In our final Tech Tools post we examine Integration Software, which allows business applications and processes to work together automatically.
All-in-one software solutions are often not the best choice when growing a business. It can be more beneficial to select the most appropriate software tools for specific company needs.
However, it is essential that different online platforms can communicate and share data together – which is where Integration Software is very valuable.
Document Management software automates the creation, secure storage and distribution of all types of documents online, reducing paper clutter and promoting efficiency.
Document Capture and Imaging – Documents are digitised, using imaging technology
Document Storage – Records are stored, accessed, shared, edited on one platform
Document Search– Metadata (such as author and file name) is assigned to files to index them, they can be searched for by keywords
Permissions – Access for individuals and groups is managed, for viewing and editing
Collaboration – Files are shared with individuals and groups, allowing for addition of comments and revisions
Archive – Confidential data is classified and archived in central storage
Workflows – The life-cycle of contractual documentation is managed using rules-based processes, such as review and approval of draft documents and revisions prior to publishing
Virtual Data Room -Additional protections for online storage and sharing of confidential information
Mobile – Content can be created and edited on mobile devices, and data is displayed in mobile-responsive format.
Example Of Use:
If a customer calls to complain, past interactions might not be captured, meaning you start over again, delivering a poor customer experience and tying up staff resources.
However, with case management software all customer interactions can be seen, plus any useful records such as a contract, to decide how to proceed.
Reports can be generated to show key performance metrics and progress towards resolving open claims.
What support resources are available to train staff? Such as: training videos and documents, free demo, email/help desk support, FAQ/knowledge base access.
Cost
Most products are priced on a “per user, per month” basis.
How much are additional features such as optical character reader (OCR) integration, version control, workflow automation, and document scanning?
Integration
Check integration with your other key systems such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, E-Mails, Accounting, CRM, HR, Cloud Storage, Open APIs and Project Management.
This ensures scalability and allows company-wide document text searches, for example, during internal or external audits.
Security
What security credentials are in place against external threats (such as hacking and data breaches) and internal threats (such as employee theft)? Latest protocols include AES and SSL/TLS encryption.
Document Scanning and Imaging
Consider Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which converts written documents into a digital format.
Scanning and digitally storing paper documents with accurate keyword indexing helps user searches.
Purpose
Do you simply need an off-site automatic backup, to sync, store and share files (such as OneDrive, Dropbox for Business or Google Drive)? Or do you need the benefits of collaboration, editing, workflows, access control, image management, distribution, compliance, indexing, conversion and OCR a document management solution provides?
Cloud Location
Many cloud backup providers are US-based. Review UK-based providers or ensure your provider:
Is GDPR compliant
Encrypts ‘at rest’ stored backups
Avoids the Patriot Act (gives US Government access to data held)
Has good backup and recovery speeds
Has strong customer support, such as 24-hour UK-based technical advice by phone and email
Holds ISO9001 or ISO27001 certification, for reassurance customer data is secure
Has their own data centre, or if it is outsourced to a third party, who this is, where data is stored, and track record for cybersecurity
Safety
Keeping data secure is top priority for online storage services. This is done by:
Encryption – all information is encrypted as industry standard.
Identity management – robust layers of security are used, such as passwords and user permissions.
Multifactor authentication (MFA) – Two-factor authentication (confirming identity by phone or e-mail), or additional layers.
Multiple data centres – information is split between units for added security.
Examples of Document Management Systems to consider, as reviewed by Capterra, Startups.co.uk, SoftwareAdvice.com and TechRadar:
1. Microsoft OneDrive
Easy use, fast load speed, mobile, low cost, live syncing of devices, file sharing, online editing, encryption,two-factor authentication and handy tutorials.
2. Dropbox Business
Strong security controls, user-friendly, fast transfers, device auto-sync, editing and colleague collaboration.
3. Google Drive
15GB free storage, easy-to-use, online editing tools, encryption, excellent app, fast data transfer, device syncings, needs stricter password settings.
4. Logical DOC
Content management solution for all business size and sectors. Access control, communication, permission and file management, drag and drop interface, customisable branding.
Pre-built document templates, tools to search uploaded documents, bookmark specific files, convert into multiple formats, edit documents and import or export content from ZIP archives, e-mail boxes and desktop devices.
Version control, integrated HTML editor, digital watermarking, optical character recognition (OCR) and multilingual full-text indexing. On-premise or cloud hosted. Phone support.
5. Bynder
Branding, marketing and digital asset management (DAM) tools for businesses of all sizes.
Manage, maintain and distribute public and private digital assets, including videos, documents, and images.
Organise company digital assets into a centralised, searchable, database that can be accessed by any employee from any location. Two-factor authentication, access and editing rules can be set on an individual or peer-group bases.
Cloud-deployed platform, can be accessed from any web browser.
6. eFileCabinet
Suitable for companies of all sizes and industries. On-premise or in the cloud.
Manage digital data through automated organisation, approvals and sharing from one dashboard. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) automatically names files, builds a dynamic directory, and sends them where they need to go.
Integration with Salesforce, drag and drop and manage files from either system. Mobile device access – take pictures of documents and upload directly to the app.
7. Box
Suitable for companies of all sizes and industries. Security and admin controls, sharing and collaboration capabilities for global users.
Compliance with HIPAA, FINRA and FedRAMP, granular access permissions and advanced security capabilities – watermarking, data governance and device trust.
Collaboration on all file types and devices, choose where to store data, manage encryption keys, set metadata-driven workflows to automate content-based processes.
Integration with Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Salesforce, Adobe and others. Integration across open APIs.
8. Docuware
Scalable, invoice processing, many integrations, Cloud-based, mobile support, ‘cloud workflow’, mobile apps – scan receipts, approve invoices, and sign forms on the go.
9. EisenVault
User-friendly, document upload, sharing, collaboration, storage and archiving, full-text Search, access controls, indexing, file type conversion, Version/Revision Control, Optical Character Recognition.
10. Zoho Docs
User-friendly, document upload, sharing, collaboration, storage and archiving, full-text Search, access controls, indexing, file type conversion, Version/Revision Control, Optical Character Recognition
Tech Tools can assist your business growth, by providing efficient project management, increasing customer sales, automating financial management and much more.
Use our blog series to understand the advantages and disadvantages of tech tool options.
E-Mail Marketing is one of the most cost-effective and easy-to-manage marketing tools for businesses.
E-Mail Marketing automation tools create, send, test, optimise and report on email campaigns.
There are specific tools such as email subject line generators or inbox placement testing tools, and suites of e-mail marketing end-to-end tools, from e-mail automation to demand generation and revenue attribution.
For further information see https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/modern-guidebook-email-marketing
Social Media Management Tools allow you to automate your social media accounts, expand social reach, curate content, improve ad performance, analyse impact and monitor conversations about your business and competitors.
– Manage social media accounts and performance from one integrated platform
– Streamline activities to save time and optimise social media marketing
– Benchmark effectiveness of organic and paid social channels and videos
-Turn social media data into actionable insights to maximise ROI
– Build better strategy, content, and advertising by audience analysis
– Discover posts to promote, when to publish, and audience segments, to increase conversions
– Oversee, assign and approve team social media publishing across multiple profiles using a collaborative calendar, on desktop or mobile
– Choose Influencers most compatible with your audience based on AI recommendations, gauge their engagement and track KPIs in social media influencer campaigns
– Create customised dashboard reports to visualise results and aid data-driven decisions
Scheduling – save time and effort by bulk-scheduling multiple messages in advance across social media networks
Mobile App – manage content anytime and anywhere
Web Extension – upload posts you discover while surfing the web, instantly post without logging in to social accounts. Create search streams by hashtag, location, or keyword
Content Calendar – plan and curate content, review and approve scheduled posts, collaborate with your team in real-time
Content Library – Organise content by tagging, search, and usage stats. Store and access content in the cloud —including Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive — from a dashboard
Analytics – prove social media impact and ROI, create and export custom reports in Excel, Powerpoint, PDF and CSV, bring data results to life with powerful analytics features
Insights – Get a clear understanding of social post performance across channels, track results by timeframes
Monitoring– build custom boards to create insightful reports with an intuitive interface. Draw on hundreds of metrics to measure social media content impact across channels and campaigns.
Team Management – measure team metrics, track time taken to respond and resolve posts and comments. Safeguard social media presence by managing access to social accounts and setting team member permission levels
Trial a few systems to discover which best fits your business needs, and obtain feedback from team members.
Work out who will use it and for what purposes, to identify essential features.
The software should boost efficiency, consistency and response times, because all social media conversations are seen in one place, meaning you can prioritise activities and create a shared library of on-brand social assets.
Check the social networks you need to use can be managed by your preferred Social Media Management tool.
For example, in addition to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter, can it schedule and measure with Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Reddit?
Also, if necessary for your business, with international platforms such as Tencent, Baidu, Viber or VK?
Ensure you can add the power of social media to the tools you already use, such as CRM (see CRM Systems For Business Growth), E-Commerce (such as Shopify, Opencart and Magento), Communication (such as Skype, SharePoint and Hipchat), Data Integration (such as Zapier, IFTTT and Skyvia),and Project Management Software Project Management Software).
An established platform with all the necessary applications and robust features including content creation, curation, organisation, bulk scheduling (upload several posts at a time) and RSS integration.
The free plan includes management of 3 social profiles, scheduling 30 posts in advance (queued), basic tracking analytics, contest creation, 2 RSS feed integrations, team features and custom branded URLs.
A well-known platform for managing multiple social profiles. Schedule content while web browsing with a Chrome extension, get suggestions on best times to post based on follower activity, and integrate with Google Analytics.
The free plan includes management of 3 social profiles, scheduling 10 posts, browser extensions and mobile apps, content creation, real-time analytics, team features, shortening plus tracking links, and an RSS feed integration.
Zoho Social helps manage multiple profiles, research relevant keywords, work with team members, and schedule posts from one dashboard. It syncs with Facebook lead ads, offers advanced reporting features and CRM integration.
Zoho Social’s free plan allows management of 1 brand, and includes a URL shortener and SocialShare plugins.
Sprout Social is a one-stop shop for managing and scheduling all social media accounts through a simple-to-use platform, and a powerful tool for analysing data by demographic and geographic measures.
It can manage multiple accounts and monitor keywords across social media, to bring awareness of when you are discussed online, and help you respond quickly to customers. Sprout Social has a social inbox, and basic team features.
If Twitter is crucial to your social media strategy, TweetDeck is the best social management platform, allowing creation of custom timelines, lists and searches, and adding of team accounts.
Free for Twitter users, not an all-in-one platform, but a great tool for managing multiple live-conversation Twitter accounts.
CoSchedule is known for its social calendar feature – to schedule and organise all social media posts. It has basic publishing features and ReQueue – intelligent software that schedules the top posts in your social history.
CoSchedule does not offer social monitoring, listening, or keyword searches. It has a separate dashboard for each client, re-usable task templates, social approval, and custom reports.
Agora Pulse has a variety of useful features – social engagement, publishing, listening, reports, and team collaboration. It allows auto-posting to queue evergreen posts, and content labelling to retrieve and analyse posts.
Agora Pulse has a Social Inbox feature for interacting with followers in one place and viewing every profile. It has social monitoring and keyword searches, plus team sharing features.
Snapchat lets users create short-lived ‘stories’ for user interaction. Snaplytics takes regular snapshots of your Snapchat account and offers insights and benchmarking, plus a library of previously created content to view engagement levels and for republishing.
Snaplytics supports scheduling stories for later publication, organised by tags for easy tracking. Its elegant dashboard displays marketing performance on a platform-by-platform basis.
Brandwatch eavesdrops on information that could be crucial to your company from Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums, news and other diverse web sources.
Social sentiment analysis shows the tone of data collected from profiles you’ve connected with, so you can include pertinent trends and emerging themes in your conversations.
Simply Measured (by Sprout Social) is a more expensive, in-depth social media analytics tool.
It offers free reports on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and sophisticated subscriber reports, including date and time engagement analysis and content type analysis. This allows you to publish the types of content that work best, at optimal times for your community.
Whilst the above platforms are excellent tools for raising profile and driving sales, be aware of Social Media basics to ensure your efforts yield positive results (see Social Media Basics):
Quality – Publish content that people want to share, and that will last (see Content Marketing).
Quantity – Quantity is critical as new material will quickly override yours. Be consistent with posts, and re-post new content several times.
Posting – Social media audiences vary, so use data to determine how and when to post. Experiment with different times to identify the most effective to reach your customer types.
Hashtags – Be strategic with hashtags, @mention those that matter on each post. If creating a branded hashtag, make it easy to spell and say, eye-catching and memorable.
Goals – Know what follower behaviour you are trying to drive, so what channels and activities to concentrate on, and what metrics to measure to track success. For example:
– Increased Brand Awareness Use activities to collect and share customer testimonials, and highly-shareable content.
– Increased Traffic and Conversions Find opportunities to engage with relevant, interested customers who are ready to buy, and measure Click-through rate (CTR). – Increased Engagement Start by responding to most user mentions, questions, and comments, then analyse this data to build a solid content strategy.
Measure follower numbers and how well your audience is responding to your content, such as number of shares, comments, mentions, and retweets.
Influence – Target Influencers that have audiences you want to reach. Tools such as Klout and Social Authority provide “influence scores.” Twitter and Google give rankings for topic influencers, and relevant forums contain influencers.
Sentiment – Analyse the tone of a topic conversation using automated tools such as Boardreader or Mention, to see if people love, hate or are indifferent to your brand.
Conversation Drivers – Use Social Listening to work out when and how to start interactions with customers who may be interested in your service.
Monitor the topics and context of conversations about you, your competition, and your sectors. For example, who customers perceive as your competition and what concerns they’re sharing about your products.
