Today the Internet is a crucial part of how we do business and there are ways you can utilise it for maximum productivity.

 

Email is probably the most common tool used today but it’s much more than a way to send a message to a colleague, friend or family member if using tools from Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, and Google Mail. Google also has a variety of tools similar to Outlook capabilities which include a task scheduler (Google’s version will send reminders to phone or email), online calendar, business contacts database and notepad.

 

Online Storage: Using online tools to increase productivity is becoming very common, both Microsoft and Google now offer free online storage facilities, you can store documents or even backup data and this information can be accessed from any internet enabled computer. This information once uploaded can even be securely shared so others within the company can access, view and edit content. This online collaboration opens the doors for employee information sharing and for smaller companies can be very useful for quick and readily access to data that is usually kept behind your company firewall. 

 

Reduce Paper: Although many in the know forecasted a paperless office by 2000 it certainly has yet to become a reality, there are things a business can do however to minimise the paper-trail and become more efficient / productive. 

 

Using PC’s to send / receive fax documents is becoming more popular and can minimise paper used within the office. Having large and small documents sent via email as opposed to hard copy through the post is not only an efficiency gain due to time saved, it is cost effective and very secure (using secure file formats, digital signatures).

 

Do the test: An exercise I have my clients perform is to list all the ways his / her company communicates with the external world (suppliers/clients/prospects) and how employees, especially remote ones communicate with each other. Once these “communication flows” have been analysed, they are often surprised how much money and time can be saved by using internet and it’s many technologies to replace the manual ways these were previously done. These tools aren’t expensive and most are available free with a click of a mouse.