Save Your Summer Vacation with a Cell Phone Answering Service

If you’re like most American professionals, you find it incredibly difficult (even impossible) to tear yourself away from work in order to enjoy a vacation. In a recent case study, 77% of American workers admit to working while they’re supposed to be relaxing and taking time off. Why do we put ourselves through the constant stress of being “on” at all times? It’s because we live in the digital age where customer service is a 24/7 responsibility.

Can you unplug and still run a successful business? We think so. Here are the ultimate life hacks to help manage your next vacation with the help from a cell phone answering service.

How our cell phone answering service can help you take full advantage of your summer vacation

2015 Facts About Working While on Vacation

If you’re a veteran when it comes to working during your personal time, you’re not alone. In a case study performed by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, 3 out of 4 American professionals work when they’re supposed to be taking a break.    

It’s interesting to note that the American workforce, in particular, feels more obligated to work during vacation than workers from other counties. So while 77% of Americans are working alongside their vacations, only 40% of other nationalities are mixing work and personal time.

The study breaks down the main work activities performed while on vacation as follows:

We want to show you how, with a little help, you can cut these work activities down and save your next vacation.

Excuses You Use to Be Available

Let’s debunk some the top three excuses you use to justify working during vacation. 

“I need to answer my cell phone in case there’s an emergency.” 

It’s true, sometimes, emergencies arise and they don’t care if you’re out of the office on vacation. However, the problem with this excuse is that you’re going to be tied to your phone during your entire vacation; emergency or no emergency. You need to have a gatekeeper screening your calls and only interrupting your vacation with critical, time-sensitive matters.    

“I’m in the middle of an important deal and need to be available.”

When tackling a big project or VIP deal, it’s important to not lose momentum; that we’ll agree to. But again, you need someone to monitor all of your incoming communications to weed out the less pressing matters that can be addressed when you return from vacation. When you have a virtual receptionist, you can be confident that when your cell phone does go off, it’s the call you’ve been waiting for.

“I’m the only person that can keep my business running.”

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners think that they can run a successful and lasting business with their own two hands. However, to be truly successful, you need to be humble and honest about your strengths and weaknesses. You need to put a capable team together in order to grow your business the right way. Delegating tasks to people you train and trust will save you time and money in the long run. If you don’t learn this “I” versus “We” mentality, working during vacation time will be the least of your problems.  

How You Can Unplug While Staying in the Loop

There are many solutions you can turn to in order to run your business but still unplug during vacation and personal time. You don’t have to be a slave to your cell phone, laptop or tablet. You have choices. Follow these life hacks to power down while enjoying paradise with your loved ones:

• • Hire a cell phone answering service that will screen all incoming calls and take messages as needed. 
• • Set aside a strict schedule to check your voicemail and emails while on vacation. 
• • Train a colleague to handle specific types of calls, clients or tasks while you’re away.
• • Notify your customers of the dates you’ll be out of the office and have a descriptive “away from the office” email message.
• • Create a plan of action for the top issues that can arise while you’re out of the office.  
• • Handle important or time-sensitive tasks before leaving for vacation.
• • Work on your website or web apps with systematic, automatic solutions.
• • If possible, make personal contact with all customers or clients before leaving town to check in with them.
• • Prepare a back to work schedule that prioritizes your workload so you’re not bombarded when returning from vacation.    

5 Reasons to Unplug During Vacation

We agree with The Cheat Sheet Blog that supplies these 5 reasons you need to unplug during a vacation:

1. 1.) You’ve Earned It
2. A vacation defined is a time when someone doesn’t go to work or school but is free to do what they want; such as travel or relax. According to CNN Money, “[American] Adults employed full time report working an average of 47 hours per week, which equates to nearly six days a week.” You spend so much of your life working. Allow yourself to reap the benefits of all that hard work by fully enjoying your vacation.
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4. 2.) You’ll Be Healthier
5. WebMD’s Article, A Vacation Away Keeps the Doctor at Bay, shares, “Recent research and a growing cadre of experts suggest that the American penchant for all work and no play could be bad for your health.” Burning yourself out from overworking isn’t good for your mind, body or soul. Taking a break is part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  
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7. 3.) You Deserve a Personal Life
8. We all can get wrapped up in work and forget to focus on the personal relationships in our lives. It’s important to have a well-balanced lifestyle that makes room for all of the important faucets of your life. Nights, weekends, holidays and vacations should be treated with care. Guard your personal time so you don’t miss out on important life-changing moments outside of work.
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10. 4.) You’ll Create “Aha” Opportunities
11. When a work problem has been demanding a solution, sometimes the best way to solve it is to take a step back. Resting your thoughts while on vacation gives you a fresh perspective on any issues that have been clouding your mind. Changing your daily environment also may inspire an “aha” moment or perspective shift in the right direction.   
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13. 5.) You’ll Be More Productive
14. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), America does not require payment for time not worked. Would it surprise you to learn we aren’t the most productive country when stacked against European countries that require paid time off? Forbes shares, “France perhaps best epitomizes the vacation spirit, mandating 30 days of paid leave each year, while it surpasses the US in terms of productivity.” Start working smarter and not harder by giving yourself a break.

A Cell Phone Answering Service You Can Trust

Our cell phone answering service is an affordable and efficient solution to helping you stay off the grid while out of the office. We’ll answer all of your incoming calls according to your exact specifications and forward all messages to you in real-time. Our customer service reps are also fully trained to answer a caller’s FAQ or to directly patch VIP calls to you wherever you are in the world. Give us a call today at 1-800-785-6161 to be quoted a service rate as low as $19.95 a month. 

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We hope you’ve seen the benefits of allowing yourself to fully enjoy your upcoming summer vacation without having to compromise your work responsibilities.