Business Computer Tools

There are a number of time saving apps available to help you manage your business and your time.

General Tools

Tools that are used by most businesses and aren’t tailored to one or two industries include email and calendar programmes, cloud storage, word processing, spreadsheets, pdf reader, to-do lists, digital notebooks, and slide presentations. The two major providers of these are Microsoft (Office 365) and Google (Workspace). The best thing you can do to simplify things and make them run smoothly is to choose one of these and stick to it rather than switching between the two (while they may work okay together this is not what they are designed to do. Your options are:

  • Email and calendars – Microsoft Outlook or Gmail. If/when you have your company domain name email then they can be hosted either with Microsoft or Google and you’ll use these email programmes to access and manage your email. Outlook is online or a computer programme, Gmail is online or through another programme.
  • Cloud storage – Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint or Google Drive. OneDrive is storage for a user, SharePoint is shared storage. Google call them both Drive and there is My Drive and Shared Drive.
  • Word processing – Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Word is online or a computer programme, Docs is online only.
  • Spreadsheet – Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Excel is online or a computer programme, Sheets is online only.
  • PDF reader – pdf often open up automatically in your internet browser, to get more functionality you can download and use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC [https://get.adobe.com/reader/] for free
  • To-Do Lists – Microsoft To-Do or Google Tasks. To-Do is online or a computer programme, Tasks is online only.
  • Digital notebooks – Microsoft OneNote or Google Keep. OneNote is online or a computer programme, Keep is online only.
  • Slide presentations – Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides - PowerPoint is online or a computer programme, Slides is online only.

 

Accounting Tools

There are a number of options for doing your accounting. Your accountant is the best person to talk to about this. Some popular programmes are:

  • Xero
  • MYOB – has different programmes depending on what you need
  • QuickBooks

 

Online Marketing Tools

Online marketing is an important part of any business these days. Choose which one(s) are going to be best for your business and do them well:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Tiktok
  • LinkedIn
  • Google Business
  • Your website

 

Click here to download a printable pdf of this list.