Web Software For Your Productivity System
// October 18th, 2007 // No Comments » // Ecommerce Case Study, Netsuite Web Design
My responses to a survey on web worker daily:
Go ahead and share your experiences or similarities.
1. Describe your job/career/business.
Interactive creative director managing an agency (AlexDesigns.com) that is focused on Web Based Customer Acquisition and Conversion of eCommerce, Lead Generation and Traffic Building. Our team delivers effective creative that is tested to improve customer acquisition and increase retention while decreasing advertising costs and improving (long/short term) ROI.
2. How has the web changed your working life?
Alex Designs LLC is a 100% online business. I never travel to visit clients or give demos and we have client around the world. We don’t even have an office. Actually all of my designers and developers are in different states. Plus, I have never met 99% of my clients. This cuts my overhead costs, plus streamlines everything into a nice productive system. We use web based SAS programs for accounting, project mgt and CRM. Everything is web based. Now we even work from our iPhones.
3. Describe your working situation: office, cubicle, home, cafe… and how you make it work for you.
I work from home and so do the people who work for me. Everyone once in a while, I will go to a book store or cafe to change up the atmosphere. We create our own hours and work is part of our lifestyle. So some weeks it may be 3 days a week, while others it is 6 days a week.
4. What are the key web and desktop tools you use?
#1 - Gmail
#2 - Firefox
#3 - Dreamweaver
#4 - Photoshop
#5 - NetSuite (ecommerce, project mgt, crm and accounting)
#6 - EFax
5. Describe your productivity system (to do list, goal setting, reminders, etc.)
We have tried several different ways to keep all of our projects in sync, using different pr mgt tools, invoicing tools and todo list tools. the bottom line is, we use Gmail. Gmail has totally transfered how we organize projects, clients information and other relationships. It’s a pretty simple and very easy to find previous projects with Gmail’s giant storage.
Pre-Project Process:
Client visits website and fills out contact form (RFP), client information is automatically entered into CRM (NetSuite), Project Questionnaire and Price Estimate sent to client via NetSuite and ‘labeled’ in gmail. Client accepts project and invoice is automatically sent from NetSuite requesting deposit payment. Client faxes contract to eFax and is labeled and archived to that client.
Project Completion Project:
New project is sent using Gmail with client and designer labeled. Yea, we use labels a lot. Client then reviews projects and sends back changes in a word doc form. We upload the word document to Google shared documents (designer and clients make changes there) and that is our to-do list in each phase. Client approves project and Gmail delivered the files in .zip format or moved to next phase of implementation. Project marked as complete and the NetSuite will then send the final invoice.
6. Share your top tip for success as a web worker: a productivity suggestion, a tool recommendation, or a piece of career advice, for example.
Everyone has their own way to work, so there is no need to micromanage employees, as long as deadlines are completed, our virtual workers can use their own system or the one we use. If it tough to find reliable people you can trust, so when you find the right fit for your company treat them well. I never say my employees work for me, they work with me. We trust each other, work hard and play hard. Business and client management can be tough, so my best advice is to learn from each project and learn from your mistakes. Never repeat a bad habit in your business process.
