This is a guest post written by Jon Mailer, CEO of PROTRADE United.
With the speed at which business is moving, the office and business setup of the past is being transcended by the use of technology. Today, you can use software applications to assist you by enhancing communication with your team, clients and suppliers. This allows you to:
- Close more business, faster
- Enhance the customer experience
- Reduce hassles and time wastage with jobs, growing your profits
- Free up literally hours of your week to do more of what matters most to you
Below are five essential, no or low cost software applications that you can use in your business today.
Zoom
Zoom is an online video meeting platform that allows you to easily connect with your team and customers with great quality. It is available on all mobile platforms and desktop hardware and allows you to instantly meet with your team at various locations, and even meet with your customers in a virtual, face to face environment. You will save hours of travel time and find that this platform is convenient for all users. Meetings up to 40 minutes long are free and you can connect multiple parties, from multiple sites all at one time. The quality over Wi-Fi and 4G is exceptional.
RecUp
RecUp is a voice recording app that allows you to record messages on the go, that are then saved to a shared Dropbox folder. The value in this is that you can leave messages for your team in the office whilst you are out on the road, without having to call them multiple times throughout the day. This will save playing tag team on the phone, plus your office staff will thank you for the reduction in (what they may see as annoying) calls from you, that really just tend to interrupt their workflow for things that may not need to be completed immediately.
Wunderlist
Wunderlist is a free app that allows you to create lists of items, shared with multiple parties. Picture the old scenario of getting your team to text you for items that need to be picked up from a local supplier at the end of the day, for the next day’s job. Wunderlist allows you to create a new list for each job and your team can add to it throughout the day, creating a simple purchase list that can be ticked off either shopping online or in the store. This can save forgetfulness and those extra trips to the supplier throughout the day which costs time and profits.
Evernote
Is a software application that covers all platforms and is your virtual notebook for everything. Evernote allows you to create searchable documents and notes for everything that you can think of. Create note pages for each job, brainstorm new ideas and collaborate with other team players. Overall, it’s a great way to empty your mind and free up your biggest asset. Notes are searchable by words and you can store photos, sketches, movies… in fact, anything. All data is stored in the cloud to be accessible anywhere at any time.
Cam to Plan
This is a practical measuring tool for those who are on the job and wish to take measurements accurately. Cam to Plan allows you to scan floor spaces, calculate area and volume, and then convert them to a 2D layout to quickly price jobs and communicate to team players. This can save minutes on each job, adding up to hours during the week.
Obviously, the more you use these tools the better and more efficient you become. Have fun and enjoy the time that it saves you every week.
For more information on creating a more streamlined and efficient business, contact the PROTRADE United team on 1300 767 774.
