Introduction

If you’re tired of relying on email to manage projects or day-to-day work issues and want to learn a project’s status without having to hop on a call or schedule yet another meeting, productivity software may be the answer.

The day-to-day of running a business requires that people juggle multiple tasks and projects, often communicating with different teammates to hit deadlines. Productivity tools, specifically the ones aimed at collaboration and improved communication, make it easier for employees to work together all while letting business owners get a macro view of what’s going on.

Top 3 Productivity Tools For Small Businesses

#1. Slack

Group chats are much better than they used to be, and this tech industry favorite has provided many solutions for timely or asynchronous team communication as well as collaboration. According to Olivia Tan, the Co-founder at CocoFax, team members can customize their own settings on Slack and share files directly with each other or large groups all at once. With many project management integrations to boot.

#2. HipChat

HipChat is a lot like Slack with a little less functionality but with one major bonus: encrypted messages. If your business is particularly concerned about security, this may be a good option for you.

#3. Trello

Trello is a good productivity app for process-based projects and tasks. Using Trello involves creating boards and dragging various tasks in between steps. It’s a quick, easy and visual way to understand where your workers are in the process. You can set priorities on each task, add attachments, type messages, or assign each task to a group or label. You can also create individual boards for each project. Trello has a free tier with business and enterprise pricing.