If you know me, you’ll also know that when it comes to productivity, I’m a bit of a tech and business tool junkie. I’m a sucker for any programme or system that promises to shave off time in my busy day. Streamlining my processes and creating simpler, more efficient workflows are central to what I do and luckily for my clients, I get to share all of these wonderful resources with them so they can feel the benefit too, without the expensive and disruptive trial and error process.
Here I’m reviewing the 5 business tools that are my pick of the crop. (full disclosure – some of the links below are affiliate links and I may receive compensation from the provider if you decide to sign up to their service)
- ClickUp
If you’re managing multiple teams or projects, ClickUp could be the cloud-based project management tool you’ve been searching for. Suitable for all sizes of business in any industry sector, its main features are designed to aide collaboration and communication across teams. I use it for my own task management and I’ve set up accounts for several of my clients. They love the fact that I can set tasks and assignments within defined projects and assign due dates and alerts to keep them on track. No more whip-cracking (well, maybe a little bit!) You can also integrate a huge range of other apps and tools, such as email providers or your CRM so everything really is in one place. The basic plan is free and 83% of users rate it as ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot. Click here to give ClickUp a try
2. AirTable
If you’re looking for a highly customisable app to help organise just about anything in your business, then Airtable could be for you. It’s effectively the lovechild of a Spreadsheet and a database. Now if those two terms send shivers down your spine, please don’t fret. The simple and user-friendly interface is visually appealing and more intuitive than a spreadsheet. It can be used for SO many tasks. Some reviews have commented that there’s actually too many possibilities with this tool, but if you know what you need to achieve you can definitely make it work for you. I’m getting a lot of enquiries for at the moment from business owners who need to keep track of product sales, production timelines and launch planning. Check out the range of templates you can pick from here to get started.
3. SmarterQueue
There are regular social media scheduling tools, then there’s SmarterQueue. I signed up about 12 months ago and honestly, it’s been the quickest win for my business. We all know showing up on social media is essential in our digital age but HOW many hours have I spent scheduling and re-scheduling posts? Too many is the answer! Designed to keep your content flowing, almost on auto pilot, SmarterQueue takes the stress and frustration out of content creation, especially if you’re posting to multiple platforms several times a day. They claim to save users over 8 hours per week and I’d say that was about right. Use this link to get yourself a free extended trial.
4. Dubsado
I recently got to the tipping point in my business where I had so many enquiries coming in, I was struggling to keep track. Fanfare please as I introduce my new best friend, Dubsado! If you’re a service-based business, you’ll know and understand how important it is to create a pleasant customer journey. Dubsado does that with bells on. With the option to white-label your own customer experience, this powerful automated CRM tool will take your new leads from the initial enquiry and on-boarding stages, right through to invoicing with everything you need to run your business in between. This is business automation at its finest and I love it! See if you’ll love it too via this link.
5. Shift
Billed as ‘the workstation for productive people’, Shift is for those who need to streamline their online accounts, apps and workflows. I was accumulating quite a hoard of log-in details for my clients – I often have an email account for each of their businesses and multiple platforms I need to access throughout the day. You can imagine how my browser would end up looking; it was shocking and confusing! Shift allows me to easily switch between accounts and platforms, all from one easy to navigate window and no more annoying logging in and out. The basic account is free and you can expect to pay over $99 per year for the Teams version. Try it out with a free trial here.
I hope you’ve found these reviews helpful! I’d love to hear from you if you tried a business tool from this blog and how you found it. If you need any support or advice on finding the best business tools to help your business be more productive, please book in a coffee chat here.
And for more great tips and advice, don’t forget to sign up to my fortnightly newsletter Latchgate Latest NOW!
