Priority Management Technology Tools

Here are some tools to check out and see if they will help you with managing priorities and eliminating some of the recurring, time consuming tasks. Then, maybe you'll have time for something you have wanted to do but haven't gotten to yet.Priority management these days is either like Groundhog Day or a circus juggling act with 5 burning bowling pins in the air - blindfolded. Everyone has a ton of urgent to-do's on their plate and they hope they don't get burned. The priority manager today has more stuff to do than anyone could ever hope to get done. So how do we stop the same day from happening over and over? The simple answer is a combination of three choices: delegate, eliminate, or simplify.

#1. Excel Templates to do Almost Anything

Demand Metric is a specialized community built around the needs of excellent priority managers. They have researched 'best-practices' and provide premium tools & template, consulting methodologies & guides, workshops, and advisory services to help over 12,000 members in more than 75 countries get things done. Members get the following resources and services:

• 350+ Premium Tools & Templates
• 100+ How To Guides
• Suite of Consulting Methodologies
• Analyst Workshops
• Advisory Engagements

Demand Metrics has been in business since 2006 and works with small companies, start-ups, consulting firms, and large organizations such as Chevron, Apple, Kraft Foods, Bank of America, Caterpillar, Aon, Citizens Business Bank, and Siemens.

Demand Metric tools help thousands of members complete mission-critical marketing tasks more effectively. If you need to put an expert on your team they will provide affordable programs to address your marketing challenges.

#2. Key Information Dashboard

Statsmix helps with priority management by keeping all the key metrics in one place using an intuitive web user interface. Utilizing popular third-party services and custom metrics, StatsMix delivers a unified dashboard view of important metrics.

With Statsmix, managing priorities is easier because you'll know what's happening at a glance and gain a deeper understanding of what drives your key metrics. StatsMix also auto-generates code for many popular programming languages, so integration with your internal systems is as simple as copy & paste.

Using StatsMix you can:

• Watch the data roll in as it happens
• Setup the dashboard up in five-minutes
• See instant trend charting
• View, monitor, and measure metrics all in one centralized place

Since key metrics are often spread across multiple services such as Google Analytics, Twitter, and FreshBooks over 30 major service providers are supported, so you can seamlessly incorporate them into your dashboards.

All your metrics are instantly available as configurable charts, both individually and on dashboards. No more relying on spreadsheets, hacked-together HTML tables, or complex reporting tools. All you need to do is send Statsmix your metrics and you will have instant access to them anywhere, anytime!

#3. Time Tracking and Online Invoicing

Harvest lets you and your team members track time and send invoices from one integrated application. Get set up in just a few minutes and instantly start tracking time and invoicing your customers. Contractor and employee timesheet and timesheet approval is included. Use Harvest's visual reports to see the distribution of your company's resources at a glance. Create an online invoice and easily bill your client. Get paid faster by collecting online payments instantly and securely via the web. 

#4. Online Project Management

Basecamp’s focus on simplicity, clarity, and ease of use makes it a unique project management solution. Since Basecamp is an online service it is very easy to share and collaborate with others.

For years project management software was all about charts, graphs, gnatt charts, and stats. The problem is it didn’t really work because it was too complicated. Pictures and numbers don’t get projects done. Basecamp tackles project management from an entirely different angle: A focus on communication and collaboration. Basecamp brings people together to get thing done.

With Basecamp you can:

• Assign to-dos with deadlines
• Schedule project events
• Track every hour you spend

Another great feature of Basecamp is you can manage projects on your smart phone. Basecamp mobile is especially made for popular mobile devices like iPhone and Android. No apps required! Just visit basecamphq.com on your phone’s browser, and you’re good to go!

#5. Social Media Dashboard

Sprout Social allows you to easily track your social media influence and how well you engage your audience. Watch your progress over time and compare your scores to competitors to see how well you are doing. Sprout Social helps you understand who your audience is with detailed audience demographics by social network so that you can craft your messages and interactions to better meet their needs and expectations.

With Sprout Social, you can see everything in a single stream. Your social media inbox will combine messages and alerts, with the ability to filter by specific sources to easily find the information you are looking for.

Sprout Social sorts through the clutter and delivers relevant content surrounding your brand. With business mentions integrated with the inbox, it's easy to monitor your brand and conversations in a chronological timeline, so you never miss a beat.

Sprout Social allows messages to be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn simultaneously from one simple message composer. You can shorten links, attach photos, geo-target Facebook posts, and more.

You can also share content with friends, fans, and followers while browsing the web. The Sprout Bookmarklet allows you to post links and messages from your browser bar without having to leave the page you’re viewing - a real time saver. So there's no need to be tied to your desk all day.

With Sprout Social, you can schedule messages for a later day or time. By using the suggested send times, your messages will have optimal visibility and are more likely to be seen by your audience.

Take priority management to a whole new level by squeezing more out of each day using tools that help make the job quicker and easier. I hope some of these tools fit that description for you. If not, just wait a few minutes because new tools are being developed and launched as you read this.

As the "old school" ways of doing things quit working and fall to the wayside, we'll be watching and reporting on the new more efficient versions.

Do you have experience with new productivity enhancing tools that you would like to share with our readers? Comment in the box below so we can learn from your ideas.

About the Author, Ron Whitaker
Ron writes with experience from being involved in developing multiple businesses from the ground up. In his marketing role, he has worked with hundreds of senior managers to help them achieve their goals.Other posts by Ron Whitaker »

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