Posts Tagged ‘Right Tools’
Following the Progress
ItalianoI was just thinking about Rosalyn’s article “Choosing the Right Tools” when I found my old Palm. During the last five years it was my personal assistant, with its calendar, its contact list and the capability to take notes and vocal memos. It was even able to connect to my phone and my Tomtom via Bluetooth. It was carried in in my pocket everywhere — all the time!
But since last year it sits in the cradle, perpetually charging the battery, coming out only for navigating my vacation trips. Why? Because progress has changed the way I work. Now I can connect directly to my clients’ pc without moving from the office. I can talk to them while looking at them from my desk. And on those rare occasions when I’m out of office, I can manage my calendar simply by connecting to the Internet (all my clients have an adsl Internet connection).
So, the lesson is: Choose and use the right products at the right time. Tools that were previously great can be replaced by others as technological progress makes them available.
Don’t stop what you’re used to doing — always search for improvements, and you’re sure to find them.
Choosing the Right Tools
The first step in choosing the appropriate tools for your business is to determine what you want to accomplish and how you want to do this. There are lots of new products on the market, and it might be difficult to find the best ones for your particular needs and budget without a thorough search.
The next consideration is free versus paid products. Many of the best tools have been created as open source or free ware, so there’s no need to spend money on an item that may work just as well as one that is purchased. By analyzing your business needs, you’ll know what features are critical and which ones you can do without. Especially if your business is on a tight budget, it’s important to distinguish between needs and wants.
Then there is the issue of how the tools will be used. That could determine the choice of one product over another. And some tools could offer more than one application, which may make them handier. Think about Skype, for example — a VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) which provides not only voice communication including conference calling, but instant messages via chat, video, a facility for taping calls, and related features.
Using the right tools saves time and effort. It’s the best way to increase the productivity of your business quickly and easily, and may make it unnecessary to hire additional staff. Tools make it simple to do more with less.
