We live in a digitalized era where e-commerce has become an everyday part of life. This is a world where buyers have access to an endless variety of products, and sellers can expose their products to potential customers all over the world. At the top, there are e-commerce companies like Amazon and Alibaba. At the grassroots level, tools like drag-and-drop websites, dropshipping, and social media have many people starting their own small e-commerce businesses from home.

The question now is not “Can I start a business?” but “How do I make my business successful?” Although the tools and technology needed to set-up an e-commerce business are widely available, succeeding in e-commerce requires sufficient resources, strategic positioning, and constant evolution.

Below are three common misconceptions about running an e-commerce business and their corresponding realities.

You can succeed in e-commerce with minimal resources.

Many believe that cost-saving is one of the most significant benefits of an e-commerce business. They think that the only resources needed are an internet connection and a laptop. This is a misconception.

Successful e-commerce businesses need sufficient human, technology, and financial resources to succeed. In fact, the most profitable companies use both dedicated teams and external resources to maximize their digital touchpoints’ utility. We will discuss dedicated e-commerce teams later in this article. First, let’s talk about some of the external resources that successful businesses use.

According to a Forrester report on e-commerce, 27% of global purchase influencers at wholesale or retail companies prioritize innovation as part of their 2021 objectives. External resources can help. Utilizing external resources that come with technology partnerships provides businesses with the innovative power, tools, and capabilities they need to deliver an excellent customer experience within budget and time constraints.

Examples of possible technology partnerships include review platforms, digital workspace tools, and CRM platforms.

E-commerce businesses require less skill and experience to run than brick-and-mortar stores.

Another misconception is that unlike physical businesses, online companies can be run by anyone with an idea and an internet connection. People think that because establishing a physical business is a difficult task compared to setting up an online business, there is less pressure and stress on online business owners. They think it’s easy for the owner to manage his business activities worldwide by sitting in his room or office with a laptop.

The truth is that successful e-commerce businesses require both strong C-level support and a digitally fluent team of experts.

C-level support means that everyone is on-board with the chosen e-commerce strategy, especially those at the company’s top. This support ensures that initiatives will receive enough financial and human resources to succeed. Additionally, leaders must set the right expectations and work hard to follow through on promised growth.

One thing that can help leaders deliver set targets is hiring and maintaining a digitally fluent team. While this can be challenging since digital talent remains rare, ensuring that the business has qualified talent fulfilling key roles such as business technology, merchandising, fulfillment, marketing, and customer service is essential.

E-commerce businesses should sell to everyone.

The final misconception is that since online businesses have access to everyone who has access to the internet, they should try to make everyone their customer.

While it is true that people can purchase your products from any part of the world at any time, in a highly competitive landscape, e-commerce businesses that offer something unique to a highly specified set of customers and who can communicate that exceptional value are best positioned to succeed.

Choosing a specific target customer, knowing everything about them, and providing products or services that solve their pain points is how any business, online or not, succeeds. Since the barrier to entry is lower with online companies and competition is high, this becomes even more important. Most digital businesses have both offline competition and aggressive players like Amazon. Having a strategy to stand out becomes very important.

The Bottom Line

While we live in a world where e-commerce exists everywhere, running a successful online business requires much more than a laptop and an internet connection. Running a successful online business is an ongoing process that requires dedicated teams, ample external resources, strategic targeting, and an ever-evolving mindset.

The competitive landscape is constantly changing, requiring companies to evolve and adapt. The most successful e-commerce businesses will optimize their talent, strategies, and market opportunities, while others get lost in the noise.

AirSend is a versatile digital workspace to share files, send messages, have voice/video calls, and complete tasks. Click here to see how AirSend can help you.

In this day and age, data collection is the reality of the Internet. Millions of people all over the world are becoming increasingly aware of how their choices as online consumers might affect their privacy.

From commercial websites to social media platforms, a wide variety of websites do gather data from their visitors. In addition to that, many apps are in the habit of collecting information from their users. If you are using any of the major messaging apps in the world today, some of your data might be out there. In fact, you are likely giving them access to some of your data.

Many companies are starting to do something about the growing concern in relation to data privacy. Recently, Apple’s App Store made a splash in the industry by showcasing privacy labels with the apps sold or distributed freely through their platform. This is an excellent way for consumers to learn more about what to expect in terms of data safety and privacy from different messaging apps.

Keep reading to learn more about what kind of data do these platforms take from you and what you can learn from each provider.

Facebook Messenger / Whatsapp

According to available privacy information on Apple’s App Store, Facebook messenger seems to be the messaging app that collects the most information from its users. This is not surprising, considering that this app is tied to Facebook and its larger family of services, including Instagram and WhatsApp, which both belong to Facebook.

Because they are concerned with the amount of data gathered by the aforementioned Facebook-owned apps, Many users choose to embrace alternative services, such as Telegram or Signal.

AirSend, Signal, and Telegram

According to the privacy labels posted on the App Store, it seems that Signal and AirSend are the best choices for people who are more conscious about privacy. In fact, these services reportedly do not gather any user data at all.

Telegram seems to be a great choice as well since it only collects a relatively small amount of identifiers.

WeChat

Another popular messaging app alternative is WeChat. This app, along with other Chinese messaging and social media services, has sparked some controversies due to the country’s privacy regulations and the government’s stronghold over private conversations and content exchange. However, as China is quickly becoming a very relevant international player in the world of app and social media, the country is also changing its policies concerning privacy in order to become more appealing to a broader global market. In particular, WeChat Has been reviewing third-party content and apps in order to prevent the illicit collection of data for unspecified purposes.

To conclude, virtually all messaging apps will collect at least some of your user data for one reason or another. It is really up to you to learn more about what each service entails in terms of privacy and how strictly do you want to protect your personal information. The advantage of using platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram is that they are incredibly widespread and have a large user base. However, alternatives like AirSend, Signal, or Telegram seem like a better option for people who want to protect more of their data and prevent companies from using them for commercial purposes.

While we are still in the early days of 2021, the startup world has experienced a wide swath of trials and tribulations. The continued presence of Covid-19 alone has forced small and large startups to be nimble and adaptable. This is especially true in these startup’s marketing departments, where marketing professionals have needed to carefully craft their messaging and storytelling. But even putting Covid-19 aside, 2021 presents chances for marketers that can identify trends and focus on execution.

Consequently, we want to share five of the most significant marketing trends for this year. Whether you are a solopreneur or work in the marketing department for a larger business, understanding these trends can help you have an extremely successful 2021.

1. The Continued Rise of Sustainability

The sustainability movement has been a key trend in recent years, but it is expected to grow even more in 2021. Above all, customers in essentially every industry are researching how certain companies are positively contributing to the world. In fact, according to one survey, 81% of consumers strongly believe that sustainability and environmentalism should receive support and/or help from companies.

Marketers across all industries and sectors should keep this trend in mind. Don’t hesitate to highlight the positive steps that your company is taking to promote sustainability or sustainable causes. Doing so will build goodwill with your audience—whether they are current customers or just discovered your company.

2. The Proliferation of Digital Video Advertising

We have reached a point where digital video has become arguably the most important way of connecting with your audience. Whether you are creating a quick video for a particular prospect or a more polished video for your entire email list, digital video can help you build strong, organic relationships with your audience.

According to one recent study, 78% of people watch online video content every week. 55% watch online video content every day. No matter what you are selling, there is a significant digital audience that wants to hear from you. You just need to create stellar video content and upload it to where your audience likes to hang out.

3. The Underrated Importance of Voice Search

The rise of Alexa and Google Nest has signaled that voice search is here to stay. Smart speakers are drastically improving, and along with this, consumers’ interest in using them for a whole host of tasks. Moreover, voice artificial intelligence and machine learning are delivering more relevant search results for inquiring users.

It’s worth your time to consider how you can leverage voice in your marketing portfolio. Whether you are targeting prospects that are sitting at home or those that are leveraging voice search on their cell phones. Doing so will let you connect with your prospects in a new way and potentially generate more sales.

4. The Appealing Nature of Personalization

The Internet has let companies large and small deliver more personalized interactions. Better yet, customers enjoy these increasing levels of personalization. One survey showed that 90% of U.S. consumers found marketing personalization appealing.

There are always ways to personalize your interactions with prospects or customers. Even if it is just using their first name in emails and phone calls, personalization makes it much more likely that you’ll develop close relationships with your audience. In other words, it can be a game-changer in generating more leads and conversions.

5. The Effectiveness of Featured Snippets

Finally, featured snippets will become an increasingly important tool in marketers’ portfolios. Obtaining the featured snippet slot on your preferred SERP can go a long way in building brand equity and generating more sales.

Yes, there is no magic formula to generating strong SEO. That being said, strategically select your keywords and try to obtain featured snippet slots for those keywords. While it is certainly an investment, the returns are extremely satisfactory.

Get Started Today

Leveraging some (or all) of these trends, you will be able to better connect with your audience and achieve your marketing goals.

Like any marketing work, some trial and error may be involved here. You may choose to leverage a specific trend above, yet may not see an immediate effect. Ultimately, play the long game. By being patient, focusing on execution, and paying attention to your audience’s desires and goals, you will get that much closer toward marketing bliss.

AirSend is a versatile digital workspace to share files, send messages, have voice / video calls, and complete tasks. Click here to see how AirSend can help you.

We hope you’re having a great start to your new year! Here are some big improvements we’ve made to AirSend over the holidays.

Redesigned Channel Actions Tab

Quickly Add Actions and Subactions – You can now add new actions using the add actions bar at the top of the tab. You can also quickly add subactions to actions. Enter your to-do list in seconds so you don’t forget anything and add the details in later.

Search Actions – Instead of wasting time scrolling, find tasks easily by running a search right in the Actions tab.

Conveniently Sort Actions – You can now sort Channel actions by person, due date, or status with a single click using the three icons at the top right side of the Actions tab.

Expanded Search Capabilities

Quickly Preview Files – Clicking on a file in your search results now takes you to a full preview of that file in Office 365 so that you can make sure you’ve found what you’re looking for.

Expand Your Search View – Instead of endlessly scrolling through results, clicking “Show All” opens a window where you can more easily see your search results all in one place.

Improved Channel Sidebar

Easily Create New Channels – You can now create new channels straight from the Channel sidebar using the plus button in the upper left-hand corner.

Access Channel Actions – Conveniently mute, unmute, close, or leave any Channel without disrupting your workflow.

Simplify Sidebar View – You can now filter Channels to easily find what you’re looking for. You can also collapse chat previews for a cleaner view.

What Now?

While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far, the AirSend journey is far from over. Stay tuned for the next AirSend update for more improvements. Also, if you haven’t signed up for AirSend yet – sign up now for free lifetime access to AirSend Pro.

Have suggestions for what we should improve next? Let us know by completing an AirSend User Survey for the chance to win $100.

WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app with 1 billion users in 180 countries. However, the app’s newly announced privacy policies have caused a move to WhatsApp alternatives like Signal, Telegram, and AirSend. Users are leaving WhatsApp for other platforms primarily to protect their data privacy and safety.

What’s Happening with WhatsApp?

In 2014, data privacy experts expressed concern after Facebook acquired WhatsApp. This is because Facebook and its associated apps had experienced security issues resulting in the leakage of thousands of users’ information. At the time, WhatsApp addressed these concerns by saying that it would remain a stand-alone app that would continue to prioritize data security.

That is about to change.

In October of 2020, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that WhatsApp will be integrating with Facebook Messenger and Instagram to “function… like one connected interoperable system.”

The implementation of this change has caused data privacy and security-conscious users to leave WhatsApp in favor of other apps that promise more privacy and safety.

WhatsApp’s Privacy and Security Problems

WhatsApp provides users with end-to-end encryption, but its legal disclaimer says that the app collects and shares a large amount of user information with “the Facebook family of companies.” The information collected, and possibly shared, includes phone numbers, profile pictures, status updates, address books, payment data, and more. It also includes data such as IP addresses, ISPs and identifiers. This could potentially allow Facebook to locate any users who are on WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram.

In addition to preexisting privacy concerns, users are worried that WhatsApp’s security will also be compromised once it is integrated with Facebook Messenger and Instagram — apps that have experienced problems before. After all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

What are the Alternatives?

Given the issues outlined above, WhatsApp users are flocking to alternatives that are more privacy and security-conscious. Here are the 4 best alternatives to WhatsApp that may be better equipped to maintain your privacy and data security.

Signal

Pros: Signal is a simple messaging app that is free, encrypted, and available on all mobile platforms as well as on desktop. Like WhatsApp, it provides voice/video calling in addition to messaging. A bonus feature is that users can set a time frame for automatic deletion so that messages disappear when users want them to.

Cons: The only downside to Signal is that it doesn’t come with animated emojis. You can import your own emojis into the app, though.

Threema

Pros: Based in Switzerland, Threema provides various features that increase user privacy and security. Messages are deleted after delivery; contacts and group information are stored on your phone, not in-app; and you can use a Threema ID instead of your phone number to connect with people. All messages, statuses, voice calls, and files are encrypted. And like Signal, Threema is available on all platforms.

Cons: You have to pay for it ($1.99 in the US).

AirSend

Pros: Like Signal, AirSend is another free and simple way to safely send messages and have voice/video calls. It is available on all mobile platforms as well as desktop, and unlike Signal, AirSend comes with emojis. Bonus features include the ability to quickly share and organize files, take notes, and create to-do lists. And the app does not collect your data.

Cons: The app was designed to be a simple online workspace rather than a pure messaging app, so it may have more features than a messaging app user wants or needs.

Telegram

Pros: Another alternative to WhatsApp, Telegram provides encryption for messaging and voice calls and the ability to automatically delete messages after a set time. The app is available across platforms, and also supports multimedia file sharing like AirSend.

Cons: An important thing to note is that your messages are not automatically encrypted in Telegram. This is a feature that must be enabled in your app settings.

Maintaining Your Data Privacy

If you want to continue having private conversations, you may want to consider using one of the 4 alternatives discussed above instead of WhatsApp. While the ultimate security consequences of WhatsApp’s merge with Facebook Messenger and Instagram are yet to be revealed, the app’s privacy issues are enough to warrant change.

Small businesses need simple collaboration tools. Small businesses do not need a heavily featured tool, like Microsoft Teams or Discord. However, there is no alternative collaboration tool that aims to work with small teams. Until AirSend came along.

AirSend is a simple collaboration tool designed for small team collaboration. Instead of tools like Discord and Microsoft Teams, which offer many features, AirSend offers all the basic essentials in one organized space.

Further, Discord and Microsoft Teams have hard-to-find features and a confusing design layout. Additionally, most small team collaboration does not need all the features and functionality that Discord and Microsoft offer. 

This blog post will compare and contrast popular collaboration tools like Discord and Microsoft Teams to our simple collaboration tool, AirSend. Additionally, we will also discuss why AirSend is perfect for small team collaboration. This article is ideal for those looking to switch from a collaboration tool that may not suit small teams.

Big Team Collaboration vs. Small Team Collaboration Tools

Among the long list of collaboration tools, Discord and Microsft Teams are the most heavily used tools for small businesses. However, three problems present themselves in small businesses using Discord and Microsoft Teams for collaboration.

The first problem is the market. Discord’s primary market is gamers. However, small businesses use Discord because no alternative offers similar features. Microsoft Teams, though marketed for everyone, is most used by larger conglomerates.

The second problem is that small businesses are not using Discord and Microsft Teams to their full potential. In other words, businesses most likely aren’t using the tool the way it is meant to be used. Not using a collaboration tool to its full potential is fine; however, most small teams end up wasting money on features they aren’t even using or even need.

The third problem is that collaboration tools like Discord and Teams require a lot of management. Instead of prioritizing time spent collaborating and getting work done, users are stuck spending time managing the tool. For instance, with Discord, users have to moderate the plethora of channels and members in their server. 

For these reasons, there need to be collaboration tools designed for small teams. One in which a business is using the tool to its maximum potential and is cost-effective—a collaboration tool like AirSend, which is perfect for small teams. 

AirSend: The Ideal Tool for Small Team Collaboration

AirSend is a one-of-a-kind tool that makes small team collaboration effortless. When we developed AirSend, we wanted to create a simple design in which users can find everything they need within an open, organized space.

These organized spaces are called channels. In each AirSend channel, users have the option to have audio/video calls, track their tasks, manage/store their files, and track their notes. We creatively displayed all these features to make it easy-to-find. Instead of searching through many screens to find the right functionality, AirSend allows you to see everything within a channel. 

We also wanted to offer basic features that help small teams collaborate seamlessly. Additionally, we added a side-channel bar to help switch between conversations faster.  Essentially, each AirSend channel is primed for effortless collaboration. We are consistently updating our platform. That way, small teams can collaborate better and faster.

The Best Collaboration Tool for Small Businesses

Ultimately, small businesses need an ideal collaboration tool catered to simplicity. In other words, an easy-to-use tool. More extensive team collaboration tools like Discord and Microsoft Teams require an enormous amount of time to manage. Additionally, tools like Discord and Microsoft Teams are not often used to their full potential by small teams, simply because they do not need half of the platform’s features.

We sincerely believe that AirSend is the best collaboration tool for small businesses. Sign up to get AirSend Pro free for one year on us, and start collaborating effortlessly. To see a list of our features, check out our homepage.

We hope you are doing well and staying safe! We have new and exclusive AirSend updates, and we are excited to tell you about it. Please read about our previous AirSend updates or visit our release notes page. All of these improvements are made to enhance the user experience and make AirSend even more easy-to-use.  

A New Way To Create Channels

AirSend users can now create channels with a click of a button from their left sidebar. Click on the plus icon, and fill out all the information you need to create your channel. This new update makes collaborating with multiple clients easier and faster.

Upload Files and Folders Faster in AirSend

Users can easily search for files and folders using the search bar located in the top bar next to notifications. Once you found the document and are in the file preview, there will be a folder icon next to the download button. Clicking on this folder will immediately take you to the central file view in AirSend, where users can view all their documents.

Additionally, by clicking on the folder icon and being instantly taken to the central file view, you can upload the necessary files/folders faster.

New Profile Settings

Look better for your clients and colleagues with a new way to adjust your profile picture. AirSend allows you to zoom in/out on photos. Additionally, photos that you don’t like will easily be discarded and replaced with the uploaded previous image. Click “discard changes” to have the prior photo appear.

A New Way to Join Calls

If you are in channel A and Channel B starts a call, you can now click on the blue phone icon located on the left channel bar to be taken instantly to the call. No more switching between the two channels and clicking the link to join. 

Direct Message Faster

Now, with a search of a name, you can instantly start a one-on-one conversation. Located on the top of the left side panel is a “filter channels” bar. In the filter channels bar, type the name of the person you want to start a one-on-one conversation with. Once the results pop up, an arrow icon will be next to the person’s name, indicating a direct message.

What’s Next?

We’re ecstatic about the progress we’ve made, but our journey is far from over. Stay tuned for our next AirSend update, where we will reveal more improvements. We hope you enjoy these updates as much as we had fun developing them. 

Have feedback you would like to share? Let us know what you think through our public channel.

For some people, one of the hardest things to do is to stay organized. If you are one of these people, this blog post is for you. Working in an office has various positives and negatives. One of the positives is that there is more of a feeling of structure and accountability as opposed to a remote work setting. So how do you stay organized when you don’t feel like there’s someone looking over your shoulder?

Below are some tips on how to stay organized while remote working. They come from a great book on remote working you can download for free called Get Remote Work Done by Madhan Kanagavel.

Get Things Done

Your to-do list won’t become messy and overwhelming if you get things done as soon as possible.

Getting things done is about outcomes and accomplishing objectives, regardless of the hurdles and challenges encountered. It is the primary way you increase your value to your team. It is also the most visible indicator of your effectiveness to your team members and leaders. 

Be Self-Driven

It goes without saying, working remotely on a job you really like will make you happier and make you more productive. You work without being micromanaged and deliver excellence. Every single time. 

The benefit of being self-driven when it comes to organization is that you will take the necessary steps to stay on top of things without needing someone to tell you to do so.

Be Detail Oriented

When getting instructions, ask clarifying questions. Think it makes you look dumb if you ask questions? It makes you look a whole lot worse when you do the wrong thing.

It is easy to completely miss what is being communicated when people have totally different contexts. Asking questions will save you hours of rework. Say, ‘So if I understand you correctly, you mean that…’ Or say, ‘To summarize our discussion, here’s what we will do.’

Reduce Noise

Eventually, as the team grows, most communication channels used by teams become noisy and hard to use. This is true for all types of channels including text chat, email etc.

Address these problems swiftly by doing the following: break large distribution groups into smaller groups to make communication more relevant and remind people to only send high quality communication to large groups.

This is how you keep remote work communication organized no matter how large your team or organization is.

We hope that these remote work organization tips help you. They have certainly helped the AirSend team become happier and more productive working from home.

Until next time!

AirSend is a versatile digital workspace to share files, send messages, and complete tasks. Click here to see how AirSend can help you.

Most small businesses require simple collaboration tools. Simple collaboration tools ensure better and faster productivity. A simple collaboration tool requires ease of use, understandable features, and seamless integration with other apps. In the blog post, we list six of the simplest collaboration tools you will ever find to help run your small business. 

AirSend

AirSend is the simplest collaboration tool on the market. AirSend is perfect for small businesses seeking to: 

• Collaborate with external and internal clients. 
• Have built-in voice and video calls.
• Track tasks. 
• Have a secure file organization.
• Keep clients in the loop with a built-in notebook.

We also offer a Gmail extension and 365 integration. That way, you can continue to connect and stay in the loop with clients even if you are not in AirSend. Additionally, AirSend is incredibly easy to use. Most users love AirSend for its simplistic design/functionality. 

AirSend also offers public channels, which can be great for small businesses looking to promote their business through an online community. AirSend public channels would also be an excellent source for businesses to receive customer feedback/suggestions.

We take care of all your business needs by organizing them into one space. Unlike most tools that offer a ton of hard-to-finding features, AirSend has all of its features in clearly visible locations. Finally, AirSend is consistently launching new updates to make collaboration more comfortable and better between businesses and clients.

Asana

Asana is a task management tool designed for large and small project collaboration. Asana is designed in a kanban style board view. The kanban design ensures visibly clear organization of tasks that need to be completed.

Further, in each Asana card, users can assign checklists, leave comments, tag, label, and leave multiple descriptions. The only issue with Asana is that users have to communicate through an Asana card comment section. Some people may find communicating through a comments section annoying. 

However, the seamless collaboration through task management outweighs the negative. Asana is perfect for those who are heavily task-oriented and need all the ins and outs of a task management tool.

The platform also offers integration: 

• Microsoft Teams
• Slack
• Salesforce
• Gmail
• Outlook
• Zapier
• Everhour

This is a list of some of the integrations that Asana offers; however, the platform offers much more than the list above. When you first begin using the app, it can take a little time to learn, but once you figure it out, it will appear as one of the more simple collaboration tools. 

Trello

Trello is another task management tool with a kanban board layout. Much like Asana, Trello users can leave descriptions, labels, due dates, and checklists within a Trello card. However, unlike Asana, Trello is user-intuitive and friendly. 

Trello also features themed backgrounds, making collaboration more aesthetic. Most users love the themed designs of Trello. However, the negative functionality to a Trello card is that sometimes it can be difficult to find information. For instance, a Trello card with a plethora of information would require a lot of scrolling, thereby making it harder to find the information. 

Some users have commented about the lack of a “delete” button. Most users do not like the fact that they only have the ability to archive a board/card. Instead, most users would feel comfortable deleting boards that they are no longer going to use. 

Chanty

Chanty is a simple collaboration tool. With Chanty, team members can: 

• Communicate
• Collaborate 
• Connect
• Organize

With unlimited one on one audio calls and search history, users can get work done faster. Chanty also has a similar design to Slack. So, if you switch from Slack to Chanty, you do not need to worry about learning a new tool from scratch. 

Like AirSend, Chanty also features built-in task management, roles and permissions, and public and private conversations. Chanty is also great for small businesses looking for a tool that offers enough to get work done without being too complicated.

Finally, what makes Chanty so easy to use is its clear design. Everything is labeled, and the user interface is super easy to understand. The only downside is that most of the essential features to getting work done require the business plan ($3 per user/ per month). 

Flock

Flock is another simple collaboration tool that is perfect for small businesses. The platform offers:

• Instant conversations
• Video and audio calls
• App integrations
• Searchable archive 

Flock carries the same design concept as Slack and Chanty. The platform also helps users with their productivity by featuring tools like polls, note sharing, reminders, and shared to-do’s. Some of the app integrations they offer are: 

• Asana
• Twitter
• Google Drive
• Todoist

Aside from the platform being incredibly easy to use, Flock also features ten public channels for group conversations and feedback. So, if you are a small business looking to get customer feedback or want to start a community with other businesses, Flock would be a neat tool to try out. 

Monday

Monday is another highly effective, simple collaboration tool. The platform is perfect for small businesses, project management, organization, and of course, collaboration. With Monday, businesses and workers can effectively organize their workload and increase their work efficiency. 

Monday is also perfect for marketing. Specifically social media campaigning. And as a small business, marketing is EVERYTHING. The platform offers a dashboard view of analytics and metrics, forms, secure file uploads, and updates on currents tasks/projects.

Also, for businesses that like to have an online presence, Monday has amazing content planning templates. Let’s get back to why Monday is a simplistic and much-favored collaboration tool. Monday is known for its colorful design, making it easier to distinguish priority tasks.

The app also has an amazing project overview layout. Users can clearly see what is done and what needs to be done, along with a five-star rating system of the project’s priority level and timeline.

Much like AirSend, Monday is a centralized collaboration tool where all your business needs can be met with one tool. No more app switching. Best of all, the platform features integrations. Here is a list of the few integrations they offer: 

• Outlook
• Microsoft Teams
• Dropbox
• Slack
• Zoom
• Google Calendar

Wrapping Up

Ultimately, each collaboration tool is optimized for simplicity. It is important to have a simplistic tool that is not too hard to figure out, allows workers to get all their work done in one space, and offers integrations.  In this article, we list six of the simplest collaboration tools on the market. 

1. AirSend
2. Asana
3. Trello
4. Chanty
5. Flock
6. Monday

Each of these tools is guaranteed to help you thrive in your small business- whether it is coordinating with clients to marketing your business with a public channel. Do you need a simple and easy to use collaboration tool to work with clients and other businesses? Sign up for AirSend, and get AirSend Pro free for one year. 

Hello, how are you doing? It’s been almost a year since many of us were plunged into working from home. And while you’d think this would be enough time for us to get our bearings, some of us are still floundering. Below are some tips and tricks to consider when it comes to good remote work manners. They come from a book you can download for free called Get Remote Work Done by Madhan Kanagavel.

Share Accomplishments, Not Presence

Many people new to remote work are anxious to show their presence or the fact that they are busy doing things. Sharing outcomes is more impressive and shows real work is getting done. 

Be Polite

Since remote communication can completely remove the other cues you get when talking to a person face-to-face, make sure you go out of your way to be polite and respectful.

Be Responsive

Any message sent to you that needs your attention (could be a reply or an action) typically cannot go unanswered for more than 24 hours. 

Be Engaged

It is quite easy to be detached and aloof, minding your own work and not really participating in chat, banter or discussions. But do make the effort to engage with your team. This is hard work and it can be a bit distracting, but makes work way more fun. 

Develop Cultural Awareness

When working across different time zones, it is highly likely that you will be working with a diverse set of people. This requires effort from the leaders and the team to ensure that everyone is aware of such differences and to be sensitive to those needs. When cultural norms are being flouted inadvertently, the leader must make the effort to correct and explain the problem. 

Have Better Meetings

Meetings suck up time. So, to be productive, try to organize your time so that you bunch all of your meetings as much as possible in a day and if possible, keep a few days in a week relatively meeting-free. Keep meetings to the point and don’t let a few people monopolize the conversation.

We hope that these remote work tips and tricks help you. They have certainly helped the AirSend team become happier and more productive working from home.

Until next time!

AirSend is a versatile digital workspace to share files, send messages, and complete tasks. Click here to see how AirSend can help you.