5 Ways to Manage Business While You Travel

According to Ooma Office, a VoIP service for businesses offers some clever "hacks" freelancers and single-person businesses can use to take a vacation while keeping an eye on things.

5 Ways to Manage Business While You Travel

1. Super-Stealth Call Screening: Use a VoIP phone system to forward calls to a virtual receptionist and get voicemails sent to your email. And in case of crisis, you can hack yourself into omnipresence by making your smartphone double as one of your business phones.
2. Schedule Meetings Two Weeks Out: Plan any necessary meetings two weeks before you leave and follow up meetings two weeks after you get back. Bookending your trip with a one-week window gives you time for heads-down work before you have to circle back with clients.
3. Automate Your Tasks: Productivity apps and social media scheduling tools offload your work by automating your daily tasks. Queue your accounts with a week's worth of posts before you leave—no one will know you're out of office!
4. Set Quick Check-In Times: Establish 30 minutes for work in the morning and before dinner—and communicate those times so staff members and clients know when to reach you.
5. Make Your Communication Guidelines Firm: Tell partners and staff what you want to be notified about—and what can wait. Have a staff member send daily roundups to brief you on important updates—because no one wants to field emails on the beach.