Posts Tagged
business
Way back in 1989, when the idea of using computers to manage customer relationships was still in its infancy, a guy by the name of John Ferrara founded Goldmine Software which would spend the next decade pioneering CRM software solutions. In 1999 he sold Goldmine to a South African firm. But that wasn’t the end of John. He’s back with Nimble, a CRM web app for today’s world where social media is king.
Nimble promises to integrate a salesperson’s efforts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, email, and a plethora of other avenues one might use today to keep in touch with their customers. Keeping your existing customers happy is increasingly important, since, according to some, it can cost fourteen times as much to get a new customer as it does to retain an existing one. Anything to help you keep in touch with your existing customers and network is a plus, so let’s check Nimble out and see if it really can.
Centuries ago, you might have traded a load of wood for some grain you needed. Paper money and coins solved that hassle, and for years, receiving payments was as simple as exchanging money. Then, credit cards came, and messed it all up again. Now it was expensive and difficult to get started accepting payments for your business.
Square has been working to make credit card payments even simpler than paying with cash. I recently had a chance to play with Square’s new iPad app Square Register, which promised to provide a more POS-like experience on the iPad than the original app had. I even wrote a review of the app, within which I mentioned the new and improved web interface. But since writing that review, I’ve spent more time playing around with the web app, and I’ve realized that it’s a fully featured beast of it’s own.
If you’re not familiar with Square, check out our sister site iPad.AppStorm’s in-depth review of it. Basically, signing up for a free account gets you a free card reader that will interface with your iPhone or iPad (or even Android device) via the headphone jack. It lets you take credit card payments through these devices and have the funds processed and deposited into a bank account, which is especially handy for small businesses as well as on-site contractors, booth vendors, or other similar enterprises.
Today, though, I’ve decided to walk you through the new Square web app, and talk about how the Square service is now more viable than ever as a financial solution for your small business. So run and get some coffee, and that “more” button will be waiting for you when you get back.
In this Quick Look, we’re highlighting MYCO Suite. The developer describes MYCO Suite as CRM, Project management, Sales, HR and Finance in one compact system. Having all your CRM information, projects, sales leads and financial reporting together in one secured system. MYCO Suite helps management by creating transparency and reduces complexity. You are now able to say goodbye to multiple spreadsheets and systems.
Read on for more information and screenshots!
Efficient accounting is the backbone of any successful business – only when money is flowing in and out of the system smoothly can you rest assured that your hard work is actually paying off. A large part of this is invoicing, which typically refers to sending estimates and quotes, billing clients and customers and keeping track of their approval/payment status. Whether you’re a freelancer, small business owner or CFO of a large enterprise, you need your company’s billing and book-keeping mechanisms to work well and that’s why it’s important to choose an invoicing system carefully.
There are a number of invoicing apps available online, with different feature sets and price points. TradeShift takes a different approach and aims to bring together your business network and invoicing all in one place, while offering options for customization and expansion of features. It’s also completely free. Sound like something you’d be interested in? Let’s sign up and find out.
Given the explosive rise in Internet usage over the past few years, businesses are now turning to the virtual world of the Internet to advertise their products and services. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook are now commonplace for advertising as they offer a number of advantages over traditional forms of advertising such as newspaper or magazine adverts. Internet-based advertising is often a whole lot cheaper than print advertising and it can reach a much larger catchment area, often outside the traditional catchment area of the business.
The key question for businesses now is: how can they harness this increase in internet-based advertising and, most importantly, can it create revenue for the business? The whole area can be a bit of a minefield to businesses who have never ventured into the world of online advertising before but luckily there are some helpful tools on the Net designed to guide businesses through this minefield.
Raven Tools is one of these. It has a wide range of tools depending on whether you use SEO (search engine optimisation), social media networks or Google products such as Analytics and AdWords. This could be a real advantage to any online business looking to broaden its horizons.
Let’s take a look at Raven Tools in a bit more detail.
Since the explosion of cloud computing, small businesses are now turning to Internet-based software to help collaborate internet processes and help with the daily grind of tasks, meetings and memos. Internet-based software is much more appealing to businesses as it avoids the needs for expensive software licence fees and complicated computer systems. Internet-based systems also make the process of working from home a far easier and much more cost-effective solution for businesses.
I recently looked at Pivotal Tracker and yaM, two internet-based utilities that can help businesses collaborate easier (in the case of Pivotal Tracker) or organize meetings easier (in the case of yaM). But, what happens if you want to collaborate every aspect of your business, yet want to avoid spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an ERM system such as SAP?
For as long as I can remember, technology has really influenced the way we do things, such as the way we communicate, receive news and generally look at the world. This influence has also spread to the world of work. Nowadays, technology has meant that companies can reach out globally, not just locally, and has enabled them to spread their influence all over the world.
Look at business meetings nowadays. It used to be that meetings meant you had to spend an hour cooped in a hot, sweaty conference room with a cup of lukewarm dishwater posing as coffee. And not to forget the time it takes to get to said conference room. Nowadays, a lot more meetings are conducted over the Net, for example via teleconferencing. This not only keeps costs down but is also a lot more practical – meetings can be conducted straight from your desk.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to conduct meetings remotely. But these tend to be expensive to both set up and maintain. How does a free, Net-based meeting manager sound? Well, this is exactly what yaM (Yet Another Meeting) is. There’s no complicated software to install or monthly subscription fees to pay. You simply sign up, invite your colleagues and get to work.
I think we’re onto something here! Let’s delve deeper…
Anyone who works in a business will know how important collaboration is on a project. It allows you to work more effectively by knowing exactly who is doing what and can save business time and, most importantly, money. In today’s world, which revolves around technology and the Internet, project management has moved from those old-fashioned paper Gantt charts pinned up on the noticeboard around work to the virtual world of silicon chips and cloud-based computing.
There’s so many project managers, and yet most seem to be the same old system with a slightly different design. Then there’s Pivotal Tracker, an app that takes a fully unique approach to managing projects the agile way.
As a freelancer, I do a lot of wheelin’ and dealin’. At any given time I’m managing current projects, writing proposals, trying to close deals, and getting new clients. Depending on how busy I get, this can get very hard to keep up with. While traditional CRMs are great for keeping track of relationships with clients and contacts, sometimes you need a little bit more. Pipedrive aims to provide you with a way not just to manage clients, but a way to manage the overall sales process.
Accountancy is a very respectable profession. There’s millions of the guys, all diligently working away like beaver to ensure every penny is accounted for. They keep business moving day-to-day, advise the board of directors and help us with our taxes. We love you guys. So all accountants, you can look away now.
Here’s the problem with accountants: They bore me. Imagine being visited by your child-self and having to explain why you spend all day staring at spreadsheets and not fighting fires, flying jet fighters, arresting bad guys, breaking world records or anything remotely cool. They also charge a killing.
Luckily for small and medium sized businesses, software has taken a large proportion of work from accountants and bookmakers. We still need them to have a look over accounts from time to time, but these days, the process can be largely automated. Wave Accounting is one such application that helps users keep track of their business transactions. But does it match up to what we should expect of accounting software? Better yet, can it help you get by without relying on your accountant so much?
