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Productivity Software Buyer's Guide
Table of Contents
- » What is The Meaning of Productivity?
- » What is Productivity Software?
- » Is It Worth Investing Money in Productivity Software?
- » Before Choosing Any Productivity Software?
- » How to Choose The Best Productivity Software?
- » Questions to Ask a Vendor When Buying Best Productivity Software
- » How does Productivity Software Work?
- » What are The Features of Productivity Software?
- » What are The Benefits of Productivity software?
- » How Much Does Productivity Software Cost?
- » Productivity Statistics
- » Conclusion
Productivity software falls into those categories of applications that assist users by enhancing their efficiency. Creating essential documents, graphs, presentations, worksheets, and databases are some of the prime examples. Users of productivity apps mostly belong to business sectors who use software like database management systems, spreadsheet applications, graphics designing software, and word processors to carry out their daily tasks. They also go by the name of communication and collaboration programs that aid users in doing their regular jobs with ease.
» What is The Meaning of Productivity?
Productivity in business phrases points to a state of being able to do more in less time without compromising on the quality of tasks at hand. Often misunderstood as being busy, being productive means having more free time to indulge in activities you find relaxing and enjoyable. It is more about working smart rather than working hard.
» What is Productivity Software?
Employee productivity or workforce productivity denotes the process that calculates the efficiency of a worker or group of workers. Productivity software enhances that efficiency by making it easy for the employer to facilitate work for the employees. In the paperless world, businesses execute their tasks through digital means, and it happens via productivity tools. With top productivity software like Microsoft Word, one can easily create, modify, store, and share crucial documents without depending upon the traditional paper-based documentation process. It usually simplifies the complex process associated with conventional methods while promoting productivity and eradicating unnecessary time consumption.
» Is It Worth Investing Money in Productivity Software?
The best productivity software comes with a bundle of features that helps your employees stay focused, updated, and motivated. As most productivity software uses cloud-based computing, it doesn’t require a physical storage unit, which significantly reduces your storage management cost. Besides, with each process being handled digitally, you don’t have to follow the complicated manual documentation process, nor do you have to keep a stack of old files piling with dust inside the corner of the storage room. They are easy to operate, and most of the necessary features don’t require any great coding skills or technical skills. Hence, it reduces the cost which you might expend for training your new employees.
All the above benefits don’t even cover a glimpse of what productivity has to offer. Feel free to read further for in-depth insight.
» Before Choosing Any Productivity Software?
With a simple online search, you will find a vast list of productivity software with different subscription fees. While some offer a comprehensive pack of tools, others consist of stand-alone software that is developed especially for niche businesses. Therefore, it’s essential to use your wits before investing in any productivity apps.
› Your type of business:
Before opting for online productivity software, make sure you check all the features of a productivity tool and make a list of how much you need them. For example, if your business focuses solely on designing, then you can buy a standalone Photoshop or Corel draw app. Likewise, if you think your business will do well with database management, word processing, spreadsheets, data management features, then you might invest in a full package of Productivity software.
› ROI:
Every investment has a return on investment. If today you are investing in a service or commodity, then it will benefit you sooner or later. However, your investment entirely depends upon the time frame of your expected return. If you are a small company, and you invest more than your profits, then that will result in counter-productivity. Meanwhile, if you think your business is lacking behind due to productivity issues, then there are various free versions of productivity software (although they don't comprise most of the features), you can try.
› Price:
While subscribing to a premium version of a productivity monitoring software, make sure you are not overpaying it. You will find ample software which offers similar features at a great price. Sometimes good pricing brings good customer experience, so better perform in-depth research of the software.
» How to Choose The Best Productivity Software?
Although availing features must remain the prime focus of business while going for the best productivity software, you must buy software that does what it claims and do it efficiently.
However, there are other factors that you must consider as well:
› User –friendly:
The work of productivity software is to make things better for the organization rather than bringing complications to the work culture. Good user-friendly software enables even your most technologically challenged employees to carry out their work efficiently with minimum supervision. So, before buying a premium, try the demo version for a few days and see the response of your employees.
› Customer Support:
Encountering minor setbacks and errors is quite common while using new software for the first time. With robust and prompt customer support, you can quickly get rid of your software complications and learn how to tackle small errors in the future. Go through the reviews of the software, and ensure they have an exclusive 24x7 customer support system.
» Questions to Ask a Vendor When Buying Best Productivity Software
1. Does your productivity software include project management capabilities?
2. Does the solution offer cross-platform compatibility?
3. Is the software accessible from any device, at any time, remotely?
4. Will I be able to monitor my workforce, both in-office and remote, through the software?
5. Does the system come with time tracking functionality?
6. How secure is my data?
7. Can I define roles and permissions to limit access to certain information?
8. Is it possible to integrate the software with other organizational systems I already use?
9. How does it streamline communication? Does it support video conferencing, group chats, one-on-one messages, and screen sharing?
10. Is it easy to work on different projects leveraging your software?
11. Is it simple enough to use and learn even by the non-tech-savvy staff?
12. Can the system convert tasks automatically from discussions?
13. How flexible is the software? Would it scale to meet the future growing needs?
14. Does the system offer real-time alerts and updates?
15. Can the software keep us updated about the progress and critical milestones?
16. How simple is it to share and search documents?
17. What kind of reporting does it offer?
18. Does it allow different teams to collaborate seamlessly?
19. Does the solution support more than one language?
20. Can the solution bundle up notifications?
21. How long is the implementation period?
22. What is the training duration?
23. What type of support can I expect after purchasing the software?
24. Is the system customizable to meet my unique requirements?
25. Have you served clients in my niche before?
26. Is the cost all-inclusive?
» How does Productivity Software Work?
First of all, productivity software belongs to a diverse range of tools, which can’t be put under one umbrella. Although most productivity tools like Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Open Office, Plus Office, and Zoho include a myriad of productivity tools that facilitate a comprehensive benefit for all businesses. The work of top Productivity software starts from organizing your files to editing them with pictures & videos, creating databases, sending emails, creating business cards, etc.
The software is a modified and user-friendly version of complicated tools which was once only used to hardcore professionals. However, the emergence of technology has made everything within the click of a few buttons.
» What are The Features of Productivity Software?
› Word and data processing software:
Even though digital imagery and videos have dominated the world, written words still hold vital importance in businesses. Whether it’s regarding developing a marketing plan or releasing a memo or a benefits policy, the importance of words will always maintain a top priority in an organization.
Word processing software helps in creating those documents by facilitating a digital platform where one can enter text and store them for the future. The software also allows you to copy the text, modify it, and even delete it when required. High modification and alteration features of the word processing include copying, moving, removing, changing the text’s size, text font, bolding the text, underlining, etc. Some of the best productivity software for small businesses comes with exclusive tools like spelling & grammar correction, table & infographic creation, etc.
The format features allow you to manage your texts into columns, add header & footer, insert pictures, page numbers, calendar, etc. The word processing software saves you countless time spent writing the address and name of the sender in each letter. With the merge function, you don’t rewrite a message every time for a new person. You might confuse word processing software with text editors, but it’s the myriad of unique features of word processors that differentiate it from other text editors.
› Spreadsheet software:
If word processors escalate your written texts, spreadsheet software enhances the way you work with numbers. This feature of cloud productivity software changes the way you deal with calculations and functionalities by improving your data handling ability. This software helps in creating data, modifying data and populating fields by allowing you to interact with various databases. Its offline and online sharing facility makes it much easier for you to collaborate with your employees.
The UI of a spreadsheet consists of rows and columns, also known as cells. Users can fill the Cells with texts and numerical data. Contrary to other complicated data processing applications, spreadsheet software allows easier mathematical calculations. Some advanced features in spreadsheets include multiple functions and conditional expressions.
› Presentation software:
You can call it the best productivity software for small business if you find this feature in a productivity app. With this app, you can create a presentation in the trendiest way possible. Creating a captivating presentation is a hassle, which no one wants to get involved in. Utilizing this feature, you can put images, texts, audio/video to your ideas and serve your vivid presentation on a platter.
There was a time when presenters used to hold the pre-written posters in front of a projector, and the graphics were printed on a transparent plastic film. The process was quite inflexible as even a single mismatch could result in a complete do-over. With the advent of presentation software now you will find ample tools that seamlessly combine text with general media enabling you to create a bedazzling presentation within minutes.
› Database software:
Database software plays a crucial role in creating databases and managing the information stored in them. Also called database management systems or DBMS in organizations, these tools allow users to store, modify, retrieve and search for specific information. Database software comes in handy if you are running a business and want to keep your bookkeeping tasks updated. Besides, if you own a website and want to compile your client lists in your site, you might need a database software to carry that work efficiently.
Any top business productivity software includes database management software in its bundle. For example, Microsoft Office comes with Microsoft Access. Some standalone DBMS software includes Filemaker, Delicious Monster software, abanquest, MySQL, Oracle, etc.
› Graphics design:
Graphics design plays a crucial role in capturing the attention of a large section of customers. Most businesses use a combination of content and graphics to make their information captivating, ensuring a successful conveying of information to the target audience. The graphic designing feature in productivity software allows users to create, modify, and integrate other factors in an image. You can convert a bland 2d image into 3d by adding a few simple tweaks. You will find various Cloud-based and web apps that offer such features at a nominal price. However, with productivity monitoring software, you will get these features with the bundle pack.
› File management software:
Usually, a file management software allows you to store, arrange, and retrieve your files from a storage location. You can create new files & folders, modify information and move them from one place to another. The app also enables you to add or edit metadata to the data along with making you sort your files easily as per their size, creation date, file format etc.
› Organization and time management:
Whether it’s an offline or online productivity software, all come with time-management features like calendars or to-do-lists that help an organization to manage their team efficiently. With an organizing tool, employees can list their daily work and set the deadline as per the requirement. The reminder feature in the app helps a user to stay with the schedule.
» What are The Benefits of Productivity software?
Irregular workflow poses a tremendous challenge for project managers to the extent that it might cost them a promising deal. Modification in working hours and the unavailability of a team in one place always result in a communication gap, leading to an unorganized workflow. Productivity software helps bridge the distance gap between employees and makes the world one small place.
› Staying in the schedule:
Whether you have a team of fixed-timers or freelancers, direct communication is essential to keep the work going. A productivity tool helps you manage your workforce irrespective of your geographical location. Most productivity tools allow you to assign specific tasks to your employees and set a deadline for them. It also lets your team interact with each other and share their work on one platform. For example, MS Word features live co-authoring, where more than two writers can edit a single document on a real-time basis.
› Convey information rapidly:
Team productivity software comes with visual components and text formatting options, allowing you to target every type of customer. Through this app, you can customize your marketing approach accordingly. You can integrate vivid infographics along with videos to make your information more lucrative for your customers. What makes it better is its simplicity. Most productivity software developers focus on creating a user-friendly interface, allowing non-technical employees to execute premium-level work. Unlike the traditional process, it doesn’t take a significant amount of time to modify or alter, which saves a considerable amount of time for the employees.
› Familiarization is easier:
Training a new employee to carry out a task always hinders the current process, which is further reflected in the productivity report of the overall team. The productivity apps help a newbie to carry out his/her work without following a robust training process. As every feature is at your disposal, your new employee won't waste precious time by interrupting you every single second. Less interruption means less distraction for team members and lets the new employee get on board with your current team as quickly as possible.
› Deliver on Time:
It all depends on the tools you choose for your business. There are productivity tools that track your every move on a project. Whether to set individual tasks to all your employees or divide a single responsibility among them, it’s crucial that they all complete it within time. A productivity tool lets your employee stay on track by continually reminding them of their next submission. You can track their project report in a single click, rather than calling them individually.
» How Much Does Productivity Software Cost?
When it comes to productivity software, you will find a lot of open-source and free apps on the internet. Although they do most of the jobs similar to paid apps, using open-source software is always a risky business, especially when it involves handling classified data. The price for a premium subscription ranges from $50 to $500, depending upon the cloud storage capacity and the features they offer.
» Productivity Statistics
- Revenue in the segment of Productivity Software is expected to arrive at a whopping number of $71.03 billion in 2022. [Statista]
- In a day, the average personnel is productive for only 2 hours & 53 minutes. That’s just 31% of the average workday of 8 hours. [Zippia]
- 53% of workers admit to being less productive when they are working on office premises that are too cold. [CareerBuilder]
- A whopping 85% of personnel are actively disengaged or not engaged at work which results in lost productivity worth about $7 trillion. [Gallup Workplace]
- 12% of workers reveal that they have called in sick due to job stress. [American Institute of Stress]
- 77% of the workforce say that they experience greater productivity when they are working off-site. [CoSo Cloud]
- 64% of business leaders across the world said that flexible working positively impacts productivity. [Condeco]
- Gamification of duties and tasks increases productivity levels in 89% of employees. [Statista]
- The average worker experiences interruptions every 3 minutes. [The Washington Post]
- Multitasking can damage your productivity levels by 40%. [American Psychological Association]
- 38% of the remote workforce end up feeling exhausted post everyday virtual meetings. [Forbes]
- Listening to music leads to increased productivity among 71% of people. [Robert Half]
- 42% of people reveal that the ability to have easy and quick information access impacts their productivity levels. [Business Wire]
- According to a study, it is projected that 73% of all teams would have remote employees by 2028. [Upwork]
- Employers who support their employees’ overall well-being witness a significant rise of 21% in the number of high performers at work. [Gartner]
» Conclusion
The market is transforming at an exponential rate, and there is no back-out option once you enter the race of time. The only option for you, as a business person, is to brace yourself and move along the time. An online productivity tool helps you deliver promising results with high efficiency, and paying a small price for it instead benefits you in the long run rather than hurting you financially.