Whether you are working from home or are setting up a home based business, there are some great products available to improve productivity, reduce expenses and enhance your image and availability. Over the last couple of years, we’ve come across some excellent products and processes which can really make life at home much more effective.
1. Skype – I know we all know Skype’s value for the ‘staying in touch with fam / friends overseas’ factor, but did you know it can be a really effective telephone system? You can easily set up a telephone number without actually adding a new line to the house, saving many hundreds of dollars. You can then set up voicemail, call diversions to mobile when away from your desk and if you have a smartphone, by simply installing the Skype app you can use your handset as a phone (as long as you are in wireless access). In addition, calling from a Skype number to any landline number in Australia can be as inexpensive as $20 per month.
2. Smartphone (iPhones and Androids). Put simply, if you don’t have one, you don’t know what you are missing. The ability to access email remotely means you can log in and check emails, reply, view calendar, add contacts etc without being in front of your pc.
3. Important iPhone apps for business – you have to have WorldCard. Take a picture of a business card, then watch it scan the details accurately, and automatically store all information into your contacts. Sync with itunes and then your email contacts are automatically updated. I swear by it.
TuneIn Radio – if you are like me, you listen to tunes to make work life more interesting. With TuneIn Radio you can listen to any station in the world, live. You can record, and when you take a call, the feed drops out and then returns to the same place when the call ends. Very cool.
Mobile Receipt – a great way to cature your expenses, taking a picture of the receipt allows you to store it by classification and date, then generate a monthly report which you can email and store on your pc. Excellent for sales reps and business owners.
GadgetTrak – for security (I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my phone). You can access the location of your smartphone remotely and see the EXACT location. Gold
4. A laptop and wireless router – I know this has been around for an eternity, but if you don’t have wireless, you are stuck in the one place. Also, without wireless means a sub standard iPhone / iPad experience. Wireless routers allow for multiple users to access the web and the speeds are exceptional
5. A good headset is imperative – for all communications, it’s far easier to speak and type / write etc. Simple, but effective
6. An online CRM tool – HRnet uses ZohoCRM, which is an amazing client database. It is accessed online, therefore your team can see what you are up to with your clients. It also comes with an iPhone appt to allow ease of access on the road, and it’s FREE for up to three users.