FREE APP: 5 INDISPENSABLE TOOLS FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
YOU HAVE
ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH EVERY DAY. DON'T FIGHT TECHNOLOGY: PUT IT TO WORK.
Ah, small business.
The backbone of the economy. Hundreds of hats to wear spread out
among mere dozens of employees to wear them. We salute you magnificent
go-getters.
Your days are full
enough without having to wrestle with technology. Here are a handful of great
free apps that can help you work smarter.
1. IF YOU WANT AN
EFFECTIVE-YET-INFORMAL WAY TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR TEAM
Try Slack (Android, iOS, Web). Instead of relying on a mish-mash of email,
instant messaging, text messaging, and phone calls, Slack does a good job
of streamlining things down into a real-time communications tool that can hook into a heaping helping of
popular third-party services. You and your team discuss topics in different
virtual channels full of updates, images, files, tweets, and links that are
open for all to see, which can help keep everyone on the same page. The
free offering lets you set up an unlimited number of users, archives 10,000
past messages, and can integrate with up to five services
2. IF IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR YOUR
CLIENTS TO PONY UP
Load up Zoho
Invoice and Time Tracker (Android, iOS, Web,Windows Phone). Easy-to-create invoices get top billing here,
but Zoho adds some nice extras like time- and expense-tracking, recurring
bills, and connections with online payment processors. The mobile app handles just about everything
that the web-based
version does, with a
straightforward layout and similarly robust feature set. You can bill up to
five clients using the free version.
3. IF THE THOUGHT OF YOUR WEBSITE
GIVES YOU HEARTBURN
Go with Weebly(Android, iOS, Web). The freebie account sports a slick
drag-and-drop interface with plenty of starter templates, free hosting, and the
ability to sell up to five e-commerce
products (Weebly takes a
3% cut of each sale). The mobile apps makeupdating
your site with new
content and sharing it on social
networks a breeze as
well. You can even build your site entirely from your phone if you're feeling
adventurous. Weebly's a good option for people who know they need some sort
of web presence but don't want to put too much time and effort into
dealing with one.
Take a look at UberConference (Android, iOS, Web). You
can host an unlimited number of conference calls with up to 10 callers at a
time, and there's built-in call recording so you can play the calls back later.
Guests can call in the old fashioned way or connect to the conference via the
web or mobile apps, which sport some additional features such
as higher-quality audio. And the conference organizer has access to
a nice web-based dashboard, with the ability to mute individual guests or text with each
one privately. Not too shabby for zero dollars.
5. IF YOU'RE A FORGETFUL GATEKEEPER
Look no further
than LastPass (Web).
The service acts as a secure repository for all your passwords, credit card
numbers, important documents, and anything else you need to protect. You create
a single, (hopefully) strong master password and LastPass can create
super-strong gibberish passwords for your online
accounts on the fly.
Set your team members up with free LastPass accounts and you can share
login credentials for various sites with them without actually revealing the
passwords, later revoking their access if they leave the company. The basic
service is a free and feature-filled no-brainer, while Android and iPhone versions integrate with
mobile browsers and third-party apps for $12 a year.
BY DOUG AAMOTH
http://www.fastcompany.com/3042367/app-economy/free-app-friday-5-indispensable-tools-for-your-small-business
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