Today more than ever, small businesses face the constant challenge of maximizing productivity while operating with limited resources. We understand that struggle, which is why we have put together a list of five hacks to boost small business productivity.
Fortunately, advancements in technology have paved the way for a range of productivity hacks that can empower small businesses to streamline their operations, improve efficiency, and achieve more with less. In this post, we will tell you about several new and recently developed tools that can revolutionize your small business productivity. We will also provide some practical tips and hacks along the way to get you started. We will be covering:
Now that you have a roadmap of the five productivity hacks for your small business, let’s jump right in.
1. Small business Collaboration tools
The first productivity hack for your small business is to use collaboration tools. Efficient collaboration is crucial for small businesses to thrive. There are a few platforms that streamline communication, enhance accountability, and foster a culture of collaboration. Many of these are cloud based so you and your employees can access them from anywhere. The nice thing about using a collaboration tool is that you won’t have to keep track of conversations in your email chains or search to find specific threads. Here are a few that we like:
monday.com
monday.com is a cloud-based open platform with highly customizable options and an intuitive dashboard for managing workflows.
What is monday.com?
A work management platform that helps businesses automate their workflows and manage their projects, tasks and resources.
Manage things like CRM, project management, software development, human resources, marketing and more.
Communication and real-time updates are kept in the project, so you never have to comb through long email threads again.
Price: Free version; Then starts at $25/month. See all pricing plans here.
Who it’s best for: Teams of all sizes. Startups or established businesses who want to streamilne their communication and project management.
monday.com core features: Role assignments, project timelines, project management, CRM, content marketing
Pros:
Free version for up to two seats
Highly customizable
Integrates with a lot of 3rd party apps
Excellent customer support
Intuitive visual dashboard
Cons:
Confusing pricing plans (cost per seat)
Minimum team size of 3 for paid plans
Must have a pro account for time tracking
Asana
Asana is a helpful collaboration tool that offers customizable features for productivity and some great automation tools.
What is Asana?
Asana is a helpful collaboration tool that offers customizable features for productivity.
It has many different views that you can tailor to different team members based on their roles.
One of the best parts about asana is that their free version has almost all the capabilities that a small business might need. If you have a small team, the free version is probably all you will need.
Price: Free version; Then starts at $10.99/month. See all pricing plans here.
Who it’s best for: Teams of all sizes. Teams of <15 will be able to use the free version. For more complex project management, teams of >15 may want to look at the premium or business paid plans.
asana core features: Role assignments, project timelines, software integrations, dependencies, budgeting
Pros:
Free version which includes most features including automations
Integrates with many 3rd party apps
Great automated workflows
Cons:
No budget or resource management
Some complain about customer service
Trello
Trello is another popular collaboration tool in 2023. It uses a drag-and-drop card design that is easy for all team members to read, and it’s a good place to start.
What is Trello?
Trello is a popular project management application with a visually appealing card-style design.
When creating a card, there are many things you can add in addition to a name and basic project description. You can assign the task to a point person, add files, and add it to a category. You can also turn a Trello card into a template for future use if it’s a recurring project.
Price: Free version; Then starts at $5.00/month. See all pricing plans here.
Who it’s best for: Smaller teams with simpler tasks. If the projects are more complex you probably need a different tool.
Trello core features: Multiple views, automations, app integration, templates, and power ups.
Pros:
Free plan has a lot of good capabilities
Easy to use drag and drop feature
Calendars and project timelines
Cons:
Might be harder to track multiple projects at once
Doesn't do invoices, budgeting or billing
Slack
Slack is more of a team communication tool than project managment, but is a great thing to add for instant communication, minimizing delays and increasing productivity for your small business.
What is Slack?
Slack is a business messaging app. It offers public and private channels, easy file sharing, and app integrations
Slack allows you to create channels based on topic or teams. It also has several app integrations including some of the project management tools we have already discussed like monday.com and asana. It may make the most sense for your busines to integrate slack along with another communication tool.
Price: Free version; Then starts at $7.25/month. See all pricing plans here.
Who it’s best for: Any teams who want to streamline instang messaging / communication.
Slack core features: Intuitive messaging app, multiple devices, channels to organize teams and app integration.
Pros:
Very easy to use
Mobile & Desktop applications
Free version offers up to 10,000 stored messages and 10 app integrations
Cons:
Project management functions are not great
Might send too many notifications
2. Automation and AI
In this day and age, AI is a hot topic. Don’t let automation and artificial intelligence intimidate you, because AI can transform the way your small businesses operate.
Task automation tools like Zapier or IFTTT enable businesses to automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry, email filtering, or social media posting. By reducing manual labor, small businesses can allocate their resources to more value-added activities and boost overall productivity.
Zapier is an automation software, and can help you to eliminate all the repetitive tasks that slow your team down at work. Zapier makes the systems you rely on more efficient.
Capacity to integrate tons of apps
Free version, then starts at $19.99
Excellent support
Easy to use
The free version is pretty limited, so this is probably only a good automation tool for your business if you have several apps to integrate and several workflows that need automation.
IFTTT is a marketing automation software. It is generally for non-technical users and less complex. It can automate all kinds of processes, from social media to office applications.
No coding necessary
Cheap! Free version, then starts at $2.50/month
Comes with pre-made automations
IFTTT is a good option if you are just starting out and dont need complex integrations. They also don’t have as good of support of zapier so you may be on your own.
Another AI tool that can boost your smal business productivity are chatbots. AI-powered chatbots offer 24/7 customer support, helping businesses handle inquiries and provide instant assistance.
3. Virtual Meetings & Remote Work
The pandemic certainly accelerated the adoption of remote work and virtual meetings, and along with virtual meetings came some benefits for small businesses that can actually boost productivity. Platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams enable teams to collaborate regardless of their physical location. This flexibility reduces commuting time, increases work-life balance, and enhances overall business productivity. Has your company adopted any of these remote work tools?
Remote work may also open up opportunities to hire the best candidate for your business even if they don’t live in the same city as you currently operate.
4. Cloud & data storage
Ok, if you have been running a business anytime in the last decade you have probably heard of storing your data on “the cloud”. But just in case, we thought it was worth touching on.
Small businesses can leverage cloud computing to store and access their data securely. Cloud-based services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft OneDrive provide scalable storage solutions, eliminating the need for physical servers and reducing maintenance costs. Cloud storage also enables easy file sharing and collaboration among team members, promoting efficiency and data accessibility.
5. Time & project management
Finally, effective time and project management are vital for small businesses. Tools like RescueTime or Toggl help track time spent on different tasks, allowing businesses to identify productivity bottlenecks and make necessary adjustments.
Project management platforms such as Basecamp or Jira offer comprehensive project tracking, resource allocation, and task assignment features, ensuring smooth operations and efficient project delivery.
Any of these tools may be useful to. streamline your small business productivity and effiency.
In conclusion
Embracing new technologies and productivity hacks can significantly enhance small business productivity. From collaboration tools and automation to virtual meetings and cloud computing, these advancements provide small businesses with the tools they need to streamline operations, boost efficiency, and achieve their goals. By harnessing these technologies and implementing productivity hacks, small businesses can optimize resource allocation, reduce manual labor, and focus on value-added activities. In this ever-evolving business landscape, staying ahead requires embracing the potential of technology and incorporating productivity hacks into daily operations.
So what do you think? Would you try any of these hacks to boost your small business productivity?