Articles by tiajones on ArticleSnatch.com

How to Create a Sales Intranet that Makes Money

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Anyone working in a company with a successful Intranet will tout its benefits: it saves time, reduces costs, makes money, simplifies the work process, speeds decision-making, morphs employees into a coordinated, collaborative team, and on and on. After a while, they can't figure out how they got along without it. But for every Intranet success story there is at least one company, and probably far more, whose Intranet is the bane of their existence. How can you make your Intranet into a user experience that will reap all the potential benefits for your company? It is largely dependant on how easy it is to use, and whether or not the information and tools provided make someone's job easier and more productive. A good example of incorrect use of the Intranet can often been seen in sales. Managers and others who set up the sales Intranet never forget to include calendars, statistics, tracking for number of calls made and other steps in the sales cycle. Nor do they forget leads, prospect lists, and so on. But they don't necessarily ask the sales people exactly what they need, and make sure they get it. **End Summary** Topics: intranet software]]> intranet solution]]> intranet success]]> coll]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com

Collaboration Software Most Valuable Small Business Tool

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

When money's tight, as it is currently with our staggering economic problems, small businesses really struggle with where to invest their beans. They need to increase efficiency and often cut costs but, at the same time, boost their competitive edge. Of all the small business software available to support those initiatives, collaboration software may have the most to offer. How can collaboration software help achieve these objectives? One increasingly popular way to cut costs is the virtual office. Employees working in the office can cost two to five times their actual salary. You pay for space and all the ancillary utility and maintenance costs, furniture, equipment, telephones, contents and liability insurance, and so on. Even more if you own the building. You also often need staff, like a receptionist and additional HR personnel, which you don't need in a virtual office. Even if only some of your employees are working from home, these costs can be reduced significantly. The benefits don't stop there: You may be able to hire valuable staff that wouldn't otherwise be available to you because of their location and, according to several studies, off-site staff can be even more productive than those in the office. **End Summary** Topics: small business software]]> software for small business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com

Intranet Software: The Key to Efficiency

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

There's an old saying: The gap between theory and practice is greater in practice than it is in theory. In other words: things are easier said than done. This is almost a given in the field of administration, where coordination and collaboration with others is key. No matter what industry you're administering, if the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, confusion reigns. Intranet software is the answer to this age-old problem, but how you use it could be the difference between success and failure. What should be at the top of the list when setting up intranet software? For someone new to intranet applications, the first task would be personal research and contact with application vendors to find out what can be done. Next, you survey the potential users. Ultimately, you want to enable everyone to do their jobs more easily, more efficiently, more profitably, and more pleasantly. You may have your own ideas about what each person or department needs, nothing takes the place of getting the info directly from the guys doing the job. **End Summary** Topics: collaboration software]]> intranet software]]> central desktop]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com

Virtual Assistants: Best Practices

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Many of you may already have a good idea about what a Virtual Assistants work is. However, to make sure we're all on the same page with a common set of definitions, a Virtual Assistant is someone who's working 'virtually' or remotely. A Virtual Assistant usually works from home, typically supporting multiple clients with executive grade assistance by managing their schedules, key documents, task lists and other types of important information. Virtual Assistants work with corporate executives, vice presidents, or with anyone that has a busy schedule or needs assistance in managing their daily activities. A virtual assistant is a direct replacement for an in office executive assistant and is therefore, a greater value to those utilizing these services because they don't need to maintain an employee in-house. Virtual assistants are usually entrepreneurial minded and like to use cutting-edge internet tools to run their business. The number one important tool for virtual assistants is collaboration software. Collaboration software really allows VAs to connect with their clients. It helps them to share information, edit documents and communicate ideas in real time. Because there's a shared online workspace, communication is centralized and easily navigated. **End Summary** Topics: virtual assistants]]> collaboration software]]> virtual assistants software]]> virtual assistants collaboration]]> central desktop]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com.

Cutting Edge Collaboration Software Turns Remote Workers into a Team

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The trend toward remote employees has been on the rise for years. There are currently millions of people working from out of the office. Analysts predict the number will reach one billion employees worldwide by 2011, a whopping 75% of the global workforce. Although this trend runs the full gamut of industries and job descriptions, there is one position that's really taking off - the virtual assistant: your right-hand man, or woman. Virtual assistants are not only cost effective, they often do the job more efficiently that their in-office counterparts. But to derive the full benefit, you need cutting edge collaboration software. What does a virtual assistant do? Just about everything except make you coffee. They can take care of your appointment book, schedule your flights, answer your emails, pay bills, transcribe your dictation - all the usual stuff. But they often offer much more; they are specialists, experts in your industry. And they are usually very tech savvy. They can whip together a relevant spreadsheet, write articles or briefs, handle your social media and other online initiatives - they might even handle your on and offline promotion and marketing. **End Summary** Topics: virtual assistants]]> collaboration software]]> virtual assistan]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com.

7 MUST HAVE TOOLS AND SERVICES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Small business owners take note. Here is a list of seven must have tools and services that will solidify your foothold in the industry. 1. ADP. With an automatic deposit payroll system in tact, you eliminate the expenditure and waste of paper resources as well as the delay in payment resultant of utilizing the snail mail parcel system. Instant gratis - a happy employee is a paid one. 2. VERTICAL RESPONSE. The time tested adage of â€˜supply and demandâ€' is easier said than done. How will you know what your customer base wants or no longer wants? By sending out surveys and advertorials via email, you are able to collect information from your web site visitors, customers or prospects. This form of vertical response makes it possible to market intelligently and measure your results quickly. 3. SKYPE + SPEAKEASY. Voice over IP (internet protocol) is essentially the transmission of your voice through the internet rather than the customary phone line. Services like Skype and Speakeasy offer an exponentially cheaper means to keep your company connected, regardless of magnitude. 4. FRESHBOOKS. **End Summary** Topics: collaboration software]]> social software]]> project management]]> task management]]> central desktop]]> social technology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com

COLLABORATION SOFTWARE: Getting Your Team on Board

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Collaboration software is not a hard sell provided your team is fully geared towards optimization. That is to say, collaboration software is an absolute no-brainer provided your team wishes to improve in every aspect possible from efficiently delegating tasks to sharing information to communicating ideas in real time. The concept of a shared online workspace renders file sharing centralized in a forum easily navigated and accessed by your teammates. Because of recent innovations in collaboration software, project management is a breeze; however, what is beneficial to the group leader is also beneficial to the group itself. Here are some selling points your team should consider when making the jump from the old school methodology to the new school technology: â€¢ Collaboration software is template driven and thereby eliminates the need for special certifications and extensive IT knowledge. Collaboration software is more attuned towards the business minded and not so much the tech heads. â€¢ Workspaces are set up within minutes rather than months of implementing strict policies, which serve only as a way of gradually conditioning certain desired behaviors from your team members. **End Summary** Topics: collaboration software]]> social software]]> project management]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com

Collaboration Software Bridges the Gap

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Collaboration software does not reinvent the wheel. No, collaboration software merely streamlines the grooves and lightens the material. In the advent of the World Wide Web, files were stored as hard copies in cabinets and shared using copy machines and courier services. This, in turn, meant communication came with a delay… comparable to a bad satellite feed from some remote locale not yet touched by modern technology. Project management was, at least by today’s standards, a joke. Projects get tackled tactically. Each member of the team is responsible for a fraction of the whole project. Everyone is given the same time frame in which to complete their respective task. Ideally, when the deadline comes and goes, the pieces are assembled to form a completed product. Whether the goal was reached satisfactorily is another ordeal unto itself. Although the aforementioned was worded to make the process of task management to appear as easy as following a few steps, the reality is far from picking up a ‘Project Management For Dummies’ book. Humans are not perfect so why should anyone expect the task master to be also. Collaboration software has been developed to boost certain weaknesses and oversights in organization. **End Summary** Topics: collaboration software]]> task management]]> collaboration tools]]> project management]]> shared online workspace]]> central desktop]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Author, Tia Jones, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on collaboration software and project management for Central Desktop. For more information on how businesses can use collaboration software to increase productivity and improve project management visit http://www.CentralDesktop.com