Natalie Willson Blog |
Posted: March 17, 2015 |
Business in a SuitcaseHow to push the office boundaries without detriment to businessSuccessful business on the Internet has nothing to do with the office’s four walls. We are living in the era of incredible online technologies and can work anywhere. All that is required to get distance work on the right track is a computer, the Internet, and a few useful services. Become a successful entrepreneur without spending long hours at the desk in a sweltering office! Let’s assume you have made up your mind to live out a dream and to set out to azure ocean waves. Let’s see how easy it is to organize teleworking from a picturesque corner of an exotic island. BasicsLaptop and Internet connection. Fortunately, the line of laptops and other business gadgets provides a wide range of choice. Connecting to the Internet is not a big deal as well: 3G and LTE networks have broad coverage, and free WiFi is available at any good café. As for supplementary apps and services, here are some of them to ensure deliverance of core business tasks. Google Chrome. A web browser is installed on every laptop, but we require a really rapid and multitasking program. Chrome is this particular browser. It allows you to open dozens of tabs at a time; besides, Chrome Web Store offers a multitude of useful add-ons. User accounts help to arrange remote working. The browser is available for free. Skype. In recent years this program almost drove ICQ, Google Talk, and other once popular messengers out of the market. Skype provides options of video calls, sharing messages and files, and viewing Facebook news feed. Skype calls will come much cheaper than those via mobile telephony or a corded phone. Thunderbird. Electronic mail can be accessed through a regular browser; an email client will enable creation of filters, separate folders for business and private correspondence, and memo’s. It is a sort of an organizer. Thunderbird is snapping at heels of Microsoft Outlook. On top of that, a number of plug-ins is at a client’s service. The program supports POP and IMAP protocols, RSS and ATOM channels. Services and software for businessSo, basic software is installed, now it is turn of professional services and programs that will make your business go as if you didn’t leave the office. Trello. If you own small business and you handle all tasks at your own effort, organizational problems are unlikely to occur. (Provided that you are strong-willed enough to revert eyes from that cozy bar on the shore and to get back to work). But if you run a team of at least a few people, Trello service will facilitate assigning tasks and overseeing their implementation. It allows creating dashboards for different user groups, uploading images, videos, and sending e-mail cards. It is possible to set time frames for each assignment and to turn on notifications for all participants of the project. This service is fee-based, but your money will buy you an entire communication center. Insightly. Everything is clear with workforce management. What to do with the company’s clients as they rightfully want to keep an ear to the ground? To ensure operative customer support try Insightly. This CRM supports a number of practicable features: service of contacts, client accounts, events, and projects. Through granting access to the CRM to your people, you will be able to collaborate online on all projects. A few service plans are at your option, prices being more than affordable. DropBox. Pursuing the subject of sharing information with colleagues, file exchange should be mentioned. DropBox service is also irreplaceable to those who work in office permanently. The service is supported by all known OS’s including Android. Integration with third-party applications enables editing documents and sharing them with colleagues. There is an advanced version of DropBox for business that is more security concerned. Each user of a business group is given 1TB in cloud storage. At a client’s wish this capacity can be increased. Zendesk. Even being a thousand kilometers away from your hometown you need to keep in touch with your clients. They might have questions about your product or services, and the sooner you respond, the likelier your customer will make an order. For a few years in a row Zendesk has been proving that customer interaction is a foundation of business. The control panel combines practically all forms of communication: telephony, email, chat, and social media. Semalt. If you plan on travelling a lot or on the contrary on relishing beach time in the shade of palms, you will hardly have enough time for promoting your website. But under conditions of fierce competition losing positions is not an option. In this case it is worth confiding in SEO professionals who will make your website traffic grow without your interference. Semalt has a few service plans: AutoSEO and Full SEO. Auto SEO package covers link promotion of the website, and Full SEO embraces internal optimization, content services, and geo targeting. Besides, Semalt supports free monitoring of website positions on Google search engine results. Even if you don’t have time on the road to send data to your juniors, Semalt Report Center will do it for you. HootSuite. Since many of us use social networks for business, managing all accounts can turn into a real problem. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. could consume all your time. Why leave the office then if you’ll sit at a computer till the late night? You won’t. HootSuite application combines accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Wordpress, MySpace, Ping.fm, Mixi, and allows you to manage them in a few clicks. The business version of the app is chargeable, but it is a good value for money. A gain of time is evident. Zoho Books. Not every entrepreneur is competent enough to do savvy bookkeeping independently, that is why the best solution is to hire an accountant and supervise him online. If you just started your business and can’t pay to an accountant, there is a way out. With the help of Zoho Books app financial accounting is supplemented by the possibility of making and accepting payments, managing bank accounts, and having reports on performed activities. This service is provided at a charge, but it is cheaper than hiring an accountant. OutsourcingTalking about staff recruitment it is not worth ignoring the golden option of outsourcing. It is not mandatory to give a steady job to the employees whose services are required only in terms of a specific project. The outsourcing market offers specialists practically in all spheres – from software developers to nuclear physicists. Sign an agreement with an outsourcing company and thus authorize a temporary employee to perform some of your duties while you are out of office. This option suits companies with a restricted staff size, too. A temporary employee can do some work on a par with permanent staff. Yes, if you opt for outsourcing, you will need to pay to the employee and an interest rate to the broker company. In return, you will have a few CV’s of competent specialists to choose from, thereby, eliminating the chance of getting a pig in a poke. In case of default on performance of contractually agreed work, it is possible to contact the outsourcing company for compensation. At this time you will be able to hire someone at your own risk. To sum up, one can feel safe saying that modern technologies resolutely removed business boundaries. Travel, seek new impressions, socialize, and do your thing anywhere. An office has exceeded the four walls, it can easily fit into a laptop nowadays. So what, have you bought air tickets yet?
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