3 Systems We Use to Stay Organized
Your systems can make or break your days. When you have little energy to get things done and you just need it to be easy, the right systems can be there for you. The wrong systems…well they make you want to throw your computer at the wall and call it a night.
There are three systems we use to keep us on top of it all so we make sure our time and energy goes to the right places. Now, these may not be the ones that are best for your business, but let’s break down why we use them.
Monday.com is our holy grail of information (Task Management Board)
Everything and anything goes into Monday.com. It’s our task management board to help us track internal tasks and client tasks. Internally, we have several workspaces - such as Marketing and Operations - to help us collaborate, view due dates, and make sure we can see the big picture of a project without losing sight of the details. For clients, we share boards with them so that they can stay in touch with their virtual assistant on tasks and priorities and reduce unproductive time spent in check-in meetings.
2. Dubsado provides a clean, organized look to our prospects and clients (CRM)
We use Dubsado as our CRM. Lead inquiry forms, proposals, and invoices are all linked to our CRM so we can easily track it. It also allows us to give our clients a portal so they can easily see all the important documents related to their work with us.
A CRM is a big decision for your business. If you’re not using a task management board in conjunction with a CRM, then you want to make sure you choose a CRM that is well developed and customizable so that you can make it work for you. Many industries will have CRM’s that are tailored to them so be sure to do your research before committing. Switching platforms can be tedious, even if your sales pipeline is small.
3. Zapier connects everything like a software spiderweb (System Automation)
So, this isn’t necessarily a system that we look at everyday but it does do work for us everyday. Zapier helps us implement automations, particularly with systems that can’t normally ‘talk’ to each other. For instance, Dubsado, our CRM, has integrations with Quickbooks and Mailchimp built into the platform. But we don’t use those platforms - we use Freshbooks and ConvertKit. So, Zapier helps us create automations to connect these platforms and helps reduce our data entry work.
When I choose new systems, I always look to see if Zapier will connect with it and I see how many trigger options there are. It is seldom that I come across a software that doesn’t connect with Zapier and I still decide to purchase it. I know that I will always be limited with that software and even if it does amazing things for whatever my needs are, it can cause problems later down the road if I cannot connect it with the other software we use.
Remember, technology should fit your needs. Don’t shape your processes based on the software you have because you can almost always find software that does what you want and need. Choosing the right pieces of software for your business can help you stay organized, be more productive, and keep a lean budget.