In other words, success is never by chance. Consistent success is the product of deliberate effort, thorough preparation, and a focus on quality. Paul J. Meyer, an internationally recognized authority on the subject of self-improvement, put it this way. In addition, I believe that office productivity tools are a key factor in people becoming more efficient in their daily lives. With the current level of competition, it only makes sense to utilize one of the many accessible productivity solutions. Read on to find out the top free business productivity tools for your small startups.
What Are Productivity Tools?
Productivity tools are computer programs that help you get more done in less time. They may include features that help you find documents faster, make charts and graphs to better visualize your work, and cooperate with others on a project.
What Are the 3 Types of Office Productivity Tools?
We’ve always used three kinds of office productivity tools to get work done.
- The person in charge
- The app for calendars
- Whoever took notes
Methodologies come in many different shapes and sizes, but systems like David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” (GTD) encourage keeping things simple and close to home.
What are Workplace Productivity Tools?
The Workplace platform is an ecosystem of integrated corporate productivity solutions that can completely revamp the method by which you perform your daily tasks. The workplace is an all-in-one solution that can help your team overcome any obstacles that stand in the way of their productivity. The workplace’s innovative communication and collaboration apps are at the heart of this.
Why Are Small Business Productivity Tools Important?
Let’s take a look at the benefits of employing small business productivity tools to increase and enhance productivity in the office.
#1. Improve Work Quality
Companies that prioritize productivity and efficiency tend to have happier employees and more satisfied consumers. Goals may be established, tasks can be assigned and monitored, reports can be generated, and we can keep staff in the loop in real-time with the help of productivity tools.
#2. More Effective Collaboration
Most small firms have difficulty keeping track of several projects and responsibilities at once. In order to boost output, they need apps that facilitate efficient teamwork and personal responsibility. You, as the boss, have to keep track of who’s responsible for what and when, as well as make sure everyone’s doing their jobs in the right order.
#3. Better Communication
Many corporations today are trying to find less time-consuming means of communication because email has become too much of a strain. Fortunately, there are chat utilities that can help.
For example, on Slack, you can make a separate channel for each discussion. The user has the freedom to leave or join a channel at any time, unlike email threads. Interactions can branch off into their own threads, and individuals can have one-on-one conversations with other team members via direct messaging.
#4. Easy Performance Tracking
Managers can utilize business productivity tools to outline projects and set goals for their teams in the office. You can also see how staff are doing against their targets in real time.
It’s useful for publicizing both positive and negative aspects of an organization’s performance, such as the correction of errors or the completion of a significant milestone. It boosts output since it encourages other team members to work more and increases visibility and accountability in your system. The only way to make sure you don’t miss a deadline is to constantly check in on your current standing.
Free Best Small Business Productivity Tools for Startups
The following are the notable free small business productivity tools for startups.
#1. Freedom
Distractions like monitoring website analytics and browsing social media can make it difficult to achieve deadlines. In order to focus on the task at hand, the Freedom app can be used to disable access to specific websites, notifications, and other online interruptions.
This program is superior to others because it restricts websites across all of your devices at once, meaning you can’t just use your mobile device to bypass the block on your desktop computer.
Tell your teammates that you’re going into a “distraction-free zone” so they’ll understand if you don’t react to their messages.
#2. Calendly
Because it takes care of the tedious tasks of scheduling meetings and booking time to work, Calendly is an indispensable tool for entrepreneurs and marketers. This program allows you to import events from your regular calendar and schedule conflicts. If someone has to schedule a meeting with you, they can do so through Calendly instead of sending you a calendar request or back-and-forth emails.
The buffers in this tool make it especially helpful. Users can set boundaries for last-minute meetings and specify buffer times between meetings, such as 10-minute intervals for travel time or stretching. No one will be able to cram a bunch of things into your day or add something at the last minute with only one hour’s notice if you implement this policy.
#3. Noisli
If you’re having trouble concentrating, need to tune out background noise, or just want to relax after a long day, Noisli can help. You shouldn’t expect a standard white noise machine from this. The right combination of noises might help you concentrate and get things done.
Working in a house with children or roommates might be difficult because of all the noise. If you’re having trouble focusing, try playing some Noisli.
#4. Pushbullet
You probably constantly move between gadgets during the day. From desktop computers to mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone, and back again. The more you jump around during the day, the more difficult it will be to get back into the flow of things once you’ve been distracted. If all your gadgets worked together, you’d save time and have less distractions. This is why you really should be using Pushbullet.
#5. 1Password
We can’t stress enough the need of using a strong, unique password for each and every one of your online accounts. It becomes impossible to recall them all, and writing them down isn’t a secure option either. This is crucial when logging onto a public network, such as that provided by a coffee shop or library, rather than your private, encrypted network at home or the office.
This issue is addressed by 1Password, which stores all of your passwords in an encrypted vault that no one but you can access. And what about when you need to log in to something? One single master password is all that’s required.
#6. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
Have you ever woken up feeling wearier than when you went to bed, with a pounding head and a clouded mind? In many cases, this unwelcome triad is brought on by awakening in the midst of (or at the deepest part of) a sleep cycle.
If you get enough sleep each night and get up when your body naturally wakes up, you’ll feel much more rested when you do awake. But how do you recognize this most buoyant phase? An app called Sleep Cycle can monitor your sleep patterns and wake you up at the optimal time. Feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the day, you won’t be sidetracked by mental fog or the urge to slumber.
#7. Scoro
Scoro is a comprehensive program for managing a company’s operations. Its purpose is to automate mundane operations so that you may devote more attention to what really matters: satisfying consumers. You can easily manage your team, create and send invoices, and keep track of time with Scoro.
One of the most useful parts is the team dashboard. In one convenient location, you’ll find all the information you need to monitor progress on projects, from revenue to budget status to next actions. When everyone on the team has access to this data in real time, it’s much simpler to stick to deadlines and, more critically, to stick to the set budget.
#8. Cyfe by Traject
Most likely, you employ a wide range of programs, systems, and resources to handle things like social media advertising, analytics, customer service, and so on. Cyfe lets your marketing team handle everything in one central location, rather than having to juggle many tools. Freshbooks, Alexa, Basecamp, Instagram, and many others are just some of the services that can be integrated.
#9. Betterteam
The hiring process can be arduous and draining. Posting positions on many sites, sorting through applications, and conducting interviews is a time-consuming processes. Simplifying even a small portion of that procedure would be a huge help.
The first step, advertising available roles, is simplified with Betterteam. It only takes a few minutes to distribute your job openings to more than 100 of the most prominent job boards, which is significantly more than you could accomplish on your own. You’ll be able to reach tens of thousands more interested and qualified people while also saving yourself a ton of time. Make use of the benefits of working remotely, which include a greater ability to network with potential clients and customers.
#10. GoCo
You can centralize all of your employees’ data in one place thanks to GoCo’s platform, which integrates HR management, benefits administration, and payroll processing into a single, user-friendly application. In addition, the application may be integrated with your payroll system, so you never have to worry about whether or not you’re following the law. Last but not least, it provides a streamlined method for workers to submit benefit claims, vacation requests, and other administrative tasks, reducing the need for unnecessary back-and-forth emails.
#11. Filestage
If projects frequently stall out in revision and approval because too many team leaders provide comments and produce numerous iterations, a new procedure is necessary. Filestage is a vital resource for teams that frequently engage in such collaboration. It’s a centralized platform for reviewing and revising creative work, where both management and artists can leave feedback and requests for changes. Filestage’s versatility makes it a good fit for any artistic endeavor, as it can process multiple file types.
#12. Connecteam
It’s possible that as your remote team expands, members won’t have the opportunity to get to know one another or form the same close bonds with colleagues as they once did. Here’s when Connecteam comes in handy. The software can be thought of as an internal network for your company’s staff, facilitating communication and teamwork among them.
Workers can seek for other team members in the organization to cooperate, managers can send messages to the entire staff, and anyone can participate in surveys and polls to gain a sense of the firm hivemind. If your company has expanded its workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a fun way to help your remote workers connect with those in their office.
#13. Hubgets
Frontpage published the results of a poll in August 2020, which indicated that work email accounts tend to be more congested than private ones. During work hours, the average person receives an email once every six minutes (10 percent of the population). Without proper structure, these communications are prone to being misplaced or confused, which can delay the progress of initiatives requiring responses.
#14. Nextiva
Nextiva improves efficiency by streamlining communication and facilitating faster project completion. Teams can talk on the phone, send each other text messages, have video calls, or send emails, and all of these conversations can be archived in a single location. There is no longer any need to sift through piles of messages or enter broad keywords into an email search engine just to discover the last thread you were working on. Everything related to your conversations can be found in one spot.
#15. Kayako
What is a great strategy for retaining loyal customers? Aid that is both prompt and tailored to the individual’s needs. The help desk software Kayako can be used for this purpose, and it even simulates a conversation with a real person while your absence.
Kayako is unique amongst similar products in that it consolidates your team’s support channels like email, social media, and live chat into a single location. Employees also have access to an in-house support center, which improves efficiency and productivity.
#16. Workflowy
Those post-it notes, notepads, and scraps of paper can stay behind. Instead, have everyone on your team use Workflowy to create and manage their shared to-do lists. Do not fret that this will result in a lengthy and unorganized list.
With the help of some careful layout, related lists can be quickly and easily distinguished from one another. In a similar vein, the #tags function facilitates list management and teamwork by labeling items with certain topics. Although it’s a simple program, it’s one of the most effective collaboration tools available.
#17. Traackr
If your marketing strategy includes utilizing influencers, then it is crucial that all members of the marketing team have access to information regarding which influencers are responsible for the most successful campaigns and which ones are falling short. With Traackr, anyone can keep tabs on this information and take on the responsibility of managing influencers. Moreover, it facilitates supervisors’ ability to check in at any moment and monitor employees’ progress.
#18. nTask
Keeping busy when there are so many moving parts to a project can be difficult, but software like nTask helps ease the burden.
Keeping track of project tasks, visualizing your progress, getting status updates, and more is a breeze with the aid of nTask, an all-in-one project management, and task management software.
#19. GanttPro
One of the most important aspects of any project is making sure everyone is on the same page. You and your team will lose time attempting to figure out what’s happening once you get disoriented, which will have a negative impact on your output.
All of your team members will be on the same page with the help of GanttPRO, the web-based Gantt chart software. Participants in a project can get a quick snapshot of the plan’s status thanks to a visually appealing Gantt chart timeline. The ability to work together guarantees that no information will be overlooked.
#20 Slack
It’s the best software for group projects because it streamlines communication across the board. It works with the programs you already rely on, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box.
Which Productivity Tool is Best for You?
If you need more sophisticated capabilities, a subscription platform may be more worthwhile, but you should weigh your demands carefully before picking which productivity tool to download and use. You should also have a solid notion of the features you think you may require, as free and budget software solutions can often prove restrictive in terms of the range of tools offered, while higher-end software can actually cater to every demand.
Is Microsoft Excel a Free Small Business Productivity Tool for Startups?
Software designed to increase efficiency includes the aforementioned spreadsheets and word processors, as well as presentation programs like PowerPoint, presentation graphics editors like Kid Pix, and publishing programs like Microsoft Publisher. With the use of these tools, educators can enrich their lessons and engage students in meaningful ways that go well beyond what can be achieved through traditional lecture methods. Excel, as an example of a free small business productivity tool, is very useful in math and science classrooms.
Excel can instantly transform numerical information into a graphical representation. This method permits the instructor to use a chart or graph to demonstrate the variation in the outcomes of an experiment or survey. This visual representation is as crucial as the underlying numbers. For some kids, visualizing the data in a chart or graph is essential for understanding the differences.
What are Ways to Measure Productivity?
The below tips could assist you in measuring your productivity;
- Getting all the job done.
- Excellent management of time
- Concentrating on profits
- Feedback and peer assessment.
- Comparing labor time to goods produced.
- Monitoring employee progress.
- Customer satisfaction.
How is Business Productivity Determined?
By dividing total output by total input, the labor productivity equation can be used to calculate employee productivity. Let’s say your business spent 1,500 labor hours to produce $80,000 worth of goods or services (input). To determine the labor productivity of your business, divide 80,000 by 1,500, which results in the number 53.
What are the Common Uses of Productivity Tools?
Businesses can improve their offerings and the satisfaction of their clientele through increased productivity and efficiency. Goals can be established, tasks can be assigned, progress can be monitored, reports can be generated, and workers can be kept in the loop thanks to real-time communication and other features made possible by productivity software.
What are the Factors that Increased Productivity?
Here are the top most relevant factors that can help you increase productivity;
- Positive attitude and involvement of management,
- Proactive employees,
- Good working conditions
- Tools and equipment to raise productivity
- Availability of water, power, and other input supplies”
Conclusion
It is clear that there are many benefits to using these free and office-based business productivity tools for startups. They can help you maximize your efficiency by automating mundane chores, dividing your time and energy evenly among projects, making the most of your available time, and maintaining a high level of output overall. You may better organize your work, avoid being sidetracked, and finish your job on time with their assistance.
FAQs
Why is it called productivity tools?
Its origins can be traced back to the fact that free business productivity tools for startups boost capacity in the office, particularly among typists and knowledge workers in the office, though its current application is far broader.
Is Google Docs a productivity software?
Google Docs is a set of free, web-based office productivity tools. Thus, it is a suite of programs designed to facilitate the creation of papers, spreadsheets, and presentations, all of which are standard fare in the business world.
What technology is used in business?
Employees’ use of computers, networks, printers, mobile devices, and software applications all contribute to the overall goal of increasing productivity and reducing waste.
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