Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11
Welcome to Turn It Up Tuesday, where we bring you 3 weekly tips—a tip on using Insightly CRM, a tip on running your business, and a tip to improve your life. Enjoy this week’s tips!
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Create an Activity Set for Batches of Tasks and Events |
| If you have a batch of tasks or events that you repeat regularly, you can save loads of data entry time in Insightly by creating an activity set that will do that work for you. For example, if you have a subscription-based service you might have tasks like sending new subscribers a thank-you email on the day they sign up, making a call to check in after 5 days, and having a chocolate to celebrate after their first month. (If you don’t celebrate with chocolate, I highly recommend it.) Or if you’re managing new hires in Insightly, you can have tasks prompting the IT team to set up a computer two days before someone starts, scheduling a tour of your office on their first day, leaving a welcome chocolate on their desk, and completing tax paperwork within five days.
Think of activity sets as a common checklist of tasks and events that you perform every time a certain action happens. You can manually apply activity sets directly to a record, include them in a pipeline stage, give them start and end dates, and have them assigned to a specific person or a team. Take a look at our Automating Workflows video for a great overview of this feature that will save you time and prevent things from falling between the cracks. |
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Use Automation to Lighten Your Workload |
| It’s impossible to run a business without at least a few different software applications. If you find yourself copying information from one app to another or often switching between apps in your day-to-day work, automation software can free up your time from many manual activities while keeping everything in sync. Tools like Zapier, FlowXO, IFTTT, and Podbox can be set up as bridges between applications to update one app based on a change in another. These services have a ton of options and work by having you set up a trigger in one app that creates an action in another app.
Many applications also include integrations—connections to other software—built right in. You can set up integrations to enter, update, or view information and schedule activities in another app without moving from the app you’re already working in. Check the available integrations for any apps you’re currently using and you’ll likely find ways to connect your accounting software, CRM, file storage, and note-taking apps all together. Some examples:
From social media updates to financial transactions, the list of possibilities seems endless, and you can get very creative and have multiple apps work together. Look into the connections available for the apps you’re already using and have a computer do some of your work for you! |
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Schedule Time for Summer Activities |
| Once you have apps taking care of your work for you, you’re going to have more free time to plan some time off. Summer is probably the most opportune time to get outdoors and work on long-procrastinated health goals. That doesn’t mean you have to go mountain climbing or hang gliding, but better weather can help motivate you and make it easier to get started on less lofty goals.
Hiking is an activity that allows you to get healthier without the physical stresses that more intense exercises may cause. Nature hikes in the countryside or walking tours in the city are great places to take a short hike, and the sights of either option will make you, friends, and kids happy to be out and about. While you burn calories, you’ll get the benefits of fresh air and a good cardio workout that’s easier on the knees. Swimming, playing catch, and going for a bike ride are just some of the ideas that can get you moving when the weather is warm. So, put on your sunblock and a hat, make a plan to get outside, and enjoy! |
Insightly’s features help you manage your workload so that you can better manage your life.
Check out our CRM’s plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial right now.
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About the author: Tony Roma is Insightly’s Content Manager. He enjoys helping businesses improve their work processes almost as much as he enjoys chocolate.
