Team management software helps facilitate collaboration and communication in the workplace. Department heads and team leaders can use these tools to maximize productivity and ensure their entire team is on the same page. The modern workforce has gone digital. Rather than wasting time with meetings, email chains, and phone calls, teams can communicate from a single source of truth. Team management software can accommodate a wide range of potential use cases, from daily tasks to ongoing projects and time tracking. Whether you’re managing a small remote team or hundreds of employees in a traditional office setting, team management software can help improve the quality of work that your team produces. These tools make life easier for management, too. What’s the best team management software on the market today? Find out below. The Top 7 Best Team Management Software
After extensive research and testing, I’ve narrowed down the top seven team management tools I can recommend with conviction. The following reviews highlight the features, benefits, prices, use cases, and potential drawbacks of each software on my list. #1 – ProofHub — Best For Keeping Teams Organized
ProofHub is branded as an all-in-one solution for project planning and team collaboration. It’s trusted by 85,000+ teams worldwide, including Nike, NASA, Google, Netflix, Pinterest, and Tripadvisor. The software has everything teams need to get work done faster. It helps teams meet deadlines and stay organized from a single source of truth. One of the main reasons why ProofHub ranks so high on my list is due to its simplicity. I love the fact that there is virtually no learning curve, so managers can deploy this tool without wasting time on training. Some of the top features and benefits of ProofHub for team management include:
Managers love ProofHub’s ability to control who has access to what on the platform. It allows management to create custom workflows for the team as well. Overall, it’s a centralized tool that keeps everyone organized and provides managers with a clear picture of what’s happening with the team. There are two packages to choose from—Essential and Ultimate Control. These start at $45 and $89 per month, respectively. All plans support an unlimited number of users. So, it’s great for small and large teams alike. Try all of ProofHub’s features for free with a 14-day trial. #2 – Twist — Best For Remote Teams
Twist is designed to make team communication less chaotic. The software helps facilitate collaboration without distracting people from their tasks. One unique standout of Twist compared to other team management tools is its ability to accommodate the challenges associated with remote work. I’ve spent most of my career managing remote teams, so I know first-hand how useful these features can be. Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll get when you sign up for Twist.
With Twist, teams can eliminate chat apps and email for internal communication. It can accommodate quick instant-message style communication as well as long-form thread-style conversations. Twist is used by more than 230,000 people, including teams within well-known organizations like Shopify, Starbucks, and GameStop. There’s a free version of the software for basic use, but I can’t say that I recommend it beyond an extended free trial. For just $5 per user per month, your team can have access to all of Twist’s features. It’s a tremendous value. #3 – Paymo — Best For Small Businesses and Growing Teams
Paymo is another all-in-one solution for team management. It has tools and features for resource planning, time tracking, project management, invoices, and so much more. The software has been used to manage over 2 million projects from 100,000+ businesses worldwide. Paymo has an extensive feature list to accommodate team members and team leaders alike. Some of the noteworthy highlights of this platform include:
Team leaders can also use Paymo for financial management, like expense tracking, budgeting, estimates vs. actuals, and more. I like Paymo because it can accommodate the needs of smaller teams at an affordable price. The Small Office plan starts at just $9.95 per user per month. As your team scales and your needs become more advanced, you can upgrade to the Business plan for $15.79 per month. Try Paymo for free with a 15-day trial. #4 – Chanty — Best For Team Collaboration and Communication
Chanty isn’t the most well-known name on the market today, but it’s a powerful and cost-effective alternative to other team communion tools. If you’re looking for a free team messaging tool, Chanty is second to none. Chanty is becoming a popular choice for development teams. The software makes it easy to share blocks of code directly within the platform so that colleagues can open code snippets without having to leave the chat app. For teams using another messaging platform, Chanty will import your data from tools like Slack, Flock, and Atlassian. Some of the other top features and benefits of Chanty include:
All of these are available on the free plan for up to 10 team members. For features like group audio calls, video calls, and screen sharing, upgrade to the Business plan for just $3 per month per user. Sign up for the free plan to try out Chanty or book a demo of the Business plan to get started. #5 – Hubstaff — Best Features For Managers and Supervisors
Lots of team management software emphasizes team collaboration. But Hubstaff is unique in the way that it empowers managers to do their jobs better. More than 40,000 businesses trust the software across a wide range of industries. It’s especially useful for companies with field service workers and remote employees. Hubstaff gives managers useful insights and tools to keep their teams productive without constant check-ins. Some of the top features of the software include:
The software makes it easy for managers to identify which workers are struggling and need help. It also provides detailed analytics on how much time individuals and departments are spending on certain tasks. These reports can be tied directly to the budgets for particular projects. There are three different plans to choose from:
Hubstaff has a free plan, but it only supports a single user, which isn’t a viable option for team management. I’d recommend the Premium plan, at a minimum. This package provides the best value, and it’s only a few dollars more than the Basic version. Try Hubstaff for free with a 14-day trial. #6 – Clockify — Best For Time Management
Clockify is a team management tool designed for one specific use case—time tracking. This simple time tracking and timesheet app makes it easy for teams to track hours for multiple tasks and projects. The software is trusted by millions of users, including teams within big organizations like Amazon, Uber, Google, IBM, American Express, Nike, and Cisco. Clockify can be used as a desktop app, mobile app, or web application. It’s a great way to improve project profitability, and it gives managers a clearer picture of what their team is working on. Noteworthy features and highlights of Clockify include:
Clockify integrates with third-party tools like Trello, Asana, Salesforce, Zendesk, G Suite, and more. Best of all? Clockify is free forever for an unlimited number of users. They do offer some paid plans for businesses that want advanced features. These start at $9.99 per month. #7 – Toggl Plan — Best For Team Planning
As the name implies, Toggl Plan is a project planning solution. It’s an easy way to provide teams with a visual overview of who is doing what and plan for what’s coming up next. It helps supervisors manage workloads and keep projects on track. The software is used by 4,000+ businesses worldwide, including Spotify, The New York Times, Stripe, Netflix, and Airbnb. Toggl Plan has a unique team planning feature that shows a complete overview of everyone’s current and upcoming schedule. This includes everything from daily tasks to ongoing projects and vacation time. Other features of Toggl Plan for team planning include:
Overall, Toggl Plan is straightforward. It’s used by creative teams, product teams, development teams, marketing teams, and more. The software is free for up to five users with limited features. There are two paid plans to choose from—Standard and Business. These start at $8 and $13.35 per user per month, respectively. Try Toggl Plan for free with a 14-day trial. How to Find the Best Team Management Software For YouWith so many solutions to choose from in the team management category, finding the right software for you and your business can be challenging. That’s why I want to explain how I picked the ones featured in this guide. You can follow the same methodology I used to narrow down the best software for your business. Just weigh these evaluation factors according to your personal needs. Software Type and Use CaseTeam management is a broad term. These tools can come as all-in-one project management solutions or standalone tools for a specific use case. For example, you can get team management software for just team chat and messaging. Other solutions are designed specifically for time tracking. For larger teams that want to accomplish everything within a single platform, all-in-one solutions are the best option. These will help you manage tasks, projects, time, communication, scheduling, and more, from a single software, saving you from having to bounce from one tool to another. Remote CollaborationManaging a remote team isn’t quite the same as managing a team in-person. So, if you have a team working remotely or collaborating from different locations, make sure the software you choose can accommodate those challenges. For example, the best remote team management solutions have built-in features to accommodate users working in different time zones. They provide team chat and team brainstorming tools as well. Team Scheduling and Time TrackingManaging daily schedules for each team member can be a challenge, especially at scale. Look for a solution that keeps your team on task while providing everyone with a complete overview of daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. Time tracking and scheduling go hand-in-hand. This feature is especially useful for teams working on multiple projects simultaneously. Team Leader ToolsManagers and supervisors need software that shows a holistic overview of their entire team. This helps them with resource management, project planning, and allocation. Team leaders can significantly benefit from detailed reports and analytics. Reporting shows how individuals within a team spend their time. Are they working productively? What projects are they working on? Will projects and tasks be completed on time? How is the team’s productivity impacting the budget? Many team management solutions focus on collaboration but don’t forget to inquire about the supervisor tools. Process Tracking and Task ManagementProcess tracking and task management are crucial for teams working on projects. Both of these can be found in all-in-one project management solutions. Look for features like Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and other project management tools to meet these needs. But not every team needs to have these features. If you just want a basic team chat app, then process tracking and task management won’t be necessary. ConclusionWhat’s the best team management software? Generally speaking, there is no “best for everyone” solution. The right software for me and my business might not be the best option for you and yours. That’s why my list includes something for everyone. I recommend ProofHub as an all-in-one tool for keeping teams organized. Twist is my top pick for remote teams, and Paymo will accommodate smaller teams. Chanty is the best team management software for collaboration and communication. Team leaders and supervisors will benefit the most from Hubstaff. I recommend Clockify for time management and Toggl Plan for team planning. Regardless of your team size or needs, you can use this guide to find the best team management software for your unique situation. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-team-management-software/
0 Comments
Resource management software is the modern way for managers to efficiently plan, track, and allocate company resources. The term “resources” is a broad term. In this case, it usually refers to people. But it can also encompass money, equipment, time, space, and more. Modern businesses across all industries are under constant pressure to deliver more for less. Poor resource allocation can eat into a company’s profit margins. But proper resource allocation is difficult to manage, especially at scale. One wrong decision can lead to losing money on a project. That’s why resource management software is so essential. These tools give managers a holistic view of all resources. This translates to better decision making at the management level. So which resource management software is the best? Continue reading to find out.
The Top 8 Best Resource Management Software
After extensive research and testing, I’ve narrowed down the top eight resource management solutions on the market today. This guide contains the features, benefits, pricing, recommended use cases, and potential drawbacks of each tool. #1 – Mavenlink — Best For Assembling Qualified Project Teams
Mavenlink is an industry leader in the business software space. They have solutions for project management, team collaboration, business intelligence, project accounting, and more. But the resource management software from Mavenlink stands out as arguably their top offering. The software has built-in resource optimization tools. It allows resource managers to fulfill project needs with the right personnel. Mavenlink factors in details like skills, individual demand, PTO, and workload for the entire resource pool. This information makes it much easier for resource managers to deploy the right talent for the right jobs. Some of the other top features, benefits, and noteworthy highlights of Mavenlink include:
Mavenlink also has a unique tool called Master Planning. It’s an enterprise resource planning feature designed to give managers real-time visibility into their team’s availability and productivity. It’s ideal for cross-project personnel planning and project-level resource scheduling. The software can be tailored to meet the unique needs of every business. Contact Mavenlink for a custom solution and quote. #2 – Float — Best For Capacity Management
More than 3,000 teams across the globe rely on Float for resource management. Float specializes in resource management for project planning. It’s designed to give resource managers an accurate view of everything they need to keep projects on track. I like Float’s solution for capacity management. It shows a real-time view of everyone’s current workload and status. The software also accounts for paid time off, holidays, sick leave, and upcoming projects. All of this makes it easier for resource managers to control the entire team’s capacity effectively. Aside from the capacity management tools, Float has other useful resource management features, like:
Navigating through Float is easy. It has a drag-and-drop interface and even gives users the ability to multi-assign tasks and update schedules with bulk edits. The software integrates with tools like Slack, Trello, Asana, Zapier, and more. Pricing is simple and straightforward. Resource planning from Float starts at $5 per month. Resource planning with time tracking starts at $10. Try Float for free with a 30-day trial. #3 – Hub Planner — Best For Resource Scheduling
Hub Planner is an all-in-one solution for resource management and resource scheduling. The software is trusted by teams around the world, including by big names like Adidas, Motorola, and AT&T. It’s a simple yet intuitive way for managers to schedule their resources accordingly. Hub Planner encompasses everything a resource manager needs within a single platform. It handles scheduling, timesheets, vacation management, resource requests, project management, and reporting. Top features of Hub Planner include:
Hub Planner gives teams the ability to schedule and request time off as well. They just need to fill out simple forms accessible directly from the platform, and managers approve those requests with ease. Schedules automatically update accordingly based on the PTO, vacation, and leave management workflow. There are two different Hub Planner packages to choose from—Plug & Play and Premium. These start at $7 and $18 per resource per month, respectively. Larger teams with complex needs should request a custom enterprise quote. Try Hub Planner for free with a 60-day free trial. #4 – Resource Guru — Best For Allocating Rooms and Equipment
Resource Guru is another popular solution in the resource management category. It’s trusted by thousands of businesses across the globe, including NASA, IKEA, and Pirelli. Most of the resource management tools on the market today focus on managing people, but Resource Guru has solutions for other types of assets. The software has built-in tools for managing resources like equipment. Supervisors can have a bird’s eye view of where trucks, lights, cameras, tools, drones, and other items are at all times. This makes it easier for them to plan accordingly for specific projects. Resource Guru has a built-in clash management system to eliminate double-bookings of equipment. Resource Guru can also manage meeting rooms and other resources within the room, like projectors, screens, and audio equipment. Other advantages of Resource Guru include:
There are three different Resource Guru packages to choose from:
Non-human resources start at $0.83 per resource. Try Resource Guru for free with a 30-day trial. #5 – Forecast — Best For Maximizing Resource Efficiencies
Forecast is an all-in-one platform for projects, resources, and financials. The software is designed to eliminate non-billable tasks like resource allocation and filling out timesheets so that your team can focus on more important things. The resource management software from Forecast provides managers with a holistic view of the entire organization. Forecast can automatically calculate resource utilization at a company-wide level. Managers gain valuable insights into how everyone is spending their time. As a result, they can make adjustments to account for over or under allocations. This ultimately maximizes the efficiency of every resource. Other noteworthy highlights of Forecast include:
Forecast is powered by AI, and the software learns from previous decisions and makes suggestions to help you log time and allocate resources faster. There are two packages to choose from—Lite and Pro. These start at $29 and $49 per month per seat, respectively. Both plans have a 10-seat minimum and require an annual contract. So it’s not ideal for really small teams. Forecast offers a custom enterprise plan for organizations with complex needs. Try Forecast for free with a 14-day trial #6 – Epicflow — Best For Multi-Project Resource Management
Epicflow launched in 2006. The company is based in the Netherlands and has 3,000+ users worldwide. The software is designed specifically for multi-project resource management. Managing resources across various projects can be challenging. But Epicflow has tools to ease some of those challenges. A unique feature is its “what-if” analysis tool. It allows managers to plan ahead and predict bottlenecks so they can ultimately allocate resources accordingly. Other top features of Epicflow include:
The Epicflow pipeline provides a centralized view of all projects in a single location. Pricing for this software is not available online. Request a demo to get started. #7 – Teamdeck — Best For Remote Teams
More than 3,500+ people rely on Teamdeck for resource management. It’s trusted by product teams, creative agencies, software development teams, finance departments, and more. I like Teamdeck because it’s built to support remote teams, which is crucial in today’s day and age. The onboarding process is as easy as it gets. You won’t have to waste time training your team on how to use this platform. Remote resource scheduling is arguably the tool’s top feature. You can use it to assign tasks based on skills, expertise, and availability. Some of the top features, benefits, and highlights of Teamdeck include:
Teamdeck also has tools for timesheets, time tracking, and leave management. Overall, it’s the perfect resource management solution for allocating remote resources. Pricing is simple and straightforward. The software is free for up to two people. Beyond that, it’s $3.99 per team member per month. That fixed rate provides access to all of Teamdeck’s features. Sign up today and try it for free with a 7-day trial. #8 – Runn — Best For Resource Forecasting
Runn is a popular resource management tool for digital agencies. It provides company-wide visibility across projects, people, and sales. The tool stands out from the crowd with its real-time demand planning and forecasting features. I like Runn because the forecasting tools make it easier for resource managers to make the right decisions confidently. The software helps take the guesswork out of resource allocation. Some of Runn’s top features and benefits include:
Runn makes it easy to compare team utilization and capacity by week, month, and quarter. You can customize reports based on unique filters to see different data points in the organization’s specific areas. These personalized reports will only highlight the metrics that are most important to you while eliminating unnecessary data. The software is perfect for planning future capacity needs. It can even help resource managers determine when it’s time to hire more people. Runn is free for up to five people. Even the free plan comes with all features and supports unlimited projects. For teams larger than five, the Pro plan costs just $10 per managed person per month. Try Runn for free with a 14-day trial—no credit card required. How to Find the Best Resource Management Software For YouGenerally speaking, there is no “best for everyone” resource management software. The best software for you and your business might not be the best option for me and mine. To choose the right resource management tool for your team, you must understand how to evaluate different solutions on the market today. I’ll explain what’s important and how to weigh these factors according to your personal needs. Project Management ToolsResource management and project management go hand-in-hand. That’s because so many resources are tied directly to specific projects. If the software you’re considering doesn’t have built-in project management tools, make sure it integrates with the project management software you’re already using. This will make it much easier to manage resources from a complete portfolio overview, which is crucial for organizations working on multiple projects. Non-Human ResourcesMost resource management software focuses on people. However, some organizations need tools to manage non-human resources. I’m referring to things like equipment, meeting rooms, tools, vehicles, and more. The best resource management software allows team members to reserve or book non-human resources. Resource managers can also figure out where assets are at all times and what they’re being used for. This feature can prevent scheduling conflicts and eliminate double-bookings. Scheduling and Resource AllocationEffective resource allocation is a top priority for resource managers. How can you schedule resources to ensure the right people are working on the right job? Look for a resource management solution with skills tracking. This will ensure that the most qualified individuals are assigned to the right projects. The best tools also incorporate time tracking, sick leaves, vacation requests, and more. Resource managers can adjust schedules and plan accordingly to ensure projects will be completed on-time, even when valuable resources are unavailable. Forecasting and Capacity ManagementShort-term resource planning is hard enough. But it’s even more challenging when you’re looking weeks or potentially months down the road. Look for a solution that has robust forecasting tools. This could include something along the lines of “what-if” scenario planning. Some solutions have historical load graphs to help managers make decisions based on previous events. Other tools even have AI-powered suggestions. Conclusion
What’s the best resource management software? It depends on what you’re looking for. With dozens of options to choose from, these are the eight I confidently recommend. Mavenlink is my top pick for assembling qualified project teams. Float is the best solution for capacity management, and Hub Planner is the best software for resource scheduling. For non-human resources like equipment and rooms, use Resource Guru. Forecast is the best software for maximizing resource efficiencies. Are you managing multiple projects simultaneously? Try Epicflow. Teamdeck is my top pick for remote resource management, and Runn is the best option for resource forecasting. Regardless of your team size and needs, there’s a solution for everyone on my list. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-resource-management-software/ High turnover in companies can be directly linked to poor onboarding and training. What if you could make onboarding easier for you and your new hires? Onboarding software helps you streamline the onboarding process. It ensures everyone gets the right documents and training they need to work for your company. Great onboarding leads to more productive employees, better workplace communication, and more revenue for your business. But you need software that matches your company’s needs. Choosing the best onboarding software for you and your employees means knowing what each one has to offer and how it fits your business. Check out these onboarding software solutions and make finding the right one easier for you.
Top 8 Best Onboarding Software Solutions
Each onboarding software works well for different businesses. This guide will show you the top features and pricing for various categories of onboarding software. #1 — GoCo—Best Onboarding Software for User-Friendly Training
Employees won’t have any trouble finding the information and materials they need with GoCo. Whether you do onboarding remotely or in-house, GoCo is designed to be flexible and user-friendly. It lets you keep all your documents together, so new hires can sign them without searching. GoCo works well for businesses large and small. It comes with modern onboarding tools, including:
GoCo makes onboarding simple for both internal teams and new hires with tons of flexibility and customization options. For HR and internal staff, GoCo takes user-friendliness to the next level by letting you work with all existing vendors and software and incorporating them into its workflows. You will not need to leave behind your existing tools to start using GoCo. GoCo doesn’t have pricing tiers like many other software packages. Instead, you tell them what you want, and they tailor the software to your business. At a reasonable $5/employee/month, all GoCo plans come with Hiring and Onboarding, Employee Self-Service, and MagicDocs. The company makes it easy to save, too, with 20% off if you pay annually. If you’re not sure about the software, try their Product Tour. It lets you test the software with a real GoCo account before you buy one of your own. GoCo works for businesses of all sizes. With features like Payroll, Benefits, HR Workflows, and more, you can make the onboarding process convenient for everyone involved. #2 — Zenefits—Best Onboarding Software for Comprehensive Features
Zenefits creates an engaging platform for new hires to get all the information they need. Zenefits says its customers spend 50% less time training because of its efficient platform. Its employee self-service portal lets new hires submit documents as they complete them, and managers can easily track training progress. This onboarding software comes in three packages:
Essentials creates the foundation for convenient onboarding with Zenefits. As the base package, it comes with Core HR, time scheduling, integrations, and the company’s mobile app so that new employees can complete training early with all the right tools. Growth steps it up with added compensation and performance management and keeping track of employee productivity and financial transactions, including all payroll processes. With the Zen package, you get Growth plus employee engagement surveys. People Hub gives all employees access to the resources they need to succeed at your company. Zenefits has a comprehensive feature list that will cover everything you may need. It even has advisory services you can add on if you need extra help or do not have an in-house HR team. #3 — Gusto—Best Onboarding Software for Remote Hiring
Gusto walks new hires through documents and other processes, making it great for remote hires. Employees can also introduce themselves through the platform, which helps build communication and relationships from afar. Ideal for small to medium-sized companies, Gusto comes with payroll processing, benefits and performance management, and automatic enrollment processes. You can even send an offer letter through Gusto to kick off the hiring process. Gusto’s software provisioning and de-provisioning save time and keep your employees connected with the apps they need. With its onboarding checklist, you can make sure new hires complete all assigned tasks. Gusto comes in four packages:
The Basic package gives you a full-service payroll system in any one state. You also get employee self-service and profiles that increase onboarding efficiency. With a 4-day direct deposit, PTO policies, and exceptional support, you have a comprehensive HR system that keeps remote employees in the loop. Core gives you everything in the Basic package, but better. With full-service payroll in all 50 states, 2-day direct deposit, and time and accounting tracking, you can streamline your HR processes. The Core package comes with employee onboarding that includes employee offers and document management, so you can get all new hires up to speed without delay. Complete comes at the same base price as Core, but it ups your team’s efficiency when it comes to onboarding and tracking. With the employee directory and surveys and customized onboarding tools, you can offer comprehensive training and ensure employee satisfaction. There’s a reason the Concierge tier costs so much more. It includes certified HR pros and the HR resource. In other words, you have experts at your fingertips to help you save time and ensure everything is handled professionally. You might have noticed that the onboarding features aren’t included in the Basic package. Gusto’s only disadvantage is that you don’t get the product’s full scope without paying a little more. #4 — WorkBright—Best Onboarding Software for Mobile Connection
Unlike many other products on this list, WorkBright is an onboarding software above all else, not a complete HR tool. WorkBright gives new hires access to documents, offer letters, and other onboarding details on mobile devices. It collects necessary data through a secure channel and uses a digital HR filing cabinet to track all documents and hiring details. WorkBright works better for smaller companies that need an intuitive onboarding platform. It handles employee communication in the app, and when you need customer support, they’re there for you. Pricing with WorkBright starts at $158 per month with features like:
The company has plans that cost up to and over $5,000/month, but it doesn’t specify what you get with them. You customize your plan, so the price reflects the features you choose. WorkBright is less customizable than other onboarding software. The only downside to WorkBright is that you’ll need to integrate it with a separate HR suite if you want to use it for more than onboarding. #5 — Lessonly—Best Onboarding Software for Fast Training
Lessonly goes beyond onboarding and into employee training. It also gives new hires a place to handle all important documents electronically. Lessonly incorporates learning tools into its software, too. You can use its custom course creation feature to put together courses unique to your company. Where most onboarding software focuses on paperwork, Lessonly takes it to the next level with actual learning materials, even in its base package. As an onboarding software geared toward sales and customer service employees, Lessonly lets managers offer real-time feedback during training. It also has a customer interaction rehearsal feature so managers and new hires can communicate through the software. Lessonly has three packages:
Pro includes a lesson builder, interactive quizzes, and training event tracking, so you can see when employees complete a training assignment. It uses automation and triggers to streamline the training process. Using Slack and HRIS integrations improve communication as employees move through their courses. The Pro + Coaching package offers a lot more training support with webcam and screen recording for visual lessons. It also gives new hires practice with email, chat, ticketing, and audio, plus certifications in sales techniques. Enterprise Learning for Global Teams takes training to a grander scale. It integrates employees worldwide and gets everyone on the same page. With a multilingual platform, you gain insights, analysis, and data about employee training. These features identify knowledge gaps, so you know who needs help with what. Despite Lessonly’s tiered packages, none of them has a set price. When you talk to the company, they will help you choose the features you need and give you a quote. #6 — BambooHR—Best Onboarding Software for Employee Self-Onboarding
BambooHR uses data centralization to make materials available to new hires and walk them through the onboarding process. It makes things easy for HR by automating most processes for employee self-service. BambooHR wants to integrate new employees into the workplace sooner, so it makes the paperwork portion brief. The software has a hiring pack with all the documents new hires need. Employees then submit those forms through a secure electronic portal. With performance management and reporting tools, you can ditch spreadsheets for a more efficient process. BambooHR even uses IT checklists to ensure employees have everything they need to get started at your company. BambooHR comes in two packages. The Essentials tier has your basic HR management stuff, like employee records, document storage, standard reporting, and standard workflows and approvals. When it comes to onboarding, the self-service mobile app lets new hires complete forms whenever and wherever. With a directory and organizational chart, employees can learn who is in their new company beyond the initial introduction. When you need help, Essentials comes with customer support by email and with a webinar library. The Advantage plan gives you everything from Essentials, plus phone support and hiring and onboarding features with the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). There, you can track training and electronic signatures. You can go a step further with training using advanced reporting, custom access levels, integrations, and data sharing. It also lets you keep track of employee satisfaction with eNPS. Neither package has specific pricing listed, so you’ll have to talk to BambooHR to get a quote. #7 — ClearCompany—Best Onboarding Software for Automating Processes
ClearCompany personalizes onboarding with a portal for each new hire. There, they’ll find their onboarding documents and any information they need for the job. Better yet, you can access ClearCompany from any device. This onboarding software is an almost entirely automated system. It comes with automated delivery, tracking, collection, and document storage. Documents even have intelligent forms that autofill as you complete them. With ClearCompany, you can conduct background checks and E-Verify new hires. As your new employee submits documents, you can track them in real-time. ClearCompany makes HR processes quick and painless by letting you:
ClearCompany offers both platform and modular access, making it an excellent choice for any size business. However, they don’t show any specific pricing because they tailor your software to your business and get a custom quote. #8 — Workful—Best Onboarding Software for Efficient Onboarding
Workful’s simple setup makes it perfect for small businesses. All you have to do is input some basic information about your new hire. Then, the person will get a notification to fill out the forms they need. Once they do that, they’re ready to get to work. Workful gives you payroll and HR in one platform so that you have everything together. The employee portal lets people add themselves to the system, so HR doesn’t have to. The employee information syncs automatically, making it low effort for everyone. Unlike the other software on this list, Workful gives you a 30-day free trial instead of just a demo. If you like it enough to buy, the software has one set price of $25, plus $5 per person. At this price, you get features like:
Payroll comes with Quickbooks integration, tax forms, and built-in time tracking to keep your company organized. With Time Tracking, the software auto-calculates overtime and time off accrual. It also lets you create customized policies and track PTO. There is also all of what you want to onboard your new hires. It comes with the employee portal, document warehouse, and manager roles, among others. You can schedule a demo or start the 30-day free trial on their website now. How to Find the Best Onboarding Software for YouYou need to know what your onboarding software can offer before you buy. They don’t all have the same features, so knowing what you want will help you narrow your options in the sea of software. Onboarding shouldn’t be the hardest part of the job. Don’t make it difficult for you or your employees. Get software that sets employees up for success at your company. Employee RequirementsEvery company is different. Think about what information new hires need to do their best work at yours. The software you choose depends on how you need to train your new hires. For example, some companies don’t work well with self-service training. In those cases, software like BambooHR, while great in other ways, wouldn’t work for your business. Device Compatibility and AvailabilityYou’ll save time if your new hire can start training even before their first day on the job. Training software needs to work on any device, including mobile ones. Device compatibility makes training accessible wherever an employee is. It’s especially important for remote work and allows for convenience and portability. Training AnalyticsYou want to know if your onboarding and training process works. Look for software that offers in-depth analytics. Lots of software offer analytics features, but they may not prove useful to you. Do you want to see whether an employee has met program goals? Do you need to know why some people aren’t finishing their courses? Do you want to learn more about the user experience? All of that information comes to you through different analytics. Decide which ones are important to you and look for software that has them. Summary
The right onboarding software is the one that meets the specific needs of your business and employees. For small businesses, Workful does a great job of streamlining onboarding processes. If you have a larger company, GoCo or ClearCompany might meet your needs more completely. Consider your budget, customizability, and the features that will benefit your employees and HR processes. Before you buy, understand how your software can help your employees and your business. Choosing the best onboarding software for your company will start your new hires off on the right foot. No matter your needs, you’ll find a fantastic option in this guide. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-onboarding-software/ There’s a lot to take into consideration when you’re designing a website. You have to create the layout, set up the site architecture, place calls to action (CTAs), and pick your domain name, just to name a few things. But all too often a website’s color scheme is an afterthought. So many site owners put little to no thought into picking their website color palette, let alone a trending color scheme. They think, “How important could my website’s colors really be?” Well, the color choices on your website have a bigger impact on visitors than you might realize. They invoke specific feelings and can be a powerful way to motivate the choices your visitors make.
Do it well and it can enhance your content’s readability, increase comprehension, and improve learning. Colors are one of the most important elements that add credibility to your website. According to HubSpot, nearly half of people rank the design of a website as the number one factor in determining the credibility of a company. Do You Need Help With Website Design? Get help with designing your website or blog today. Get Started
In most cases, just two or three colors were perceived as appealing. That’s why sticking to a color palette is so important to the success of your site, and ultimately your business. But there are more than 10 million colors to choose from. That’s overwhelming, to say the least. How can you determine which website colors are the best for your brand? Whether you have a new site that you’re designing from scratch or an old website that needs a facelift, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will show you which color palettes are trending so you can find the colors that best fit your website’s brand and those that match how you want your customers to feel. We’ll look at examples of real sites and list some of the exact color codes for your reference. 1. Soft TonesSoft tones are definitely trending in 2020. Creations Namale is a jewelry brand based in Canada. Here’s a screenshot from the 2020 look book on the homepage of their website: The colors are muted, classy, and very appealing. It’s a perfect choice for a brand in the fashion industry selling jewelry. The simple tones work well with each other and help the images of jewelry stand out. In addition to the simple color scheme used on this site, the layout takes the same approach. The white space lets the page breathe. Throughout this guide, you’ll see that the use of negative space is just as important as the colors you use. As you can see, there is minimal text. They’re a jewelry brand after all. They don’t need to rely on a bunch of text to get their message across—and their audience doesn’t want that anyway. The muted colors give off a sense of class and refinement. It’s not in your face. Rather than trying to cram as many products as possible onto one page, this site takes the approach of just one at a time. That gives visitors a chance to experience each product one at a time. The colors help that by supporting the images and highlighting them, rather than distracting from them. Creations Namale is using desaturated versions of green and brown (two earthtones). Desaturation just means taking common colors and mute them. This helps this brand send the right message and not distract from their products. If you’re interested in using these colors on your website, the color codes are below. 2. Simple Gray, Off-White, and a Pop of RedYou don’t always have to choose a bunch of different colors either. Website color palettes that use shades of gray with the occasional primary color to highlight something are less distracting and allow your audience to focus on what’s important to them. Check out this page from Tareq Ismail’s Portfolio. Tareq is an experienced designer, so it’s only natural that he chose a powerful yet simple design and color scheme for his own website. There is more text on the page, but it’s still simple and easy to read. Rather than using a pure white tone, Tareq chose a slightly off-white color to blend with his gray and red color palette. This off-white works particularly well since he’s wearing a white shirt in the image on this page. The subtle hints of red in the text really complete the look, taking a page that would be otherwise boring and making it pop. These are the color codes used on Tareq’s site. This is a great option to consider if you’re looking for a color palette that’s professional, simple, and works well with pages that have a bit more text. 3. Blue and Green Gradients with White TextStripe is a popular payment processing software option for ecommerce companies. As a technology brand, Stripe needs to stay up to date with all of the latest tech trends. But they also have a website color scheme that’s trendy as well. Before we look at what their website looks like today, take a look at what their site looked like six years ago, back in 2013: Is there anything wrong with this design? On the surface, it just looks a little bit boring and dull. There’s nothing about it that’s really visually appealing. But Stripe made adjustments. Its current color palette uses a technique that’s been growing in popularity—gradients. Take a look for yourself: This page blends vibrant blues that fade into a nice bright cyan with a hint of seafoam green to provide a dynamic background for the white text to jump off of. By using a gradient scale, Stripe takes a very simple blue color and blends it with different tones to create more texture in the background. The difference between the 2013 site and the 2020 site is like night and day. Even if you’d seen the two homepages without knowing the years they were live, you’d have been able to identify the newer one. If your website is currently outdated and looks more like the Stripe site from 2013, try adding color gradients to give your palette a more modern look. 4. Throwback Orange and Red tonesRetro color schemes are making a big comeback in 2020. Lots of top brands are using popular colors from the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s on their websites. But they are putting a modern twist on them. By incorporating retro elements with modern tastes, they’re able to give new life to old trends. They’re also able to evoke specific and familiar feelings in their audience no matter when they grew up. It’s a bit of an oxymoron. How can something be retro and modern at the same time? Let’s look at the Spotify homepage. These warm orange and red tones have a throwback vibe to them, but the design itself is very trendy and uses gradient scales to blend the colors. You can use generational marketing to segment your target audience. It’s important to make sure you understand who you’re trying to target with your website color schemes. This goes far beyond just picking pink designs for women and blue designs for men. Spotify chose these colors because they knew some of their audience included those who grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s. They also know there’s a trendiness to these colors that younger generations love. 5. Soft Pink, Bright Pink, and Jet BlackCowboy differentiates its brand by selling electric bikes on a modern—and slightly pink—website. Typically, the words “cowboy” and “pink” don’t normally go hand in hand, but the sleek and trendy design of this website is perfect for what they’re selling. The soft pink tones in the background makes the jet black bike stand out and become the center of attention. By adding the brighter pink accents in subtle locations around the page, Cowboy Bike nails the trendy and modern color palette. Despite a feminine connotation with pink, Cowboy targets users of any gender. Instead, they evoke feelings of enjoyment, trendiness, and social buzz when used with black. If you like this design and think that the modern feel would work well for your website, you can use these color codes as a reference when you’re choosing your color scheme: 6. Gray, Soft Yellow, and Deep BlueThe QED Group is an organizational development firm based in the Czech Republic that is keen to apply concepts in psychology and behavioral economics. QED Group knows company culture and empowerment, so it makes sense that they have a sleek website that uses unique color combinations in a smart way. At first glance, the color palette of their home page is a bit busier than some of the other examples that we’ve looked at so far. But they still pull it off well with this trendy design. Normally you would think that yellow, blue, and purple tones would be difficult to read and hard on the eyes. By using lighter and dull gray tones in the background, they are able to add brighter contrasting colors to the middle silhouette. If you like the modern look of these soft yellow tones paired with gray and deep blue, check out these color codes: 7. A Very Light Touch of Earth TonesKonstantopoulos S.A.’s “Olymp” label sells Greek olives. Hence, earth tones—especially shades of green that hew close to the color of olives—make sense for its website. The layout and design of this homepage are very simple. The main color choice here is olive green, of course. But as you can see, it’s used very sparingly. It’s a fresh take on a classic, but effective color scheme. Rather than going overboard with wall to wall saturation of dark greens, the soft gray background helps the images, text, and colors pop. Look closely and you’ll see muted green leaves in the background. This helps highlight the green text and logo, and draw your eye to them. For businesses that deal in healthy foods, plants, and agriculture, the earth tones color palette is a great choice. Refer to these green, gray, and light brown color codes to get a similar look on your website. You can do something similar if your product has an identifiable color. Start with the light gray background and darker gray copy color and add your accent color in sparingly. This is a good launching point for simple, not-too-busy color schemes that provide a quick facelift with just an identifying main color and a complimentary accent color. 8. Lots of Red, Balanced with Muted TonesIf you look back at all of the trending website color schemes we’ve covered so far, you’ll notice a popular color that’s rarely used—red. That’s because red is one of the most powerful but challenging colors to use on a website. It can be overwhelming since red easily draws a reader’s attention. But when used right, it can be a great way to add excitement to your website. One way to effectively use red is to use a light touch to give a pop of color to something as small as a few key words in the text (remember Tareq Ismail’s portfolio in #2?). Another way is to pair more muted colors with red. This is a more advanced color scheme tactic than what we saw on Tareq’s website. A while back, the creative branding agency five/four swung for the fences by using a bright red color on a huge portion of their website, paired with tan and a muted bluish-green. The red here is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, with the muted blue-green supporting it as an accent color. If they had decided to go with bright yellow, light blue, and bright orange in addition to this red color, it would have been way too much. But these soft colors pair perfectly with red. This red works really well for the brand, too. It’s bright, bold, and draws lots of attention to the theme of creativity. So, for those of you who want to go modern and bold with your color scheme, consider using these color codes with red on your website. Just make sure you don’t go too big with the red. You want to be certain that you have enough of the softer tones to let your page breathe, while still capturing a trendy appearance. 9. Futuristic Pastels and PrimariesThis list wouldn’t be complete without an example of Anton & Irene. These are professional designers based in New York. They specialize in all aspects of design, including digital products. And they put on an absolute masterclass on pastels and primaries. One of the best parts about this website color scheme is the futuristic feel about it. The outfit choices of Anton and Irene are pretty far out. It’s a bold choice–but sometimes, the boldest choices pay off the most. Here they use flashy combinations without it ever descending into gaudiness. While this site uses more colors than some of the other examples we’ve seen so far, they are used sparingly, so the page isn’t messy or unappealing. This is reflected in the image they use too: Anton wears contrasting purple and orange while Irene wears blue and yellow. They’re imperfect opposites (blue’s opposite is orange, and purple’s opposite is yellow), but they work together well as a whole. If you’re looking for an artistic spin for your website color scheme, try using different combinations of these exact colors. 10. Black on Black on BlackWe’ve seen some black on nearly every website that we’ve looked at so far, but always used pretty sparingly. It’s usually reserved for text, as opposed to being one of the main colors or background. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use heavy blacks in more abundance for your website color scheme. Doing so helps showcase feelings of class, luxury, and professionalism— especially if you use different black tones like these: Check out the JY BH homepage. By combining different shades of black, you’ll get the gradient effect, which you saw earlier with some of our other examples. The heavy black gradient gives the site a mysterious, bold look. This company is a French clothing manufacturer that sells luxury garments and accessories for both men and women. Just like in fashion, black is a timeless color for web design. It’s been popular for years, and will continue to be popular in 2020 and beyond. But if you’re going to go black on your website, use different shades to add depth and texture, like the example above. Just one black will look flat and basic. More Resources on Website DesignOf course, your brand is much more than the color scheme you choose. The way those colors interact with your overall website ultimately impacts your conversions, credibility, and the success of your brand. To help you create the best website you can, here are a few of our very best resources to serve as guides on your design journey:
ConclusionIt’s 2020. That means it’s time for you to ditch the color scheme you were using years ago. It’s important to switch it up because color schemes can impact sales on your website. Using these color palettes as a launching point, you can create a modern, trendy, and unique website. You can even use some of the exact color codes that we showcased. You’ll likely find that choosing the right website color palette doesn’t have to be hard. And when you do it, you give your brand the shot in the arm it needs to draw in new visitors and excite old ones too. Do You Need Help With Website Design? Get help with designing your website or blog today. Get Startedvia Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/trending-website-color-schemes/ All websites need to prioritize security. However, I still see so many sites out there that aren’t using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). For those of you who aren’t currently using HTTPS, that needs to change immediately. If you don’t think it’s necessary or that important, you’re mistaken. The truth is, security impacts the performance of your website. Also, practically every single high-quality website on the internet uses HTTPS. Consider it a strict requirement for your website. Even six years ago, 85% of consumers avoided converting on unsecured ecommerce websites. 82% of internet users won’t even browse on a website that’s not secure. Now, consumers and software developers alike value internet security more than ever. This was made even more evident in 2018 when Google began flagging non-HTTPS websites as “not secure” to their users, and also factoring it into a website’s search rankings.
Plus, with cybersecurity attacks more common than ever, it’s important for businesses large and small to implement as many measures in place to protect themselves and their customers as possible. Get rid of that “it won’t happen to me” mindset. HTTPS has become more and more commonplace as time moves on, too. Though HTTPS usage is becoming increasingly common, nearly 30% of websites still aren’t using it. In my opinion, that number is just far too high. That’s what inspired me to write this guide. If you fall into that category, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about HTTPS, why you need it, and how to get it for your website. Remember: Website security is all about trust. You want visitors to feel safe and secure with your business. If they don’t, they won’t feel confident enough to make a purchase. HTTPS helps give them that confidence. What is HTTPS?Hypertext transfer protocols are the rules used to transfer information on a web page from a server to a web browser. Any time a user navigates to a URL, their browser essentially opens up a line of communication with the site’s server. The browser downloads the information required to render that specific web page. With HTTP, this communication happens with plain text, meaning any third-party can access the communication between the server and browser. If this happens, personal and sensitive information can be stolen. In order to make the communication private, websites use HTTPS. With HTTPS, the same conversation takes place between a server and web browser, except the information is protected by SSL/TLS [Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security] encryption. The technology renders the information transferred from a user’s web browser to the server impossible to read for would-be hackers by leveraging two “keys” (algorithms that encrypt data):
This process of encrypting and decrypting is otherwise known as “authentication.” As a server sends a web page to a browser, that page receives a digital signature that shows whether or not it has been accessed by hackers. This prevents third-party bad actors from being able to steal personal data such as the user’s location and any financial transactions taking place. Why HTTPS is MandatoryHTTPS isn’t just a “nice thing to have.” It’s downright essential if you want to create and manage a successful website for your business. This is especially true if you run an ecommerce website or if you need to accept personal information from your visitors and customers. But it’s not just about getting your users’ trust (though that’s arguably the most important thing). Here are the top benefits of adding HTTPS to your website. User securityI briefly explained earlier that without HTTPS, your server could be vulnerable to a cyber attack from a third party disguised as a user’s web browser. Obviously, you don’t want to put your server or website at risk for any attacks like that. But what’s arguably even more important is the privacy, safety, and security of your website visitors. As a webmaster, it’s your responsibility to protect these people. The last thing you want is for people to get hacked or have sensitive information stolen as a result of navigating to your website. Not only is it bad for your visitors and damaging to your reputation, but it also adds a headache that could have been avoided if you put some simple security measures in place. So for the sake of managing your online reputation, you need to be using HTTPS. This is especially true if you’re collecting sensitive information like names, addresses, and credit card data. Even if you’re not processing credit cards, other types of websites legally need to keep user information safe. For example, if you’re collecting any health or medical data through form fields on your website, you could be violating HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) if you’re not using HTTPS to secure the information. TrustYou want people to trust your website. HTTPS goes a long way to securing that trust. That’s because web browsers are flagging unsecure websites. Google Chrome even goes as far as flagging sites that aren’t secure. These warnings make websites appear untrustworthy. Here’s what Chrome users see if they’re trying to access a site that’s not using HTTPS. If you saw this message, would you continue to the website? Probably not. It’d be the equivalent of driving around a big sign in the road that says “MINEFIELD AHEAD! DO NOT ENTER.” So if people are getting this warning as they try to navigate to your site, there’s a good chance that they won’t continue. They probably won’t come back in the future either. Chrome isn’t the only web browser that issues this type of warning. Users who browse the web using Safari will see a similar warning for unsecured sites. Just for good measure, let’s take a look at what happens if you’re using Firefox and navigate to a website not using HTTPS. Each of these alerts is clearly a warning message, urging the user to stay away from the website in question. This directly impacts your website’s ability to generate leads and–therefore–your bottom line (more on that later). HTTPS eliminates the loss of trust that this barrier creates in potential visitors. SEOAny time you’re planning to make a change to your website, you need to know how that decision is going to impact your SEO ranking. After all, it’s one of the most powerful channels to attract new visitors and customers. When it comes to search engines and SEO, Google must be the driving force behind your approach. Back in 2014, Google announced that HTTPS would become a factor in its search ranking algorithms. Here is an excerpt from that announcement: In summary, Google was telling all webmasters that they are encouraging HTTPS and will be rewarding sites who use it. That alone should be enough for you to make the switch. If you’re not prioritizing SEO, you’re going to have a tough time getting traffic to your website. But by simply making the change from HTTP to HTTPS, Google will give you a boost in your search ranking. Gary Illyes, a webmaster trends analyst at Google, was quoted saying that HTTPS would even break a tie between two websites with equal quality signals. So making the change to HTTPS could be the difference between your site making the first or second page of Google, which is huge. Lead generation and conversionsThis piggybacks off of my last point about trust. If your website isn’t using HTTPS, users will be reluctant to navigate to your website. Even if they do manage to visit your site, they likely won’t fill out any lead generation forms. Even if it’s something as simple as providing their email address, users will hesitate if they think that a third-party will get access to the information. Especially considering that those parties could send them malicious emails pretending to come from your website. They’ll be more confident filling out form fields and converting into leads. People are nervous about credit card fraud as it is, so it’s your responsibility to let them know that the connection is safe. Here’s an example of a secure payment page from the Oakley website. As you can see, HTTPS appears in the domain. But next to that, there is a lock icon, which is used by Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari as another indication that the site is secure. If you click on the icon, you’ll get a more in-depth explanation about the security of the website. It even specifically says that passwords and credit card information are safe and being sent over a private connection. With HTTPS, site visitors will have that extra sense of security and feel safe when they’re completing the purchase process. How to get HTTPS for your websiteNow that you understand the importance of HTTPS, it’s time to get it set up for your website. But where do you start? Luckily, the process of setting up HTTPS on your website is pretty straightforward and simple. Here are the four steps to take care of this today: Step #1: Buy an SSL certificateThe first thing you need to do is purchase an SSL certificate. You can do this on platforms like SSLs.com or NameCheap. Both of these sites have SSL certificate options for less than $10 per year. They also offer different pricing plans depending on what you’re looking for and for how many sites you have. The best web hosting services will usually offer a free SSL certificate. This is nice because they’re typically a lot more hands off. After all, it comes with your web host so you won’t have to buy it. However, your business might need a different certificate depending on what you do (e.g. a large ecommerce company might need an extended validation certificate that your web host might not offer). That’s an added incentive for webmasters to use those providers. You should definitely keep this in mind if you’re creating a new website or if you’re looking to change hosting providers. Step #2: Install the certificateNext, a web developer will need to configure your site and install the SSL certificate on your server. Unless you have experience with web development, I wouldn’t recommend doing this on your own. It requires a bit of in-depth knowledge on managing your website’s backend. And if you mess up, you could end up with mixed content errors (see step 3). Of course, if the SSL certificate is included in your web hosting, you won’t have to worry about installation either. In addition to web hosting providers, it’s also worth noting that the best website builders and ecommerce platforms will usually offer a free SSL certificate as well. Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify, and BigCommerce are just a handful of platforms that offer SSL certificates when you sign up. Step #3: Check for errorsOnce the certificate has been installed, you’ll need to check all of your web pages to ensure that it’s been done properly. Look for mixed content errors, which happens if a web page is referencing non-HTTPS elements. Source: SSL2Buy Usually, it’s easy to fix these. However, other times it can be a bit more complex. That’s why it’s important to have a professional handle the conversion to HTTPS instead of just trying to do it yourself. If you do turn to an IT pro, make sure to discuss what happens if there are mixed content errors before you buy the SSL certification. Step #4: Notify GoogleBe proactive and notify Google once you’ve added HTTPS to your site. You can do this through Google Search Console. You can do this by adding the new HTTPS url to your website’s sitemap: Google will crawl your HTTPS site and re-index it in their database. You could wait for them to crawl it automatically, but there’s no reason to wait. The sooner this happens, the sooner you’ll get the SEO benefits. Keep in mind, your search rankings might actually decline initially when you switch your website to HTTPS. That’s normal. But you can expect your site to be back where it was (or better) after Google has a chance to re-index all of your content. Going Beyond HTTPSOf course, there’s a lot more that goes into website security than just HTTPS. If you’re interested in taking more steps to make sure your website is safe from hackers, here are a few areas you should keep in mind: Choose a safe web hosting providerA safe website starts with a safe web host. That’s why you need to research and vet your web hosting options for security and privacy before you jump into one. All of the best web hosting services offer layers of security and protection to their websites. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean your website is completely out of the woods. For example, shared hosting plans put multiple websites on one server. While that might keep your hosting prices low, it means that your website is more vulnerable. That’s because if another site on the server is targeted, hackers might be able to harm your website as well even though you’re not necessarily the target. This doesn’t mean that shared web hosting is bad. However, if you really want to take your website security seriously, you should consider upgrading to Cloud, VPS, or even dedicated hosting options. Secure your personal and work computersAny computer that you and your employees use to access your company’s website needs to be secure. That’s because hackers can place harmful malware onto your computer that allows them to access your website’s login information. From there, it’s a simple matter of logging into your website and accessing potentially sensitive information such as your customers’ financial information and personal details. To protect against this, you will need to install good antivirus software onto your computer. You’ll also want to regularly scan your computer for malware, spam, and adware. Go deeper: Looking for some good software to help? Here’s our list of the best endpoint security software out there. This is a continuous process. That means you can’t just install it and forget about it. Hackers spend their days figuring out new ways to hack your computers and websites. So you need to regularly update your antivirus software and scan your computer to keep up. Speaking of updates… Keep everything updatedEverything from your personal computer, to your antivirus software, to your content management system (CMS), to your plugins needs to be up-to-date. This will help ensure it has the latest security measures to protect you from hackers. Remember, the evil-doers of the internet world are hard at work each day coming up with new and inventive ways to access your digital information. That’s why you need to make sure you have the latest measures put in place to fight them back. This is especially important because most cyber attacks are automated nowadays. Hackers leverage bots that target websites with old security measures or none at all. So regularly check every piece of software and hardware that touches your website’s infrastructure for updates. Doing so takes time and energy–but can save you a ton of money and headaches down the road. Leverage good security pluginsYour website’s CMS likely offers downloadable plugins that help fight against bots and viruses. These tools help monitor your website for you and prevent attacks before they occur. Go deeper: If you use WordPress, we have a great guide on the best WordPress security plugins. The plugins help you combat malware, spam, and other threats by building a solid firewall for your website. If you don’t use WordPress, check your website’s CMS for what they offer in terms of security and privacy plugins. You might have to pay for it but the cost is well worth the peace of mind and protection for your website’s visitors. Regularly backup your websiteOf course, the best laid plans often go awry. The same goes for your website. You might have the best security plugins with a crack team of webmasters managing everything, but you still manage to get hacked. When that happens, your website could be taken down and you could lose everything. That is, unless you back up your website regularly. This will ensure that you don’t lose all of your hard work because of one security incident. There are a lot of backup plugins out there to help. We recommend using BackupBuddy. It’s one of the five best WordPress backup plugins in our review. ConclusionEvery website needs to have HTTPS. It’s downright essential for any website–but especially if you’re an ecommerce company looking to build trust and conversions. This isn’t just something you can just ignore. Doing so will result in visitors turning away from your website in favor of one of your competitors who does take website security seriously. Plus, adding HTTPS to your website is easy. Just follow the simple four-step process described above. Doing so will take a little bit of time, but result in huge benefits. The best part: This is a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Once you’ve enabled HTTPS, pat yourself on the back. You don’t have to worry about it anymore! via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/why-your-website-needs-https/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best customer service software for most people are Zoho Desk and Hubspot. Customer service software makes sure your customers are happy and satisfied with your business. And customers make or break your success. Happy customers keep coming back and spending more money, while unsatisfied customers will cause significant damage to your reputation.
That’s why customer service must be a priority for every business. Fortunately, the right customer service software can make this possible. Customer service solutions help ensure fast response times, positive interactions, and happy customers. The 8 Best Customer Service Software of 2021
It’s tough to find a good customer service software. There’s many options available on the market. But some of these tools are significantly better than others. After researching and testing dozens of customer service solutions, I’ve narrowed down the top eight for you to consider. As we continue you through this guide, I’ll give you an in-depth review of each one below. You’ll learn about the top features, benefits, use cases, pricing, and more. Best Customer Service Software ReviewsZoho Desk (Best for ticketing)
Zoho is one of the most popular names in the world of business software and CRM. They offer tools for sales, marketing, email, collaboration, finance, accounting, human resources, and business intelligence. But one of the best solutions that they offer is Zoho Desk—IT and help desk software. Zoho Desk has solutions for customer service agents, managers, and customers. But above all, it’s arguably the best customer service software for managing and closing tickets. Let’s take a closer look at the plans and price points for Zoho Desk: Free — $0
Standard — $12 per month per agent
Professional — $20 per month per agent
Enterprise — $35 per month per agent
No matter how big, small, or complex your business is, Zoho Desk has a plan for you. HubSpot (Best free customer service software)
HubSpot is one of the most well-recognized CRMs in the industry. They have a wide range of software and solution suites for managing relationships with customers. These offerings are segmented into three main categories: sales, marketing, and service. The HubSpot Service Hub is their exceptional solution for managing customer issues through service tickets. The best part: they offer free CRM solutions, including fsoftware for customer service. Free features include ticketing, live chat, chatbots, team email, and a conversations inbox. You’ll also benefit from free email templates, closed ticket reports, and time-to-close reports. HubSpot is proof that you don’t need to spend a ton of money on improving your customer service with software. After all, this won’t cost you a thing. For those of you who want access to advanced features and benefits, here’s an overview of the paid plans: Starter — $40 per month
Professional — $320 per month
Enterprise — $1,200 per month
All rates are based on an annual contract. You can get the HubSpot Service Hub month-to-month for 20% more. HubSpot also offers exceptional product bundles for all CRM categories in a single solution. So if you want to get software for service, sales, and marketing from a single provider, HubSpot is the best option for you. Bundles start at $112.50 per month. LiveAgent (Best for live chat support)
LiveAgent helps you manage all customer requests from multiple channels in a single platform. Merge all communication and support to one place—no matter where your customers are. LiveAgent saves you time, simplifies the process, and allows you to increase the profitability of your support team. LiveAgent has tools for:
Here’s a closer look at the plans and prices for LiveAgent’s customer service software: Free — $0 forever
Ticket — $15 per month per agent
Ticket + Chat — $29 per month per agent
All-inclusive — $39 per month per agent
For all of the paid plans, LiveAgent has add-on pricing for features like social media integration, time tracking, audit logs, and more. Overall, it’s a simple and flexible tool for managing live customers with ticketing and live chat. Freshdesk (Best for switching platforms)
Freshdesk is another one of the most popular help desk solutions on the market today. That’s because it’s simple and easy to use. That’s why it’s trusted by 150,000+ businesses, including American Express, HP, and Panasonic. They offer a number of very good features:
This is great if you want to streamline your customer service solutions on a single platform. As such, Freshdesk makes team collaboration and automation a breeze. If you’re currently using another help desk solution and you’re unhappy with it, Freshdesk makes it easy for you to switch to its software. Their team will help you make the switch over easily. And with Freshworks Academy, their in-house training service, you’ll be able to train any member of your team to nail the Freshworks system in no time. Here’s an overview of the plans and pricing. All rates are based on an annual plan. The prices are a bit higher if you go month-to-month. Sprout — Free
Blossom — $15 per month per agent
Garden — $29 per month per agent
Estate — $49 per month per agent
Forest — $109 per month per agent
Freshdesk has omnichannel add-ons and features for field service management for an additional fee. Try it free with a 21-day trial. Zendesk (Best with support suite options)
Zendesk is one of the best overall customer service software solutions on the market today. It’s used by 150,000+ businesses, including big brands like Uber, Venmo, Shopify, and Slack. The Zendesk support suite has everything you need to manage customer service communication across multiple channels. You can provide customer support via email, live chat, voice, Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, WhatsApp, and more. The software makes it possible to connect all of your data sources to a single location. So when a customer contacts you for support, the right information will automatically be on display. Zendesk is flexible, so it can support the needs of any business. You can get a customized solution that fits with your existing support environment. Here’s a quick overview of the plans, features, and pricing for the Zendesk support suite: Professional Support Suite — $89 per agent per month
Enterprise Support Suite — $149 per agent per month
The full-service support suite from Zendesk has it all. But not every business needs something this comprehensive. If you’re looking for something a little bit more basic, Zendesk offers more affordable options for smaller businesses.
You can try any Zendesk software or support suite with a free trial. If you’re looking for a customized solution, contact the Zendesk sales team. Salesforce Service Cloud (Best for field service agents)
Salesforce is an industry leader in sales CRM software. But they also offer tools and solutions for customer service. It’s trusted by 150,000+ companies across the world. The Salesforce Service Cloud makes it easy for any business to build customer relationships while saving time and improving customer satisfaction. Brands like Yeti and Adidas are just a couple of well-known names that use this software. Your customer service representatives will be able to resolve cases quicker with the insights and tools offered by Salesforce. The platform has a shared view of every customer interaction. Set up self-service portals so your customers can access account information, view tutorials, and view knowledge base articles. The Salesforce Service Cloud has capabilities to streamline your on-site support. Field service works, dispatchers, and on-site technicians can use these tools to resolve problems during the first visit. Salesforce uses AI to predict recommendations and provide support with an intuitive chatbot service. Let’s take a look at the plans and pricing for Salesforce Service Cloud: Essentials — $25 per user per month
Professional — $75 per user per month
Enterprise — $150 per user per month
Unlimited — $300 per user per month
All plans come with tools for collaboration, productivity, personalization, real-time insights, cross-sell and upsell tools, app integration, and solutions to automate processes. Salesforce offers add-ons for things like field service workers, digital engagement, and location-based intelligence. Groove (Best for small teams and growth startups)
Groove isn’t as popular and well-known as some of the other options on our list. But it’s still used by more than 10,000 businesses across 140+ countries. If your company has outgrown email for customer support and you’re getting inquiries on multiple channels, Groove will be a top choice for you to consider. This solution stands out from the crowd with its team collaboration tools. You can add internal private notes to discussions, quickly mention teammates to bring them in the loop, and assign specific tasks to members of the team. Groove has exceptional automations to streamline your customer support. Set rules, tagging, canned replies, and custom folders with your preferences to eliminate busywork. Another standout feature from Groove is the ability to customize your knowledge base. This is crucial for businesses that want to offer customer self-service tools. The knowledge base themes are fully customizable, beautifully designed, and mobile responsive. Plans and pricing for Groove customer support software are as follows: Starter — $9 per month per user
Plus — $19 per month per user
Pro — $29 per month per user
Company — Custom pricing
I’d recommend Groove for small teams and startups. In fact, they have a special startup rate for businesses with less than ten employees. Eligible businesses can get a 93% discount off of the Pro plan. Help Scout (Best for nonprofits)
Help Scout is another lesser-known solution on our list. But with that said, it’s still a high-quality software for customer service. It’s used by 10,000+ businesses worldwide. Help Scout is unique because it’s a Certified B corporation. They strive to make a positive impact on the environment and communities. So they go the extra mile to support organizations that share the same values. If you have a nonprofit that supports human rights, environmental sustainability, or underrepresentation in tech, Help Scout will provide a significant discount on your customer service software. Some of you might even be eligible for discounts of up to 100%. That’s right—free. Even if you don’t fall into one of those categories, Help Scout is still a top solution for customer service. Here’s a closer look at the plans and prices: Standard — $20 per month per user
Plus — $35 per month per user
Company — Custom pricing
The rates above are based on an annual contract. Month-to-month plans are available for an additional fee. You can try Help Scout for free with a 15-day trial. How to Choose the Best Customer Service Software For Your BusinessWhat’s the best customer service software for your business? There are certain features and considerations to keep in mind as you’re evaluating different options. This is the methodology that we use and recommend here at Quick Sprout. Number of AgentsHow big is your customer service team? Companies with five service reps won’t need the same software as a business with 50 agents. Larger teams need features for things like collaboration and role-based ticketing, but that won’t be necessary for a smaller business. Customer Communication MethodHow are customers currently reaching out to your service team? How do you want them to do so moving forward? There’s a software for everything. Whether it’s email, live chat, chatbots, or support tickets, you can find a solution to meet your needs. There are even tools for social media integration so all of your messages, including DMs and comments, can be managed from a single dashboard. Feature BundlesEvery customer service software on our list does an exceptional job of marketing its top features. But with that said, you should only focus on the features you need the most. For example, are you looking for customer service software specifically for live chat? LiveAgent will be a top choice for you. If you want a solution for your field service agents, use Salesforce Service Cloud. There are even tools for customer service, sales, and marketing CRM built into single product bundles. My suggestion is this. Identify the features you definitely need. Then look for the right plan that has all of those features. PriceThe price for customer service software varies on a wide range of factors. Lots of solutions charge you based on the number of customer service agents on your team. Available features in your package will also have a significant impact on what you pay. Customer service is definitely not something you should skimp on. It’s ok to spend money. But with that said, not all of you need to go overboard. Small businesses, startups, and nonprofits with smaller teams can use free customer service software without compromising quality. ConclusionEvery business must prioritize customer service. These are the top eight customer service software solutions on the market today:
Use this guide to help you find the best solution for your business. I made sure to include something for everyone on my list. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-customer-service-software/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best electronic medical record system is AdvancedMD. Read on to find out why. No matter the size of your practice, you need a good electronic medical record (EMR) system. Having digital, searchable, and constantly accessible information about each patient in the practice helps medical professionals make the best healthcare decisions for their patients in the shortest amount of time possible. Protecting this sensitive data is important too, and the best EMR systems keeps data safe, while making it easily accessible to the people who need it. Proper documentation leads to a more efficient billing system and reduced time spent on paperwork as well.
Compare Quotes From The Best Electronic Medical Record Systems Get matched up with a EMR system that fits your specific needs. >> Compare Quotes
Here is our collection of the best EMR systems currently on the market, as we aim to help you find the right system for the needs of your particular practice. The 10 Best Electronic Medical Record SystemsThe 10 best EMR systems are:
Keep reading to find our in-depth reviews of each one. 1. AdvancedMD
>> Compare Quotes Regardless of whether you need basic or advanced features in your EMR, AdvancedMD has you covered. It is versatile enough to fit the needs of many different practices. The primary dashboard available through AdvancedMD does require some work to learn to use well, but once you figure this system out, you’ll be able to do some impressive things to help your practice operate more efficiently. Pros
Cons
2. Athena Health
>> Compare Quotes Small and average sized practices often need an easy-to-use EMR system, as they may not have the time or personnel required to do a deep drill down into a complex piece of software. The AthenaHealth EMR fits this need. It’s fully web-based, so it will work for the practice where personnel use a variety of types of input devices. Pros
Cons
3. CareCloudThe CareCloud EMR interface gives you the ability to clearly determine how the patient flows through your practice. This helps spot potential bottlenecks, making your processes more efficient in the process. They’re also web-based, so you can use them with any input devices. The interface is highly adaptable too. That’s perfect for the ever changing world of laws and regulations. Pros
Cons
4. Greenway Health Intergy
>> Compare Quotes Greenway Health’s Intergy EMR is a very flexible system. That’s because it’s highly customizable—which makes it perfect for large medical practices that handle a wide variety of cases and patients. It may take you awhile to figure out all of the different aspects of Intergy, but it’s definitely worth the time spent. Pros
Cons
5. Kareo
>> Compare Quotes For those practices that need ease of use above all else, the Kareo EMR is a smart choice. This system’s interface is a little older than some others, but it still will work nicely for small and average sized practices. Those working at your practice will be able to pick up the basics of the EMR quickly, allowing for you to be up and running with very little time spent. Pros
Cons
6. NextGen Healthcare
>> Compare Quotes For average and smaller sized practices, NextGen has the kind of customer support that these practices often need. A practice of this size may not have the tech staff required to run training and other services, but the NextGen customer service and training capabilities are extremely strong. Should your practice need to customize a certain aspect of the EMR, this is relatively easy with the NextGen EMR. Pros
Cons
7. Sevocity
>> Compare Quotes The Sevocity EMR has quite a few good features for small and mid-sized practices, but it likely will not be powerful enough to meet the needs of larger practices. The interface in this EMR is extremely easy to use, and you can perform basic customization features. The customer service people are available 24 hours a day. Pros
Cons
8. TheraNestFor practices that need to be able to access the EMR interface using multiple types of devices, TheraNest is a smart choice. You can use a traditional computing system to run TheraNest, or you can access it with smartphone apps. It even has a client portal to allow clients to schedule their own appointments or to submit forms. Pros
Cons
9. Virence Health Centricity
>> Compare Quotes For small to medium sized practices, Centricity from Virence Health is an ideal option. It has multiple features that give smaller practices the ability to track data in a similar manner to what a larger practice traditionally has been able to do. Centricity has a mobile app, so personnel at a medical practice can use it in the manner that makes the most sense to them. Pros
Cons
10. WebPT
>> Compare Quotes For practices that specialize in outpatient services, including occupational, speech, and physical therapy, WebPT has a platform that’s ready to use. This is a web-based solution, so personnel at the practice can access it using a multitude of devices. It has a strong customer service reputation, offering access to support at any time. Pros
Cons
How to Choose The Best EMR System For YouFinding the best electronic medical records system for your particular practice becomes easier when you focus on the specific needs of your practice. Figure out which areas of your practice need the most help, and focus on an EMR system that excels in those areas. Here are 10 of the areas we weighed when creating our list of the best EMR systems. 1. Automatic RemindersA big part of managing a patient’s care is maintaining a regular schedule of appointments. With certain EMR systems, you can set up an automatic reminder system that alerts the patient about upcoming appointments or about reminders to set an appointment. The EMR system could send a text message, make an automated call, or send an email to the patient, depending on the patient’s preference. Automatic reminders will save time for the staff at the practice, freeing them up for other tasks. These reminders also reduce the number of appointments that patients forget about and miss, which makes your practice more efficient. 2. Scanning DocumentsBy selecting an EMR system that allows for document scanning, you will be able to match whatever needs your billing system requires for supporting documentation for claims. Rather than submitting these documents via fax, printout, or email, you can simply digitize them and add them to the patient’s EMR. Should the billing service need these documents for an insurance claim, they will be readily available, eliminating wasted time and the potential for lost documents. 3. Sending PrescriptionsWithin the majority of EMR systems, you will have the option of submitting patient prescription drug orders electronically to the pharmacy, using an e-prescription system. Sending prescriptions electronically is safe and efficient, ensuring that the order for controlled substances travels only to the patient’s pharmacy of choice, eliminating the chance of the patient losing a handwritten prescription. With an e-prescription, you also eliminate the chance of an error at the pharmacy because of unreadable handwriting on the part of a doctor. 4. Specialty PracticesIf your practice has a specific area in which it operates, you may need to track atypical data about patients. You may need an EMR system that gives you the ability to customize data fields and to adjust how the system stores the data. A vendor may need to help you customize the system after installation, so if you have special needs for tracking data, always ask the vendor about how it handles this type of situation. In other cases, the vendor may have a specialty specific EMR system or add-on service that will perfectly meet your needs. Tracking this type of information can be a significant hindrance to your practice when you must do it by hand, so having an EMR system that can match your specific needs is incredibly important. 5. Systems IntegrationIf your EMR system has the ability to integrate with multiple systems already in use at your practice, this streamlines record keeping. This feature is especially important for meshing the EMR system with the billing system you have in place, for example. Whether your practice sends its billing information to an outside service or does billing in-house, having integration between the EMR system and the billing system saves quite a bit of time and reduces coding errors. Should your practice have an affiliation with a larger network, such as a hospital, integrating your EMR with the hospital’s system simplifies the patient care process. The EMR vendor can help you figure out how its system may be able to integrate with other systems you already have in place. 6. Task RemindersEvery medical practice has hundreds, if not thousands, of mundane tasks to perform on a daily basis. Whether you’re awaiting results from tests sent to an off-site lab or you need reminders to check with other colleagues about a patient’s status, certain EMR systems make this process far easier than others. With timestamp deadlines attached to the various reminders, a doctor can be certain to have all of the required tasks finished regarding a certain patient’s case before it’s time for the patient’s appointment. With the tasks finished ahead of time, the doctor will not waste time searching for information or making calls while the patient sits idle in the exam room. 7. Template CreationSay your practice sees a certain type of disease or condition on a regular basis in the community. With the right EMR system, the medical team could create a template that contains information about treating the particular condition, ensuring that all of the doctors and nurses follow the same steps. This saves time in treating this common condition, while also reducing the possibility of mistakes. 8. Tracking Patient FlowSomething that you may not think about when comparing EMR systems is the way they can track patients flowing through your office. For example, you don’t want patients occupying exam rooms waiting for a certain doctor, when that doctor cannot see the patient for at least 45 minutes, leaving other patients stuck in the waiting room, rather than being in an exam room, receiving treatment from other doctors. Your EMR system may be able show exactly where bottlenecks are occurring in the patient flow in your office, helping you become more efficient. However, this is not a feature that all EMRs will provide in an easy-to-understand manner. 9. Tracking PrescriptionsWhen you have patients who take multiple prescription drugs, keeping on top of potential side effects and drug interactions is a time consuming process. Before the advent of EMR systems, the patient may have given a hand-printed list of drugs to the doctor for inclusion in the patient file. The list may or may not have been accurate or up to date. By selecting an EMR system that allows prescription drug tracking within the patient’s records, spotting drug interactions will be easier and will occur in a timely manner. Doctors also can see any drugs the patient has tried in the past that did not work or that created unwanted side effects, avoiding trying those drugs again in the future. Additionally, should a patient show an allergy to a certain class of drug, this information is readily available to the doctor in the digitized patient record. No longer will the doctor need to rely on a patient’s memory regarding drug allergies, which may lead to errors. 10. Vendor ResponsivenessPicking the right vendor is an extremely important part of choosing the EMR system as well. Even if the EMR system is great, it will be nothing but a headache for your practice if the vendor support is not up to par. Some practices need more responsiveness from the vendor than others. Some practices want to be able to access help or to ask questions of the vendor any day of the week and any time of the day. Others may be able to live with a vendor that’s only accessible during normal working hours. If your practice does not have a person or department that handles IT, you may be able to hire a vendor that can deliver these features for you. Summary: Finding the Best EMR SystemsAlthough you will find some vendors attempting to use the terms EMR and EHR (electronic health records) interchangeably, they technically have a few differences that you should understand.
The EMR system simplifies the ability of a single practice to care for the patient, helping the practice send out reminders to the patient for upcoming tests or health screenings. Finding just the right EMR system will produce significant benefits for patients and for those working in your practice, making the process of caring for patients more streamlined and more successful in the long run. Compare Quotes From The Best Electronic Medical Record Systems Get matched up with a EMR system that fits your specific needs. >> Compare Quotesvia Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-emr-systems/ Contrary to popular belief, telemarketing is still a viable marketing strategy for businesses. The best telemarketing services offer more than just cold calling random numbers to sell something. They assist with lead generation, campaign management, and other essential services to make sure you’re generating a high ROI. Some telemarketing services even have complete call center solutions, from answering services to call forwarding and more. If you’re looking for the best telemarketing service for your business, I’ll help you find one that fits your needs. Compare Quotes From The Best Telemarketing Services Get matched up with a telemarketing service that fits your specific needs. >> Compare Quotes
The 10 Best Telemarketing Services of 2021
There are hundreds of different telemarketing companies on the market today. Finding the best option for you can be tough if you don’t know where to start. After conducting extensive research, I’ve narrowed down the top ten telemarketing companies. This guide contains an in-depth review of each service. We’ll cover the features, benefits, and other factors to consider during your search. Best Telemarketing Services ReviewsDialAmerica
>> Compare Quotes With DialAmerica, you get more than just telemarketing. It’s a full-service sales and marketing organization. They offer more than 60 years of experience with 19 call centers located within the United States. Each year, DialAmerica makes 100 million calls. The best part: Call center agents at DialAmerica don’t read scripts. Instead, they learn active listening skills for establishing rapport with customers. These sales skills help them use personalized and persuasive techniques. By adding a human touch to these calls, customers are much more engaged than they would be from listening to a script. The marketing campaigns from DialAmerica are based on data and advanced reporting. These are highly customizable and always accessible. The analytics used by the DialAmerica representatives make it possible for them to adjust and improve campaigns on the fly. Common industries that use DialAmerica’s telemarketing services include:
DialAmerica has call center services for lead generation, appointment setting, customer acquisition, customer retention, and customer service. They even offer direct mail fulfillment. Flatworld Solutions
>> Compare Quotes Flatworld Solutions offers a wide range of outsourcing services along with telemarketing services. In addition to call centers, this company provides photo editing, software development, design, data entry, transcription services, and more. They have a global reach with offices and delivery centers in the US, India, and the Philippines. Flatworld Solutions have the infrastructure and everything you need for telemarketing at scale. Here’s a quick overview of the telemarketing services that they offer:
Flatworld Solutions leverages Zendesk, HubSpot, Five9, LiveAgent, Salesforce, and more for their services. With a roster of tools like that, you know you can trust them. Let’s take a look at the affordable pricing rates for the call center services offered by Flatworld Solutions:
Rates vary based on factors like volume, call complexity, and other contract terms. But with telemarketing services as low as $8 per hour, it’s a great way to get a high ROI. Squeeze Media
>> Compare Quotes Squeeze Media is a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm based in Utah. Launched in 2009, they’re newer on the scene. However, that results in a more personal relationship with your telemarketing service provider—which is great. B2C telemarketing is one of the many specialty services offered at Squeeze Media. With a mix of inbound and outbound calling, the Squeeze Media agents can sell your products and services. They also offer services such as:
For those of you who want to work with a smaller US-based telemarketing service, Squeeze Media will be a top option for you to consider. As a full-service BPO firm, they have the resources and tools you need for success. Callbox
>> Compare Quotes Callbox specializes in lead generation and appointment setting for B2B organizations. That’s what sets them apart from the others on the list. If you’re looking to grow your sales and target high-value prospects, this is the solution for you. They don’t close the leads themselves. Instead, they qualify those leads and set appointments for you. So your sales team will still need to make the sale, but Callbox makes it easier for them by providing qualified leads with confirmed appointments. Big companies like HP, Forbes, ADT, Motorola, and DHL all trust Callbox with their B2B telemarketing needs. Callbox also provides services for things like account-based marketing, customer profiling databases, and event marketing. More than 7,000 businesses have used Callbox for B2B lead generation. This service provider has set up 520,000+ appointments for its clients. Quality Contact Solutions
>> Compare Quotes Quality Contact Solutions is a PCI Level 1 service provider. Businesses that process $1 to $6 million in credit cards per year need to use a Level 1 PCI call center to remain PCI compliant. This ensures that any credit card information captured over the phone is completely secure. Quality Contact Solutions provides B2C outsourced telemarketing and B2B outbound marketing services. They also have solutions for consulting and outsourced telemarketing quality assurance. The majority of the B2C telemarketing services from Quality Contact Solutions is geared toward existing customers.
The list of B2B telemarketing services is a bit more extensive. Common solutions include:
Pricing for Quality Contact Solutions telemarketing services typically falls into three separate categories—hourly, performance-based, or hourly plus performance. The majority of these fees fall somewhere between $2,500 and $10,000. You can request a quote based on the needs of your business. Go4customer
>> Compare Quotes Go4customer has one of the most extensive product and service offerings on our list. In addition to call center and telemarketing services, they provide things like strategic consulting, data management, debt collection, online reputation management, app marketplace promotion, HR outsourcing, and more. These are just a handful of the dozens of services that Go4customer handles. Telemarketing is one aspect of Go4customer’s outbound call center services. They also offer appointment scheduling, lead generation, customer surveys, and verification services. Go4customer has been in business for roughly 20 years. Consistency is something that they promise and strive for every day. If you’re using Go4customer for telemarketing, you might also want to consider taking advantage of the inbound call center services. They provide customer support, help desk solutions, tech support, product information requests, inquiries, and toll-free services. Here’s an overview of the industries that Go4customer commonly works with:
If you fall into one of these categories and you’re interested in other services beyond telemarketing, Go4customer will be a top choice for you. Strategic Calls
>> Compare Quotes Strategic Calls offers telemarketing services that target C-suite and executive-level decision-makers. If you’re a B2B organization that wants to target CEOs, CTOs, CFO, CMOs, and other executives, Strategic Calls will be the best option for you. You can also run campaigns to target mid-level management or cold calling services direct to customers. Campaigns from Strategic Calls take place over a five-day period. Here’s a quick overview of what happens each day.
Strategic Calls charges $1,000 for three rounds of calls (over five days) to 50 C-level prospects. The rate for three rounds of calls to mid-level management is $750. For those of you interested in telemarketing to individual customers, Strategic Calls charges $250 for one round of calls attempts to 500 prospects. Worldwide Call Center
>> Compare Quotes As the name implies, Worldwide Call Centers has, yes, you guessed it—call centers across the world. With locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Philippines, India, Pakistan, and Africa, this provider has the biggest global presence on our list. The benefit of using a telemarketing service in one of these countries is the cost. Using call center services outside of the US and Canada will give you access to the cheapest rates. If you’re comfortable using a traditional scripted approach to telemarketing to save some money, Worldwide Call Centers is perfect for things like:
For 20+ years, Worldwide Call Centers has been an industry leader in outsourced telemarketing services. Contact them today for a custom quote. You can choose your call center and get a rate based on your monthly call volume. SAS
>> Compare Quotes SAS specializes in call center answering services. In fact, that’s where the acronym SAS comes from (Specialty Answering Services). While this might be their primary service, SAS also has exceptional telemarketing solutions. SAS is 100% US-based. All of the reps are native English speakers that live and work in the United States. SAS puts a strong emphasis on quality control, with QA teams screening 2,000+ calls per month. The telemarketing services at SAS primarily focus on lead generation. In addition to traditional outbound telemarketing, SAS has a few specialty lead generation categories that include appointment making, insurance appointment setting, and janitorial appointment setting. With SAS, you’ll pay based on usage (per minute). Rates start as low as $31 per month + $1.19 per minute, which is ideal for low volume telemarketing. These rates go as high as $7,749 per month for 10,000 minutes. It’s safe to say that SAS has a plan for everyone. You can try their services for free with a 14-day trial. Superhuman Prospecting
>> Compare Quotes Superhuman Prospecting is a division of Pereus Marketing. This Pennsylvania-based agency is an outsourced sales team. All of the call center representatives have a background in sales at the B2B level. This makes them perfect candidates for selling to your prospective clients. Superhuman Prospecting takes the time to understand your business and its needs. As experienced sales men and women, they have been thoroughly trained in the art of pitching to yield higher conversions. The services offered by Superhuman Prospecting can be segmented into three main categories:
They also offer inbound call center services, in addition to the telemarketing options listed above. Superhuman Prospecting has experience working with industries like small business, law firms, property management, construction, real estate, tech, security, education, automotive, food service, consulting, and more. Contact them today for a free quote on telemarketing rates. How to Choose the Best Telemarketing Service For Your BusinessNot every telemarketing service will be the best option for your business. There are certain factors that you must take into consideration when you’re evaluating prospective choices. This is the methodology that we use and recommend. I’ll give you a brief overview of each element below. Call Center LocationThe location of call centers is important for a couple of different reasons. For starters, this has a significant impact on the rate you’ll pay. If you outsource telemarketing overseas to countries like India or the Philippines, you’ll pay much less than you would if you’re using a US-based call center. With that said, some companies would rather pay a premium to use call centers with native English speakers. But if you’re on a tight budget, outsourcing to a global telemarketing center would be better for your business. Business Type and IndustrySome telemarketing services specialize in certain industries, whether it’s law firms, retail, financial services, or something else. One firm might excel in sales, while another is better for something like appointment setting. Your target market will impact the decision on which service you choose as well. For example, there are telemarketing services that target CEOs and other C-level executives, whereas other services are better for cold calling general consumers at scale. Additional ServicesIn most cases, telemarketing won’t be the only service offered by the provider you’re considering. The majority of the options on our list also provide a wide range of additional services. From inbound call center solutions to full-service BPO providers, you can benefit from packages that go beyond the phone. Check out those other offerings. It’s easier to get these all under one roof instead of outsourcing to multiple agencies. ReputationTelemarketing can be a tough business. Somewhat unfairly, it’s developed a negative reputation over the years. But that’s largely due to service providers cutting corners when it comes to quality. Take the time to conduct due diligence before you sign a contract. Some of the service providers on our list have been in the industry for 60+ years. I typically lean towards working with well-established companies boasting a credible reputation. ConclusionWhat’s the best telemarketing service for your business? Here’s a recap of the top ten telemarketing services that we reviewed in this guide:
Compare Quotes From The Best Telemarketing Services Get matched up with a telemarketing service that fits your specific needs. >> Compare Quotes
Whether you’re a small business targeting general consumers or a B2B company targeting executive-level decision-makers, there’s a telemarketing service for your organization on this list. For all budgets and call center needs, use this guide to help you make a decision. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-telemarketing-services/ Creating a website used to be a massive project. Expensive, too. Everything had to be built by hand and businesses needed to work with an online marketing agency that would charge them tens of thousands of dollars to build the site. If you wanted a professional-looking site, that was your only option. Things have gotten a lot cheaper and easier over the years. Note that there’s a number of approaches you can take to creating a website. More on that later—let’s dive right in. A Step-by-step Guide to Creating a Website With WordPressI’ve broken down the 9 simple steps to create your website from scratch. They are:
You’ll easily be able to run through these steps over the next 120 minutes. Step 1: Pick a name and find a domain for your websiteTime for a tough truth: A lot of the good domain names have been taken. Here’s how a naming session might go for you:
Websites have also become so embedded in our day-to-day lives that it’s better to change the name of the business to match an available domain than it is to pick a poor quality domain. Through this process, I almost always end up with a completely different name than I originally intended. This is why I consider the “naming my business” and “buying the domain” steps for creating a business to be the same step. I try to only lock myself into a name once I have the domain. We put together an in-depth guide on buying domains here. The good news is that the rest of these steps are a breeze once you have your domain purchased. It’s the first and hardest step to create your website. Step 2: Register your domain nameFirst you need to know the difference between a domain registrar and a web host. A domain registrar is a company that specializes in buying and registering domains. A web host, on the other hand, specializes in running servers that host websites. This is where your website “lives.” Every web host will desperately try to get you to also register a domain through them. After all, it’s more money for them. They’ve spent most of their resources building out a hosting service, then they offer domain registration as a convenience, increase the price a bit, and collect a nice chunk of extra profit from you. My philosophy is to buy things from businesses that specialize in that exact thing. Prices will be better and so will quality. That’s why I also use a domain registrar for buying domains and a web host for hosting. I never mix up the two. The best domain registrar is Domain.com. That’s where I have all of my domain names. We put together a detailed review of domain registrars here. Step 3: Decide what kind of site you are creatingMost guides on creating a website will push you into using WordPress. It’s the most popular and flexible website builder. And that’s usually a good recommendation. But there are a few situations where I recommend different options. Simple Portfolio or “Business Card” Sites Many businesses need a simple website that tells people a few things:
You need to communicate basic info—and that’s all. If this is what you need, Wix is your best option for creating your website. It’s incredibly simple to use and will give you a professional site at a very low price. It’s perfect for small businesses. They’ve created the simplest and easiest website builder out there. Truly, it’s a joy to use, and makes the most sense when you just need a clean, professional-looking site that gives some basic info on your business. It’s perfect for small businesses, freelancers, and artists. Ecommerce Sites If you’re planning on building an ecommerce store for your site, don’t use WordPress. We have an entire post here on when to use WordPress for ecommerce and when not to. The short story: it rarely makes sense to use WordPress for ecommerce. You can if you really want to but it’s not really the most optimal way to do so. The best option, by far, is Wix again. There used to be more competition in the ecommerce tool space, but Wix got too far ahead of even Shopify. If you’re going this route, we have a 9-step guide on how to create an ecommerce website. We also have a guide on how to start a store that drives real sales. Both of those guides will get you pointed in the right direction. Blog Sites If you know you want a blog or are planning on doing lots of content, start on WordPress. The majority of this guide is around building a WordPress website. (We also have a detailed guide on starting blogs here.) Most websites are really just blogs. Some of the biggest, and most well-known websites on the Internet are blogs. WordPress powers over 30% of the entire internet. So it’s the only real option for starting a blog these days. What about Joomla or Drupal? Or Typepad? WordPress left all those other platforms in the dust about a decade ago. They’re not even legitimate options at this point. Pick WordPress — there isn’t a single situation where you’ll regret it. When I originally started with this online thing, Drupal sites were still pretty common. I partnered up with an engineer friend of mine and we did a lot of freelance work migrating sites from Drupal to WordPress. Even back then, WordPress was a clear winner. Now when I come across a site on any of these other tools, it’s kind of exciting. It’s like finding an ancient artifact. “This still exists!? How fascinating!” Don’t use any of these other tools, stick to WordPress. Everything Else If you’re not sure or have another vision for your site outside the categories above, use WordPress. It’s the most flexible platform out there. It will do ecommerce, it’ll do simple portfolios, it’ll do massive content sites, it’ll do Fortune 500 marketing sites, it’ll do it all. You might have to customize it more than other platforms in some situations but you can make WordPress do whatever you want it to. And just about anyone in online marketing knows their way around WordPress so you’ll be able to find plenty of people to help you when the time comes. Whether you want to build your site by hand or you have an online marketing agency to do it for you, you should still build on top of WordPress. It’ll shortcut a lot of the programming work and give you the ability to edit basic items on your site without having to edit any code. I’ve managed marketing sites of venture-backed tech startups that employed dozens of engineers — we still had our marketing site built on top of WordPress. It’s the standard choice. Step 4: Get a host for your websiteNow it’s time to get into the weeds a bit. The next steps really depends on your actual goals. If you want an ecommerce site, skip the rest of this guide and follow our guide on creating an ecommerce site. For everything else, keep following this guide! So WordPress is the tool that you’ll use to build your website. But you also need a web host. That’s the actual server that will store your site and make it available to anyone who visits. Every website on the Internet is on web host. And the best place to go for most people is Bluehost. We have an entire guide here that goes through all the best web hosts. Hosting plans usually start around $5/month. Step 5: Install WordPressBluehost offers a great one-click installation feature for WordPress. The benefit is it’s incredibly simple to integrate the web host with WordPress. It should be clearly available when you log into BlueHost. Step 6: Point your domain to your hostLet’s do a quick recap.
Now you’re going to connect all that stuff together by pointing your domain to your host. Then when people go to your domain, they’ll end up on your website. There are a few technical settings you need to apply. This involves configuring a few nameserver settings on your domain registrar for your domain. Your host will give you the correct settings; you’re looking for their nameserver settings. If you get stuck, contact your host and they’ll give you all the info you need. Once you have the nameserver info from your host, go into your domain registrar and configure those settings for the domain that you want to point at your site. Once you’re done, it’ll look something like this:
Step 7: Install a WordPress themeThink of WordPress as the guts of your site, it’s all the pumping that makes your site work. WordPress uses themes to determine how your website looks. This makes it really easy to change how your site looks without having to rebuild your site from scratch. Swap out your old theme for a new one and ta-da! Your design will look completely different. These days, I purchase all my themes from StudioPress. Heads up, WP Engine bought StudioPress and now includes all the StudioPress themes in its hosting plans. WP Engine is more expensive but it’s perfect for serious bloggers. It’s a great way to save money on your theme if you are planning on building a large site to begin with. WP Engine is another one of our recommended hosts if you’re looking for the best. The downside is that WP Engine tends to be more expensive than other hosts. It’s probably overkill if you are just starting out, or creating your first website. Back to themes, are there other options? You betcha. ThemeForest and Pixelgrade has a marketplace of WordPress themes. There are literally tens of thousands of themes to pick from. They’re usually in the $30–60 price range. When looking for theme, I rank them by the most popular or the highest rating. Then I pick one I personally like. After you’ve purchased a theme, go to the WordPress Theme settings and upload your theme. The Theme settings are under Appearance in the WordPress sidebar menu. You’ll have to click through “Add new” and “Upload Theme” in order to see this option to upload: Go ahead and upload the .zip file you received when you purchased your theme. After it’s uploaded, you’ll also have to click “activate” on the theme in WordPress to make it go live. Step 8: Add content to your websiteNow the fun part — it’s time to create the individual pages of your site. You’ll do this within WordPress. WordPress has two types of content: pages and posts. Think of posts as blog posts that are published under a “blog” section of a site. If you’re not planning on having a blog, then you can skip posts entirely. Pages are the more permanent pages on your website. Like your About or Contact Us pages. When you’re first creating your website, you want to get a batch of pages live so your site feels real. Every website has a few standard pages you should create:
This list will get you started. You can always add more later. Step 9: Continue evolving your websiteAt this point, you have a fully functioning site that looks great. I’m not going to lie, there’s a lot of extra configuration you can do to your site: you can add WordPress plugins that upgrade your site, build out a blog, add an email list, grow traffic, the list is endless. You don’t have to do any of this extra stuff — it’s all optional. It depends on your priorities and goals. A website is an ever evolving thing. The way it looks after you first create it, won’t be how it looks a couple months later. At least that is the case if you are actively working and growing your website. When you’re ready, these guides will walk you through the extra stuff that’s worth considering:
Our General Take On Building a WebsiteDon’t get confused by all of the different options for creating a website. For a more in-depth look at how we think about this, check out our preliminary guide on how to create a website. WordPress is KingIn most cases, we highly recommend to build your website with WordPress. It’s an open source platform that allows you to run your website with very little technical expertise. Some of the biggest websites on the Internet are built on WordPress. TechCrunch, The New Yorker, Variety and MTV News, just to name a few. It’s also the most popular blogging platform, so there are hundreds of thousands of smaller websites that use WordPress. WordPress is used by 33.4% of all the websites, and has a content management system market share of 60.3%. Much of our content is centered around WordPress because we use it for all of our websites outside of Ecommerce. Here’s the guide on how to create your website on WordPress. Wix for EcommerceFor Ecommerce, we like Wix — which is an Ecommerce website builder that allows you to get an online store up and running quickly. The reality is that creating and running an online store can be a huge pain. Wix takes that pain away. That’s probably why they are growing so quickly. Here’s the guide on how to create your website on Wix. The Dozens of Other OptionsIf you’re reading this right now, then you most definitely fall into the category of someone that should be using WordPress or Wix. In rare cases, it might make sense to create a website using Squarespace or a similar website builder. In other (very) rare cases, it might make sense to have a custom-built website. More Guides On Creating and Managing a WebsiteBelow, a master list of all our best resources on creating a website. For general information:How to Plan Out Your New Website How to Buy The RIGHT Domain Name – A Detailed Guide How to Develop Your First Brand Identity on a Budget 10 Trending 2019 Website Color Schemes 9 Places To Get Website Images (Paid and Free) The Best Website Fonts That Go Together in 2019 13 Website Design Best Practices 7 Reasons Why You Do NOT Need to Hire a Website Designer The 22 Key Elements of a High Quality Website How Much Copy Should You Write on Your Homepage? 10 Contact Page Techniques That Make People Contact You How To Create an About Page That Matters How to Make a Wix Website in 6 Easy Steps For useful information on optimization as your site gets up and running:5 Easy Steps to Creating a Sitemap For a Website Should You Switch Your Site to HTTPS? Pros and Cons The Top 10 Principles That Boost Your Website Loading Time More about web hosting:You need a web hosting provider in order to have a website. We recommend Bluehost for most people. For advanced WordPress users, with high traffic websites, it could make sense to move to WP Engine at some point. More about The Best Web Hosting Companies here. Here are some additional guides to help you learn more about web hosting: The Best Web Hosting for WordPress The Hidden Costs of Website Hosting More about analytics and reporting:An analytics tool is important if you want to know what’s happening on your website. It tells you how much traffic you’re getting, where it’s coming from, and what people do on your site. Google Analytics is the standard. That’s what we use for Quick Sprout. Read more about why Google Analytics is the best. Installing Google Analytics is easy. Consuming the reports is a bit more complicated. Here are some guides to help: The 2 Website Analytics Tools Pros Actually Use in 2019 Setup Google Analytics in 3 Steps – The Beginner’s Guide 10 Vital Customizations to Make in Google Analytics A Guide to Google Analytics Add-on for Google Sheets How to Track Your Leads with UTM Parameters More about building and optimizing with WordPress:A WordPress website is basically made from what’s called a WordPress Theme and WordPress Plugins. All of the features of your website will come either from the theme or the plugins you install. To help you get started, we reviewed all of the best WordPress Plugins across the most popular categories. Here’s an in-depth review for each category: Best SEO Plugins for WordPress Best WordPress Security Plugin Best WordPress Calendar Plugin Best Google Analytics Plugins for WordPress Best WordPress Directory Plugin Best Membership Plugins for WordPress Best Social Media WordPress Plugin Useful information for ecommerce websites:If the primary purpose of your website is to sell products, you’ll need an ecommerce website. We recommend keeping it simple and going with Wix. Check out our review of the Best Ecommerce Platforms, to get a comparison to the other options out there. Get the step-by-step on how to start an online store. Our guide on how to create an Ecommerce website. More useful guides on building an Ecommerce website: How to Transfer Your Website to Shopify Best Ecommerce WordPress Themes Best Ecommerce Website Builder How to Create a Trust Seal On Checkout Page Tips on starting a blog:When you really break it down — most websites are blogs, and blogs are websites. They have become one and the same. The most popular blogging platform is WordPress, and that is also the same platform we use for any other website, blog or otherwise. If you’re thinking about starting a blog specifically, and that is why you’re trying to figure out how to create a website…we have over 40 guides on blogging. Here are the blogging guides specific to getting started, and building your blog: Best Blogging Platforms / Blog Sites Best WordPress Themes for Blogs 11 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started My First Blog The Top 12 Tips for Running a Successful Video Blog 10 Lessons Seth Godin Can Teach You About Blogging 100 Lessons Learned from 10 Years of Blogging Creating Your Own Website: In SummaryCreating your website might seem overwhelming at first. It really comes down to starting with these simple steps:
via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-to-create-a-wordpress-website/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best conference call service for most people is definitely RingCentral or GoToMeeting. Conference calls remain the best option for group communication over the phone. They are the cheapest, most effective, and simplest way to get a group of people together. And in the age of the global pandemic and the rise of remote work, they’re more important than ever.
No matter your budget, you’ll find the right solution on this list. I’ll show you the best conference call services on the market today, as well as my methodology for how to rank them. The Best Conference Call ServicesThese 9 options are a clear cut above the rest:
But which is right for your business? I’ve reviewed each service in detail below to help you compare them. 1. RingCentral
Ditch traditional business phone plans with RingCentral. They offer modern solutions for the modern office. If you get their phone plan you also get video conferencing features included. That’s because RingCentral offers more than conference calls. It’s also a VoIP phone service.
The free plan compares pretty well with the others on the list. While you’re capped at 40 minutes per meeting, you can still have up to 100 participants. That’s great for scrappy startups or solo-ventures. You can easily add-on larger meeting options to your plan if you upgrade to one of their several paid plans that start as low as $19.99/month. The system offers nearly every calling, collaboration, and mobile feature businesses would want from a phone system. Since it is housed in the cloud, there is no equipment to install, and they take care of all the maintenance and upgrades. RingCentral also has great enterprise solutions and you can save some money by bundling RingCentral Meetings with a VoIP business phone plan. Click here to visit RingCentral and get started for free. 2. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is one of the best paid conference call services that I’ve seen. They offer high-quality solutions for small business conference calls without a bunch of distracting features. Unlike some of the other paid conference call solutions on the market, GoToMeeting does not have a basic free plan. However, you can still try it out at no cost with a 14-day trial. GoToMeeting has three plans:
The Professional and Business plans can host conference calls with up to 150 and 250 participants, respectively. The Enterprise plan is for up to 3,000 participants. All plans come with these basic features:
GoToMeeting also has unlimited recording capabilities and automatic transcriptions of your conference calls. Overall, it’s a great choice for those of you who manage large remote teams. Performance is where GoToMeeting stands out over the competition. Lots of free and paid conference call services out there fall short with audio quality. But GoToMeeting customers rave about the crystal clear sound and connection of their conference calls. GoToMeeting does not have some of the more advanced features that we’ve seen from other providers. But personally, I like the simplicity. You don’t necessarily need too many bells and whistles to make effective conference calls. Plus, I think the price points for these plans provide a great value for the benefits. Click Here to Try GoToMeeting for Free. 3. Grasshopper
Grasshopper offers a full-service virtual phone system at competitive prices. It’s also dead simple to set up. In just four steps, you’ll be able to select a number; get their app on desktop, iOS, or Android; and start texting and calling. For your number, you have the choice between four different options:
They also come with a great app that helps you manage your texts and calls for your business. That means you can make and receive calls related to your business on the same phone you use for personal use. If mobile isn’t your cup of tea, their desktop app allows you to do the same right from the comfort of your computer. Some other great features:
Prices start at $26/month when billed annually and comes with one phone number and three extensions. If you’re still on the fence, they offer a seven-day free trial with no credit card required. 4. ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting comes from GetResponse, the email marketing solutions provider. However, with ClickMeeting, they offer a great webinar solution that gives you a great way to conduct conference calls as well. You’ll have a full-service solution for online meetings via conference rooms as well as webinars. So not only will you have a way to meet and collaborate with your team, you’ll also have a lead generation engine with webinars. Their collaboration software is really great for teams and distributed companies. As such, it should stand out to any remote workers out there. When it comes to conference calls, their robust set of presenting and agenda tools allows you to conduct highly engaging, fruitful meetings with your team, clients, customers, and more. It’s a perfect way to let your team walk away with actionable insights as well as easily on-boarding and training new employees. Since it is more of a webinar tool, it does come with more features geared towards sharing insights. As such, if you’re looking for a pure conference call tool, you might want to look elsewhere. However, this is still a fantastic tool if you’re looking for a great conference call solution that’s multifaceted and flexible when it comes to your use. The customization they offer really facilitates viewer interaction with the material a presenter is discussing. Overall, I’d say it’s great for agencies, teachers and other education professionals. Their webinar solution also integrates with PayPal, allowing customers to purchase access to your webinars easily and securely. If you need a highly-customizable webinar and collaboration tool, and also need something that goes beyond conference calling, this is the service for you. Pricing starts at $25 per month and is billed annually. However, it does come with a free 30-day trial to test it out. 5. BlueJeans
>> Compare Quotes BlueJeans specializes in video conference calls. They deliver stellar audio quality as well. This solution makes it easy for team communication from any device. Companies like Linkedin, Facebook, and Zillow rely on BlueJeans for conference calls. So it’s definitely a service that you can trust. One of the reasons why BlueJeans has such exceptional audio quality is because it’s powered by Dolby Voice. The solution is designed to suppress background noises while giving each participant’s voice a distinct location, which makes it sound as though everyone is in the same room. Loud talkers, soft-spoken participants, and simultaneous talking can still be heard, unmuffled. This definitely gives BlueJeans an edge over its competitors. For small businesses and individuals, BlueJeans has a plan starting at $12.49 per month, which can host meetings with up to 50 participants. They also offer an upgraded plan for $16.65 per month with conferencing capabilities for up to 75 participants. This option comes with recording features and cloud storage, which is what I would recommend. If you need more, you can contact BlueJeans for a custom solution and plan. Although the participant limit is 150 people. This is definitely less than some of the other enterprise-level solutions we’ve seen. Although the pricing will be a bit more appealing. 6. UberConference
>> Compare Quotes If you’re looking for a simple and easy-to-use conference call service, UberConference is a solid option. Their free plan includes quality conference calls for smaller groups (10 participants or less). You can also make an unlimited number of calls per year with this plan. It includes a bunch of great tools, benefits, and features such as:
The maximum duration of a free call is 45 minutes. If you’re a larger org (or if you’d just like more flexibility with your calls), you’ll want the upgraded plan which is $15 per month (billed annually). Calls made on this plan can be up to 5 hours long. The paid plan has additional benefits like:
You can also add a toll-free number to your plan for an additional $30 per month (billed annually). The mobile app is one of the top features of UberConference. The fact that it comes standard with the free plan is a huge bonus. I like the app because it gives you access to all of the features from a mobile device, making it easy to start or join a conference call on the go. You don’t need to be tied to a desk or office to participate. Getting started with UberConference is very straightforward. You’ll be able to start making calls immediately after signing up. If you need some assistance, you’ll find that the knowledge base and customer support provided is extremely helpful. You might experience some static or audio quality issues with this service. But overall, I don’t think it’s enough of an issue to turn you away. The quality is still better than other free conference call services on the market. 7. Zoom
>> Compare Quotes Zoom shot up in popularity recently — and for good reason. Aside from the global pandemic forcing companies to choose a new video conferencing option, Zoom also rose in popularity due to their reliability, user-friendliness and their cheap price tag. This cloud-based system offers a wide range of free and paid options to accommodate both individuals and businesses of all sizes. Here’s a quick overview of the plans and pricing: Zoom Basic
Zoom Pro
Zoom Business
Zoom Enterprise
Zoom Basic and Zoom Pro will likely be the best options for the majority of you. Those are the best conference call services for startups and smaller teams. You could always upgrade to Zoom Business as your company scales. Zoom stands out amongst its competitors for video conferencing and cloud conferencing rooms. You’ll definitely want to lean toward this service if you plan to make professional video presentations via conference calls. While it’s not for everyone, Zoom Enterprise is a top solution for those of you who fall into that category. Big companies like Uber, Zendesk, Ticketmaster, GoDaddy, and Pandora are just a handful of brands that rely on Zoom for conference calling solutions. Zoom has an extensive knowledge base as well as 24/7 phone support and live training with some of the plans. But the audio quality can be a bit unstable at times. 8. Google Hangouts
>> Compare Quotes As a Google product, you know right away that Google Hangouts is a reliable service. It’s free to use, and a great option for anyone with a Gmail account (which is basically everyone). When you navigate to Google Hangouts, it automatically connects with your Gmail account and contacts. It has Google Calendar integration as well, which makes it easy to schedule meetings with other users. To set up a conference call, just use your browser, chrome extension, or mobile app. This service is usually used for one-on-one meetings, but can be a viable option for smaller conference calls of up to 25 people. Google Hangouts makes it easy for you to share your screen and facilitate video conference calls as well. To get the most out of Google Hangouts, you need to have a G Suite account, which starts at $6 per month. You might already be using G Suite, and if you’re not, you should start. While Google Hangouts is simple, straightforward, and easy to use, it definitely has a few drawbacks that you should keep in mind. For starters, there is no customer support if you’re using it for free. So if you have a problem or question, you’ll need to browse through user forums instead. There is no recording feature either, which seems to be standard with most of the other conference call services out there. Personally, I use Google Hangouts at least once or twice per month. Although most of those meetings are just with a handful of people. Audio quality issues are common as well. But overall, it’s quick, easy, and free to make conference calls with this service. 9. Webex
>> Compare Quotes Webex is a Cisco product, so you know that the technology used to power this solution is reputable and high-quality. This is one of the best business conference call services to consider for both audio and video calling. Here’s an overview of the four different plans offered by Webex: Webex Free
Webex Starter
Webex Plus
Webex Business
The free plan is fine, but it’s pretty limited. All of the paid plans come with more advanced features like transcription recording, call-in audio, file sharing, and administrative features. To get the best customer support, you’ll need to upgrade to the Webex Plus plan. Overall, Webex is a great choice for small, medium, and large businesses with remote employees. I really like the way that video conferencing is displayed in a grid view as well, so you can see everyone on a large call in one view. With the top-tier plan maxing out at 200 participants, Webex doesn’t really have an enterprise-level option. Although that shouldn’t be a major concern for most of you. Plans with up to 50 or 100 participants should be more than enough to meet your needs. How to Find the Best Conference Call Services For YouCompare Quotes From The Best Conference Call Services Get matched up with a conference call service that fits your specific needs. Compare Quotes
To narrow down your choices, you need to know what to look for when you’re evaluating a potential service. This is the methodology that I used when I was researching the solutions in this guide. Number of ParticipantsThe first thing you need to look at is the maximum number of participants you can have for a plan. These limits are the most important numbers when it comes to which plan you ultimately choose. Some free plans will limit you to just 10 participants and 40 minutes per conference call. While other paid options give you up to 1,000 participants with no limits on call duration. Pick a service based on what you need. If you have a small business with just a handful of remote employees, you probably don’t need to pay for a conference call service with a limit of 250 participants. I’d definitely recommend finding an option with unlimited call durations. It won’t be effective or productive if you’re forced to cut meetings short based on these limitations. Video ConferencingBusinesses are turning to video conferencing now more than ever. In the wake of the global pandemic, it’s been an indispensable tool for schools, businesses, families, friends, and more. That’s why you should put a premium on a conferencing service that includes video. Not just that, but they also need to include tools that help enhance your experience. This might include collaboration tools such as screen sharing and audio sharing, text chats for collaborative communication, and whiteboard tools like the ability to write on the screen. Certain conference call services specialize in video calls. So if you’re planning to use video for the majority of your calls, look for an option that specializes in this area. Call QualityThe importance of call quality and optimal bandwidth cannot be overstated. That’s why it’s crucial to see what features the video conference platform offers to enhance the quality of a call. Some tools and features to keep an eye out for:
The only way to really know how good the call quality will be is to test it out. So definitely take advantage of any free trials offered by a provider. Use it as much as possible to see if you’re happy with the results. Call RecordingThe ability to record your conference calls is another big advantage. Not every free service comes with this option. There are different levels of call recording capability. Some services will record the call and then force you to store it locally on whatever device you’re using. Others have cloud storage options based on your plan. Make sure you understand any storage limits before you sign up for a plan. Otherwise, you might be forced to upgrade when you run out of space. It’s also worth noting that some call recording plans also come with transcription services. This will make it easier for you to go back and find certain points within a call without having to search through the audio. If you’re going to take advantage of video calling features, see if the service records the videos or if the recording is just limited to audio calls only. The ability to share the recorded calls later is also crucial. See what file type the recorded calls are downloaded under. Make sure they’re easily shared with others. Account and Call SetupA conference call service is useless if it’s difficult to use. I rank ease of use based on two factors.
Signing up for some conference calling services can be completed in a matter of seconds. For example, if you’re a G Suite user, all you need to do is navigate to Google Hangouts to use it. If you need a custom solution or enterprise-level plan, setup will be a bit more complex. In most cases, you’ll have to reach out to a sales agent, which can be a pain and kind of time-consuming. Once you’re all signed up, regardless of the service, starting a new conference call needs to be extremely easy. How do you add users to the call? Is there a call-in service? Do you need to schedule the meeting in advance? Is operator-assistance available? These are all factors that need to be taken into consideration. ConclusionAt some point or another, every business will need to make a conference call. So finding the best conference call service needs to be a priority for everyone. There’s a mix of free and paid options on this list. Overall, there’s something for everyone.
Whether you’re an individual, startup business, large company, or enterprise, you’ll find a high-quality conference calling solution in any of the tools you’ve seen in this guide. Compare Quotes From The Best Conference Call Services Get matched up with a conference call service that fits your specific needs. Compare Quotesvia Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-conference-call-services/ |
Sean BrianWhile radishes deter certain insects naturally, they require similar growing conditions as carrots. Although the crops both have roots, radishes grow and germinate quicker, allowing carrots to continue growing in the soil space available when the radishes are harvested, Archives
April 2023
Categories |