Keep Swimming!

Saturday was a very proud moment for us.  When Elize asked to take part in Swimathon 2012 I wasn't sure about it but once we'd signed up, we were really looking forward to the challenge.

As the time to actually take part got closer, Elize started to have second thoughts and I was beginning to worry that Andrew and I would be swimming the 200 lenths between us!  However, she really came up trumps at the weekend.  She was a little swimming star and we were very proud of her.

I was really quite emotional watching her getting ready to take on the first part of our challenge and I realised at that point how much my little girl was growing up.  She swam 40 lengths in just under 32 minutes and you could tell that she was very proud of herself when she got out of the pool.

As a team, we swam the 200 lengths in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 5 seconds and we have raised £660 so far for Marie Curie, which is what it was all about.  The sponsorship channels are still open so if you would like to donate then please follow this link to our team page.  We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us during our challenge, it has meant a lot to us and we really appreciate it.

I wonder what Swimathon 2013 will bring!!

Crack open the Champagne!

Yes indeed, cake and champagne all round!  Why?

Well, The Admin Doctor is 5 years old today!  I really can't believe where the time has gone, it really has flown by.  A lot has changed since I opened my doors on the 1st May 2007 and I've loved every minute of it.  Mind you, it hasn't been without its challenges but who doesn't love a challenge, hey?!!

I remember my very first networking event.  I remember people looking at me as though I'd lost the plot when I told them I was a Virtual Assistant, because back then the term 'Virtual Assistant' was relatively unheard of in the North East.  Back then, people thought a VA was someone who just answered people's calls.

Nowadays though, that has definitely changed and business owners are far more switched on to outsourcing to VAs, because they appreciate the many benefits a VA can bring to their business.  Here is a link to a testimonial from one of my clients about the value I bring to his business.

I absolutely love being a VA.  I have a fantastic bunch of clients and they are a real pleasure to work with.

I wonder what the next 5 years will have in store for me?  Watch this space!

Mistakes Happen

At home, we refer to them as accidents.  In the business world, we refer to them as mistakes.  At the end of the day, we are all human and sometimes mistakes happen.  But it's what you do about that mistake that makes all the difference.

We recently had new flooring put into our bathroom and ensuite at home.  The guy who fitted it did a great job and I was really pleased with the end result.  Until my husband came home and noticed that in the process of fitting the new flooring, the fitter had burnt our bedroom carpet.  The bedroom carpet was only a few months old, so you can imagine we weren't best pleased.

So, the next day, my husband contacted the shop owner and arranged for him to come out and inspect the damage.  When he arrived, we showed him the burn mark and immediately he said he would replace the carpet free of charge, no quibble whatsoever.

Now, this could have gone either way.  At the end of the day the shop owner could have refused to do anything about it and argued that the burn mark was already there.  But he didn't and that for me, is the difference between good customer service and great customer service.  It also means that when we require any flooring in the future, we will go back to that shop first.

From time to time, we do make mistakes.  But the important thing is to take it on the chin and deal with it professionally for the sake of good client relationships.  Hold your hands up, deal with it and move on.  I hate making mistakes.  But I always learn from them and vow that I'll never make that mistake twice.