The start of a new year is the perfect time to improve the operations of your business. Before 2019 arrives, you should think about the tools you will want to use.
With just a few clicks of a mouse, a tap of your finger or even a voice command, you can simplify some of your daily tasks.
Whether you need to plan meetings, roster workers, schedule social media posts or manage large projects, there’s a digital tool that can help you.
Look at the options below and identify those which best meet your business’ needs.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is an excellent solution for businesses which utilize social media heavily.
Whether you run a digital media agency or you’re responsible for your business’ marketing, HootSuite can be of major help.
It is one of the most popular scheduling apps, and its popularity is unlikely to slow down in 2019. Â
Hootsuite offers several scheduling options, and it allows you to schedule posts on more than 35 social networks.
With its analytics tools, you can keep track of how your content is performing and measure your return on investment.
Hootsuite allows you to carefully manage who has access to your social media accounts and what level of access they have.
With plans for teams of varying sizes, you can choose the option which is right for your business. Hootsuite is available for Web, iOS and Android devices.
Fantastical
If you really just need to keep track of what you have scheduled on a daily or weekly basis, you may want to try Fantastical.
This MacOS and iOS tool has a clean interface, and it makes it simple to set up reminders and create events.
You can set up multiple calendars if you need to keep some schedules separate, but you can also duplicate events across calendars if necessary.
If you need to monitor events in different locations or time zones, there is also support for that.
You can type reminders if you want but voice notes can be used to quickly create events.
The app also allows you to easily invite people from your contact list. Updates in Fantastical can be pushed to Google, Exchange and Office 365.
FieldPulse
If you’re a plumber, electrician, building contractor or HVAC contractor, FieldPulse was designed specifically for you. It is a hub of powerful tools which can help you across a wide range of building processes.
For example, you can schedule tasks and workers on the go. FieldPulse allows you to see where your manpower is allocated and alert workers if they need to go to another location.
You can also track employees’ time and location. You can also customer information like contact details and special requests.
FieldPulse even allows you to generate aesthetically pleasing estimates and invoices and you can collect secure payments on job sites or online.
FieldPulse integrates with Square for payments and QuickBooks for accounting. It is available as both mobile and Web apps.
Timepage
If you enjoyed getting organized manually with Moleskin notebooks, you’ll love this mobile app the company created for iOS.
It is a beautiful yet functional calendar and day planner which works with iCloud, Facebook and Google. You can easily view the day’s appointments and add new events.
With a quick glance at the heatmap view, you can see which days you have lots of free time and when you’re extremely busy.
Timepage integrates with lots of features you already use on your iPhone like contacts, maps, weather forecasts, and even Uber.
Paymo
If you’re a freelancer who charges by the hour and you need to better manage your projects, consider Paymo.
This time tracker helps you to plan and track the work you’re doing for various clients.
You can add clients, their projects and the tasks associated with each project so you never get confused.
You can also note when each assignment is due, add relevant notes and identify which task you need to focus on first.
Paymo allows you to sort your tasks by priority, status, due date or other criteria. You can even track how much time you’re spending on a job in real time.
The time is added to your timesheet and attributed to the relevant client, task, and project. Paymo makes it easy to generate reports and invoices when it is time for billing.
Trello
When workflow needs to be clear, both individuals and teams can benefit from Trello.
It’s like a board with virtual post-it notes and it makes it easy to see how tasks have been assigned and whether they are complete. You can view to-do lists, ideas which still need fleshing out and finished projects.
Trello can be used on the web or on iOS and Android devices and changes sync across platforms. This means that every member of the team can stay up to date with projects.
All users can keep track of comments which are directed at them for convenient communication. Trello integrates with Slack, Google Drive, Jira and more so you can be even more productive.
Asana
Asana makes developing to-do lists and assigning them to team members a lot less stressful.
This project management tool allows you to organize both tasks and larger projects. You can break projects down into sections and track how much progress has been made.
As you would with a simple to-do list app, you can add, reorder and complete tasks. However, you’ll be more organized, and you can collaborate with a large team.
You can create separate lists for things which you only want to share with selected people. Asana can be integrated with Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams, JotForm and more. It is available for both Web and mobile.
As a new year quickly approaches, think carefully about what you need to do to improve your individual productivity and that of your business.
Many of these apps offer free trials or they are free for a small number of users. Before you make a financial commitment, test them to see if they meet your needs.
Finding the right tools can improve communication, efficiency and even profits!
