Today, we’d like to share some tools that have been very helpful for us at IBMH. We know that importers of Chinese furniture hardware have lots to do and very little time to do it. Because of this, we’re sure that you could use some applications and/or software to increase your productivity. After all, more productivity is never a bad thing, right?
Trello
Firstly, Trello is an organizer of projects and tasks, presented in attractive columns. Also allows collaboration between people and shows detailed information about the status of each project.
With Trello, you can:
• Insert tasks
• Calculate deadlines
• Assign project managers
• See the processes of “To-do” and “Done”
Stands out because:
• Minimalist, attractive design
• Simply, user-friendly interface
• Takes up very little memory space
• Notifications on task status
• Ability to upload documents
Slack
Then, there’s Slack, which improves team work and lets you work in “the same office”, no matter where you are. This app provides structure to get a project moving and perform global tracking of:
• What is needed to get started
• Who’s doing what
• For what price
• By which date or time
Basically, tracking of everything and for everyone, in a single space.
Stands out because:
• It is used in some of the most innovative industries, related to the Internet, computer software, marketing and advertising
• Slack’s Pro versions are cheaper and more complete than competitors
Metricool
Thirdly, there’s Metricool, to analyze and optimize all of your social media activity from one place. Without a doubt, this app helps to organize/schedule posts and track evolution and performance on each of your social networks.
Stands out because:
• It has a very intuitive, visual, and attractive design. VERY simple to use.
• In a single dashboard, you’ll see everything you need in a clear and organized fashion.
• Very suitable to use from mobile devices.
• Gives you the ability to extract reports in PDF format (pro versions).
Calm
On the other hand, Calm is a great example to help with a deeper restructuring for project teams, along with the resulting and inevitable improvement in performance.
Stands out because:
• Ease of performing “on the go” meditations
• Flexibility: Sessions with different durations (2-20 min.)
• Guided sessions for beginners
Seeing that it has been proven over and over again that breathing and meditation help with concentration, more concentration should mean better work performance! Let’s welcome mindfulness into the work environment.
NOTE: All of the apps listed above can be downloaded for both iOS and Android, and you can start using them for free. If you are interested, the pro versions have additional features.
Finally, we’ve saved one of our own tools for last, our “crown jewel”:
PMP an exclusive tool for importers of Chinese furniture hardware
PMP or Procurement Management Platform is an exclusive tool for clients of IBMH, importers of Chinese furniture hardware. Our platform/personal assistant allows you 24/7 tracking of everything IBMH manages for your business.
Stands out because:
• Provides absolute control over the products that are managed through complete technical sheets created on the platform.
• Collects all necessary information in technical sheets for requested sourcing products, preventing any possible errors in the quotes you want to request from Chinese manufacturers.
• Has an utility that allows you to define the marking on the pieces of your choice with your logo.
• Access to quality controls designed for you to supervise them at any time.
• Allows you to manage sending and receipt of samples with complete trackability during the entire process.
• Option to view products by manufacturing location/region in China in order to group them and make the most of your container shipments.
• Helps you with automatic calculations of the load capacity of containers so you can use them efficiently.
No one else has a tool like this one! PMP is ours. It was imagined, designed, developed and created by IBMH.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our suggestions. We will continue searching through cyberspace for even more apps to keep on increasing productivity for importers of Chinese furniture hardware. Do you use any of these tools? Do you have another that you recommend? We can include it in a future post!
