Savvy small business owners are always on the lookout for the best productivity tools because productivity is the key to success. To gain – and keep – that competitive edge, your business needs to stay organised, efficient and focused.
Luckily, there’s a number of productivity tools readily available to help streamline operations, manage tasks and improve overall business efficiency.
Microsoft Planner for project management
Microsoft Planner is a powerful project management tool that lets you create boards, lists and tasks so you can organise projects and collaborate with your team. It’s the perfect solution for efficient team collaboration and the intuitive interface makes it easy to set deadlines, track progress and allocate resources, keeping projects on track.
Xero for accounting
Managing finances is an important part of running a successful small business. Xero, an Australian-based accounting software, simplifies financial management with features such as invoicing, payroll, expense tracking and real-time financial reporting.
1Password for password management
Security is a top priority for any business and 1Password is a great password management option. 1Password securely stores and manages login information, meaning employees can create strong, unique passwords for their accounts and share them with team members. This tool also ensures sensitive information is protected.
Microsoft Teams for team communication
Effective communication is essential for small businesses. Seamlessly integrating with other Microsoft 365 apps, Microsoft Teams offers small business owners a comprehensive solution for team collaboration. In Teams you can create channels for different projects or departments and use video conferencing for face-to-face meetings – even when team members are working remotely. And of course, Microsoft’s robust security features and compliance capabilities means your sensitive business data remains protected.
Provide a cohesive team communication solution by further enhancing Microsoft Teams with Teams Calling, which lets you make and receive regular phone calls as well as the usual Teams Meetings.
Microsoft Power Automate for workflow automation
Microsoft Power Automate allows your people to automate repetitive tasks and workflows. As with all Microsoft products, it integrates seamlessly with various applications and services, supporting efficient business process automation. By automating routine tasks, you enhance productivity by saving time for the jobs requiring attention and expertise.
Toggl for time tracking
Accurate time tracking is important for optimising productivity. Toggl is a time-tracking tool that allows leaders and managers to monitor how they and their teams spend their working hours. This data can help identify blockages, improve efficiency and estimate project costs more accurately.
Canva for graphic design
Creating eye-catching marketing material is essential for the modern small business. Canva – another Aussie success story – is a user-friendly graphic design tool offering pre-designed templates for social media posts, flyers, videos, presentations and more. Imagine the competitive impact your new, professional-looking designs will have when it comes to promoting your products and services?
Hootsuite for social media management
And once you have all your fancy new social media graphics and videos ready to go, you need a user-friendly social media management program to send them live. Hootsuite lets you schedule posts, track engagement and analyse social media performance. With social media playing an ever more significant role in small business marketing, streamlining the process easily across multiple social media platforms just makes sense.
Boosting productivity
Using any efficiency and productivity enhancing tool can give small business owners a competitive edge. From project management and accounting to communication and design, these tools accommodate the diverse needs of small businesses. By using any or all of these tools in your daily operations, small businesses can enhance their efficiency, reduce operational difficulties, and focus on what truly matters – growing their business.
If any of these tools seem like a great fit for your business but you’re not sure about their security or integration with your current setup, we’re happy to have a chat.
