Who this checklist is for
This holiday shutdown checklist is for owners and office managers whose business closes for a few days: Diwali, Christmas and New Year, Thanksgiving, or a summer break. The team is happy, the doors are locked, and then the calls start. A client did not know you were closed, an invoice went out late, a customer drove to a locked shop because Google said open.
Run through these eight checks in the week before you close. The first ones protect your cash and your clients. The last one is the check owners forget most often. If you are the one going away while the business keeps running, see our owner holiday checklist instead.
The 8 checks, and why each one matters
Tell clients your closing dates
Send your closing and reopening dates to clients and suppliers a week ahead, on WhatsApp and email. They can place orders and ask questions before you go, instead of during the break.
Send every invoice before you close
Bill every finished job and delivered order before the break. An invoice sent after the holiday starts its payment clock a week or two late.
Pay salaries and bills due that week
Check which salaries, rent, tax payments and supplier bills fall due while you are closed, and pay or schedule them now. Banks and accounts teams are slower around holidays too.
Set a WhatsApp away message
In WhatsApp Business, turn on the away message with your reopening date and an emergency number. Every customer who writes gets an answer instead of silence.
Add an email out-of-office reply
Set an automatic reply in Gmail or Outlook with the same dates and contact. Ask the team to set theirs too, so client emails never go unanswered for a week.
Name one person for emergencies
Pick one person who can be reached for real emergencies, such as a large order, a security alarm or a key client issue, and tell the whole team who it is. Two half-contacts means every call still comes to you.
Back up files, lock up, power off
Make sure the latest files are backed up, computers are shut down or updated, and anything that should not run unattended is switched off. Check locks, alarms and who holds the keys.
Set holiday hours on Google
The check owners forget. In your Google Business Profile, add special hours for the closed dates. Otherwise Google may still show you as open, and customers who turn up to a locked door often leave an angry review.
Questions about closing for a holiday
How do I tell customers my business is closed for the holidays?
How do I set holiday hours on Google?
What should a holiday out-of-office message say?
Does your business stop when you close the doors?
Book a digital audit. We will look at how enquiries, invoices and reminders run today and show you which of them can keep going on their own over a holiday.
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