We come across workplace problems with simple solutions all the time. Challenges like “I don’t want to send out an email during off hours – but I really want to get this email sent off before I forget” or “half of my office works from home, and we are all sick of conference calls.” These issues can be solved simply, on budget, and without odd or “mickey mouse” workarounds. Try these tech solutions for common workplace problems:
Email management
There are a lot of email management systems out there. Traditionally, offices have used Outlook as it comes with the Microsoft Office suite. However, as more and more businesses work over the cloud, many are choosing to pick their own online management systems. Here are few to consider:
Mixmax is a great option for employees working odd hours or working with people in different time zones. This email management system allows you to schedule emails that go out in the future, so if you are working at 6 PM PST and you need to send a non-urgent email to the east coast, you can simply schedule it to go out at 6 AM PST – or 9 AM on the east coast. There are other tools provided in the paid version of this software, including tracking whether or not your emails have been read and integrating with other tools like Salesforce and Google Calendar.
Another great email management system for those of you working off of Outlook is Yesware. This system works with more than just Google Chrome and has many similar features to Mixmax, including professional email templates, delayed email sends, email tracking and more.
Email management has evolved from just sending and receiving messages, so utilizing new technology can help you and your business run more efficiently and can even help you create a better business environment.
Unprofessional grammar and spelling errors
One of the downsides to spell checker and autocorrect is that many people have not had enough writing experience to create professional, grammatically correct emails or memos. This is – at best – embarrassing – and at worst can cost you customers. Fortunately, this need has been filled by modern technology.
Grammarly is a new app that works as a browser extension and an extension to Microsoft Word. This tool checks grammar, spelling, context, and can even detect plagiarism. While this tool is not infallible, it can help prevent spelling, grammar, and context mistakes made in emails, office memos, on social media, in blog posts, and more.
There are other online tools similar to Grammarly that may work better for your office. These include PaperRater, WhiteSmoke, and Proofread Bot.
Far-flung staff
Many offices have staff across the country or around the world. Because of the mobile office model it can be difficult to rapidly stay up-to-date on every ongoing project. There are several tools which can help in coordination over long distances. Here are just a few:
Slack is an online messaging app that helps teams coordinate and share information. It has an interface that can be custom organized depending on the business or project utilizing the app, all related files can be shared via the app, and it integrates with other tools like DropBox or Twitter so that notifications all come to one centralized location.
Google Drive is a free product provided by Google. Documents, pictures, spreadsheets, presentations and more can be created within, uploaded to, and shared through this online tool. Projects stored in Google Drive can be edited in real time by different people simultaneously, which can make conference calls or creative meetings much easier.
GoToMeeting is an online video conferencing tool which can be used to do demos, webinars, and simple conference calls. Additionally, callers can see the host’s computer, making presentations and meeting management over a long distance easy.
GoToMyPC is a great option for those who travel a lot or occasionally work from home. This product allows users to access their PC from other PCs or laptops as they travel. So, if a vital piece of information is on your PC, you can still get to it – even if you’re on the other side of the globe.
All of these pieces of tech, along with many others, can help take an office from the traditional model to mobile. They can also help you build a business based on the best employees for the job – no matter where those employees are physically located.
Planning your online marketing ahead
There are several marketing scheduling apps – and Facebook has even created a system of scheduling marketing messages in advance within their system. While these apps and sites can save a lot of time, remember that social media is all about interaction – so these tools don’t get you off the hook for actually talking to customers and answering their questions online.
Hootsuite is a simple tool that allows for one marketer or a team to schedule out content for the majority of your social media interfaces. These include Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Instagram. It does not work with Pinterest – and there are some quirks. For example, Hootsuite won’t automatically post to Instagram. They will just send you a reminder with the content. Your marketing team has to copy the content onto Instagram from there.
Hubspot is a huge platform with quite a bit of functionality. Many businesses use Hubspot to schedule their social media, e-newsletters, blog posts, and more. Hubspot’s goal is to become an all-in-one platform for businesses, so they provide quite a bit of training and one-on-one time up front.
There are other programs like Tailwind, which strictly schedules Pinterest updates or Sproutsocial, a competitor to Hubspot. Each platform has unique benefits and drawbacks.
Modern technology can help you stay in touch with your team, manage emails, keep your calendar up-to-date, and get your marketing message out there. However, every business needs to continuously apply basic management methods, provide leadership, and contain every fundamental aspect of an organization. That’s what Business Success Consulting Group is here for. Contact us today if you need executive, organizational, marketing, or sales coaching.
