Released Team Member Profile: Kelly
Kelly, VA awards finalist and one of our fantastic POD leaders.
You might remember we recently profiled Kellie, Released’s founder and director. If you’re familiar with our team you’ll know we have not one but two Kellies—and we are very thankful for them both.
Kelly Fraser is a POD leader and software specialist, supporting several other VAs and their clients as well as working directly with some of her own. This year, she was a finalist in the “Top Team Member” category in the NZ VA Awards.
It is a pleasure to have this talented lady as part of the Released team, and we are sure our clients will agree that she is great at supporting tradies to succeed. We asked Kelly a few questions about what she does and how. Read on for her secrets!
What might a typical day look like for you?
“My typical day starts—first of all—with a coffee. Then, I prepare to wrangle my child out the door for school drop off. My work day starts at 9am, first working my way through any messages that have come through in the morning with jobs for me to schedule, or calls to return for my clients, and clearing voicemail boxes. Then I start to work through my daily list of tasks for each of my clients: sorting and clearing inboxes, daily bookkeeping tasks, scheduling jobs, answering calls, payroll, invoicing, as well as supporting and assisting the team in my pod.
Between the four of us, we look after nine plumbers, two electricians, one roofer, an
e-commerce store, and an IT company! Being a POD leader involves team training, onboarding new clients and staff, and helping Kellie behind the scenes keeping Released ticking along.”
What are your strengths and specialties when it comes to Released’s operations? What do you do for the team?
“My aim is to be able to take some of the stress and workload off our busy clients so they can get some of their time back. On the other side, being a POD leader, I'm also able to do the same for Kellie and the Released team.
Our POD specialises in the Fergus job management system, which means we can fine-tune our skills and knowledge of this software for our clients. This allows us to get the absolute most out of the software, creating efficiency for us and for the businesses we support.
I have risen to new challenges during my time with Released and find a lot of satisfaction in looking back at my personal development over the last 2.5 years. One key part of my role is to keep communication flowing between my VAs and their clients and make sure the needs of all parties are met—this contributes greatly towards the excellent client relationships that Released prioritises!”
One of Kelly’s POD members said this:
“Kelly is always willing to help us where she can. She’s always in a positive mood which makes it so much easier when going to her with some issue or something we do need help with.”
How does your work help Released clients to make their business better?
“Being able to be there without actually ‘being there’. We're able to do all of the admin things a tradie often doesn't have time to do, or ends up working late to get done, without needing the added overheads of having an office space or having to employ someone full or part time. We also wear many hats at Released. Do you need your bookkeeping done? We can do that. Need your phones answered? Need your website rebuilt, blog written, or your social media accounts jazzed up? We can do that too!
My clients tell me that I have made a huge difference to their businesses, with one even telling me that he could not run his business without me. I love helping my clients to implement positive changes within their businesses and encouraging them to stick with the programme and streamline their processes. This has enabled me to improve debtor management, create new templates to speed up quoting and invoicing, and also to improve job scheduling to reduce client stress levels.”
What are a few items you couldn’t do without for a typical workday?
“My phone, my computer, and our work management program! Being able to have an organised list of tasks I tick off each day helps me to keep a level head and stay productive.”
What’s your top tip for a tradesperson starting their own business?
“Make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Invest in a good job management program from the get go. Something like Fergus is a great option; it has a mobile version for when you’re on the road and it covers all your bases like job scheduling, invoicing, managing your team, tracking jobs, reporting, and quoting.”
What’s your favourite part of working at Released?
“The team culture first and foremost, and the flexibility for me to not have to sacrifice my time with my family while still being able to provide financially. Also, I love being able to help give back time to tradies so they also don't have to sacrifice their family time.”
Keep an eye on the blog for more team member profiles, and feel free to book a quick chat with Kellie (not Kelly!) if you’d like to find out more about how the team can help your business.
