Running a business is never easy, but it seems like there’s more to contend with than ever these days. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, but if we aren’t careful, it can actually make things more complicated. Fortunately, if you have the right tools at your disposal, you can be sure to make things easier and, thus, boost productivity for your business.
In this article, we’ll go over the best business tools to boost your productivity. Some of these categories may be familiar, but others might be new as the business landscape is changing rapidly these days. Thus, equipping yourself with the best business tools will help you save time, be more productive, and simply get more things done in the day.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing was already an important technology in an increasingly global world before COVID-19, but the pandemic made it essential. And this is not just a trend: many companies are allowing people to work from home permanently. Thousands of workers are even moving out of higher cost of living cities to more remote areas, further solidifying this sea change.
The best thing about video conferencing software is that it can be very affordable. Some of them start at just about $10 per month and let you conduct meetings with thousands of participants (if you have that many!). As a bonus, that leaves more money to save and invest.
Plus, video conferencing applications have gotten very advanced these days, letting you use voice commands, record meetings, and screen share. And, of course, you can join using your phone, too.
Project Management Software
Completing your projects effectively requires a high level of organization. Fortunately, there are project management tools out there to make your life a whole lot easier. This software has plenty of features built in to help you keep track of every part of your projects. That includes to-do lists, budget trackers, project boards, and plenty more.
Once again, you can purchase this software at a very affordable price, with some at just a few dollars per month. If you are looking for agile tools specifically, there is an abundance of those available, too. You may have heard of some of the agile tools out there that are heavily advertised, such as Jira. Thus, whatever your project management style may be, there is something available for you.
Google Docs Add-Ons
Lots of people love Google Docs because it’s simple, can be accessed anywhere, and most importantly, it’s free. But if you’ve simply been using Google Docs “as is,” you might be missing out. To take things to the next level, there are Google Docs add-ons that come in the form extensions and add various functionality.
For instance, you’ll find add-ons that allow you to do lots of cool stuff:
- Create decision charts and graphs
- Make mind maps and flow charts
- Set up mail merges
- Sign documents digitally
- Send faxes
- Add citations
- Translate documents
And these are just a few of the highlights. Another very useful tool that can improve Google Docs is Grammarly. This extension automatically checks your spelling and grammar and suggests corrections. Plus, it works on a number of different websites–not just Google Docs.
I would recommend browsing a list of Google Docs add-ons to find ones that make sense for your business.
SEO Software
If you are using web content marketing to generate sales leads, then having good SEO software is a must. While you could use a hodge-podge of free tools to try to conduct your SEO research, that ends up being a very time-consuming process. And even if you spend hours digging through free SEO tools, you won’t be able to find the same insights that good SEO software can.
eCommerce has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, but the COVID-19 pandemic solidified it as a crucial part of many businesses. Thus, you’ll want to be sure you have SEO tools at your disposal to help market your business more effectively online. Even if you don’t sell products in an eCommerce store, it always helps to gain more exposure through SEO.
Customer Feedback Tools
Collecting feedback from users and potential customers is very important, but it’s not always easy. How do you gather input from your users? Surveys? The reality is that most users won’t take the time to fill out a survey on a separate page.
To make it a better experience for everyone involved, you can try putting customer feedback widgets on your website instead. As a result, you’ll make the process easier for customers, which makes it more likely you’ll receive feedback. Actionable insights means less time spent with trial-and-error as you work to improve your products.
Password Manager
Finding yourself a good password manager is the logical last, but not least here. After all, we just covered several different types of software, and each of them will have its own login. Sure, you could try the old “writing it down in a notebook somewhere” method, but that isn’t very secure. Plus, it’s actually nowhere near as convenient as having a tool directly on your computer to seamlessly store and recall your passwords.
And just in case you are wondering, yes, password managers are very secure. They all come with industry-leading 256-bit encryption and two-factor authentication. Encryption turns your data into a bunch of cryptic characters so that even if a hacker gets in, it won’t look anything like it does to you. Two-factor authentication requires the use of a secondary code, which is usually sent via text message or email. An app such as Google Authenticator is also a possibility.
Start Improving Your Productivity Today
Most of these tools are an essential part of many successful businesses today. After all, technology can be convenient, but it can also make things more complicated if you don’t manage it properly. Fortunately, having the right tools available can make things a whole lot easier.
So, go ahead and get organized and start improving your productivity. The business world is increasingly competitive these days, so there’s no time to waste on tasks that shouldn’t take much time.
