Productivity software is a broad term used for software applications that increase the efficiency of the user or group of users.
Software designed to improve employee productivity is referred to as workplace productivity software. One of the most common is Microsoft Office which offers worksheets, databases, documents, and several other tools to increase the efficiency of the user in completing specific tasks. Other applications that increase workforce productivity are customer relationship management (CRM) systems and project management systems.
Applications that help collaboration and communication between a team are also included in the productivity software category. This category of software is most commonly used on computers such as laptops and desktops, however, numerous applications are offered on mobile or tablet platforms. Although productivity software was originally intended for business use, it is increasingly becoming common for people to use such software to improve their personal productivity as well.
How does productivity software work?
There are different ways productivity software helps users complete tasks more efficiently including task automation, file sharing, team collaboration, and integration with other business systems.
For example, with an application suite that offers spreadsheets, users can simply drag a formula to apply to any number of rows of data without having to enter the formula manually in every row. Users can change the type of graph by simply changing the viewing format. The spreadsheet can be easily shared via email or chat using a link. Connections between the spreadsheet and A CRM system eliminate manual data entry. This is just one example.
How can businesses benefit from using productivity software?
One of the goals of most businesses is to get the maximum output from their resources including their human resources. Productivity software helps optimize the business environment by allowing the employees to do more in less time. Productivity software can help optimize several types of business units including marketing, sales, human resources, finance, executive management, and other departments. The improved collaboration by using productivity tools allows users to minimize time spent on tasks that can be completed by the productivity software.
In addition to automating tasks, productivity software allows users to share files that can be opened in different formats eliminating the need to recreate files for specific formats. The communication tools offered by productivity software such as email and chat allow users to share files quickly and securely to people wherever they are located.
What are some examples of productivity software?
Microsoft Office
There are several productivity tools in Microsoft Office that can help users optimize their workday. These include being able to access files on different devices through OneDrive, sending automated meeting reminders to the invitees through Outlook, or collaboration through Teams.
Google Workspace
Google offers its work productivity suite with a similar set of applications to Microsoft Office. Users can create, edit, and collaborate on documents simultaneously. The documents can also be downloaded to a local drive or accessed in an offline mode and opened in the widely used Microsoft Office suite.
Teamviewer
Teamviewer allows complete remote access and control for desktop and mobile applications. Using TeamViewer, users can remotely access their computers or mobile devices that are located anywhere in the world. They can also allow others access to the computer or mobile device.
Monday.com
With Monday.com, businesses can create their own work management flows that integrate with multiple software platforms. Monday.com can be used to manage teams and projects by creating custom workflows or using any of 200+ pre-built templates.
PipeDrive
PipeDrive is a customer relationship management (CRM) software that can be used to collect and organize valuable customer information, send mass emails, set up automatic triggers and reminders, allow customers to digitally sign documents, and several other tools to boost productivity.
