Human Resource, Marketing, Finance, IT, and Operations Management -these are five of the most common departments within a corporate structure. And within each department, there is an abundance of work to be done.
So, how does a business as a whole function without any glitches? Well, it takes an excellent workforce and the right resources to ensure that a firm stays afloat.
Keeping a business organized is harder than it looks. Whether it be ensuring that deadlines are met, keeping tabs on workforce productivity or monitoring the cash flow for the month, each task requires specialized focus – and a set of right tools!
Here are some of the best online tools out there, which are surely going to make your work life easier to manage.
1. nTask
As far as work and project management is concerned, one tool that many employees swear by is nTask. This online application enables businesses to plan, develop, execute and analyze their project timelines and deliverables.
How can a tool do so? While there are various different ways. nTask does so via using Gantt Charts. Rather than making your own Gantt Chart on Microsoft Excel, this simple app allows businesses to visualize their work as per their preferences. This includes adding lists, calendar, and grid.
Additionally, you can add team members in the app and assign deadlines to their projects, as well as give priorities to different tasks to ensure clarity of the order in which the work must be done.
One of the best things about this tool is that its basic version is free to access. As long as you only add five team members, you can enjoy free access to its features. Therefore, whether it be inter-team coordination or startups, the tool is ideal for both.
2. FreshBooks accounting software
Did you know that according to The Hartford, a whopping 82 percent of businesses fail owing to negative or poor cash flow? And an SBA Report illustrates how 60 percent of small business owners feel that they don’t have the right expertise or knowledge about accounting and finance!
Keeping a business organized also entails keeping it running via effective management of your cash flow, receivables, payables, capital and assets. To streamline it all, you need accounting software for your small business.
FreshBooks Accounting Software allows small businesses to create invoices that look professional, in mere minutes. Additionally, its features make managing expenses and keeping track of your accounting books a very straightforward task.
By overseeing all the different accounting tasks within one online platform, you can make sure that you have enough time to monitor the performances of other departments as well.
3. Timely
As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average American employee works for a mean time of 8.8 hours. Yet, research by Inc. suggests that during such a work-shift, an employee is productive for an average of two hours and fifty-three minutes!
Wouldn’t it be immensely helpful if you could know how your business and its employees spend their time? Additionally, for small businesses, it is imperative to make sure that the productivity of employees can be maximized.
This is where Timely may come in handy. This is a time tracking tool that helps in visualizing the productivity of different employees. Additionally, it also helps in giving accurate overtime. Some of its key features include providing project dash-boards in real-time, automatic time tracking, overtime calculation and comprehensive reporting.
4. Dropbox
We might like to associate remote working with COVID-19. However, even prior to the pandemic, over 7 million people in the US were working remotely, as per Flex Jobs. Statista further adds that the figure has increased by approximately 27 percent, post the pandemic and lock-downs!
Having a remote data storage tool was always important. But, now, it has become a necessity. A somewhat underdog in the world of data storage (which deserves recognition) is Dropbox.
Not only does it allow employees to keep their work and personal files separate from one another, but its offline file accessibility means that you don’t always have to rely on a steady internet connection to access important data. And when en route, this feature can be a lifesaver.
The tool also offers free storage plans for up to 100 GB. Its ability to automatically back up data means that even if you forget to upload documents online, the tool won’t.
5. Google Keep
Meeting Minutes – it is one of the unavoidable yet detested tasks of all time! But, jotting down the key points of a meeting do help in organizing tasks, deliverables and giving clear responsibilities to different employees.
But, when you are running a small business, meetings happen impromptu and on the go! How do you then remember the key points? Simple! By taking notes on your phone. However, rather than using your phone’s memo (which you can easily forget to store online), you can make use of Google Keep.
Google Keep is quite famous these days for its excellent note-taking features. It is integrated with Google, which is the go-to solution for almost anything, whether it be a search engine or email. Google Keep allows you to add URLs from browsers or back up notes automatically on Google Drive.
Ending remarks
While running a business may not be easy, taking help from the right tools will surely make it a little less hectic for you. Whether it be managing projects via nTask, taking quick notes via Google Keep or tracking your financials through Freshbook, make sure that the tools you use cover all the various facets.
It doesn’t matter whether you only use these tools or add on to them. At the end of the day, the ideal resource for you will be one that is best suited to your customized needs.
Regardless of what online tool you use, just make sure that it streamlines the various processes of your business. You need to be at the top of the game to beat the competition. Don’t let internal mayhem stop your business from achieving its ultimate potential!
Photograph by Anthony Shkraba