4 online tools you should be using as an entrepreneur
Every entrepreneur, whether their business is online or offline based, can take advantage of the multitude of free tools that exist online. We’re always surprised when we poll entrepreneurs to know that not many are aware of these tools, let alone using them. And no, we’re not talking about Twitter, or Facebook, or even Sprouter. We’re talking about lesser-known online tools you as an entrepreneur can adopt today to further your business and gain exposure. See below for our list of the top 4 online tools for entrepreneurs:
GetSatisfaction.com – Get Satisfaction is a great tool for businesses to manage their customer service. It’s a direct connection between people and companies that fosters problem-solving, promotes sharing, and builds up relationships. This service allows you to register your business. Then, people can either search for your company on the Get Satisfaction website, or you can put a “feedback” widget on your site. Customers can report problems, make comments and suggestions, and request feedback. Other customers can answer their questions, or you can respond as an official employee (you’re notified by e-mail when someone inputs feedback). If you’re trying to stay on top of your customer service this tool is a must-have.
GigPark – GigPark is based on idea that people use services and buy from businesses that are recommended to them by trusted sources – their friends, family and peers. The site describes itself as “a way to discover the great handyman, accountant (and everyone else!) your friends use.” For example, if you’re looking for a dentist, you can ask your network to recommend a good one – this way you know someone you trust can vouch for their services. So how does this help your business? You can upgrade to a Pro account for free and list your business. Then, have any customers or friends recommend your service, and share your public testimonials page on your website. This is a great way to show other people the great word of mouth you’ve earned, and a way to give back by recommending other businesses you find useful.
DropBox – It’s likely that every entrepreneur has encountered this problem: you’ve just finished an amazing presentation, or uploaded some great photos from a conference, and you’re trying to send them to other employees at your startup. Unfortunately, the files are too big to attach to an e-mail – so you’re stuck putting the file on USB and delivering it by hand. And even if you do manage to send a file, any edits you make on it aren’t reflected in the sent file. Enter Dropbox. DropBox is a service that allows you to securely share files with other people, sync them across computers, and access them anywhere. No more sending files – as long as all of your employees have DropBox you can share files with them, and any edits will be updated in the folder. And if for some reason you don’t have access to your computer, you can access your files easily on GetDropbox.com. Have files you want to share with one employee but not another? No problem – you control who has access to any file.
YuuGuu.com – If you’re an entrepreneur you’re likely working with VA’s, investors, developers and employees who aren’t located in the same city as you. YuuGuu is a great screen sharing, web conferencing and instant messaging service that allows you to eliminate geographical divides and connect with the people that matter to your business. Trying to show a customer how to use your website effectively, or want to review updates with your developer? Use the screen sharing option so they can see the activity on your desktop – and there are no downloads for participants. Need to hold a meeting with people in different cities? Set up a web conference (again, no downloads for participants). And YuuGuu syncs all of your instant messaging contacts, so you can message your contacts no matter which platform they’re using.
Have a great online tool that helps you run your business, and didn’t see us mention it above? Feel free to leave your recommendation in the comments – we’ll make sure to check it out!
7 Responses to “4 online tools you should be using as an entrepreneur”
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Hi Erin,
Thanks for the wonderful suggestions. To tell you the truth when I first read the title, I was a bit skeptical – “Another twitter article…”
But it was exactly the opposite. New and fresh tools that many of us may have overlooked.
I gave Dropbox a try but it was a huge resource hog and it is definitely something that they should improve.
Are there any other tools I can recommend? Twitter .. duh? Joking
Shameless plug but here are unorthodox tools I use to keep me updated with current trends, really helpful for my business- http://alex.ikonn.ca/education/how-to-stay-up-to-date-with-pop-culture/
Keep writing good posts!
Alex
Hey Alex,
Thanks for the comment! Yes, we tried to suggest tools that are little-known but are so useful for entrepreneurs.
Good suggestion about Dropbox – I don’t have that issue but others may.
And thanks for the link – wasn’t really aware of Google Trends, so I learned something!
Cheers,
Erin
Looks like YuuGuu is windows only, (gasp) how embarrassing!
I used to like GetSatisfaction but then I realized their strategy is to own your customer service without your consent, and charge you for something that you didn’t intend to use. I suggest you check out Tender instead.
I would also suggest that your readers check out User Voice to manage customer expectations, feature requests, and customer communication.
For your readers who develop software, I would suggest that you look into Pivotal Tracker for bug tracking, feature development, QA – it’s great project management tool that implements agile software development practices.
Otherwise, thanks for the post.
Hi Erin,
Have you heard of Mikogo? It’s a free desktop sharing app that allows you to share your screen live over the Web with 10 others. It has many features, such as switch presenter, whiteboard, remote keyboard/mouse control, scheduler, file transfer and more. Please drop by http://www.mikogo.com for more info or feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks!
Hsiang-Yi Cheng
The Mikogo Team
Twitter: @Mikogo
I would add a few things to this list:
1. Skype. Use skype constantly; it essential to our remote team. First, get everybody in your company to put Skype in their startup list. Then, create a group chat with everybody in it (call it something like your company name) and leave it open ALL THE TIME. This way, you have an ongoing dialog of group conversations. We have each person set a custom notification for the text string 0name (zero followed by their name) so if you want somebody’s attention in the group chat, just say 0matt or 0john and it rings a bell on their desktop. The skype screenshare and file transfer is great, too, for quick and dirty conversations.
2. PBworks. I cannot say enough about this awesome collaboration tool. Yes, it costs about $500 a year for a useful package, but my team lives inside it. It is hands down the best collaboration tool I have ever used. And I have used most of them. (Groove was pretty cool while it lasted…)
3. Gmail. Just do it. The interface is nerdy, but once you become a pro at labels and filters you will never go back. Just be sure to turn off Buzz; it’s a total time-waster. I have perfected my gmail experience with some of the gmail labs settings plus this nifty standalone utility called Affixa ($3.50/yr US)
4. Xmarks. If you use a laptop and a desktop, you really need to use this to synchronize your bookmarks.
Matt Trifiro
CEO, 1000 Markets
This sounds exciting and am looking forward to watching it grow!
Thanks, Rick!
Joyce