Don’t worry we’re not going to start counting down the days, but we are going to give a gentle nudge that it’s time to start preparing your business for the festive season.

The increase in demand and the generosity of spirit that goes hand in hand with Christmas means that for many businesses, it is the busiest time of the year. But, for some businesses, it is a time when they take a step back, either shutting down or running with very few staff.

In 2012 over £86 billion was spent by the UK public over the festive period, making it a very lucrative time for all businesses, so no matter how your business fares at Christmas it pays to be prepared.

But, how should you prepare?

1. Invest in your website – By this, we don’t mean just add a few snowflakes here and there. Make sure your website is user friendly and works perfectly so that you are able to leave it if you plan to be away from the office. Be sure that it’ll be able to cope with an increase in traffic and orders, so that you don’t experience any unexpected downtime because your website couldn’t cope.

2. Make sure you have your telephony in order – Make sure you use your call management services to their full advantage so that you don’t miss out on any important business. If you plan to be away from the office, or if you don’t plan to monitor your business phones, set up time conditions, call forwarding or a voicemail so that messages are still taken. Visit our services pages to find out what options are available.

3. Keep social – Whatever the time of year, social media will continue to be as busy as ever, so make sure you keep your presence up. Stay active on Twitter and Facebook by scheduling tweets and posts and show your customers that you’re still around, even if you are eating mince pies instead!

4. New Year, New Start – Make it easier on yourself when you head back to work in the New Year by planning ahead. Decide what tasks will need dealing with immediately, use scheduling software to organise your diary so that you can hit the ground running.