Contact management is an essential part of building relationships both for business and personal. As a company or individual, there are a number of free or extremely cost effective SaaS (software as a service) options available to you. By using these tools, you can manage your own individual contacts or build a team database, accessible to your entire group.
With a CRM program, you can:

Store contact details for companies and individuals
Make notes on your clients and set to-do’s
Manage leads and define a sales process for your …

I’ve been researching different options for my business phone since starting StGermaine.ca. I use VOIP for my other companies and I’ve been very happy with the service. That being said, I’ve always wanted to try Skype for business. Their technology is fantastic and the price is right – unlimited calls and my own phone number for $75 a year!
Unfortunately, Skype (affiliate link) doesn’t offer Canadian phone numbers so I’ve never been able to use them for anything other than Skype-to-Skype calls. That is until I decided I needed a toll …

Cloud computing is the future of technology. Most techies would say the present. It’s the shift from running software applications locally on your computer to online applications that run “in the cloud” – the cloud being the internet. You pay a monthly service fee to use these “software as a service” or “SaaS” applications and they are accessible anywhere you are connected to the internet.
This type of business model also makes it easy for smaller companies to use sophisticated software cost-effectively. Most SaaS companies have scalable step functions in their …

The last decade has seen a considerable rise in outsourcing certain jobs due to the availability of highly skilled staff in other countries. This has led to many online services that provide  tools for managing contract workers remotely.
Managing workers remotely offers unique challenges and requires strong project management skills. You’ll be dealing with people from various countries,  so learning about their cultures will help bridge the gap and make relationships with contractors much stronger. To manage remote workers, you’ll also need to use online project management websites.
There are a number …

In part one of creating a virtual office space, I discuss using e-mail tools, online phone systems and instant messaging to communicate with clients, staff and contractors.
If you haven’t read my definition of a virtual office in part one, it is:
An office without a physical location where staff work remotely from home using online and communications technology.
In this second post I’ll discuss shared office space and project management tools.
Shared office space
Most major cities have shared or virtual office space that you can use for a fraction of the cost of …

A virtual office is an office without a physical location where staff work remotely from home using online and communications technology.
In this post, I’ll talk about why I decided to go with a virtual office and provide you with tips on how you can create your own.
After assessing the pros and cons for my type of business, I found a lot of pros for going virtual and not a lot of cons.
My company licenses our solution to associations and we also run our own career sites – BCjobs.ca & Albertajobcentre.ca. …