Managing Business in the Times of Covid-19 - Essential Tools & Tips

As self-isolation has become the need of the hour, businesses around the world are encouraging employees to work from home. Although it brings flexibility and freedom, there are such unique challenges that come along with it as:

• Maintaining focus
• Maintaining productivity
• Dealing with distractions, among others

Of course, being 100% virtual isn’t a walk in the park, especially when you are working from home. However, in the era of digitization, the need for physical proximity plays no major role in fulfilling business commitments. There are a handful of tools available to maintain your productivity and keep the show running.

Here are some of the tools which would prove to be an asset and assist you in working more efficiently.

#1. Evernote - Project Management and Productivity Tool

Evernote is an ideal project management tool as it works efficiently on all platforms, including tablets and smartphones. Many marketers have already started using it due to its user-friendly interface. It lets you manage projects in one place by automatically syncing them across operating systems. Following are the functionalities of this tool:

• Creating to-do-list for months in advance
• Assign tasks to the entire team
• Create a content calendar for editorial
• Connect & collaborate

You can use some of the alternatives to break down tasks and manage products to be productive:

• Trello
• Asana
• Basecamp

#2. Toggl - Time Management Tool

Whether you are a freelancer, employee, or blogger, you need to ensure that you are optimizing all your resources, especially time.

You need to keep up with the deadlines to build credibility and trust amongst your customers. The one tool that works well for most companies these days is Toggl. It is convenient in time tracking, reporting, and allows you to determine your ideal working hours.

Moreover, it also consists of a timesheet calculator that helps you to figure out the amount of time you can spend on productive working hours. The software also assists in tracking reminders and monitoring progress.

Tools similar to Toggl are:

• Hubstaff
• DeskTime
• Paymo
• Everhour
• RescueTime
• Freshbooks

Check the reviews and download the tool to enhance your work performance.

#3. Google Drive - Share, Collaborate, and Store

Every employer needs a comprehensive space to store and organize valuable files. For an extended period of time, people used Google Drive for storing, creating, and sharing documents more securely in one place. There are many other useful tools accessible in the market which serves this purpose more efficiently. This includes:

• OneDrive
• Sync
• PCloud
• Dropbox
• Cando DAM

By securing your valuables to a cloud storage system, it ensures that your entire team can have access to the documents in any format. Besides, storage apps or software also have file-sharing capabilities which make sharing hassle-free.

#4. Slack - Team Communication Tool

Communication with colleagues is a challenge when you work remotely, thanks to software applications like Slack which makes your interactions smooth without any distractions.

This online communication tool plays a vital role in maintaining productivity by reducing misunderstanding. There are some of the tools which can definitely improve work from home interactions. They are:

• Microsoft Teams
• Flock
• Google Hangout
• Mattermost

You might be using Skype which is the most used digital tool for communication in the year 2020.

#5. Zoom -Tools For Video Conferencing

Zoom is currently the most popular application used for Video Conferencing. Also, it is ideal for business since anyone can use it no matter what is their location. This software not only helps you to start meetings but also assists when you need to learn something through videos.

There are also times when you lose work motivation, therefore, you can make a Zoom call to your office buddies. Such kinds of interactions serve in boosting energy levels while working remotely.

• Google Hangouts Meet
• BlueJeans
• Join.me
• Cisco Webex Meetings

You can use these digital marketing tools for enabling seamless work by collaborating with your clients and colleagues.

#6 Dashlane - Digital Manager for Password

While working remotely, you might have many profiles and accounts that require passwords. Not everyone has a sharp memory to remember them. To save you from any delay, Dashlane can make things easy by saving all your passwords.

Dashlane tops the list of such tools as it remembers many of your login details with only a few clicks required to log in the page. This business tool is easy to use, encrypted, and most importantly secure. You can also check out a few other choices which include:

• RoboForm
• LastPass
• Enpass
• True key
• 1password
• RoboForm

These tools also come with an extension that supports Firefox, Safari, and Chrome.

Last but not the least, here are some essential tips you should consider to put in practice for minimum contact and hassle-free customer service:

Tips to Digitize your Customer Touch-points

• Virtual Payment: Integrate online payment options on your website to enable customers to pay either through e-wallets or plastic money. If you have a retail store, install a POS system that accepts digital payments or hardware that enables payment using contactless credit cards.
• Chatbots: Integrate Chatbot software to answer queries of customers and do away with face-to-face meetings/inquiries. You can consider integrating AI-enabled chatbot to provide enhanced and adaptive customer service to clients. While email is a great option, chatbots provide instant auto-generated replies to the common queries, thus fast-tracking the process.
• Documents: Digitize all your business documents such as restaurant menus and brochures to promote safe and contact-free services to your customers. You can use online tools like Canva or employ professional designing services to create your marketing collateral.