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Associations, non-profits and community groups often depend on the activation of their membership and volunteers to make progress on fulfilling their purpose and achieving their goals. But recruiting, deploying, educating, monitoring and tracking the activities of even a small number of members or volunteers is incredibly time-consuming and inefficient. When the association is global, it turns into a real nightmare. The Internet, and specifically enterprise 2.0 collaboration software, has changed all that.  

Here's what a community group, association or non-profit can do with enterprise 2.0 software.

• Enable people to work from home. Gone are the days of showing up at 'headquarters' and getting lists of people to contact or tasks to be completed. With enterprise software - all the information you need is right on each person's computer, updated in real time.

• Keep track of each person's progress. Using the task management feature in enterprise 2.0 collaboration software, everyone can check off what they've done and what goals they've reached. They can also immediately report any difficulties so administrators quickly find out there's a problem, and can do something about it.

• Board members can meet more frequently, keep abreast of changes and make quick decisions - all without leaving their home or office location, and even when they're all in different countries and time zones.

• You no longer have to depend on IT to get people up and running. Anyone capable of opening a browser and creating an email account can be operational within minutes. IT doesn't have to set them up, and no one has to be at their side or spend hours teaching them how to use it. This means the association can create and utilize an ever-expanding membership and volunteer base without the need to take on additional administrative staff.

• Contact lists are constantly updated. You know when and where to get in touch with each person whenever you need them.

• Because members, volunteers, and administrators don't have so much traveling to do, they have far more time to simply get the work done. And if a volunteer only has a short time available on any given day, they can use it to accomplish something. Taking travel out of the equation adds up to a big increase in productivity.

• Administrators can brief the whole group simultaneously, and quickly. The briefing is stored on the enterprise 2.0 software, each person is alerted to the fact that it's there, and they can access it quickly and easily.

• Enterprise software provides a constantly-updated database of documents, procedures, processes and changes that keep people informed in real time.

To top it all off, some of the best enterprise 2.0 solutions don't even cost a lot of money. And it routinely saves money through increased productivity and efficiency.

Technology makes it possible for community groups, associations and non-profits to forward their purpose and reach their goals in an entirely new order of magnitude than we've ever seen before. Taking advantage of everything it has to offer can change the face of your organization. 

Intranet software is the ultimate in coordination, collaboration, information sharing, project and task management, training and support. It covers a lot of ground. So much, in fact, that if you're not familiar with the general features and functionality, it can be hard to imagine everything it can do for your company.

To make sure you get the information you need, Central Desktop has produced an intranet webinar that graphically demonstrates the basics, introduces you to the Central Desktop features and functionality, and answers your questions.

The webinar breaks down the use of company wide intranet software as well as set ups for specific workgroups or departments. It also shows you how it can be used by executives, directors, and employees to communicate to staff, customers, and each other.

Customer profiles on the use of intranet software are also featured - with company wide deployment and with departments and workgroups. They also present an overview of a mock corporate intranet environment.

The pros and cons of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform are also reviewed.

Companies using Central Desktop's collaboration software as their intranet application routinely report impressive ROI statistics: 30% savings on time, 30% cost savings, profit margins increased by 20%, project management overhead costs cut in half, 75-100% less confusion and rework - and so on.

If you're considering deploying intranet software, or you're not deriving the benefits from your existing application, watch the intranet software webinar to find out more.  

How can you make your Intranet into a user experience that will reap all the potential benefits for your company? It is largely dependant on how easy it is to use, and whether or not the information and tools provided make someone's job easier and more productive.

A good example of incorrect use of the Intranet can often been seen in sales. Managers and others who set up the sales Intranet never forget to include calendars, statistics, tracking for number of calls made and other steps in the sales cycle. Nor do they forget leads, prospect lists, and so on. But they don't necessarily ask the sales people exactly what they need, and make sure they get it.

Here's a list to get your sales Intranet off to a good start:

• Product one-sheets
• Full technical specs
• Case studies and testimonials, cross-indexed for industry type and size
• Charts comparing your product's features, functionality and pricing with those of
• competitor products

• ROI charts, including comparatives with competitors
• Interactive spreadsheets that enable quick pricing for different configurations and number of seats
• Any special pricing deals currently available
• Approved discounts
• Up-to-date reference clients who can be contacted by a potential customer - including a schedule of when the reference is available to take calls. Also cross-indexed for industry type and size.
• Charts covering sales objections and their handlings
• FAQs
• Contact information for anyone who can tag on a sale, including IT
• Product demos

There are sales people all over the world who would kill for that kind of data. Use this as a checklist to improve your sales Intranet usability, and survey your sales people personally to find out what else they need. Yes, it will take a little work but there's a big pot of gold at the end of it: A happier, more efficient, more productive sales team that's making more money for themselves and the company - just by using your collaboration software's Intranet.

Enterprise software - software designed to solve enterprise-wide problems rather than those involving only a single department - can be very expensive. Not only is the initial capital outlay costly, it often requires a team of technical personnel and consultants to deploy, customize, and maintain it. Which doesn't exactly jibe with green initiatives on the power end of things: more personnel and equipment to power up, keep cool, keep warm and house in a well-lit location.

However, the SaaS model for enterprise software is a very different story, for several reasons:

Instead of the servers sitting in your data center, they reside with your provider. Based on the Energy Information Association's info on the average cost of power per kilowatt hour (kWH) in 2008, eliminating just one server would reduce your power bill by about $400 per year. And that doesn't include the cost of keeping it cool.

Not having that server also means one less server that will eventually end up in landfill.

In addition to reducing power usage, and the associated costs, SaaS enterprise software has many other environmentally-sound advantages: a good enterprise software system includes collaboration software, for example. This allows staff to work remotely, thereby lowering the consumption of fossil fuels and pumping less exhaust into the air, and reduce the overhead on space and power consumption within the office.

If you're looking at going green, SaaS enterprise software can help you kill two birds with one stone. It will further your green initiatives, while saving money. Check it out! 

Task management, project management, and information sharing is great if it's easy to deploy and use. Otherwise, it's a waste of time and money.

Just the idea of changing an office system can send some people running in paroxysmal fear to find out how many sick days they've accumulated. They just want to get out of the office and not come back until someone else has done the job. This is especially true with something like collaboration software - it isn't just installing updates or rearranging furniture, it's more like a whole new operating system that changes how everyone does just about everything! Is there an exception to the rule? You bet. It's called Central Desktop.

Collaboration software that takes months - you know what I'm talking about - to deploy and is so complex you can't even get people to use it is a waste of time. And it probably also cost a lot of money, so that also goes down the drain.

Central Desktop, on the other hand, is a whole different story. Here's what a few customers have to say about deploying and using Central Desktop's collaboration software:

"I expected some sort of learning curve to get it started but, surprisingly, it's been rather intuitive. It's been rather intuitive for the entire team across the planet."

"The startup time is zero...You can deploy a Central Desktop workspace in a matter of five or ten minutes. You really can't do that with SharePoint...If you want a way to do global collaboration: secured global collaboration, project management, information sharing, document archival...Central Desktop is so much more efficient and the price is close to free...It's one of the best values."

"The reason I chose Central Desktop collaboration software over some Wiki tools was that I could do it myself being a non-technical person."

"I can have a Project Management website up and usable to my customers and team members in under 60 seconds. That is the epitome of the Fanatical Support that we provide to our customers."

"I'm trying to accomplish the same thing with SharePoint that I did with Central Desktop with a client that insists on using SharePoint and I'm pulling out all of my hair! Central Desktop is so much easier to setup. "

Collaboration software is supposed to make project and task management easier, faster and more economical. Why not start off with something that does all those things right out of the virtual box? Check out Central Desktop and see the difference.

Which collaboration software is right for you? New webinar details the facts in a comparative analysis.

Central Desktop is a web-based collaboration software solution offering discussions, forums, blogs, web meetings and conference calls, and is a full document repository with spreadsheets, databases and search. It also offers collaboration tools such as wikis, workflow monitoring, projects, and calendars. Everything collaboration software should have.

Research has shown that the three main reasons companies choose SharePoint rather than Central Desktop or another SharePoint alternative revolve around its configurable security, its active directory features, and the capacity for integration with other Microsoft applications such as Outlook.

However, what people may not realize is that Central Desktop offers these components as well - at a significant cost savings.

According to a recent cost comparison analysis, presented in the Central Desktop webinar, the cost of deploying Central Desktop is approximately half that of SharePoint.

The comparison chart outlines in detail the initial capitol expenditures, additional year-one costs and those recurring annually. The breakdown includes everything from software license fees, hardware costs, configuration, and set up and training costs, as well as the expense of ongoing maintenance, security patches, and updates.

But doesn't the new web-based version of SharePoint eliminate most of these costs and bring the TCO more in line with that of Central Desktop? Surprisingly, the answer is no.

To find out more about Central Desktop's collaboration software as a SharePoint alternative, tune into the webinar, or contact Central Desktop for full details and the cost comparison analysis.

Whether you're a virtual assistant or the CEO of a multi-national company, task management software can make or break you.

It doesn't seem to matter whether you're the owner of a small company with just a few employees or a team member in one of the hundreds of departments in a multi-national company, there always seems to be too much to do. And no matter what the size of your business - whether you're dealing with complex strategic plans and programs or day-to-day action items - the survival and growth of your business depend on getting everything done, on time. Here's a brief rundown on task management software and a few other organizational tools to help you out.

Task management software. Gone are the days of sticky notes covering everything in your office except your keyboard and the viewing portion of your monitor. Note: that's just the viewing portion, the frame is invisible (it's a really good place for sticky notes.) With task management software every one of those sticky notes can be recorded, prioritized and put on your calendar.

Project management software. All those individual tasks recorded in your task management software add up something. Running a business is like a pyramid. At the top is the overall strategy, immediately below that are the plans you need to bring the strategy to fruition, and from there things get broken down even further until you get to the little day-to-day action items for each person involved. The success of the strategy depends on each person doing their part. How do you monitor and control all that activity? With project management software.

File sharing. No, we're not talking about downloading illegal movies and music - we're talking about a sophisticated and well-organized electronic storage system for data that can be easily and immediately distributed to everyone who needs it. Companies have reported being able to access data four times faster and reduce confusion by 100%. The end result - faster problem resolution, faster decision making, and products that get to market in record time.

Collaboration software. Good collaboration software includes all of the above. Project management and task management software functionality enables a department head, for example, to monitor the tasks and projects of all concerned. And file sharing takes on new meaning: you can not only find and distribute files easily, you can also review documents, spreadsheets and other vital information over an intranet or the Internet with as many co-workers as needed, all at the same time. Saves time, saves money, and geography can't slow you down.

In the words of Malcolm S. Forbes, publisher of Forbes Magazine until his death in 1990, "One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half-a-hundred half-finished tasks." Whether you're a virtual assistant or a CEO, task management software will help make sure the half-a-hundred things on your plate actually get done.

Of the hundreds of small business software applications available, collaboration software may be the most valuable investment.

When money's tight, as it is currently with our staggering economic problems, small businesses really struggle with where to invest their beans. They need to increase efficiency and often cut costs but, at the same time, boost their competitive edge. Of all the small business software available to support those initiatives, collaboration software may have the most to offer.

How can collaboration software help achieve these objectives?

One increasingly popular way to cut costs is the virtual office. Employees working in the office can cost two to five times their actual salary. You pay for space and all the ancillary utility and maintenance costs, furniture, equipment, telephones, contents and liability insurance, and so on. Even more if you own the building.

You also often need staff, like a receptionist and additional HR personnel, which you don't need in a virtual office. Even if only some of your employees are working from home, these costs can be reduced significantly.

The benefits don't stop there: You may be able to hire valuable staff that wouldn't otherwise be available to you because of their location and, according to several studies, off-site staff can be even more productive than those in the office.

However, to pull it off successfully, your virtual employees have to interact; they have to operate as a team. And that's where the right collaboration software comes in.

Whether your enterprise operates virtually, on-site, or a combination of the two, collaboration software also enables immediate and real-time access to information, other staff, and customers. This increases efficiency, speeds the decision-making process all around, enables off-site sales staff to close deals more quickly, and allows projects to get completed post haste.

Some of the results of using collaboration software are very impressive. With Central Desktop for example, one of the premiere, most popular and cost effective tools, enterprises have reported doubling their per-client profit and increasing general productivity by 30% - while reducing operating costs.

Any enterprise evaluating which small business software would give them the most bang for their buck should check out collaboration software. Sure, times are tough - but innovative small businesses that take advantage of applications that increase efficiency and productivity, that set them apart from the competition and give them an edge, could turn this into a very profitable year.

Related Post: Best Small Business Software

Collaboration software with full intranet capabilities can close the gap between dreams and reality.

There's an old saying: The gap between theory and practice is greater in practice than it is in theory. In other words: things are easier said than done. This is almost a given in the field of administration, where coordination and collaboration with others is key. No matter what industry you're administering, if the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, confusion reigns. Intranet software is the answer to this age-old problem, but how you use it could be the difference between success and failure.

What should be at the top of the list when setting up intranet software? For someone new to intranet applications, the first task would be personal research and contact with application vendors to find out what can be done. Next, you survey the potential users.
    
Ultimately, you want to enable everyone to do their jobs more easily, more efficiently, more profitably, and more pleasantly. You may have your own ideas about what each person or department needs, nothing takes the place of getting the info directly from the guys doing the job.

While all companies and departments have different priorities and problems that can be solved with intranet software, a study conducted by author, speaker and web content management consultant Gerry McGovern provides some good basics. Nearly 250 intranet users from North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand were given a list of 58 intranet software features and functions and asked to choose the five most important.

Surprisingly, 'find people' got a whopping 18% of the vote, more than the 35 bottom tasks combined.

Find people - who does what, how do I find them - is accommodated in intranet software with HR files and group calendar functions. HR supplies job descriptions, schedules, email addresses, phone numbers, location of departments and desks, and so on. The group calendar section tells you who's out of town and who's in, who's in meetings and who's out, and when they'll be available. You can also set up meetings with this function - gone are the days when it takes an entire day to find everyone involved and coordinate. Intranet software cuts the legwork down to a few minutes.

Respondents were also asked about their top three desired improvements. 'Better content organization and classification', 'easier to find information', and 'better search' were the winners.

While all company information may be somewhere on your intranet, if it's not easily accessible it's about as useful as a badly-written technical user manual - no one will read it, and everyone will be wasting their own and everyone else's time trying to find info they should be able to access with a few keystrokes.

Intranet software is a subset of collaboration software. Collaboration software has additional features and functionality, but the best applications include full intranet capabilities - just the bare bones of which are described above.

If you want to close the gap between theory and practice and turn your company's dreams into reality, check out the benefits of intranet software. 

Deciding to become a virtual assistant can seem like a big decision. Maintaining a home-based business can be very challenging.  It can be taxing having to communicate and manage multiple clients in different industries and time zones. Sure there's an attraction to being your own boss and making tons of money.  But there are lots of risks too. Still interested? Good!

Fortunately, there's a number of software available that can help you manage your clients and resources to help you do your job more easily.  Nevertheless, finding the software can be demanding and time consuming, so our goal is to help you get started.  We've taken the liberty to make the discovery process easier by creating a list of our top finds.  Learn what software savvy VAs use to run their businesses successfully from home.   

The best software for Virtual Assistants are listed below:








 
1.    FRESHBOOKS tracks man hours and overall productivity as well as invoices.  You no longer have to waste paid labor rummaging through file cabinets for a time sheet that dates back to Reaganomics. Searching through backlogs has been reduced to a quick query in a search engine - something any virtual assistant or business will appreciate.









        
2.    RING CENTRAL puts VA's and small businesses in Touch and In Control™ by unifying and intelligently managing all their phone, mobile, fax and email communications with a single phone number and an easy-to-use online control center. It's the first virtual phone system designed specifically to meet the needs of VA's, small businesses and mobile professionals



          



 
3.    CENTRAL DESKTOP collaboration software helps virtual assistants to manage and connect with their clients from anywhere.  It provides VAs with shared online workspaces. Each workspace is shared with each client. Instead of using email to send file revisions back & forth all files are kept online - all revisions are stored and accessible with tracked file version-control & all discussions between the virtual assistant and their client are part of a discussion thread.









 
4.    MY FAX is the fastest growing Internet fax service used by individuals, virtual assistants, small, medium and large businesses to send and receive faxes using existing email accounts or the web. MyFax offers services in North America, Europe and the UK to industries recognized among the fastest growing adopters of Internet fax including finance, insurance, real estate, healthcare, transportation and government. MyFax lets you send and receive faxes through email from as little as $10 per month and includes one hundred faxes free per month.

             








5.    TWITTER is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default).
Virtual Assistants on Twitter

There it is, a few handy tools that VAs can access from anywhere at any time.  The good news is, most of them are free and if not free, they offer a free trial.