Running a small business can be exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. There are numerous positions to fill and jobs to complete; many of which are done by the same employee. Whether you run your business on your own or you have a small staff that has your back, the key to running a successful business and keeping everyone on their toes is to use technology to your advantage.
Today there are numerous technological advances that make it possible to keep everyone in the loop, on schedule and more efficient, including web conference tools, meeting preparation, back-up tools, web design, and communication enhancers. All of this can be done with your Smartphone, with virtually little to no investment on your end.
#1. Web Design Tools
Are you afraid of web design? Does the sheer thought of starting to create your own website make you want to shut down? Today, there are a large number of programs that literally allow you to drag and drop – it does not get any easier than that! Whether you want a mobile friendly site (which everyone should) or you just need a desktop site, programs like Weebly or Moonfruit make it possible to have a professional looking site up in a flash.
- Weebly is one of the easiest website builders available in the market that allow you to drag and drop the content into a website, so it’s very intuitive to use.
- Moonfruit offers a free website builder as well as a website building service to its customers.
The best news is that you can update your site from just about anywhere – even your phone. Now you really do not have any excuses why you have not created the website for your company yet.
#2. Web Conference Tools
If the craziness that is involved in setting up a conference call make you avoid them like the plague, it is time to try one of the top performing web conference tools, UberConference. Hosting a conference has never been easier – you have the ability to screen share, mute pesky background noise, and even see the social profiles of anyone you are talking to.
Gone are the days of uber long pins, noisy callers that disrupt the entire conference call and choppy playbacks that make it impossible to use the information shared in the meeting. With this tool, you get MP3 recordings of your conference, and even have the ability to have UberConference call you when it is time for the conference to start.
Missing a key player? Have the conference tool call them during the conference and bring them on board. In addition to this, with these tools you can conduct employee training easily. Now, the business processes are no longer constrained by location, as you can easily manage and run all the operations of your business through web conferencing tools.
#3. Meeting Preparation
Being on time for meetings is not enough – you need to be prepared too. Rather than relying on your basic calendar on your phone, try an integrated calendar that links up with your social networks and even your documents to help you be as prepared as possible.
With social networking integration, on apps like Tempo, you are able to look up information about the people you are about to meet with – going on a big sales gig, hoping to score the next sale? Tempo can help you have the inside information on the people you are meeting with, giving you a head’s up on their likes/dislikes and their demeanor. It also finds the phone number of a client, your flight status, or dial into a conference call. Wouldn’t it feel better to walk into a meeting prepared and ready to make the sale?
#4. Back-Up Tools
You likely rely heavily on your computer – but what happens when that computer decides to stop cooperating in the middle of a crucial sale? Are all of your files stored in that computer and that computer alone? Rather than sending a panic throughout the entire organization, use a backup app that not only backs your computer files up on a separate drive, but rather syncs it to any computer, tablet or phone on your network.
An app, like MozyPro continuously backs up your files and syncs them in real-time; this gives you the ability to have any docs wherever you are, no matter what is going on with your computer during that big sales call. It lets you schedule backups to run on daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Further, it is the ultimate “set and forget it solution” for backup, as once you have configured the settings for your employees this app automatically backs up changed and new files, after the initial file upload.
#5. Communication Enhancers
Phone calls, text, emails and IMs – it all gets a little overwhelming, doesn’t it? When you need that one little piece of information that you know someone sent you, yet you have no idea which mode it came in, you could waste hours finding what you need. Instead, use a service that brings it all together onto one platform.
Just imagine all the communication of your team in one place and the communication is instantly searchable, available wherever you go. That’s the main function of communication enhancers. Services, like Slack, give you the opportunity to mesh up to 5 platforms onto one service and you can add as many users as you like. Now you can put some efficiency back into everyone’s day.
Final Words:
Running a small business today is easier than ever before. With the availability of numerous apps that promise to bring everything together in one place, it is impossible not to run an efficient and productive company. Many of the apps and programs are free, while others have a small fee, but nothing is outrageous and the return on your investment will make the cost well worth it in the long run.
Stop overworking and scrambling for information, instead enjoy being a business owner and use technology to your advantage. From web conference tools to communication enhancers and everything in between, there is a solution for any problems that small businesses face today.
Images: “USB Flash drive with office tools and money. business concept/Shutterstock.com“
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