7 Must Have Tools And Services For Small Businesses
By Tia Jones
Small business owners take note. Here is a list of seven must have tools and services that will solidify your foothold in the industry.
1. ADP. With an automatic deposit payroll system in tact, you eliminate the expenditure and waste of paper resources as well as the delay in payment resultant of utilizing the snail mail parcel system. Instant gratis – a happy employee is a paid one.
2. VERTICAL RESPONSE. The time tested adage of ’supply and demand’ is easier said than done. How will you know what your customer base wants or no longer wants? By sending out surveys and advertorials via email, you are able to collect information from your web site visitors, customers or prospects. This form of vertical response makes it possible to market intelligently and measure your results quickly.
3. SKYPE + SPEAKEASY. Voice over IP (internet protocol) is essentially the transmission of your voice through the internet rather than the customary phone line. Services like Skype and Speakeasy offer an exponentially cheaper means to keep your company connected, regardless of magnitude.
4. FRESHBOOKS. Tracking man hours and overall productivity as well as invoices has never been more efficient thanks to the SaaS (software as a service), Freshbooks. You no longer have to waste paid labor rummaging through file cabinets for a time sheet that dates back to Reaganomics. Searching through backlogs has been reduced to a quick query in a search engine – something any business will appreciate come tax season.
5. WORDPRESS. Blogging has quickly become a vital facet of online marketing. To keep your business name in the mix, you constantly have to keep pumping out material for the masses to consume. Aside from giving your blog an aesthetical facelift, blogging software generates a stronger web presence through tags and key phrases thereby eliminating the dependence on marketing managers and saving your company money in the long run.
6. FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE. With over a hundred million active users worldwide, Facebook is a melting pot of potential customers and even prospective investors. Because it is also a free service, not having a company presence on Facebook or any other social networking site would be downright ignorant. Social networking is free advertising, which further spreads brand awareness without any overhead.
7. CENTRAL DESKTOP. Collaboration software such as Central Desktop has taken task management to new heights while maintaining a simple yet comprehensive interface. Within minutes of acquiring and setting up your workspace, your small business will have the infrastructure necessary to get your team up and running at full stride.
With these tools in tow, your small business’s productivity is magnified to its fullest extent. By maintaining a streamlined work force and operating under a simple yet systematic methodology, the odds of rising to the top amongst the bog of other lesser prepared companies is increased. Small businesses take note. That was just a list of seven must have tools and services for your small business.
About the Author
Tia Jones is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tia_Jones
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Comments
Nice article Tia,
In addition to those services listed above, I think that Web-based document storage and collaboration is a must have for small businesses. It can save a lot of time and energy in looking up documents, plus these services offer cheap ways to back-up all your files. I know that many of these services seem to cater more to individuals than businesses. But I have seen one, DocLanding, that really seems focused on businesses. It even meets compliance standards (SEC, HIPPA, etc.) Check out a free account at http://www.doclanding.com
Keep up the great posts,
Will
If you would like a tool to manage your small business activities and Projects, you can use this web aplication:
http://www.Gtdagenda.com
You can use it to manage and prioritize your Goals (for business but also in other areas of your life), Projects and Tasks. It has a Checklists section, for the routines and repetitive activities that any business has to do. Also, it features a Schedules section and a Calendar, for scheduling you time and activities.
Some features from GTD are also present, like Contexts and Next Actions.
And it’s available on the mobile phone too, so you can access it from anywhere.