SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY REPORT Four Apps To Run Your Business More Efficiently

Posted by Dorothy on
New apps can make running a business easier, more efficient and perhaps more profitable.
New apps can make running a business easier, more efficient and perhaps more profitable.

(NAPSI)—Big news for many of America’s businesses: An easier way to manage your customer relationships and build your business has arrived in a single online solution. Microsoft has introduced four new apps in its Office 365 service that streamline marketing and customer relationships:

• Microsoft Listings: An easy way to publish your business information on top sites such as Facebook, Google, Bing and Yelp. A web dashboard lets you easily monitor ratings and reviews, and when you update your business profile, the changes automatically populate across those top sites.

• Microsoft Bookings: A quick and easy alternative to scheduling appointments by phone. A customizable public webpage lets your customers find available times and book appointments 24/7. You get a private calendar for managing your schedule, with automatic confirmations and reminders.

• Microsoft Connections: A simple-to-use email marketing service that makes it easy to connect with your most loyal customers and find new ones. It lets you create professional-looking email marketing campaigns with pre-designed templates for newsletters, announcements or customer referrals and provides simple ways for people to join your mailing list.

• Microsoft Invoicing: A new way to create professional invoices and get paid fast. It works with PayPal, so you can accept credit and debit cards online while a connector to QuickBooks lets you sync customer and catalog data and transfer invoicing information to your accountant.

To manage it all, there’s the Office 365 Business center, a central place to view the health of your business by tracking key business metrics like total outstanding invoices, email subscribers, social engagement, total appointments booked and so on. Because the new business apps are built to work together, a contact in one is automatically recognized in another, so you don’t have to input data multiple times. You have full control over who inside your business gets access to which apps and related information.

The apps are available now as part of an Office 365 Business Premium subscription and can be accessed on the web, along with companion mobile apps for Connections and Invoicing on iOS and Android.

To learn more, go to https://aka.ms/officebizapps.