Saving Time and Money for Business Owners

Nobody can do everything themselves and grow their business as efficiently as they would like. Most small business owners would love to spend more time on their core activities and business development. This means that they need somebody to do all the other stuff that takes up so much of their time, whether that be sending out monthly invoices, updating contact database details or making sure that mailshots really happen, rather than just always being a plan for tomorrow.

At One Hour PA we can help you out on an ongoing basis with day-to-day administration, or we can simply step in on those odd occasions when you’re snowed under and need an extra pair of hands. We’re there when you need us, but only when you need us, so you don’t pay for dead time, holiday time, sick days and all the other non-working time that you pay for with employees. In addition, there’s no need to worry about payroll, tax or National Insurance - and you don’t even need to provide expensive office space and depreciating equipment.

Using our services really can take the stress out of your working life and allow you the time you need to focus on developing your business.

Case Study 1

When small business owner Ben Taylor decided to head off to Antigua to get married and have a honeymoon, his one big worry was how to handle his clients during his absence.  His company, Responsive Computing, offers IT support to a number of businesses and he couldn’t reasonably expect someone with a server down to wait for him to return from his honeymoon.

Ben realised that he basically needed two areas of the business covered to keep clients happy in his absence.  He needed someone technical who could deal with any major issues that came up and he needed someone to deal with customer enquiries and calls, and prioritise those that could wait for his return.  It made financial sense to split these activities rather than pay an IT consultant to return calls that could be a sales enquiry or a non-urgent issue.  So Ben asked One Hour PA to act as the first point of contact for his clients during his absence and allocated an IT consultant, Andy, to take care of any serious technical issues that clients may have.  

While Ben was away we checked his emails, returned calls, spoke to Responsive Computing clients and dealt with sales enquiries.   When necessary we called Andy and asked him to deal with technical issues that clients were having.  We kept a day by day track of calls and filed emails that Ben would need to refer to on his return so that when he came back from his honeymoon it was easy to see what had gone on whilst he was away.

Ben comments:  “The time I was away for my honeymoon was the longest I had stepped away from my business in the four years since I started. Between Pattie, Andy, and a detailed plan I was completely undisturbed while I was away and One Hour PA ensured that my customers were kept happy. It has taken a great weight from my shoulders to know I can get away again with the same process in place!”

Testimonials

“One Hour PA offer a first class service. I would recommend any small business owner to keep them in their address book.”
Andrew Robinson, founder of Facultas

“One Hour PA have been most accommodating to my company’s individual needs and they have been proactive with ideas. They have completed follow up calls for me after mailshots and this has proved really helpful. I feel that I have a valued member of my team but only have to pay for the support I receive as and when I need it. I would happily recommend their services to anyone.”
Lyndsay Lucocq, Director of Libran Management

“One Hour PA have been my lucky discovery and total saviour. They have assisted me with all kinds of projects from helping to design and improve practice working systems, to researching and compiling a marketing database. They have also been particularly helpful at coming up with - and implementing - innovative marketing ideas. I have, without fail, always found One Hour PA to be ready to help efficiently and quickly. They are a very positive, reliable, extra “on call” member of my team. If you’re a small business and you need to get organised, I cannot recommend them highly enough.”
Simon Godley, owner of 42 The Dental Practice

“One Hour PA, I am delighted to say, found me. Whilst I had been thinking about employing a part-timer, Pattie saw my ad and told me what she was able to offer. I now utilise Pattie’s services on a regular basis to access my e-mails, take phone calls and generally handle whatever comes her way! The big bonus is that I do not have to worry about wages, taxes or NI. Nor need I worry about how she looks after my clients in my absence. A great virtual service that really works for me. Pattie is a true professional at all times.”
Niki Roberts, owner of The Business

“One Hour PA has been a lifesaver in terms of helping us organise our lives and events on a flexible as-required basis”
Oliver Woolley, Partner, Envestors LLP