By Jessica Mele

When working on your own business from home, you might notice that you don’t have the same software tools that you might if you were working for a big company. You don’t want to have to spend all of that money to have the same software though, and you shouldn’t have to. Here is a list of tools that can help you with your business, and they are all free.

If you want to be able to keep track of tasks you need to work on, a great tool is Vitalist. Here you can set up projects, or tasks that you need to complete. You can create multiple lists, which is great if you are working on more than one project at a time. There is also an inbox, which allows you to put other tasks that need to be done, but are not associated with a project. Here are two other sites that will allow you to track lists, and are also good. Both Ta Da List and Remember the Milk have to-do lists that will help you keep track of everything you want to get done.

If you are looking for more of a project management tool, you can try Basecamp. You will be able to create lists, track schedules and keep track of milestones.

If you want to easily keep track of appointments, or things you need to get done on certain days, Google Calendar is a helpful tool. Since you set it up online, you can access it anywhere. You can also keep it personal and just for yourself, or share it with others so they know when you are free and busy.

If you want to be able to use word processing and spreadsheet tools, but don’t want to pay for Microsoft Office, you can use Google Docs & Spreadsheets. It will let you do many of the same things as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, but is a free application.

To help with budgeting and keeping track of your business expenses, you can use Pear Budget. It can help you keep track of your spending, to make sure you aren’t spending more on your business than you are earning.

There are many software applications out there that can help you with your business. If you come up with a need that is not mentioned in this article, you should first search online for a free version, before spending money. If you can find a free piece of software that takes care of your needs, it is great as you can save that money for something else.

About the Author: Wish you could work at home, and have your very own business? Learn how you can start your own business today at http://www.workism.com. Claim your free 7-day course on how to get started!

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=139873&ca=Business+Management

Lately I have been posting articles regarding free scheduling software. Along with that subject is the scheduling of appoinments. Due to the various operational differences, every type of business has unique needs when it comes to scheduling and appointment software. The article below discusses some general things to look for when making a decision on what appoinment software to buy. If you need a custom programmer, please see Scriptlance or RentACoder on the righthand menu of this blog to find affordable programmers.

by Islam Ahmed

ABOUT
Each business functions differently. They don’t sell the same products or offer the same services. They cater to different wants and needs of the customer. This has created many choices, especially in appointment software (which includes online appointment software, medical appointment software and business appointment software. As every business has different needs, they can easily customize it to fit the requirements of every organization or individual.
While looking for online appointment software, you have to look for many features, which include those that you don’t desire. Select those that you would utilize and desire, to get the best within your budget.

FEATURES
Below are some of the features of online appointment software system:-
Dispatching automatic emails
The online appointment software and scheduling software system sends automatic e-mails to both the organization and customers, when these events happen:-
 When the appointment is changed for the client/customer
 When the customer buys a gift certificate
 When customers place themselves on waiting list
 When a customer cancels an appointment
 When a customer makes the appointment
 When the client or customer registers
Irrespective of whether or the scheduling software system sends them or not, you can create custom text for such e-mails and control.

Flexibility In Terms Of Reporting
Appointment software allows you to run the reports for specific service, specific customers, and specific staff members/writers including change of dates and much more. Thanks to appointment software, you can either run the appointments as standard HTML report or export them to Excel. You can also maintain the records of reports.
If you wish to print the list of the clients and data, you can do so any time. Appointment software also involves loyalty, sales, statistics and plenty of other reports.

Control How Far In Advance Could Customers Cancel and Schedule
Thanks to appointment software, you could easily control how far would you wish your clients to book the appointments (nearly 2 years in advance). Appointment software also allows you to set how close to the time of appointment are they permitted to cancel appointments.

Repeated Appointments
Online appointment software permits you to set the standing appointment for a regular customer. As soon as you create recurring appointment for the customer, you can separately handle each appointment. If the customer changes or cancels one of the appointments, they could do so.
Packages
If the business sells packages to clients, like 15 session package, appointment software permits both the customers and internal staff to know the amount of sessions left. The various packages that could be set up include flat monthly fee, dollar amount or number of sessions.
Outlook Export
As soon as the appointment is made in online appointment software and scheduling software system, the staff member who sets the appointment can export it to the Outlook calendar. The staff member associated with the appointment may also receive email with the outlook calendar attachment. Thereafter, they can click on it easily and include it in their calendar.
In addition to the scheduling software, the customers could easily export the appointments to Microsoft Outlook. They may receive the calendar attachment too, in the confirmation e-mail. At any time, they may log in to check their current appointments and export them to outlook calendar or print them.
Multiple Or Single Locations
Whether you have multiple or single location, appointment software works great. Some appointment software clients have plenty of locations, while most others simply have a single location. Just log in once and you could have easy access to all locations (if you are set up as the user type that accesses all locations). You could either function as stand-alone operation or set your location up to share the values (such as the services).
Require Log In Don’t Require Log In
There are few ways to configure the portion of appointment software system which your customers see. Before they log in, you can require them to register. As soon as they register, they assign a log in and password to themselves. Immediately thereafter, they can make the appointments. You can even set it so that after registering, they would get activated by the firm before setting appointments and logging in.
Post-registration, the firm is notified via mail. Another option is to not press the clients to log in. You could select an open time and allow them to view your open times.
And once they do that, they could get prompted for the contact information.

Status of Appointment
The online appointment software comes with default appointment status (completed, confirmed, scheduled and no-show). You may include as much additional status as you desire. Since each status is coded with color, you can tell the appointment status quickly while looking at the appointment schedule.

Get more information on online appointment software , medical appointment software Please visit our Website http://www.timepicks.com

Article Source: ABC Article Directory | Submit Articles | Article Search Engine | Article Directory

By: seshadri indusmedia

In an era dominated by technological advancements resulting in minimal product differentiation, After Sales Service has proved to be of significant importance in enabling customer retention, new customer acquisition and the all important revenue to organizations.

Understanding this phenomenon, for the first time in india, eServiz a service management software module, helps customers effectively manage service operations resulting in reduced costs, increased productivity thereby increased profits.

eServiz is a proven, comprehensive, yet cost effective and user friendly service management software tailor-made for the services division of an organization. Apart from online complaint registry mechanism, quotation generation, information on offers and schemes, AMC renewal reminders, product information to customers and MIS reports like spares used, service history, employee productivity etc., are available to enhance customer satisfaction .

Apart from complaint registry mechanism , eServiz service management software helps by sending AMC & preventive maintenance reminders, service offers and schemes and generates detailed reports including customer wise & product wise complaints, employee productivity, spare consumption, pending /closed/completed complaints, invoice reports and much more

eServiz act as a Equipment maintenance Software, Customer service management software, Preventive maintenance scheduling software, Customer complaint handling software, Customer complaint management software, AMC maintenance software, Spares tracking software, AMC software

eServiz – Service Management Software uses innovative state of the art technology to arm with the power to

1. Register complaints
2. Generate & send estimate for customer approval
3. Schedule depending on employee skill set
4. Inform customer on service status
5. Generate error free invoices
6. Post offers , schemes, Amc remainder etc

eServiz – Service Management Software Benefits :

1. Simple and user friendly
2. Improved employee productivity
3. Return on investment with in 4 months
4. 24*7 365 days .Any time any where access
5. Current Information availability for immediate action
6. Customer delight ,retention and new customer acquisition
7. Reduce service cost and manpower, improved sales ,increased profits

Author Resource:-> Please find attached our brochure for your perusal which gives the salient features of eServiz service management software and the benefits to be accrued. In order to enable you have a feel of eServiz, we are also pleased to give you a service management software free trial of some of the basic requirements of Service management for you to experience the simplicity of our software. We provide a lot more in our actual application including report generation, customer feedback, communication & comprehensive Service history details.

Please log on to http://www.eserviz.com/ContactUs.aspx to avail the free trial service management software . The website offers a detail on the features available along with testimonials from a few of the many satisfied customers presently using eServiz.

Article From Articlebliss

Been willy-nilly about the free software recommendations and sharing. Lately at work we ran into some issues with our shift schedules and honestly it has become a pain the butt to do the schedules. so I figure while doing some research I would share some of the software I find across the web that does software scheduling, most of which are….FREE

DRoster is an employee scheduling software from Kappix.
http://www.kappix.com/

Asgard Announces a New Release of Time Tracker – Employee Scheduling SoftwareAuthor: Michael Askwith

Asgard Systems Inc. has announced release 5.1 of Time Tracker – Employee Scheduling Software. This major new release includes a redesigned interface and many new features suggested by their users.

“Given our users response, our efforts have really paid off”, says Ron Dollington, Time Tracker’s Development Manager. “By working closely with them, we have made many dynamic enhancements that meet their needs. In effect, our users are an integral part of our design staff.”

Time Tracker’s redesigned interface has a comfortable ‘look and feel’ that greatly enhances its usability. With the new interface, users are able to schedule efficiently in a more intuitive manner. There are many new reports and new formats for web based publishing. These new features and many more, make Time Tracker more powerful than ever.

Asgard Systems has been producing employee-scheduling software since 1983. Their award winning Time Tracker does much more than just scheduling. It manages shift schedules plus; time off, attendance, absence and vacations. It also automates and analyses the whole scheduling process.

Time Tracker is a powerful tool that allows information to be maintained in relation to all other activity in the system. Data is validated, cross-referenced, stored and summarized in a way that gives the complete information for decision-making.

Asgard has available a fully functional trial version. It allows you to thoroughly try it and to see how it performs.

For more information or copies of the trial version, visit their web site http://www.asgardsystems.com.

About the Author:

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Asgard Announces a New Release of Time Tracker – Employee Scheduling Software

By: Venderei Tikotzinski

Archiving files is an important task that most users do at some point. Some people do it on a daily basis while others rarely do. More users need to open archive files than to create them.

So how can you create archives without paying for software like WinZip?

There are many archive file types. The two most popular ones are Zip and RAR. If you receive a file with a Zip extension it means that it is a Zip archive file type. Windows supports some basic built in functionality for opening Zip files and extracting files from them. But if you need some better handling of Zip archives or if you need to create Zip files Windows built-in Zip support is not enough.

So what are your options when it comes to handling archive files? Fortunately there are many options on the market. Some of the options are commercial products that cost money. Some are free to use at home but if used at work or for commercial use you will need to pay for them. And some are completely free for any use.

The most famous compression software is called WinZip. As the name suggests the software focuses on providing Zip archives support on the Windows operating system environment. WinZip has developed over the years and it now supports much more than just Zip files. It can open and create files in many other formats too.

WinZip has two main disadvantages. One is its feature rich user interface which can be confusing for the less technology savvy users. The other one which is really the biggest problem is its cost. WinZip is not free for any use. You can install WinZip for a short evaluation period of 45 days. After that period of time you will need to either pay for it by purchasing it online or remove it from your computer.

If you are not willing to pay for using an archive software you are not alone. Fortunately enough there are many options for using archive software that is free. An example of such software is 7Zip. 7Zip is not just free software it is also open source software which means that you can not only use the software for free but you can also download its source code make any make any changes to it that you need that is if you are a very skilled technology savvy user.

7Zip supports many more file types than just 7Zip. With 7-Zip you can open and extract files from many archive types like RAR and GZip. But the core of the 7Zip software is its own unique file archive type known as 7Z. 7Z archive files are efficient in terms of speed and compression ratio. They are better than Zip in many cases although they are not as popular as Zip. Since 7Zip and other free archive utilities are free the best thing you can do is to play with some of them and decide which one you like the best. There are other free alternatives to WinZip. AlZip is such free software and so are TUGZip and Zipeg.

Author Resource:-> Visit 7Zip for more information about this and other topics. Venderei Tikotzinski writes the digital world and business. Venderei Tikotzinski is a business and Internet writer. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included.

Article From Articlebliss

by Clay C. Scroggin

In December of 2008, I was emailed by a writer with HR Magazine and asked for my opinion on open source HR software. Truthfully, I didn’t know much about the subject or the products when I first received the email. I set up a meeting for the next week and then began doing some research.

The concept of “Open Source Software” has been most successfully implemented with the Linux operating system. IT people were looking for something other than Microsoft and created the project and code. The way an open source application works is that the source code is free and available for modification. As programmers make modifications and additions to the code, others using the system receive the benefit. From a user’s perspective, it’s very attractive because it can be modified by the user; as opposed to a “boxed” system where the source code can’t be modified.

The question is will the concept of “Open Source” work in the HR software industry?

Linux was successful because there were needs not being met by Microsoft or anyone else. Many IT professionals tend to be almost defiant toward Microsoft. I am sure the search for anything but Microsoft fueled the motivation for the work that went into Linux. The elements that made Linux successful aren’t factors in the HR software industry. There is an awful lot of extremely well written software packages designed to fill practically any need. There is no monopoly within the HR software market. Customers have a large number of options. The sometimes defiant attitude that exists between IT and Microsoft does not exist within the HR profession toward any particular HR solution.

Pros of Open Source HR systems

Yes, there is a market for an open source HR system but, in my opinion, it is very small. The companies that might adopt an open source HR product are going to be those who want to either create their own system or have the source code to modify a system to match their exact needs which can’t be met by any other product on the market. Over the last fifteen years, I have encountered very few, if any, companies who would be in the market for an open source HR system.

A very low cost HR system will attract business. However, I am not sure how successful these companies will be with maintaining a system that requires greater work and IT involvement than do other systems.

U.S. and Canadian HR departments tend, on the whole, to be understaffed. Are these personnel going to have the time necessary to self implement the system, maintain it, and deal with the constant upgrades that are required with an open source HR system?

Additional concerns:

• What type of support is available?
• If you don’t have the internal programming resources, what type of fees will be associated with modifying the system?
• How adequate is the documentation for a product that is constantly being updated by a large number of programmers?
• How bug free is an open source HR system?
• Are new programming changes adequately tested?
• Without adequate support or documentation, how will the product be implemented?

After my interview, I did speak with a prospect was looking to replace an open source HR system. The concerns I laid out above were directly confirmed by the prospect. He said they were looking for a new HRIS system because the open source HR product did not have adequate support and that it did not contain any type of functionality toward U.S. government compliance for EEO, OSHA, COBRA, or anything else. He contacted the company about adding these elements and the cost to add these options was as much as he was going to pay for a system that already had this functionality. So he was again in the market for an HRIS system that would do everything out of the box. I assured him there are many alternatives.

If you are the type of HR professional that drives a kit car you created in your garage, open source HR software might be an option for you. If not, you might want to continue to look at the completed HRIS systems on the market.

Clay C. Scroggin has over fifteen years of experience in the human resource software industry. Clay is currently the President and owner of CompareHRIS.com, a web site dedicated to assisting HR professionals with their search, selection, implementation and use of HR Software. CompareHRIS.com offers an extremely comprehensive HRIS selection tool to assist you with your HRIS, HRMS or HR software selection process. Make sure to download CompareHRIS.com’s free HR and Payroll Software Buyer’s Guide.

Article Source: Open Source “Free” HRIS Software

In keeping with the current theme of free software and Value Added Resellers, I dug up the following article to share for those who may be itnerested, work in a doctors’ office or clinic.

Free Demo or Cheap Limited Version Medical Billing Software for Easy and Fast Billing Service

Author: Gen Wright

There are many providers of cheap, free, easy and fast medical billing software out there and their only aim is to get your business. Many companies that deal in billing software will let you download the free demo version of their software after you succeed to meet certain conditions in expectation that you will ultimately opt for a paid version. On the other hand, some medical billing software companies will offer to send CDs for the demo version of their software and training material by mail. Many of these companies also offer additional features like affordable software upgrades, free or low cost data backups, disk space for storing your data and high speed servers to send and receive data. All these extra features help in eliminating the costs, mainly associated with disk space and maintaining servers and providing technical support.

The most important advantage of installing free demo version of medical billing software that is easy to use and fast to ensure flawless exchange of data is that the company providing it will assist you in determining the exact features you require in the software in order to improve and increase your business in future. Searching and scrutinizing such companies could be a venture that is well worthy of your time as there are so many new software providers that are coming up almost daily with new services both locally and over the Internet. The competition is so intense that you are bound to get a deal either free or cheap limited version software that suits your needs.

Medical billing services are plentiful. However, most of these companies that offer free demo or low cost limited version of medical billing software do not extend support when it comes to customizing certain features of their complimentary software. You may be required to put together few services that are provided by several other companies in order to customize the software and make it easy to work with. Though sounds daunting, it is not as difficult as you assume. All you require to do is to download certain additional software packages that make the process of tracking claims, billing, scheduling and insurance easy and quite fast.

The other important thing you need to keep in mind when choosing free demo or cheap limited version of medical billing software is to make sure that it adheres to HIPPA norms and comes with all the features listed by HIPPA in order to guarantee its full compliance with HIPPA principals. The rules laid down by HIPPA govern the electronic storage of protected health related date and the electronic transfer and submission of the same. Furthermore, you need to carefully evaluate how the software you obtain and/or put together will work in order to create a flawless system at your workplace in which all the things from electronically recording medical statistics to insurance forms and claims are incorporated. You can easily and quickly configure the medical billing software by yourself; all you need to do is to read the accompanying manual and implement the set up process.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computer-forensics-articles/free-demo-or-cheap-limited-version-medical-billing-software-for-easy-and-fast-billing-service-1067294.html

About the Author:

Harry Selent is passionate about helping single and small practice doctors successfully implement medical billing software in their medical offices. For more information on medical billing software, please visit our website at www.medicalbillingsoftware.com or call 888-691-8058 or 941-743-6666

I found this website sometime ago and dug it up from my bookmarks and favorites while looking for something to share this week.

http://www.smashingapps.com/2009/04/03/13-most-useful-free-scripts-that-you-should-know.html

I have used a some of these scripts and contrary to some of the comments on the website, I was pleased. That said, I have not used any of them in sometime and may be re-installing a couple, like OSTicket and PHP Web Stat, again in the near future.

If you own a website, plan to own one, or know someone who does, then these scripts can and will be useful for them. They cost nothing and seem to work just as well as expensive versions of the same type software.

Try them out and leave some comments here with your feedback.