Tag: productivity

Top 7 Gmail Add-Ons for Business

Last year, Google launched third-party add-ons for Gmail.

Sitting on the sidebar on the right side of your inbox, these third-party add-ons can be used directly with Gmail to improve your productivity. The biggest advantage of “add-ons” (over chrome extensions, etc) is that they work seamlessly with all browsers and mobile devices. You can install multiple add-ons from different vendors without compromising performance or experience.
When launching add-ons, Google itself described email as “mission control” for your working life, and the best add-ons make Gmail feel more like centralized command center!

Here is a selection of Gmail add-ons for business that are popular, ones that we rely on to get things done, have great reviews, and make Gmail more powerful than it already is:

Dropbox – The add-on lets you save and share all files, big or small—including photos, videos, presentations, docs, and project work—without leaving Gmail. And now you can attach files from Dropbox when you compose an email.

RingCentral – Users can access the cloud-based phone system from within their email. RingCentral’s contacts, messages, call history are displayed in your Gmail message threads. Users can also see the on/offline status of their connections, send SMS messages and make outbound calls.

TeamWave – Integrated Software to Run Your Entire Business – CRM, Project Management, HR & More. TeamWave’s Add-on for Gmail currently offers only CRM. Ideal for small & mid-sized businesses.

Hire – Simplify your recruiting process. Users can review candidate applications, respond to job applicants and schedule interviews from their inbox without going back and forth through applications. It also allows users to view and track team member interactions so you never have to wonder if someone followed up.

Zoom – Users can set up calls or video chat directly through Gmail, using contact info in an email or saved to Google. It also allows you schedule meetings for later and check for any scheduled calls you have coming up without opening Zoom or a calendar.

Docusign – Securely use a digital signature on legally binding documents, the add-on lets you send an attached document in an email over to DocuSign with only two clicks. It then opens the document in DocuSign, too, so you can take care of business right away. And just like that, a convenient service gets more convenient.

Insightly – Build better customer relationships right in your inbox with the Insightly Add-On for Gmail. Save emails to your CRM and link them to the relevant people, deals, or projects. You can also create new leads and opportunities without leaving your inbox, and insert prebuilt email templates to save time and stay on message.

Got a favorite Gmail add-on not on this list? Share it with us in the comments.

Are You a Star at Work?

Most professionals genuinely want to be more productive, do their best, and live up to their potential. They see other people getting ahead, people with roughly the same talent and yet they don’t know what to do about it!

So what exactly separates the BEST from the REST…
Talent? Personality? Having the right job or the right boss?
Correct Answer: None of the above!
It’s not what people bring to the party that makes them a star – it’s what they do with what they bring. The secrets to being a star performer are not in people’s personal characteristics but in how people go about doing their work.

Everybody aspires to be a star. But do you know what it takes to be one at work? Here are important traits of “A players” or “Stars”:

  1. You propose solutions
  2. You are responsive
  3. You are humble, friendly and kind
  4. You share credit
  5. You know your stuff, but you never stop learning
  6. You care about the quality of your work
  7. You beat deadlines
  8. You listen carefully, and ask relevant questions
  9. You take pride in your work
  10. You help others
  11. You are loyal
  12. You always do the right thing (ethics!)

The good news: All of these skills can be learned. Becoming a star at work is like improving your golf or tennis game. You identify your weaknesses and focus on improvements you need to put in place – and then you practice those improvements every day.

The Best Online Form Builders for Websites

Online/Web forms are a convenient way to capture information from your website visitors. You can use web forms to generate new leads, capture contact information from someone registering for an event or subscribing to a newsletter. Forms can also be used to capture payment information and process online payment.

There are hundreds of Web Form Builder Applications in the market and most of them have similar features: standard form fields, drag-and-drop editors, and basic themes. Most applications save your form results in a spreadsheet-like grid, and send you email notifications for every new form submission.

While they all seem to do the same things, there are special details and customizable options that make each builder unique. Here are some of the best form-building apps to choose from — pick the one that fits your business requirements:

Note: TeamWave CRM is fully integrated with all the form builders listed below.

Wufoo
The most distinct feature is its beautiful and complex reports (parent company is Survey Monkey). You get a lot more analytics with Wufoo than most form builders, and Wufoo automatically presents it in charts and graphs, making it much easier to understand. Wufoo keeps your data and email inbox clean by preventing duplicate submissions if you’d like.
Other features include support for conditional logic, multiple integrations and 400+ form templates.
Pricing: Free | $19/month Starter | $39/month Professional | $99/month Advanced

Typeform
Types of forms: contact forms, job application forms, suggestions forms, surveys and questionnaires, registration forms, lead generation forms, delivery orders, polls and quizzes. Typeform lets you create forms that don’t, at first glance, actually look like forms. You can format your questions so that the choices appear as images, which your visitor clicks on. You can customize loads of elements on your forms, up to the mechanism used to submit the form.
Pricing: Free Basic | $30/month Pro | $59/month Pro+

FormStack
Beautiful and easy-to use UX/UI.
Conditional logic allows you to route the person filling out the form wherever their answers lead them. For example, if someone answers “No” to question 2, and you’d like them to skip ahead to question 4 as a result, Formstack has the capability to do so. With over 40 integrations and 8 payment applications, you can customize your forms for your convenience.
Pricing: $39/month Silver | $99/month Gold | $249/month Platinum

GravityForms
Are you a WordPress user? Then you can’t get a more seamless user experience than Gravity Forms. Specifically designed to be used within WordPress, Gravity Forms embeds itself into the backend of the CMS and automatically blends with the design of the website without any extra tinkering.
Pricing: $59/year Basic | 159/year Pro | $259/year Elite

Google Forms
Part of G Suite. They are great for non-payment and no-fuss forms and they are super easy and intuitive to build. These are great for fast feedback forms you can send as a link, and for community groups to capture details for events, especially school groups. Best suited to quizzes, polls, as well as surveys, all integrated directly with the rest of your Google products like Gmail.
Pricing: Part of G Suite: $5/month Basic | $10/month Business | $34/month Enterprise

FormAssembly
Enterprise-grade forms with a focus on security features and data reliability. They are HIPAA compliant, and integrate with Salesforce, Google Apps, LDAP, SAML and more. If you are an academic, work in government, or are a medical professional, FormAssembly is for you!
Pricing: $89/month Professional | $224/month Premier | $599+/month Enterprise

JotForm
Recommended if you need to create a form fast and don’t necessarily require it to look too pretty and flashy. Definitely take advantage of their free templates available for everything from contact forms and registration forms, to membership applications and payments forms. Also supports conditional logic and claims to have 80+ Integrations.
Pricing: Free Starter | $19/month Bronze | $39/month Silver | $99/month Gold

TeamWave Forms
Part of TeamWave CRM, our web forms give you multiple options to generate quality leads. The forms are intuitive and require just a few clicks, meaning you’ll be able to get up and running without the hassle. Simple, Fully customisable, automatically creates contacts in your pipeline and offers multiple usage possibilities.
Pricing: Free (Part of TeamWave)