GoToMeeting
Meetings are an integral part of all business operations. GoToMeeting, an online audio and video conferencing tool, lets you host unlimited virtual meetings with up to 25 attendees. You can share your computer screen with attendees, and you can grant them mouse and keyboard control to facilitate collaboration. Users can also draw and highlight on the screen.
Cost: $49 per month/$468 per year
Upgrade: With GoToWebinar and GoToTraining, you can conduct webinars and interactive training sessions, respectively. Both automatically include GoToMeeting; $99 per month/$948 per year for GoToWebinar (100 attendees), $149 per month/$1,428 per year for GoToTraining (25 attendees). Available at www.gotomeeting.com.
Insightly
Business owners should always seek to improve their customer service. Here to help is Insightly, a Web-based customer relationship management system built for small business. It integrates with multiple platforms—including Outlook, Gmail, Google Apps and more—and compiles all of your contacts’ information, including email history and other notes, in one database. It also features a calendar so you don’t miss any important dates or project deadlines.
Cost: $29 per month for a starter plan (supports up to six users and 25,000 contacts)
Upgrade: With Insightly’s pro plan, up to 40 users can store information on unlimited contacts; $99 per month. Available at
www.insightly.com.
Ruby Receptionists
Never miss an important call again. With Ruby Receptionists, a team of off-site virtual receptionists based in Portland, Ore., answer calls to your business with a cheerful personal greeting. They’re equipped with knowledge about your services, directions to your offices and more. They’ll also transfer calls to the appropriate people, relay urgent messages to you and return calls on your behalf.
Cost: $229 per month for Plan A, the most basic plan that includes 100 receptionist minutes and one voicemail box with email notifications. Plan C, Ruby Receptionists’ most inclusive offering, includes 500 receptionist minutes and three voicemail boxes with email notification; $769 per month. Available at www.callruby.com.
HiringThing
Sourcing the right talent for your business is crucial. HiringThing is hosted online software that helps you find the right employees. It lets you post and advertise your job listings across the Web, and the postings are integrated with social media. Once applicants’ résumés come in through HiringThing, you can rate and keep notes on each candidate.
Cost: $79 per month for a standard plan, which allows five job postings (includes 30-day free trial)
Upgrade: With HiringThing’s pro plan, you can post up to 10 jobs at a time. The service also includes an HR Support Center through which you can access a library of helpful HR resources; $129 per month (includes 30-day free trial). Available at www.hiringthing.com.
