Keeping your fashion business organized streamlines productivity and growth-oriented processes. A place of fashion business, such as a boutique designer shop or a digital magazine, that does not uphold the unspoken gold standards of organization will suffer in the form of weak productivity and high levels of stress. Projects are either delayed or result in poor output, finding a stapler becomes a five-minute task, information gets diluted as it’s passed on to teams and departments across the floor. Even the most minuscule tasks end up costing the company invaluable resources. Here are five important tools that keep your business organized and on point.
Google Analytics
Running a successful business involves getting straight to the numbers. How much raw materials cost, how much traffic goes through your website organically and how much is generated through marketing channels, where does the majority of your visitors come from, who is your target market and what key demographics do they have. These are only few of the many questions that business owners try to keep up with month after month. To organize your business strategy and resources effectively, you’ll need to know these key data points, and Google Analytics is a tool that can help you do exactly that.
ZenDesk
At peak hours, your business can receive large volumes of calls from existing and potential customers. Your sales, revenues, and customer retention rates will all depend on how well you handle this influx of calls that land on your business’ desk. ZenDesk offers agents who can represent your brand and answer queries through email, phone, chat, or even social networking platforms. Monthly plans start for $5 per agent, which is a reasonable deal when compared with the savings you get from lower overhead expenses.
Tomato Timer
There are different variations of this simple device, which is basically a timer set at intervals of 25-minute workloads and 5-minute breaks. The breaks can be increased to 10 minutes depending on the magnitude of the workload being managed. With a time management app, employees can sort and work on projects based on their importance and minimize the risk of getting burnt out from their respective workloads by allowing regular intervals of recovery time. Progress is therefore unimpeded and is achieved through small but accurate steps and milestones.
DropBox
It used to be that business owners and their workforces had to carry around dozens of devices and switch it on their terminal to access different files and documents. This can be time-consuming, inefficient, and even a potential risk for data loss. DropBox eliminates the hassle, danger, and inefficiencies by creating a virtual link between all your devices. Images, text documents, and all sorts of files can be manipulated through DropBox accounts provided to employees. By using DropBox, you can easily organize data flow from anywhere, anytime.
OmniFocus
Starting a business takes a tremendous amount of work, and one that puts you in a position to make critical, time-sensitive decisions. With so many teams to manage and so many projects to keep track of, one cannot avoid to overlook something. OmniFocus helps reduce if not completely remove the blind spot that restricts you from seeing everything that occurs in your business. It creates a user-friendly navigation platform that maintains a work/life balance. It collects all your data, down to the last spreadsheet and account statement, and then reorganizes it into a more proactive format.
These five tools can help your business get organized while also providing significant cost reduction. Many of the tools listed above are free of charge, but premium versions that suit a business’ needs will cost a fee. Of course, you can easily recoup the investments after a short period of time.
Jessica Kane is a professional writer who has an interest in keeping things organized and in order. She currently writes for FlexCon, a leading vendor of corrugated plastic bins and boxes.
