As a small business owner, you will always be on the lookout for ways to make your business run more productively and efficiently. Using a time management system or scheduling app can help, but you do need to find the right package to streamline your workflow.
Even selecting a package takes valuable time. You need to learn each new system, input your project information and teach any employees or clients how to use it effectively too, all of which uses up business hours. So, you’ll want to know the package you choose is the right one from the start. But, with so many options out there, how do you pick a system without feeling overwhelmed by technology?
As virtual assistants we use a lot of online apps and packages to help organise and plan our workload. When we start working with a new client, they might already have their own way of working or preferred systems to use, and of course we are happy to use those too. That means that we have used a lot of different brands offering similar tools.
One of the questions we are often asked is which systems are best. We can only answer that based on our own preferences, but we are happy to share those with you.
LastPass – the app we cannot do without
Of all the systems we use to make life easier, LastPass is the one we could not do without. This password management tool safeguards every password we use. And when you consider that we have individual log ins for each client, that’s a lot of passwords to remember.
Asana – project management made easy
There are a lot of options when it comes to project management tools. Depending on the client’s preferences, we use others such as Trello and Monday. However, when it comes down to efficiency and productivity, our definite favourite is Asana.
Using Asana helps organise individual projects for clients and keep them updated on workflows. We know which tasks are assigned to whom, set deadlines and monitor progress. And, when needed, we have clear reporting options too.
Toggl – keeping track of time
If there is one thing that consistently takes us all by surprise, it’s how long even the simplest of tasks can take. As every business owner knows, you stop for a few minutes to write one email, and before you know it you’ve been at your desk for an hour. A simple social post may take five minutes to write, but by the time you’ve found the right image and scheduled the post, half an hour’s flown by.
So, we like to take the guess work out of time management by tracking exactly how long a task takes with Toggl – the simplest of time tracking tools. Because we know how much time to allow for a job, we can clearly set client expectations as to how your booked time is being spent.
Canva – keeping design and branding consistent
Unless you’re a graphic designer, you probably don’t need to use complex and expensive design programmes such as Illustrator. But every business needs the occasional image work, whether that’s a leaflet, a social media picture or an event header.
If you have never tried Canva, take a look. It’s free to get started and once you’ve started creating, we know you’ll love it. The controls are fairly intuitive and there are a lot of templates so that designing really is made easy. Plus, with our Pro package we can save individual client brand colours and layouts to our dashboard to create consistent images. This is one tool that we all love to use.
Microsoft 365 – collaborate and communicate
We work with multiple clients that over the last 12 months have switched to Microsoft 365 and here’s why we recommend it to everyone:
- Accessibility – How many times do you go to a meeting and realise the document you want is on your office computer, not your laptop? With Microsoft 365 all your files are stored on a cloud meaning that your work can be accessed from anywhere on any device as long as you have internet or data access.
- Security – Microsoft 365 is set up with 2 factor authentication making is a lot harder for anyone to access your files giving you peace of mind when you are working away from the office.
- Improved Comms – using Microsoft Teams to communicate with your team or clients either via the chat function or meeting function. Cuts out the needs for a separate Zoom subscription.
- Collaboration – by using Sharepoint or Onedrive you can work on documents with your Team at the same time effortlessly.
Xero –accounting for small businesses
We certainly think that every business needs a finance software package to make your business really efficient. Which one you prefer is a personal choice. Some of the better-known ones are FreeAgent, QuickBooks and Xero. We always recommend Xero to clients who don’t have one already in place.
It’s worth looking around
There are always new software options coming on to the market and challenging the best-known brands. As we find out about them, we love to go have a look and see if they would suit our clients better than sticking to the mainstream systems, purely because they are well-known.
Take Adobe, for example. When it comes to PDF tools, most people assume Adobe is the only option. But after some trial and testing of new software on the market, we personally recommend Soda. It has the same editing and conversion abilities, and at a fraction of the price.
We know that you probably don’t have the time to try every new programme that’s developed. To be fair, we don’t either. But when a client asks us if we can find them a solution to a particular problem – like better time management or how to create pdf’s without using Adobe, we are happy to do the research.
These are the packages we recommend at this time. And remember, if you need help in setting up your business or inputting your workflows to any of these programmes, that’s something we can help you with. Just call us today on 01785 337 810 or email us at helen@aggrandiseva.com to talk through the right option for your business.
