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November 30, 2021

Online Tools to Make Running a Business Easy



Running a business is no easy task. We are not here to dispute that. It can feel like being pulled in different directions most of the time, the weight of the business resting on your dozens of hands doing different things.

On the other hand, if you are running a business, you will know the feeling of frustration that comes with all the routine, tedious tasks that need to be done. They take so little energy that they barely seem worth doing, but they need to be done.



Well, in the digital age, more and more technological advancements are appearing that can either make those tasks a lot easier or sometimes outright automate them. Read our list of the best online tools that will make running a business, if not easy, then at least easier. 

Phone (News - Alert) system

With the embracing of the idea of working from home, a lot of offices are looking into upgrading their phone systems. But it’s not just for working from home. No longer will the traditional landline do when you are trying to contact clients and investors for a video call meeting, and no longer will you have to lose a member of staff for an entire day when they inform you they need to see the doctor for 15 minutes or if they are travelling for work.

The best part of getting an online phone system like Zoom or Google (News - Alert) Voice is that it is entirely used over the internet. You can throw out that landline bill, saving you some money, as you work with phone calls, video calls, group messaging, and customer service tools.

But for the best phone system, you should look to Open Phone. As well as the basics listed above, they offer a lot more business features such as a mute button for out-of-work hours, call recording for training and monitoring purposes, call transfer and a customer path to allow them to reach the relevant team member. 

Avoiding fraud

Customer satisfaction is a big part of a successful business, and in the online world, even more so. A certain number of bad reviews will result in potential customers being put off your products or services.

And then there are the bad actors that will take advantage of business operations to gain money. Fraud is rife on the internet, but there are things you can do about it. For example, you can download Riskified.

Riskified is a fraud prevention platform that looks to ensure the security of your money and therefore your business. Riskified will verify and approve online transactions and will take on fraud liability in order to reduce your costs. They also have chargeback protection which aims to increase approval rates by reducing chargebacks. Your reviews will quickly improve when disputes against earnest customers and potential scammers can both be solved quickly and without friction.

Training staff

Do you have a new hire that needs a refresher before they get started? How about a staff member that needs a skill or qualification to get a promotion? Maybe you’ve decided your everyday operation needs a shakeup or your entire team needs an extra skill to get more eyes on your business. Then you will need to train your team.

Let’s face it, you aren’t going to get good results with that VHS you’ve been pulling out of the cupboard every time you get a new hire. The information will be out of date, vague or just too dull to do anything more than going in one ear and out the other.

But, with the rise of remote learning, there is a lot of subscription-based learning platforms popping up online.

Businesses might do best with LinkedIn (News - Alert) Learning. Yes, the social media platform of business has expanded into teaching. Their course categories are split into business, technology and creative, with courses on leadership skills, software engineering and graphic design all created to aid in entrepreneurial endeavours.

You can look over everyone’s progress and any skills obtained will automatically be added to your employee’s LinkedIn account, making your business look even more impressive to watchers.

Packaging

Just about every business offers some form of products online. eCommerce businesses that are selling products as their bread and butter, small or service businesses selling products on the side, or influencers selling merchandise to their loyal fans all need one often forgotten thing: packaging.

Once you have perfected your product down to the last detail and got the eyes on it you need to gain a sale, you will be hit with the realisation that they need to be packaged. That’s where Blueprint Automation can take over.

Businesses can choose from dozens of packaging shapes, from cushions to tubs and even pizza trays, and upload graphics to be used in the packaging. Use the platform on their website to then choose what you expect your products to be shipped in and how they are to be arranged in the container.

Take it even a step further and download Zendbox to track your shipping. Watch your products leave their warehouse and head to stores and customers around the world through one of the many major shipping companies that are integrated with the platform, allowing you to solve problems before they arise. 



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