For a business to thrive and compete in its niche market, tools that lighten up the load of running a business are essential. With the advent of the Internet and thousands and thousands, if not millions, of technological breakthroughs, finding the necessary tools for branding, automation and back-office functionality that aren’t costly is getting relatively easy. What may not be so easy is choosing the right ones. That said, consider the following productivity tools that are either free or low-cost:
1) Bitrix24
If you’re looking for tools that will help your small business achieve better productivity statistics, chances are you might need to shell out substantial capital to get your hands on the good ones. Well, that is if you haven’t checked out Bitrix24 just yet.
Bitrix24 is a social intranet application that’s 100% free for companies with a total headcount of 12 or fewer. Bitrix24 is your one-stop work destination, a combination of applications such as social intranet, CRM system, project management tool, photo sharing, activity planner, and several others. Bitrix24 also can be accessed on your mobile phone, allowing you the convenience of an on-the-go workstation whenever you need it, wherever you are. For businesses with more than 12 employees, subscription starts at $99 per month. This can already accommodate an unlimited user count.
2) PickyDomains
We all know that to get noticed in a crowded marketplace, a brand has to stand out. In the branding arena, your business, product, service or website name should, at the very least, be catchy, easy-to-remember and unique. If this is something you can do on your own, good for you. If not, crowdsourcing might be your next best bet.
A crowdsourcing service that has been in the space since 2007, PickyDomains.com is your alternative to pricey branding agencies that can charge up to thousands of dollars for their services. For just $50 for a domain or name (or $75 for a slogan) and a checklist of your naming preferences, you receive suggestions from a pool of more than 50,000 registered contributors from different regions of the world. If none of the recommendations is to your liking, you walk away unscathed with a refund.
3) Comindware
More and more businesses are taking the automation plunge. Automation allows companies to streamline processes, maximize manpower and existing infrastructure and substantially cut down on costs.
Comindware is a breakthrough automation solution specifically targeted for cross-functional teams and workgroups. Comindware assists companies in their attempt to manage workflow processes, administer tasks and automate issue tracking. With Comindware’s ElasticData technology, you have the option to formulate your workflow processes and make changes as needed without the need for production interruption. Also, with Workflow Builder, you don’t have to be an IT or designing expert to visually create and edit workflow processes.
For interested parties, Comindware offers a 30-day free trial to help you find out if it’s the automation solution your company is looking for. Depending on the number of licenses you intend to purchase, the company offers varying discount rates.
4) JetRadar
The thing about cheap airfare nowadays, they sell like hotcakes, usually sold out on the same day they come out. Another thing about cheap airfare, you have to be forever glued to airlines’ corporate websites to avail of the cheapest promos, which could mean you would have to check one airline site after another to compare prices. Normally, this takes a bit of time, effort and a dose or two of patience.
JetRadar.com is a free tool that consolidates the best airline offers in a single website, eliminating the need for time-consuming website hopping. In under a minute and just a few clicks, JetRadar combs through hundreds and hundreds of airline, flight and travel sites to give you the cheapest plane tickets you can possibly get.
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