Work at Home Business Etiquette

The world of the work-at-home business has many things in common with every other realm of life, including etiquette. Scores of books exist to teach us how to be polite in the kitchen, in the boardroom, in bed, but few books exist to help an online entrepreneur navigate the interesting dynamic that is virtual relationships. While the many intricacies of online etiquette would take pages to fully investigate, the following list of simple tips should help you to successfully and politely navigate the work-at-home business waters.

1. Set realistic goals for yourself and be honest about them. This might seem like a point for personal edification, but it will serve your clients immensely. People will respect you and your business much more if you are honest about your limitations and only take projects that you can complete well. Quality of work will get you much more success than quantity of work, so tell the truth about what you can and can’t do.

2. Return calls and email in a timely manner. This may seem like a no-brainer, but breakdowns in communication result in loss of business time and again. Even if you require time to adequately address the issue your customers contact you about, a quick email to acknowledge their concern will go far to buy you respect and time.

3. If you are juggling parenting responsibilities with your business tasks, plan to return calls that could result in detailed conversations for those times when your partner can help with the children. You show respect to your customers by honoring their limited amount of time, but you also respect your children by honoring their need for play regardless of your work schedule. Setting up childcare that allows you to handle more customer-directed aspects of your business will make juggling competing demands much easier.

4. Practice predictability in your work life. Set daily hours that you can keep and during which you can be available for customers. This will help you to organize your day and feel more on top of your business, but it will also help your customers to know when they can expect responses from you. Eventually, your predictability will lead to a better distinction between your free time and your work time.

The etiquette of a successful online business mirrors the etiquette in the most professional businesses. Simple acts of kindness that honor your customer’s time will result in increased customer loyalty and referrals.