Remote working recipes and tools to stay productive

 During this period of crisis, I thought I would share with you the recipe for the main digital tools that I use with my team to be 100% operational and productive remotely.

 

1 – Shared folder

In Google We Trust!

I'm a fan of Google so I use G Suite for my business emails (Gmail) and also to archive and share my files (Google Drive), it's a charm!

*A tip: create a folder that is shared with the right people INCLUDING the appropriate files otherwise, you will have people who will have access to files all over your "drive" and it would be complicated to remove their access in case of need versus a single file.

There is also Microsoft 365 (One Drive) which is an alternative. It is Google's main competitor so it offers the same features. If you are already with Outlook or other Microsoft tools, this tool will be easier for you.

 

2 – CRM – Customer relationship management

I currently use Pipedrive, but there are several… Salesforce, Insightly, etc.

This makes it possible to centralize all communications and notes about a customer or supplier to avoid duplicates and wasted time. If you're still on Excel, at least switch to Google Sheets to have more than one user on the file at the same time. Several systems have advantageous costs, which makes it possible not to do without them. 

 

3- Project manager

This is the key to staying organized…

– Basecamp: Task manager with pre-made templates that are extremely easy to use. The advantage is $99 per month for unlimited users

-Wrike: a bit in the same style but more expensive with more features (Gantt chart, several levels of subtasks, etc.)

-Asana: Very intuitive and visual as a task manager. Very easy to understand but charges per user so it can get very expensive quickly.  

Etc.

 

4 -Billing

-Quickbooks online: very effective and inexpensive…Can give access to certain key people in your company while having a very easy-to-use mobile application

-Stripe: To collect payments on credit cards (recurring or not)

-Paypal is always a good alternative and the fees versus Stripe are similar

 

5 – Communications

-Google Hangout (free and included in the Google suite)

-Slack: Online communications tools 

-Skype: Free and many people already have an account

-Zoom: Professional and very reliable

 

10 free diagnostics to help SMEs!

 

In the short term, it is time to restructure your communications, your project, and task management digitally! I offer 10 free diagnostics of your internal tools with personalized software recommendations and a game plan based on your needs and challenges.

All you have to do is write to me at ggodbout@lesconseillersdaffaires.ca