How to set work boundaries using your small business CRM

Let me paint a picture for you: Brenda is CEO of her own marketing agency, and it’s the end of a long day — she’s had 6 meetings, 147 new emails, endless questions from her employees and had to put out a few fires in between. But fortunately for Brenda, she just shut her laptop and is about to dive into a good book. That is until her phone starts ringing, and she sees it’s a call from a client.

Does Brenda:

1. Answer immediately and pry open her laptop again as a single tear rolls down her cheek?
2. Let it go to voicemail and call back in a few minutes?
3. Throw her phone across the room?

None of those options are ideal because what Brenda really needs are solid boundaries.

Have you ever been in Brenda’s shoes? Most entrepreneurs have, but setting those boundaries can be hard. Maybe you feel guilty for not being available 24/7 or you like being the one to come to the rescue of your clients even if it comes at your personal expense.

We want you to enjoy your life AND run a successful business, and that’s why we’re bringing you three ways you can use your small business CRM and automation software to set healthy boundaries and stick to them.

A built-in business line

Boundaries become nearly impossible when your personal and business numbers are one in the same. That’s how you end up like Brenda, constantly being roped back into work by client messages and calls when you’re supposed to be off the clock.

There are plenty of remedies to this, but the best one is to have a small business CRM with a built-in business line.

Pros of having a business line built into your software include:

• No need for a separate phone
• Your work messages are stored in the same place where your work happens, so you don’t have to toggle between apps or pay for an additional software
• Client interactions are organized and linked to each profile, allowing you to easily look back at past correspondences
• Access on your phone and computer
• Separate snooze settings for work messages

Software with a phone line becomes even more handy when you or members of your team go on vacation because all messages are accessible to everyone with app access. This means business numbers aren't tied to physical, individual phones, which allows other people to answer and take action when their coworkers are enjoying some much-needed R&R.

If you’re looking for better boundaries, greater organization and more freedom in your personal life, your phone line is a great place to start.

Automated OOO responses

When your clients contact you, it’s understandable that you don’t want to leave them hanging even when you’re not available to talk right then and there. That’s where automated responses come in.

Once you have your dedicated business phone line, business automation can then take that feature to the next level by automatically sending responses when you’re not available. You can customize these responses to your heart’s content to let your customers know what’s up and when you’ll be back. This allows you peace of mind knowing your contacts don’t think you’ve ghosted them, and your transparency will increase their trust in you and strengthen your overall client relationships.

Consider taking some of these copy templates, customizing them a bit and letting business automation software respond on your behalf:

Past 5 p.m.
"Hi! I’ve clocked out for the day, but your message is top of my list for tomorrow. Chat soon!"

Vacation
"I’m currently soaking up some sun on vacation 🌴, but no worries—one of my awesome team members will follow up with you, and I’ll be back on [insert date]. Thanks for your patience!"

Focus
"Hey there! I’m heads-down on an exciting project (you’re going to love it!), but I’ll get back to you soon. Stay tuned, and can’t wait to chat!"

Another great way to utilize your automation and CRM for small business is to set expectations and routinely update your clients. Business automation can automatically deliver a list of expectations and deadlines after a project kicks off. Then, as tasks are completed and other deadlines approach, you can set the software up so it notifies clients about as many or as few updates as you choose. The beauty of setting expectations and continuing to keep clients in the loop with the power of automation is once automations are built, it requires zero manual work for you and it will cut down on the amount of client questions in your inbox.

Want more text templates to use when you’re OOO? Download our free resource at the bottom of this blog!

Lean on the power of AI

Let’s just call it like it is: AI is incredible. When used correctly, it’s a major time-saver, but did you know it can also help you set boundaries and manage client relationships with less stress?

Part of setting boundaries is sending hard messages, and AI can be a huge help with this. If you run into a difficult situation at work, which is unfortunately inevitable when operating a business, you’ll need to have the right response to diffuse the tension or facilitate a solution. Instead of stressing out about writing the perfect message, use AI to help you come up with a list of ready-to-use templates for every boundary-setting scenario you might face.

Think up some of the specific problems you’ve run into so far, whether it be with clients, vendors or team members. Next, compile those into a list and ask your favorite AI tool to come up with some responses that will help address the problem. This takes the pressure off you so you can more easily and quickly set boundaries and resolve issues.

But where does your CRM and automation software come into this? It’s simple: Choose a platform with a built-in AI tool. When you do, it will learn your business and be able to provide highly-tailored messages using the data you have in your app.

The extra boost you need

There’s probably no shortage of things you want to do in your business, but make sure to move boundary setting to the top of the list. The sooner you get it done the sooner you can start enjoying distraction-free time with those who mean the most to you.

But we get it. This task is easier said than done, and it can come with a pinch of guilt or anxiety at first. If you’re feeling hesitant, it helps to hear someone’s success story, and we know the perfect person. Becca Bunch, founder and CEO of Homemade Social, joined Clate Mask on the Conquer the Chaos podcast to share how she turned a corner in her business and her personal life by setting firm boundaries (even when it seemed counter-productive to do so). Catch her story of freedom and growth on our website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Free out-of-office text templates