Companies all over the world are finding themselves in a situation it would have been hard to imagine a year ago. And, in many cases, their employees are suddenly working from home as a response to the widespread introduction of coronavirus lockdown measures. For many business owners, the question of if their staff are adequately equipped for this new virtual world is at the top of their list of concerns. For others, it's a case of taking on more of the workload as they navigate this new normal, looking for ways to improve and expand their business. Stepping up to assist in the crisis, technology vendors of all shapes and sizes are offering free access to their premium services for a limited time. While many of the available resources have been made accessible to NGOs, school, and students, some companies have extended their services to businesses severely impacted by the pandemic. Here is a list of free tools we think you might find useful:
GOOGLE MEET
Videoconferencing service
Available free of charge until 30 September
WHY WE LOVE IT: Users can host conferences with up to 100 people at once, and time limits have been temporarily lifted too.
GOOGLE TRENDS
Google search keyword trends
Free
WHY WE LOVE IT: Very helpful for understanding seasonal trends and the relative strength of keywords/categories over time.
GOOGLE KEYWORD PLANNER
Keyword planning tool
Free within your Google Ads account
WHY WE LOVE IT: Offers fairly detailed and reasonably accurate estimates of keyword demand and pricing which is very helpful for campaign planning and keyword buildouts.
FRESHCHAT & FRESHDESK
Customer engagement tools
Both tools are available on a 21 day trial, with tiered packages available starting from free usage.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Both tools can be used to manage a surge in customer queries via digital channels and help businesses transition to remote work.
BILL.COM
Payments processing.
Businesses that are experiencing a sharp decline in their revenues can get a free, three-month subscription to the service to run payables and receivables remotely
WHY WE LOVE IT: Seamlessly create and pay bills, send invoices, and make sure you get paid.
PANDADOC
Electronic signatures for documents
Free
WHY WE LOVE IT: PandaDoc has created a free e-signature service with no limits to the number of documents that a user can manage via it.
WORKHUMAN
Employee wellness
Free special editions of Life Events® and Conversations® products until March 2021
WHY WE LOVE IT: Workhuman helps mitigate isolation during the covid-19 disruption. the software platform motivates employees to establish and deepen relationships and build trust, fostering greater innovation, creativity and collaboration.
ANIMOTO
Video creation
Free version available
WHY WE LOVE IT: It makes social-media optimized video production a snap
SUPERMETRICS
Marketing data aggregator and querying system
$99/mo
WHY WE LOVE IT: Offers deep, customized data analytics and the reporting is fast and user-friendly.
STORYBLOCKS
Stock photo and video software
$29/mo
WHY WE LOVE IT: Provides an extensive selection of hd-quality stock videos that are quick and easy to download and use.
JUSTWORKS
Simple software + expert support for payroll, benefits, HR, and compliance
$49/mo per employee
WHY WE LOVE IT: Makes payroll and compliance a breeze, and they have the best support team we've ever dealt with.
TRELLO
Project management software
Free version available
WHY WE LOVE IT: Makes it very easy for everyone on the team to collaborate and keep up to date on tasks, goals and responsibilities.
ZAPIER
Process automation super tool
Free version available
WHY WE LOVE IT: Connects the most popular apps in an easy to use, simple way. we think that this just might be the most powerful tool on the internet.