Embracing technology isn’t always easy for businesses, with so many options in the market it can be difficult to decide where to put focus when considering investing time in tech. We take a look at the free technology out there that can help businesses save time and improve business operations.
Google Services
Google is one of the top free tools for businesses, with so many different applications on offer for free Google can help small businesses become professional without the need for costly services. Here are some of the top Google services that can help small businesses.
Google Docs / Sheets / Slides
Google has its own version of the classic Microsoft Office package, the great thing about Googles version is that its online, free and collaborative. With Google Docs, Sheets and Slides you can edit documents at the same time as your colleagues, share documents easily online with clients and take advantage of Googles templates. This makes creating professional documents quick, easy and most importantly free. We recommend trying Googles version of the Microsoft Office software before purchasing office for your employees. Small changes like this can save businesses a lot of money in yearly subscriptions. As with most software there are charges if you would like additional storage or business features, but for the majority of small business the personal / free version should be enough.
Use the links below to access these Google Tools:
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Google Slides
Google Drive
Google drive is where you can access all of the online documents, sheets and slides created and shared with you through your Google Account. Having the ability to organise your documents into folders allows small businesses to keep everything organised. There is a maximum storage space of 15GB on the free personal accounts, if you require more than this you can purchase storage monthly.
Find out more about Google Drive.
Google My Business
Google My Business is especially important to make sure customers can find you easily when searching for your business on Google. By registering for a free Google My Business Account you get a free business profile and listing which enables you to connect with customers on Google Search and Maps. Your profile can include images, contact details and reviews to allow customers to contact your business and share their experience. Google is the biggest search engine worldwide so having a presence on Google is going to help your business no matter what your product or service offering.
Find out more about Google My Business.
Trello or Asana
Trello and Asana are both free project management tools for businesses and personal use. These tools allow businesses to create projects with specific tasks that can be managed visually through each stage of the process. Using tools like Trello and Asana keeps projects on track and allows all team members to be aware of their role in the project resulting in more projects being delivered on time.
The free versions of these project management tools come with restrictions in terms of the number of users that can be added to a project. These restrictions should be fine for small business to get the most out of the tool.
Find out more about Asana and Trello.
Zoom
Zoom is a video conference tool that enables groups of people to talk over video in one forum. With the additional need to work from home Zoom has become a valuable tool for businesses who want to regularly stay in touch with their colleagues. There are some restrictions in place when it comes to the free version of Zoom, the meetings can only last 40 minutes but you can have up to 100 participants.
Find out more about Zoom.
Hootsuite or Later
Hootsuite and Later are both Social Media management tools that allow you to manage social profiles in one place with easy scheduling of posts and the ability to monitor incoming messages and report on the performance of your social profiles. The free versions of both Hootsuite and Later have restrictions on the number of profiles that can be linked to the account and users, but for a small business with one social presence these two tools are ideal.
