When starting a new business, the way you set up your business can have long-reaching consequences. Add to this that many employees now expect flexible working conditions where they can choose to work remotely, in the office or a mix of the two, and managing your business has become a whole lot more complicated.
This article will recommend some online tools that will help overcome these issues and provide you with the efficiency and flexibility to quickly grow your business.
Google Drive
The latest update to Google Drive has made it even easier for businesses to work flexibly. You can now access your files from multiple devices, including mobile phones and tablets. This allows you to keep up to date with the day-to-day business when you are on the move, which will mean no more long commutes in when you should be at home working.
Google Apps for Business
With Google Apps for Business, employees can access files from their workplace or home computer while working remotely. With the app, you can do the following:
- Manage your businesses appearance on Google Search and Maps
- Keep your business’s contact details up to date
- Reply to customer reviews and questions
- Share photographs and post special offers
eSignature tools
When you need to get a contract signed, there is no longer the need to print the document and post or courier it to your customer. eSignature tools can be used to circulate an electronic document to be signed electronically. This significantly reduces the time to sign the document and the associated costs. There are a number of suppliers that provide eSignature tools – DocuSign being one of the largest. However, there are several DocuSign alternatives that may fit your business needs more closely and that provide superior customer support and pricing transparency.
Project management and team collaboration
It is essential to keep your team on the same page and able to communicate effectively. This is the reason why some business owners turn to project managers. However, working remotely can be difficult for project managers to monitor progress and track all tasks, especially if you rely on email communication.
Some of the best alternatives to get this done are:
- Asana is a cloud-based platform that combines task management, collaboration, video conferencing, and workflow automation into one place. Users can organize tasks into projects based on criteria such as due dates or assignees when using Asana. With this, you can keep your team on track while they work away from the office.
- Basecamp is a popular alternative for those who don’t want the complexities that Asana comes with. It provides all the features you need to keep your team up to date, such as message boards and file sharing. It also allows you to manage tasks and projects from one place, which means no more emails about what everyone is working on.
In today’s rapidly changing environment, new tools make efficiency improvements and allow teams to work remotely. This has allowed some companies to reduce their reliance on a physical office which has reduced operating costs. However, as competition increases, it is becoming more important to empower your teams to work from any location.
