The explosion of online tools created to boost small business productivity can be a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because today’s technology solutions have the potential to save time and money like never before. For virtually every challenge you face in your business, there is an effective and inexpensive option available to help improve performance.
On the flip side, the abundance of tools can be a curse because of the sheer number of options you must evaluate and choose from — with new tools being introduced all the time. The curse can be compounded when you add in the risk of choosing the wrong tools and wasting time and money.
In this post, we review 15 of the most popular and effective tools available today. But first, we offer some simple suggestions for how to choose the right tools for your business.
checklist for choosing online tools
With so many tools that solve specific problems, how do you go about choosing the right ones for your company’s use? It’s easy to be attracted by ‘shiny new tools’ and the marketing that helps sell them, but be aware that not every tool will be the best fit for your needs.
Ask yourself the following questions to help evaluate whether a certain app or tool is a good fit for your company and your staff:
- Do you need the functions this tool provides?
- Can your current systems support or work together with this tool? Can your team use it effectively?
- What are the IT security concerns related to using this tool?
- What policies will you need to put into place in order to manage the use of this tool?
- Is the tool simple enough to self-train? Or does it involve training opportunities you’ll need to invest time in?
- Does the convenience and productivity increase justify the cost of the tool?
15 Tools for Small business productivity
The tools reviewed below are broken into the following functional categories:
- Remote computer access (2 tools)
- Notetaking, reminders & organization (4 tools)
- File storing (3 tools)
- Financial (2 tools)
- Time-savers (2 tools)
- Travel (2 tools)
Each of these tools has been researched, test-driven and/or adopted by our marketing team to give you a head start in choosing the right tools for your own use.
Remote Computer Access
1) LogMeIn.
For business, LogMeIn allows you to control one computer — your work computer, for example — from another computer or device, including a tablet or phone. You can learn how to get started with LogMeIn by clicking the link.
In the example screen below, you’ll see that two computers have been connected to LogMeIn — the iMac and MacBook Pro. By clicking on the green ‘Remote Control’ button, you’ll see the chosen desktop appear on the device you’re working on. Once connected, you can access your work or files of the selected computer, opening programs and working in your files as if you’re there in front of it.
2) Go To My PC
Go To My PC gives you remote access to your desired desktop from any internet-connected computer or mobile device. Once you have installed the tool and set up your connection, you’re just about ready to get to work. From your mobile device or other computer, simply login and choose the computer you’d like to work from and then click “connect.”
Once connected, you can access and work with your files just as if you were sitting at the computer where they ‘live.’ The cost is about $12 per month and up per computer.
Source: TeamEngineering
Notetaking, Reminders, organization
3) Evernote
Evernote is a multi-purpose tool that lets you do just about everything to stay organized — from note-taking, managing to-do lists, sending reminders, saving content to read later, cloud storage, photo or business card capture and editing. Evernote helps you stay organized and reminds you of the important events and tasks throughout your day. You can store information, ideas, notes and access them from any device by logging into the tool.
Evernote’s uniqueness comes from it’s design to easily “clip” information from the web through its browser plug-in. With this feature enabled, you can capture articles or web pages in various formats. After you perform a capture, the page remains interactive, allowing you to access links, copy, paste and even edit. In the example below, you see the options for the different formats you can choose to save your web page in. This particular article below is being clipped and saved as a ‘bookmark.’
4) Trello
Trello is an online project management platform that utilizes a drag-and-drop card system to plan and stay organized. This tool gives you the ability to collaborate with your team on any project and offers the flexibility to change, move and comment on any action or task.
Trello’s versatility and true value lies in its ability to let you attach all types of work media to relevant cards. You can attach pictures, files, hyperlinks and create checklists to use for yourself or share with a team. Each action taken is time-stamped and logged for easy review of the project’s progress.
5) IFTTT
IFTTT stands for ‘If This, Then That.’ The tool allows users to create specific conditional actions, or ‘recipes’ as users call them, that are triggered to take place based on the changes specified by the command. With this tool, you can connect various apps or tools to be used with it. Basically, you set up your ‘recipes’ and then when a certain event happens, the app triggers the related action to take place.
Here are some examples of common recipes:
- If I add any new contact to my device, then send me an e-mail reminder to follow up.
Source: recipe1
- If a certain date arrives each month, then remind employees to turn in monthly timesheets.
Source: recipe2
- If someone starts following you on Twitter, then send them an invitation to connect on LinkedIn.
Source: recipe3
Ever been stuck not being able to log into a system you need because you’ve forgotten or lost your password? This common occurence leads many professionals to leave themselves vulnerable to security threats by using weak or repeating passwords for multiple systems.
With Modgility’s My Password Saver, you can easily secure and manage your passwords and access them when you need them from an iOS or Android device. The tool offers the highest security possible for your data because it never sends your sensitive data over the internet. The data is stored locally on your device and can only be accessed with your master password. secure. The free version allows unlimited password storage, while the paid version ($0.99) allows all free features plus folder organization.
File storing
7) Dropbox
Dropbox is a basic file storage service in the cloud that makes it easy to store, sync and share all types of files, from documents to videos. The Dropbox organization seems familiar to most computer users because of its ability to arrange your files into folders and sub-folders as you wish.
One huge benefit is the ability to share large files quickly — files that would otherwise take too long or fail through e-mail messaging. When you share a file with someone, he/she can view and download a copy easily, whether or not that person has an active Dropbox account. This eliminates frustration and barriers, especially when sharing files between business locations or with clients or prospects.
8) One Drive
OneDrive, which was formerly called SkyDrive, is a helpful storage and sharing tool for Microsoft users, as it’s linked with Microsoft’s Windows Phone and Windows operating systems, as well as Office Online (formerly known as Office Web Apps).
If you have a Microsoft email account – Outlook.com or Hotmail, for example – you already have OneDrive, as well as access to Office Online. When you keep all your documents and photos in OneDrive, you can easily access them from any device.
Windows 8 users will notice OneDrive is one of the apps included with the OS and is accessible from the Start Screen.
9) Google Drive
Google Drive is much the same as OneDrive, only it’s integrated with Google Docs, as well as Android and Chrome OS. As with Microsoft’s offering, if you have a Gmail account, you already have Google Drive. Again, this tool allows sharing and access to stored files from any device. Also, you can easily invite others to view, download and work on any file you share with them, eliminating the need for e-mail attachments.
On your Google Drive homescreen, you can see a history of activity by you and your colleagues in relation to the files you use and store with the tool. The activity log is shown below on the right side of the screen.
Financial
10) Mint.com
Mint.com is a free personal finance software tool that helps track all personal and business expenses. It works by downloading and giving you data on all your transactions from your bank accounts, credit card accounts and other financial accounts that you connect.
After setting up an online account, you connect each of your accounts to see your complete financial picture and manage your spending accordingly. Features include tools to categorize and track all income and expenses as well as budget setting.
If you’re hesitant to provide access to your personal banking information, you’re not alone. This article explains how Mint.com collects and protects your information so you can decide whether this tool is right for you.
11) Expensify
Expensify lets you track financial transactions for personal and business expenses. For business, employees can create simple, quick expense reports. The tool also offers mobile features to allow the convenient capture of expenses while traveling or on the go. This lets you create and also submit expense reports from your mobile phone or other device. For personal use, Expensify lets you track personal finances and separate them from your business expenses.
One helpful feature that sets this tool apart is its SmartReports feature. Most employers require the use of their custom expense template for submitting work-related expenses. To make it simpler, you can use Expensify and add your company expense spreadsheet to the app. Then, use Expensify to track your expenses and Expensify will format your report in your company’s standard template for you. Expensify also partners with other systems, including Google apps, Evernote and Dropbox to easily import receipts with one click.
The new mobile design features the ‘Expenses’ tab as the new home screen. From this screen, a launcher at the bottom lets you choose from categories for what to do next, including scanning a receipt, tracking mileage, time or an expense.
Time-Savers
12) Swype
Swype is a time-saving, advanced keyboard that lets you choose how to type. It can be used as a traditional keyboard (tap to type) or as a no-tap, swipe keyboard. The swipe feature lets you type faster — with a little practice — without having to lift your finger from the keyboard. The smart editor identifies likely misspellings and gives probable suggestions in the options row.
Swype also gives next word predictions to help you get your ideas out even faster, similar to the iPhone word suggest tool. For those who like to dictate notes, directions or other information, it also has a dictation option, Dragon dictation. You simply download Swype once and use it on multiple devices, including a smart phone, tablet or other devices. The video below gives a brief demo of how to use this tool.
13) DocuSign
DocuSign eliminates steps in the process of getting signed approval on documents from management, clients or anyone else who may need to sign something for any reason. This solution saves time when parties working together are in different locations and need to expidite the approval process. The digital signing capability of DocuSign lets you securely sign and send documents to accelerate transactions and agreements for business or personal purposes.
Once you install DocuSign, the process is simple. Upload documents to the tool, add names and e-mail addresses of the person or persons who need to sign, place tags where the signature is needed and send to your recipient(s). The receiver gets the e-mail, can easily understand the action that is needed and can quickly sign and return the document to you. The receiver indicates that he/she agrees to sign electronically and indicates through simple steps whether to select a style or draw the signature on a touchscreen.
Travel
14) Flight Track Pro
Flight Track Pro is a must-have for frequent business flyers who need up-to-the-minute information on flight status reports and updates on changes and delays that affect business travel. It’s easy to check on a flight’s in-flight progression, which helps if you’re tracking a colleague or family member’s travel.
The app costs just $4.99 with an option to upgrade to receive access to additional features like weather radar, multiple flight tracking and airport maps. One app reviewer says Flight Track Pro is the best-designed tracker she’s used and the design and animations are attractive and enjoyable to use.
15) iTranslate
If your next project takes you out of the country, a tool called iTranslate can help you with basic communication in over 90 languages. The translating tool helps you understand words and phrases through both text and voice input. This app can help you break down language barriers in any business or casual situation and put you more at ease in unfamiliar surroundings.
The tool can turn symbols from one language, Chinese, for example, into written words of that language and others quickly and easily. The text prediction feature also helps you get your results faster and be more efficient by completing words or phrases as you type.
Source: downloadsourc.fr
make your Small Business a Big Deal
More than ever, it’s important for start-ups and small companies to manage and be critical when choosing the best tools that will benefit the business.
Improving small business productivity can be achieved with simple, effective and inexpensive solutions to help you get and stay organized. Using the right online tools can not only make a small business seem bigger, it can also help it legitimately compete with larger companies for market share and influence. With the right tools at your fingertips, you can save time on a variety of business functions and focus on activities that lead to growth and greater success.
Image credit: A. Worner
