Our Top 5 Digital Tools for Small Business Owners

1. 17hats - So much more than a CRM system

CRM = Customer Relationship Manager, and if you are in a service or sales based industry we're sorry you need one and now.  If you've been considering a CRM system but have been bamboozed by the choice that is out there then you are not alone.  We had to look in every dark corner of the internet and were so pleasantly surprised to come across 17hats.
Main features of 17hats are:

• Client Profile Management - take notes record phone calls log time
• Dashboards - Easy interface with a Dashboard that has all the information on it
• Templates - Making everything easy
• Online Contract Signing - Someone wants to do business with you sign away
• Workflow Automation - Like you're own personal assistant
• Lead Generation - forms that can be embedded on social media and websites
• Invoice Management - Invoice direct to your custombers 
• Scheduling - clients can book straight into your diary
• Credit Card Payments - intergrates with Square
• Automated Payment Reminders - When invoices are coming up and overdue
• Financial Management - Bookkeeping options
• Free webinars where you can ask all the questions you want
• A comprehensive training platform

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In our experience we couldn't live without 17hats and it has totally change the way we do business.  It combines so many different platforms in one it cut our subscriptions down and saved us money.  Now that's all well and good I hear you say but what is the cost? well it starts from just $395USD for 2 years it represents amazing value, best thing is with the link below you can try it yourself for free an use the same link to get 10% discount at checkout. Winning!

Keep an eye on our Live Webinars as we regularly have a session on 17hats. CLICK HERE to see our upcoming webinars

Click here to try 17hats for free & get 10% discount on a yearly subscription

2. Zoom - Video Conferencing 

The ideal way to stay in touch with your clients and your staff, once you get over seeing yourself on the screen or your fear of the camera you are right to go. Zoom is a cloud-based and highly scalable video and web conferencing software that allows users to carry out online meetings, file sharing, webinars, and group messaging. The platform is ideal for any company regardless of size. Zoom makes use of high-quality video and audio for an immersive interaction and screen-sharing experience. This robust software is capable of combining meetings online, cloud-based video conferencing, group messaging, and sharing content wirelessly in one convenient place. Through Zoom, users are given the option to connect to more than one conference room, include more attendees remotely, and conduct face-to-face meetings with a single mouse click.

Main features of Zoom are:

• Zoom Meetings Rooms
• Integrated Scheduling
• Video Webinar
• Premium Audio
• Group Collaboration
• Cloud and Local Recording

If you are alrady one of our clients you will know how we love zoom, it's how we do all our webinars and 70% of our client meetings.  The fantastic thing about Zoom is you can try it for free by simply clicking the link below, many businesses and organisations can get away with using the free version, however if you need to upgrade you can do from as littls as $21 per month.

CLICK HERE TO TRY ZOOM FOR FREE

3. Trello- Project Management with a twist

Ahhh Trello, where do we start? If you run a team of any sort or are looking for a project managemet program then get ready to fall in love.  Infact we could rave on all day about this amazing tool, but we won't here's the list instead.

Main features of Trello are:

• Detailed & Quick Overviews of Front/Back Cards
• Easy, Drag-and-Drop Editing
• In-Line Editing
• Easy Organization with Labeling, Tags, and Comments
• Progress Meter Checklist
• Card Records Archive
• Easy Upload (Local Devices, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box)
• File Attachment
• Data Filters
• Deadline Alerts and Notifications
• Automated Email Notifications
• Activity Logs
• Individual/Group Task Assignment
• Information Backup
• Information Retrieval
• SSL Data Encryption
• Mobile-Friendly Views
• Developer API
• Customer Support
• Easy Upload (Local Devices, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box)
• File Attachment
• Individual/Group Task Assignment
• Voting Options
• Discussions

with all these features you's expect to pay a bomb for this program but it's seriously just $5 per month.... what are you waiting for try it now........Oh keep an eye on our Webinars this is another- one we do webinars on cause it's amazeballs.  
CLICK HERE to see our upcoming webinars

Click here to try Trello for free

4. Calendly - Sends text reminders to your appointments

For those of you who already have a CRM system and are looking for a fantastic scheduling tool then this is the one for you. Not only is this scheduling platform so easy to use it sends automatic text messages and emails to your clients reminding them of your meeting.

Main features of Calendly are:

• Open API
• Calendar integration
• Fully optimized for all devices
• Simple, elegant and modern interface
• Automatic/custom notifications
• Team scheduling
• Group events
• Enhanced privacy and controls
• Can be embedded with websites
• APIs and Webhooks
• Invitee calendar integration
• Metrics and reporting

The great thing about calendly is the basic version is free so it's a no brainer to give it a try, paid verison start from just $8USD per month.

CLICK HERE TO TRY CALENLY FOR FREE

5. MailChimp

E-mail is not dead.... I reapeat E-mail is not dead.  With that being said over 50% of small business owners have either given e-mail the flick or just can't be bothered, that's where MailChimp comes in.  With over 90% of it's users saying they would reccomend it we will let the list of features do the talking.

Main features of MailChimp are:

• Email Designer
• Reports
• MailChimp Editor
• Social Sharing
• Custom Forms
• Email Client Testing
• Mobile Signup Forms
• RSS-to-Email
• MailChimp Mobile
• MailChimp Coupon Scanner
• Campaign Archives
• Merge Tags
• MailChimp Snap
• Automation
• Social Profiles
• Integrations
• MailChimp VIPs
• SMS for Events
• Geolocation
• Segmentation and Groups
• Multi-User Accounts
• A/B Testing
• Delivery by Time Zone
• Spam Filter Diagnostics
• Email Beamer
• Subscriber Profiles
• Email Delivery
• Email Templates

Another great product that offers a free account however if you want to get the upgraded features plans start from just $15.00 per month and is based on the number of contacts.

CLICK HERE TO TRY MAILCHIMP FOR FREE

At Altitude Business Solutions we work with you to come up with solutions to your business problems and set a plan for implementation.  It all starts with our Discovery call where we will find out more about your business and discuss options for you moving forward.  For Queensland Small Business Owners we will also discuss the Government Funded Australian Small Business Advisory Services program and if your business can take advantage of discounted services.

Book your complementary 20 minute discovery call today.