What could you achieve with an extra six hours of free time?

By | Posted on 6 October 2022 | Business Strategy,Business Tools,CRM,Productivity Apps,Time Management

We’ve all seen, and most likely read, those articles that proclaim “30 hacks to improve workplace productivity” with gems such as ‘delegate’ ‘outsource’ and ‘gamify’ as the holy grail of solutions. But let’s face it, delegating takes time and planning, and really, who the hell has enough staff right now to give the work to?…

Read More

How to work productively from home and stay sane

By | Posted on 18 April 2020 | Business Tools,Productivity Apps

For many of us there are so many things to adjust to right now Most of our routines have been disrupted, we’re having to adjust to or learn new ways of working and socialising, shopping, exercising, even home schooling our kids. The team at Squirrel are facing most of the same challenges that you are,…

Read More

Zoho Sign: Squirrel explores the pros and cons

By | Posted on 3 March 2020 | Automation,Business Tools,CRM,Technology

We Squirrels are always busy implementing new systems and software for our clients and discovering what works – and what could work better. In our ‘Squirrel explores …’ series of blog posts, we share with you the practical insights we have gained along the way, helping you to navigate the complex world of technology a…

Read More

Zoho CRM analytics dashboards – powerful tools for making better business decisions

By | Posted on 30 April 2019 | Business Tools,CRM

Data and analytics are your most powerful tools for making effective business decisions and bringing accountability to your operations. Zoho CRM provides a range of clear, easy-to-read dashboards – from simple charts to anomaly detectors – that enable you to harness that power in order to make the right decisions and streamline your business. Let’s…

Read More

Lag v. lead indicators: How your stats can help you improve your game

By | Posted on 11 February 2019 | Business Tools

Spectators at the Australian Open may have noticed that match analytics and graphics are becoming ever-more sophisticated – detailing not only the angle, placement and outcome of every serve, shot and return, but also player position, errors and a host of other percentages and stats. While fans may be more interested in the score, players…

Read More

The power of insight: Custom reporting for your business

By | Posted on 30 October 2018 | Business Tools

Another year is fast closing in and I’ve been reflecting on what has really made our business tick along – and how to do more of those things next year and less of what hinders our progress. I’ve been asking myself some questions: What generates growth, profit and sales? Do we have over-performing areas that…

Read More

What is workflow automation and how will it benefit your business?

By | Posted on 20 August 2018 | Business Tools

Many people have come to accept that repetitive manual processes in the workplace are a fact of life. But they don’t have to be. Take, for example, following up on enquiries or converting leads. Generating a viable sales lead takes six to eight touches, but by setting up an automated process called a workflow, you can…

Read More

Implement, integrate, automate – and stop copying and pasting once and for all

By | Posted on 1 November 2016 | APIs,Business Tools,CRM

As Founder of Squirrel Business Solutions, I advise SMEs on cloud-based business systems. Over the past six years, I’ve been privileged to work with hundreds of companies, which has given me a useful insight into business practices. Time and again, I’ve witnessed people entering the same data into their database or CRM, then again into their accounting package,…

Read More

What is CRM?

By | Posted on 24 August 2016 | Business Tools,CRM

‘CRM’ stands for ‘customer relationship management’ and refers to the processes and procedures that organisations use to interact with their current and potential customers in order to better understand and meet their needs. The aim behind CRM is to enhance customer retention and ultimately drive sales growth. The term ‘CRM’ is also used to describe…

Read More

Are you getting what you need from Zoho CRM reports?

By | Posted on 18 July 2016 | Business Tools,CRM

EOFY is a time when many small business owners turn their attention to reporting. It’s either a confirmation of what they already know and have been monitoring periodically, or it’s a time filled with uncertainty and worry about what’s in store when they visit their accountant. Which best describes your approach to reporting? Squirrel’s financial…

Read More

10 powerful hacks to get the most out of your leads with ZOHO CRM

By | Posted on 11 July 2015 | Business Tools,CRM

Don’t be down like Notorious B.I.G, we can ease your mind by helping your business successfully manage its leads. The Zoho CRM is designed to help you keep up with clients and successfully manage and nurture leads. It ensures you know what is working for your sales team so that you have the information to…

Read More

5 business problems we can fix with ZOHO

By | Posted on 30 June 2015 | Business Strategy,Business Tools,CRM,Sales Strategy

If you’ve ever had trouble remembering a client’s name, it could be time to invest in something that will help you nurture your customer relationships – and generate sales. Now, more than ever, we are in the business of people. Making sales will never depend simply on who can provide a cheaper service or product;…

Read More

How To Get Paid Faster With Less Effort

By | Posted on 29 October 2014 | Business Tools,Sales Strategy

With EFTPOS not being available for use with online purchasing, where do small businesses turn to acquire online payment facilities? Credit card processing is a complicated business – a lot of information needs to be transferred in a matter of seconds between your customer’s browser, their bank, your site, your payment gateway and your bank. Sounds…

Read More

6.5 Steps To Starting Your Business In The Cloud

By | Posted on 1 March 2014 | Business Tools,Cloud Business,Technology

Before the advent of the internet, business was hard, manual, and extremely unforgiving. The internet came along and helped simplify many business processes; it gave us more research avenues, and allowed us to organise our thoughts in one place. The desktop still anchored us to one location; not entirely convenient. We sat and stared at…

Read More

Technology Could Make You Worth Less But Not Worthless

By | Posted on 22 February 2014 | Business Tools,Technology

The rapid rate of information technology deployment is one of the great transformations of the 21st century. Throughout history technology are deployed to do repetitive and information based tasks. When this happen the human skills associated with those tasks get rapidly devalued. They become worth less. A great example I read about recently is the…

Read More