Five must-have business productivity tools for 2021

We’re halfway through the year but we’ve already come up with the top five productivity tools for your business in 2021.

 

Video conferencing

Ready for another reminder about the benefits of video calls? 

Over the last year or so video calls have helped many people improve communication, save on travel time and cost,  and make scheduling future meetings even easier, making them one of the key productivity tools for this year.

It’s also a lot more engaging than an audio call and has the ability to connect teams easier and schedule meetings. The good news is, it’s here to stay, so while you can’t beat face-to-face communication, video calls are a good secondary option.

 

Linking calendars

To ensure the efficiency of calendars as one of the best productivity tools, the first thing is to ensure that you pick a good calendar that everyone can access. It doesn’t have to be fancy and involve projects and tasks – just keep it simple. 

You may already have a bespoke calendar in the office, otherwise Google or Microsoft have excellent options to help plan the working day and weeks ahead.

Calendar linking has always been a “thing” but in this ever important technological working world we live in, it’s probably never been as important.

 

Virtual reality

Virtual reality can bring workers together in a way video calling can’t. It also helps with staff training and we don’t just mean VR for pilot training! We’re now seeing that seminars and “how to guides” are being presented and delivered virtually.

Architects from across the world can analyse and discuss design work virtually, while shoppers can now try on clothes or see what the latest curtains may look like throughout their house. Virtually speaking of course.

 

Krisp

We said Krisp, not crisp. Krisp is a noise-cancelling app that we all need especially if you take calls from non-soundproofed rooms. 

Whether you’re on a video call with friends, or an important work call with a client or colleague, Krisp will definitely make your life a lot easier.

Krisp also works well with microphones, headphones and speakers, and can be used in the online teaching environment, when recording a podcast, or even inside hectic call centres.

We all know after the last year or so just how important sound quality is, and improved sound quality makes video meetings better in quality and often shorter. So give Krisp a go. It’s simple to use and easy to install.  

 

Google drive

If you haven’t introduced your team to Google Drive yet, then make sure you do as soon as you can. 

Google Drive is great for storing confidential files and for those that are not so private – you can share easily with your colleagues. The real benefit to Google Drive is if you are working remotely. By simply downloading the Google Drive app on your smartphone, you can access your files whenever you like. That’s it, you’re up and running!

Just because your staff are working remotely, it doesn’t mean you can’t reward them and give them the tools to buy gifts. Whether you’re looking for reward schemes, staff incentives, or employee benefits, do it with Asda for business and you get to give more than a gift with our gift vouchers. 

They can choose anything they want from thousands of products in over 600 stores and anything online at George.com. We have a wide range of corporate gift cards which means there’s something for everyone. 

Give them a gift that gets them anything – from weekly shops to weekend home makeover essentials. Give them an Asda for Business gift card. And if you want to speed things up with an e-gift card, these are now compatible with Apple and Google wallets making shopping even easier.