your friend to contact you at the end of each night just to let you know how everything is....

and a note on the site saying:

"Due to an unexpected rise in sales, we are taking longer than usual to ship orders. All orders will be shipped as soon as possible. We apologise for any incontinence."

 

[sm1]

Do you actually get lots of orders everyday?

Cheers

 

[lesliedocherty]

I agree, some major over exagerations on your hols, a few drama queens on here today.

But, the best idea is get a friend to cover a few hours a day, i imagine your not busy enough to employ someone on a permanent basis, but someone needs to be checking emails & orders every day.

 

[Vision]

I will be checking orders and emails at least once a day whilst im away, im visiting friends in a place i know well so internet access isnt a problem at all, i actually did this in June too and actually had 6 orders whilst i was away and then another 10 or so in the first 2 days of being back so i dont see it being THAT much of a problem.

Maybe i'll just word it differently than "closed for holiday". . . security isnt an issue as there are always people here. . . just not people who can look after things for me.

Mark

 

[IainW]

and a note on the site saying:

"Due to an unexpected rise in sales, we are taking longer than usual to ship orders. All orders will be shipped as soon as possible. We apologise for any incontinence."

Spot on Stuart!

 

[starsgazing]

"Due to an unexpected rise in sales, we are taking longer than usual to ship orders. All orders will be shipped as soon as possible. We apologise for any incontinence."

*Surely* a rise in sales should be expected

I echo those who suggest that ideally you should look for a replacement. As it's 'only' two weeks, hopefully said person will be okay. There shouldn't even need to be a sign at all & if they're competent, your customers shouldn't notice the difference. I thought the initial sign was a horrible idea (and agree with the poster who likened it to having a hobby) because the average Joe/Jane can only afford to go on holiday during regular holiday periods because they have to work the rest of the year. It gives the idea that you're not serious about your business (small business owner or not) - which I'm sure is not the message you'd like to send

Just my two cents...

 

[P4D | Parcels4Delivery]

If I placed an order on your site whilst you were away then I would much rather know at the start that it wouldn't arrive for 2 weeks than be told after I had placed the order. If anything I would value the openness. Whether I would actually be prepared to wait for 2 weeks if I was in a rush and there was another site offering the same item at the same price is another question.

 

[Mister B]

Simple question, but whereabouts are you going on holiday, UK or abroad?

If the UK, then why not take smaller items with you and dispatch from wherever you are. Failing that, I concur that you are closed for two weeks stocktaking

Saying that, things must be going well if you can afford to take two weeks off just as your business begins to grow. I struggle to take two days off never mind two weeks

Enjoy your hols.

Mister B

 

[PayVector]

Make sure you cover yourself whatever you do against chargebacks on your card purchases. If your deliveries are not going out as normal and yoru termsn & conditions do not match delivery schedules you open yourself up for charge backs. Make sure you pre-auth your transactions only and do not take payment until the day they ship. Also make sure your terms and conditions cover you for the period you are away.

I think all the nay sayers on this thread are just jelous about you getting 2 holidays in a six month period.

 

[IainW]

Make sure you cover yourself whatever you do against chargebacks on your card purchases. If your deliveries are not going out as normal and yoru termsn & conditions do not match delivery schedules you open yourself up for charge backs. Make sure you pre-auth your transactions only and do not take payment until the day they ship. Also make sure your terms and conditions cover you for the period you are away.

I think all the nay sayers on this thread are just jelous about you getting 2 holidays in a six month period.

IridiunCorp,

Moving slightly away from the topic, you mention chargebacks, do you think businesses are going to come a cropper more and more as people are starting to chargeback more than ever before? or will the card companies start to look into the cases more and not always reward the customer with the money. I keep hearing that the business/merchant very rarely wins a chargeback, this is worrying as there are lots of customers who will try anything.

Any feedback?

 

[PayVector]

Going to start a new thread on this instead of hijacking this one

 

[PayVector]

Going to start a new thread on this instead of hijacking this one

http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=601517#post601517

 

[rubberdubber]

We have the same problem however it is only a week at a time and we plaster ' due to office relocation- order will not be dispatched until .......'

however i take my laptop and mobile broadband, pick up all my phone messages and emails, (so i dont ever get a real holiday)

we have never had a problem, people understand - and to be frank, 2 weeks waiting time is nothing compared to some places that take a month to deliver !!

 

[doggiestylestore]

A notice would be ok if its just a small operation but is not gonna look very professional, is there nobody who could cover you while away?

 

[cricket]

I would make it sound more impressive, see below.

'Dear Customers.

Due to an unprecented demand for our product, we are currently in the process of expanding our premises. This means that there maybe a temporary delay in despatching orders. Please anticipate that any orders from todays date may take 4 weeks to arrive instead of the normal 2 week delivery.

We regret any inconvenience and hope you will bear with us during this time. As a gesture of our appreciation for your patience, we are offering a free CD of Cliff Richards greatest hits with every order. (joke, but you get the picture??).

*************************************************

Voila!

 

[VLAHAKISA]

I personally don't think it looks unprofessional to say that the store is closed for a time - I wouldn't say holiday though due to security and other issues etc, I would say something else that sounds more professional.

I close my own website about three times a year or more. I simply say 'We are closed between xx and xx dates and will reopen on xx date - we will respond to your enquiry swiftly on our return'. I don't even give a reason. I don't go away for any more than 7 days at a time though.

My website is my sole method of gaining customers, and closing it for about 3-4 weeks of each year does not harm my business at all. I've ran it this way for over six years now and it's no problem and I've never had any complaints.

Sure I might get a few less sales than if I was open all year round, but my life isn't about my business only, there are other more important things than money.

As long as you give people a bit of notice, and then you do respond to enquiries and deliveries swiftly on your return and keep to your promised dates advertised on the site, customers will trust that you are accurate with your promises, and there will not be any problems arising from doing this when you want to go away.

Customers who don't want to wait during your holiday time will go elsewhere, some will be willing to wait - so what if some don't want to wait, there are enough customers in the sea, especially when you are selling to a niche.

You work to live not the other way around - don't go taking your computer and working whilst away, that's not a proper holiday.

Either shut shop and except that some small amount of sales may be lost each year or train someone to replace you if you are that bothered about losing some sales.

Personally as long as you are happy with your yearly sales (and have a life outside your business!) what does it matter if the shop shuts every now and then, don't expect it to effect sales that much by shutting shop for a couple of weeks, because I know from experience it just won't.

Amanda

 

[Kembali]

I would make it sound more impressive, see below.

'Dear Customers.

Due to an unprecented demand for our product, we are currently in the process of expanding our premises. This means that there maybe a temporary delay in despatching orders. Please anticipate that any orders from todays date may take 4 weeks to arrive instead of the normal 2 week delivery.


*************************************************

Voila!

This sounds good. I think you can have something similar, which will be professional.

A customer wont mind a delayed delivery of the products if he knows regarding this before hand.