If you’re reading this, you probably have a store or service that has at least a basic customer-facing online home.
We’re now in an age where if you don’t have an online presence, you may as well not exist. Whether it’s social media, a simple website, or a review page, people look for what they want on the web and if you aren’t there, you don’t get their custom.
But that’s not the only way to innovate on the internet. A free online workspace like Bitrix24 gives you the same dynamism behind the scenes as your social media account gives you for your marketing and sales.
This article will take a look at 7 of the top advantages of online workspaces — all of which you can get when you sign up to Bitrix24.
Wait, what’s an online workspace?
That’s a great question. Simply put, an online, or cloud-based, workspace is a platform that contains all your business tools in one place. Rather than taking a call on a landline phone, then typing your notes on an expensive Microsoft Word, opening a different email account and HR invoice builder to reply, you get everything in one place.
Bitrix24 connects all the tools you need in your business, which is an incredible time-saver as it saves records of all your customer interactions, lets you automatically create invoices, and has a plethora of communications channels rather than a different app for each tool.
Now, let’s get to those benefits.
1. You can cut a huge part out of your budget
Apart from being able to get started with Bitrix24 for free, there are all kinds of other areas where you can save a pretty penny.
It’s very easy to find a great HR app and slap down the cash for it. But when you start realizing you need a project management platform and a range of communication tools, you’ll soon find your range of unconnected apps costing you more than a year’s wage. One online workspace gives you full control of your costs in one place.
That’s just on the software side though. The fact that all of your apps are on the cloud means all your staff can work from home, taking the massive chunk of premises rental out of your budget. Your workers win too, saving on transport costs and being able to live wherever they want.
2. Communication is a piece of cake
With Bitrix24’s online workspace, you get all the communication channels you could imagine. Each one has a purpose, so it’s good to have a working knowledge of them all. For example, a video call is great for a remote meeting, and instant messenger is perfect when you’re chatting about a project.
Communication isn’t just for your internal processes though. You can give your customers various methods to contact you from customizable online forms and emails to phone calls and social media.
3. All your customer records at the click of a button
In the modern business world, quick reply times are highly valued, and you certainly don’t want to be sifting through paper records of your clients or — shock horror — away from your desk when someone calls!
Bitrix24 solves all of those issues with a comprehensive cloud-based CRM that everybody on your sales or customer service team can access in an instant. You’ll get contact details and summaries of past interactions and be fully prepared to reach out. What’s more, Bitrix24 is available on iOS and Android so you’ll never miss a call, email, or instant message.
4. Manage projects like a pro
Project management is where the Bitrix24 online workspace really comes into its own. Sure, you can see an overall view of how a project is progressing, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. At Bitrix24, we go into the fine details with space for instructions, deadlines, and easy links to documents from your Drive.
You can assign tasks and subtasks to your team members with other observers who can track their progress. Everyone can see the tasks they are a part of, so there is a great deal of accountability and transparency, as well as a feeling of inclusion — excellent for remote teams.
5. Automate tasks and spend your time more efficiently
If you’re a small business owner, you’ll be more than aware that time is never on your side. Automations within an online workspace are like a breath of fresh air, taking away the time-consuming, monotonous tasks and freeing up head space for you to take a step back and think about the bigger picture.
There are a ton of HR functions you can take off your hands such as holiday requests, business trip requests, and performance reports. You can also set up automated email marketing campaigns when new leads come in.
6. Collaborative documents cut out the clutter
There’s nothing worse than a folder full of multiple versions of the same document. All ironically have “Final Version” somewhere in their name and you find yourself wasting half a day creating a Frankenstein version that just adds to the mess.
Not any more! With Bitrix24’s collaborative online workspace, you can work simultaneously on the same document, meaning you don’t have to create multiple versions. If you want to go back in time, you can click on the version history function and flick back through past saves chronologically.
A tidy Drive means you’re far less likely to publish erroneous information and it will save you valuable time as you go looking for those key docs.
7. Build a team spirit — even if you’re remote
Working in the cloud means you can pretty much create a dream team from all around the world. With a bit of organization when it comes to working schedules, you can hire a developer in Tokyo, a sales agent in Rio de Janeiro, and a project manager in Paris. With so many companies moving online, setting up a remote office is worth considering for a vast amount of teams.
Whether you’re based in-office or online, having a good connection between colleagues is a real luxury. One of the features of an online workspace like Bitrix24 is the company intranet — perfect for work-related notifications, but just as good as a social network. Create work groups based on hobbies and interests, share memes, and get that team spirit going.
With unlimited calendars, you can also have a social calendar for your team or entire company to include things like peoples’ birthdays or staff parties.
Become an online hero today!
It couldn’t be easier to make the change and start working on the cloud, so what are you waiting for? Get started with Bitrix24 on your desktop and mobile today! Whether you’re a few people in an office or a medium-sized business, you can seamlessly add an amazing amount of features into your daily routine, freeing up time and headspace.
There are very few disadvantages of online workspaces. Yes, your internet might drop out, but your documents save automatically, and that can affect your company even if you haven’t made the jump to an online platform.
