Top Five Online Services to make your 2018 a Business Success

Having worked for myself for many many years, I welcome good services and tools that can make my job easier. Not only does it allow you to smile more at the end of the day, it also gives you some time back and I am sure everyone would admit to liking more time on their hands. I check out new online services regularly and would like to share my top five picks with you today.

I always need to send videos and other files to my clients, more or less on a daily basis. If you need to send files quickly and easily, to someone in the same workplace or to the other side of the world, Send Anywhere could be right up your street. Not only is this a free service, it allows you to send files with no maximum file size. Imagine being able to move files between your own devices when you get a new smartphone or laptop. Or perhaps you need to get that finished video over to a teammate for approval. This is no problem, using the simple web-driven interface. There’s even a WiFi Direct feature that allows you to send files without using data or the internet.

Another really cool use-case scenario relates to emails. Many email providers limit the maximum file size you can attach. With Send Anywhere that problem no longer exists, your file is presented to the recipient as a link which they simply click to download the attachment. Imagine that … email attachments with no limits. 

Also worth noting is that you don’t even need to register to use this service. A simple six-digit key is all you need to get started. Did I mention that all file transfer from Send Anywhere are safely encrypted to ensure maximum security as well as privacy? With just six digits, you are ready to send your files anywhere, across mobile devices, desktop and the web.  

Intuit Quickbooks Self Employed is a real time saver for small business and especially sole traders. As a content creator myself, I used to spend hours doing my accounts and really hated it. Now my bank account is linked to Quickbooks, with all my transactions syncing across automatically. Nowadays, I just spend one hour per month reconciling my invoices and receipts. It even allows you to track mileage (another great saving on your tax bill) and invoice your customers too. When tax time comes around, help is at hand here with reports that help you file your tax return. It’s super easy to use and a real time saver.

Google Keep is relatively new to my collections of useful services. This allows you to make quick notes, checklists, audio memos, photos, screenshots and reminders. These are then saved to the cloud and accessible across multiple platforms, for example your Android or iOS smartphone and Windows and MacOS via your web browser.

MailChimp for keeping your customers informed is super powerful and it’s free at certain levels. The most simple explanation of this is an email subscription list service. You get your customers to subscribe to your list, then on a weekly, monthly, quarterly basis (you decide), you can send them an email newsletter. This is very powerful, as you can update them on new services, special offers etc and it keeps you connected to your customer-base. On the free service you can have up to 2,000 subscribers and send a maximum 12,000 emails per month. You can even check how many of your customers actually opened your email newsletter too. 

My wildcard service is indeed one you should definitely have heard of, but often overlooked as a business tool. Making your Instagram a business account, allows you to access very useful analytics about the photos you are sharing. A top tip here is to share photos that are not just trying to sell to your customers every single time. Sharing inspirational photographs, that have some relevance to what you do is important. Of equal importance is adding extra value to your followers (and potential customers). Making them smile once per day will make your company more personable and with clever planning can open many new doors for you.

You can download Send Anywhere here.

*Sponsored post. Opinions remain writer's own.

How to improve your company’s email system

The development of email has revolutionised the face of contemporary business, offering companies a fast, effective and borderless form of communication. The service has evolved in leaps and bounds since its early stages, with modern day users enjoying increased efficiency and flexibility that has never before been possible. Yet despite the cutting edge advancements, many companies still lag behind when it comes to making the most of email communication.

To help you improve your company’s email system, we’ve come up with this useful collection of suggestions that will ensure you, your employees and your business are taking full advantage of electronic mail.

Email security

While email offers unparalleled convenience and efficiency, the move to digital communications also presents a range of complex security threats. From malware, spam and phishing to DDoS attacks, data leakage and social engineering assaults, inbound and outbound email borne threats are a serious issue that every company should address.

A stringent security solution is particularly vital for companies dealing with sensitive dataand classified customer information such as credit card details or personal health records. The key is to enlist the services of a trusted email security provider with proven experience in managing risks without jeopardising productivity.

Large file sending

Despite the extensive benefits of email, many providers have not yet mastered the art of offering users large file sending capacity. It is an issue continually faced by email users who often struggle to share important content with email contacts due to pre-set file size sending limits. This forces users to resort to unofficial consumer applications, most of which lack adequate security, policy enforcement and archiving protection.

This not only endangers the security of company files but can also break serious compliance regulations. Mimecast offers an intelligent solution to the wide felt issue, its large file sending service providing a secure and reliable answer to bypassing corporate restrictions on file size limits. Compatible with Exchange and Office 365, the service allows IT departments to retain control while offering employees complete flexibility over email operations.  

Email archiving

With the rise of email has come the increased need to keep digital records in place of traditional paper documents. This is a critical part of modern day business, with some sectors legally required to uphold comprehensive email archiving records. Barclays Capital Inc is the latest company to fall victim to a non-compliance offence, the enterprise was recently fined US$3.75 million by the The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for failing to preserve electronic records, emails and instant messages. As well as regulatory compliance, instant access to email history also plays an important role in maximising employee productivity and easing the burden on email servers. As such, it is critical for companies to have an effective email archiving strategy in place. An increasing number of businesses are turning to cloud archiving technology, won over by its efficiency, cost effectiveness and unmatched flexibility.  

By following these three simple tips, you can empower your company with a secure, efficient and compliant email system that will help your business reach its full potential.