I thought I’d start a regular feature (maybe bi-monthly) about the software tools and services used at Clearly Simple Solutions. Of course, there are caveats to this, namely that this post reflects what I use and think is cool at a  specific point in time. What seems like the perfect tool today may not fit the bill tomorrow and I may already have a new favorite. You never know.

I’ll kick off the feature with my current favorite, Batchbook. Batchbook is a “social crm” (the company’s moniker, not mine) from Batchblue. I’ve been using it 6-8 weeks now and so far so good.

How did I chose it? I wish I could say I took copious notes at the time I was reviewing the options, but I didn’t. Personally, I cared about a few things:

• ease of use

• ability to import and export contacts

• to-do list management

• ability to keep track of communications with contacts

• some simple way to do campaign management

• low cost

• web-based

Of course, even though I was looking for a tool for my own business, I was on the lookout for tools that would work well for my small business clients as well. So I discovered a funny thing about CRM tools for small businesses – there are a lot of good ones. I felt like there were a lot of viable choices.  Many small business are successful with Highrise, ZohoCRM, SugarCRM or one of the other major contenders. What it came down to was, well, personality.  What I mean by that in this case is how was combination of design, functionality and support suitable so using it isn’t a chore?  In my case, Batchbook fit the bill.  The site and the tool had the right feel, the right vibe and the right level of functionality; not too little (some are barely more than contact list), not too much (in some the sales and marketing features made me cross-eyed).  I haven’t used the support directly myself yet but the forums and FAQs are easy to use and suggest friendly, quick customer service.

What do I like?

• It was easy to use right away.  For me, reading instructions is what you do after you can’t figure out how to do something.  I very rarely have to read instructions for Batchbook.
• The error messages, when you get them, are clear.
• It is easy to find things.
• Nothing is “in your face” or shouting at you.
• It is way easy to import and export contacts.  You can also add contacts by just forwarding an email to Batchbook.
• I love the social media connections; for each for my contacts I can monitor their Twitter activity, LinkedIn and other social outlets.
• Although I have way too many contacts for the free version, the next level up is attractively priced.
• And the tags and supertags are way cool – anything you can’t do somewhere else you can do with them.  Finally, it integrates well with Mail Chimp which was a pleasant surprise.

What could be better?

• Well, it could be faster, for a start.
• If you add a contact with tags it is two steps instead of one.
• Reporting could be seriously juiced up – I know I am a reformed software engineer but how can you do good queries with no parentheses and no ability to search for null or empty fields?
• What is up with no Facebook integration?

Other than those small quibbles, so far so good.  Not only do I like the tool, I have recommended it to a few friends.  The folks at Batchblue don’t know me from Adam so this is an unbiased opinion.  Tools like Batchbook are ideal for small businesses.

What do you use for YOUR small business?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juhansonin/ / CC BY 2.0

What kind of planning do you do? Do you take some time to think about your business and set goals for the coming months? A lot of us do this at the end of the year for the coming year but of course it can be done at any time and should be done regularly. Without some sort of planning your business has no direction. Your strategy or plan tells others (and yourself!) where you want to go. If you think this is only for big businesses you’re making a big mistake. This planning doesn’t have to be fancy; you’re the audience so write it down however you like. (I do recommend writing it down though, if you don’t does it really exist?)

A technology plan is an extension of your business plan that addresses how you will use technology in your business to support the business goals you set. Simple as that.

Ok, saying it is simple, putting it together is a little more involved but not complicated. Here is how it goes:

• First, review your business goals and objectives. Even though you are putting together a technology plan, it is really about your business and any investments you make have to support your goals and objectives.

• At a high level, outline your current environment. Who are you customers? What technology do you currently have in place? How do your employees and customers use the technology you have? Are there any risks or vulnerabilities in your current environment? For example, can your systems and processes handle more business? Are they outdated or out of support? Are you covered in the event of unavoidable outages? Are you covered in the case a key employee leaves or is unable to work?

• Determine if there are opportunities to further your business goals and objectives by adding or removing technologies. Can you save time or money but using an email service instead of sending your newsletter manually? Do you have a good way to keep track of your customers? Are your  employees able to fully serve your customers’ needs when they are out of the office?

• Look at your current state and the opportunities and determine a strategy or set of strategies to tie them together. Think about what might have to change operationally if you make these changes. Will you have hire more people or can you do with fewer? Who will be responsible for maintaining and using the new system?

• Determine the cost and benefits of executing on a specific strategy and make sure you know how you will measure success. Are you expecting your sales people to be more effective and make more sales if they have the ability to produce quotes at your customer site? How many more?

• Define a list of activities, including how long they will take, how much they will cost and whether there are any dependencies. Take small bites; make one change and see how it does before making another one. You don’t want your business to implode or your customers to be confused as you work through your technology plan. You also won’t want to make a lot of big investments at once.

The result of this is your technology plan. It is a road map to how you will move forward with technology to accelerate your business. It might look intimidating; it doesn’t have to be, though you may need help. An experienced technology adviser or consultant can lead you thru the process, especially where you are evaluating new technologies. New applications and tools spring up almost daily; an expert will keep up with what is going on and help you identify possibilities.

For an example of technology planning go to http://clearlysimplesolutions.com/what_we_do_tech.php.

Inc.com has this good article about online reviews that reflects a lot of what I wrote about in my post Why Should Small Business Care about Ratings and Reviews? .  In it the author lists 7 easy steps to improving your online reputation, including monitoring and responding to the reviews you have as well as soliciting reviews from your current customers.  The last point they make is important – it is a numbers game.  Your small business will be reviewed and rated online whether you want it to or not.  You will sometimes get bad reviews.  Your best defense is to get as many good reviews out there from your loyal customers; let consumers see what a good job you do and how happy (most) of your customers are!

Most of the small businesses I talk to, even the tiniest of them, know that when they need legal advice, they need to see their attorney.  Beyond that, they will proactively seek the counsel of their attorney on a regular basis as things change with their business and as they have to make decisions that affect it.

The same goes for their financial needs; most of them have a CPA that they see at least once a year at tax time.  Most accountants would recommend more regular visits at key times in the business cycle to help with future planning.  For example, if you need a new vehicle for your business you should consult with your accountant BEFORE you purchase to make sure the type of vehicle you choose will maximize your tax benefits.

Yet, when it comes to the technology businesses use, they are often left adrift with no help.  Some businesses have a simple website set up by their cousin along with some boxed software they use for billing and accounting.  Others have had consultants build fancy websites and other solution providers in to set up networks and more complicated systems.  In both cases though, these businesses have set no overall technology vision that supports their business plan.  They don’t know if the “pieces” they have fit together, if they are paying too much for overlapping technology, or how much they are wasting on “shelf-ware” they never use.   It is like they are standing way to close to an impressionist painting.  All they see are the dots, not how they combine to create a beautiful flower.

Worse than that though, they don’t have anyone helping them identify opportunities where technology could accelerate their business.   Often there are ways to leverage technology to increase revenue or reduce costs…if businesses only knew what was available.

Today, every kind of business is more and more dependent on technology (like it or not!).  This dependency will only grow.  As a small business owner it makes sense to seek out the advice and counsel of an overall technology advisor.  Someone that can help you see the painting for the dots.  You have a business plan, and maybe marketing plan and a sales plan.  You also need a technology plan that ties these all together.

For an example of what a technology plan is and how it works you can go to http://clearlysimplesolutions.com/what_we_do_tech.php.

It is almost the beginning of 2010 – do you have your technology plan in place?