Teams | Collaboration | Customer Service | Project Management

December 2023

Free change order form template: Simplify project changes

A change order form is an official and documented change to a project plan. While the term change order is often used in the construction industry, change order forms can be used in any industry to explain how a project will deviate from the original scope. In this piece, you’ll learn how to create a change order template so you can address and implement project changes without skipping a beat. Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changin’,” and this is true.

How To Create A Software Implementation Project Plan For A Successful Rollout

Learning how to create a software implementation project plan is a worthy investment of your time. When software is effectively integrated with your existing workflows and processes, it enables your team to reap the full benefits of any given solution. A new joint survey by Mulesoft and Deloitte found that companies (with at least 1,000 employees) now use an average of 976 applications. Yes, 976 different solutions!

The hush trip phenomenon: How employees turn workdays into vacations

A fresh and interesting phenomenon in the field of remote work is the “hush trip.” The hush trip concept differs from the widely accepted “workcation” idea in that it involves employees working secretly from vacation locales. Though it may sound appealing, this covert kind of remote employment has advantages, disadvantages, and things to think about—especially around the holidays.

Project cost management: Definition, steps, and benefits

Cost management is the process of planning, budgeting, and reporting project spend in order to keep teams on budget and overall costs reasonable. In this article, we'll go over the four functions of cost management and explain exactly how to use them to improve your project's bottom line. When it comes to project management, there are few things more important than keeping costs under control.

7 steps to motivate your team through the holiday slump and into the new year

The holidays, a time for celebration, gratitude, and, for many businesses, overcoming the infamous holiday slump, are quickly arriving. As a manager or team leader, you are certainly already aware of the challenges that come with this period. There could be a decline in motivation, a tired feeling overall in the office, and a drop in productivity. But worry not! You can help your staff get over the holiday slump and get them inspired for the new year by following these seven steps.

Top 20 project management charts to visualize project progress

A project management chart is a visual representation of the tasks and objectives involved in a project or process. From Gantt charts to bar charts, view the top 20 project management charts and find out how they can help you become a better project manager. Whether or not it’s your job title, being a project manager means finding ways to execute work more effectively. For teams engaged in sprints or iterative work, visualizing tasks can help streamline communication and create transparency.

75% of employees look forward to corporate holiday gifting

One of the many indications that Christmas is almost here is the excitement of receiving gifts, along with the air filled with the dazzling lights and pine scent. A recent survey conducted by leading giving platform Snappy revealed that 75% of employees are expecting a gift from their employer this Christmas season. What’s even more amazing is that 57% of employees think that by receiving these gifts, their managers are expressing gratitude and appreciation for them.

PSA scheduling: The key to professional services success

Drucker's words ring true, especially in the professional services industry. With tight margins and high client expectations, professional services firms have to be efficient and strategic to deliver projects successfully — on time, on budget, and with the best quality. One of these strategies is professional services automation (PSA) scheduling — designed to help agencies manage and optimize their resource utilization, project timelines, and overall profitability.

Top Workforce Management Metrics and KPIs

Workforce management is the process of effectively managing and optimizing a company’s workforce to meet business goals and objectives. It involves a range of activities, including staffing, scheduling, time and attendance tracking, performance management, and more. With the help of workforce management metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), businesses can gain valuable insights into their workforce and make informed decisions to improve operational efficiency.

How IT executives' play a key role in effective teamwork (new research)

As an IT executive, you’re at the core of the company’s collaboration, working at the intersection of people, processes, and product. And more than likely, you’re not doing it alone. To better understand the IT leader’s pivotal role in driving innovation and operational efficiency across the company, The Work Innovation Lab, a think tank by Asana, recently surveyed and interviewed IT professionals, including top execs from industry leaders like Google, Slack, and Okta.

Bridging the gap: Enhancing manager and employee relationship in 2024

Examining HR’s top goals for 2024 explores the essential topic of employee engagement and empowerment, with a focus on fixing tense manager-employee relationship. The modern workplace is changing significantly, and managers are overburdened, which stresses out workers and affects trust. It is clear that managers need more than simply more training as the delicate dance between engagement and trust stands on a knife-edge.

Tech leaders' new edge: Strategic and deeply human

Today’s IT leaders are no longer just operators. They’re strategists
and deal-makers. According to a recent report on the state of today’s IT leader published by The Work Innovation Lab, a think tank by Asana, there’s been a dynamic shift in today’s IT environment away from traditional IT roles toward strategic partnership roles.

The Asana year in review: A journey through research, insights, and the future of work

As we turn the final pages of this year at Asana, we're celebrating the goals and milestones our customers achieved. To dig into these accomplishments—and explore what made them possible—the Work Innovation Lab dove deep into the nuts and bolts of how work really happened in 2023. What we've uncovered is more than just data; it's a reflection of how our customers—the very heartbeat of Asana—worked, collaborated, set goals, and achieved them together this year. View demo.

What is Workforce Development?

Workforce development is a term used to describe the process of empowering individuals to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the workforce. It encompasses a range of programs, policies, and initiatives aimed at developing a skilled and competitive workforce. Workforce development is crucial for both individuals and society as a whole. It helps individuals to obtain gainful employment, advance in their careers, and contribute to the economy.

Christmas 2023 Version Update: Advanced Revenue Forecasting & Sage Intacct

Ever wondered what the future holds? As a Scoro user, you can now be a lot more confident about it – with our new revenue forecasting options, you’ll know exactly where you’re headed based on your pipeline and ongoing projects. And since finance is the theme of the month, we’re launching our Sage Intacct integration as well!

5 top time tracking and invoicing tools for professional services

An astonishing 21.5% of billable hours go unrecorded due to inadequate tracking methods. That's a significant blow to any professional services organization’s bottom line. Thankfully, many businesses now harness the power of sophisticated time-tracking and invoicing tools to counter this issue. How do they work and why are they a game-changer for teams doing client work? We’ll break down the specifics below and give you our top five tool recommendations.

10 Best Strategic Workforce Planning Tools in 2024

You could have the best talent pipeline in the world. However, without the right workforce planning tools on your team’s side, they won’t be working at their full potential. Imagine your team members are scrambling for real-time data on which project to prioritize (as opposed to getting all the information at their fingertips in one click).

Is your marketing plan set up to succeed in 2024? Use this checklist to find out.

It’s crunch time for marketing teams, with 75% of CMOs facing pressure to do more with less. But in the quest to drive revenue, a great marketing plan isn’t always enough—it’s how you implement it that matters. In this article, learn how leaders can put their annual plans into action and ensure every campaign is set up to drive revenue growth, without wasting valuable time and money in the process.

9 essential quoting software solutions for winning more clients

Pop quiz! Which is better? Being the first agency to reach a potential client with a quote, or the last one to get back with them? In most situations, the answer’s so obvious we can hardly call this a quiz: Being the first to make a first impression is almost always best. But in the agency world, getting a custom quote together isn’t exactly simple. It takes time and careful planning, and in some cases, the quote itself is a fully designed proposal — more like a first deliverable.

8 key features to look for in a work management platform

The way we work isn’t working. Work is scattered, tools aren’t syncing, and teams are suffering from app overload and technology fatigue. But there’s a smarter way. With an enterprise work management platform, you can connect all organizational elements–from the smallest daily tasks to the most complex company goals—for a more integrated, seamless way of working. The challenge comes in choosing the right platform. That’s where this guide comes in.

The Importance of Proper Workforce Utilization

Workforce utilization refers to the effective utilization of human resources in an organization. It involves ensuring that employees are working to their full potential, and their skills and abilities are being utilized efficiently to achieve organizational goals. Proper workforce utilization is crucial for any business to thrive and stay competitive in the market.

OneDesk - Quoting

Quote for your services based on project templates. Send quotes directly from OneDesk then convert accepted quotes to invoices. OneDesk combines Help Desk & Project Management software into a single application. OneDesk also includes customer-facing applications: real-time chat, customizable webforms, and a customer portal. These integrated applications allow you to serve your customers while conveniently working on your projects in one platform.

Business performance: A helpful guide for agencies

Ever wondered why some agencies consistently outperform others? It's all about harnessing effective business performance. This isn't merely about surviving — it's about thriving amid fierce competition. Improved business performance can transform your agency, boosting productivity, enhancing customer satisfaction, and building a robust bottom line. This guide seeks to provide actionable insights to help agencies transform their business performance.

Workforce Productivity What It Is How To Improve It

Workforce productivity is a critical aspect for organizations aiming to achieve success and growth in today’s competitive business landscape. Understanding what it entails and how to enhance it can greatly impact the overall performance and profitability of a company. So, what exactly is workforce productivity? It refers to the measure of an employee’s efficiency and output within a given timeframe.

Managed services vs. professional services: The differences explained

Professional services firms have plenty to offer to right-fit clients: deep technical expertise, advanced project management and project planning skills, and a steady hand through change. They also face sideways competition from another class of businesses: managed services providers.

10 Best Gantt Chart Software for Teams in 2024

Project management is increasingly becoming visual in nature. Stakeholders want to grasp the nitty gritty quickly and in an easy-to-digest manner. This is where Gantt chart software shines. In this guide, we will look at the ten best free Gantt chart software so that you can make the most out of these horizontal, data-rich bars. Let’s go!

KPO directory: 13 top global knowledge service providers

The global knowledge process outsourcing market is on the rise and projected to reach a staggering USD 156.5 billion by 2027. But as KPOs gain widespread popularity and newer companies emerge each year, finding one suitable for your business needs and budget could be daunting. What you need is a global KPO directory or a curated list to help you find a perfect outsourcing partner.

Evaluating the pros and cons of a customer service BPO

Outsourcing a business process to save costs and gain access to specialized expertise is nothing new. Customer support is one business process outsourcing (BPO) service that has seen consistent demand over the last decade. Outsourcing customer support to a high-quality customer service BPO can have significant benefits like increased brand reputation, easy scalability, and better work efficiency. However, it can also cause serious concerns about security and loss of productivity.

13 Marketing Trends and Strategies for 2024

From newspaper ads to artificial intelligence, marketing trends come and go as technology and consumer preferences change. That means marketing leaders can’t always rely on tried-and-true best practices. Instead, anticipating future trends is essential to maintain your edge and develop effective marketing strategies. 2024 is set to be more interesting—and challenging—for marketers than ever, bringing with it a wave of new technology and consumer behaviors.

8 time and billing software solutions for agency success

In an agency environment, time is not just an abstract concept — it's the currency you trade. Every minute counts, and each second can be a missed opportunity. The same goes for billing, as efficient and accurate invoicing is crucial for maintaining a steady cash flow and keeping clients happy.

To-do lists: 15 tips to make an effective to-do list

Everyone loves checking things off a to-do list—but if it’s not done right, your to-do list can cause more harm than good. In this article, we offer concrete tips to help you set your to-do’s up for success, including how to effectively capture, organize, and prioritize tasks. Read on to take your own list to the next level, so you can stop worrying about misplaced notes and start checking things off.

9 Best Strategic Planning Software Tools in 2024

Strategic planning is a systematic process of setting an organizational goal and devising an actionable strategy to realize the same. It involves a detailed assessment of the organization’s current state and the drafting of the aspirational future state. This process is followed by the formulation of a practically implementable plan to bridge the two. Apart from the planning process, it also includes resource management and mobilization to support efficient road mapping for goal achievement.

What's New in Asana | December 2023

Welcome to the December edition of What's New in Asana. First, automate your workflows more easily by adding a condition to your rules with conditions and branching. Use branching to allow the rule to run in different scenarios with different actions. Next, use a rule to automatically set a task's title and description. Finally, add a bundle directly to a project template so that every project created from that template will also include the workflow features in the bundle.

Top 7 Project Management Trends in 2024

In today’s world, how we manage projects shapes how we get things done. As we go into 2024, lots of organizations – about 70% – think that managing projects well is really important for their success. This blog post talks about seven crucial changes happening in project management. From using smart technology like AI to making remote work easier, these trends are changing how projects are planned and finished for the best results. Let’s dive in.

Navigating the challenges of tech development and digital transformation in BPO Industries

In the ever-evolving landscape of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industries, staying ahead of the curve in terms of technology is imperative for success. In a recent episode of the Future Workforce podcast, Nick Sinclair, the Founder of TOA Global, shared invaluable insights gained from his company’s journey through the challenges of tech development and digital transformation.

Data reveals workers are craving fewer, yet more impactful collaboration tools

Almost half (45%) of workers want more guidance from their organisation on how to collaborate effectively with teammates. 74% of workers advocate for the use of a standard set of collaboration technologies across the organisation, suggesting the recognized pains of "app sprawl".

Employer of choice: Differentiate your BPO firm to recruit top talent

The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industry is getting increasingly competitive with evolving technology and shifting client priorities. In the midst of it all, the driving force behind a BPO’s success is its human resource. A long-term and experienced workforce can overcome even the most challenging adversities! But how can you attract top talent to build a quality workforce? Simple – by being an employer of choice.

Six standout updates to the log time modal

If managed correctly, time is the difference between a profitable or unprofitable agency, a happy or unhappy workforce, and healthy or unhealthy client relationships. It’s safe to say time is the heartbeat of what you do, and what we do at Teamwork.com So to help make logging time as intuitive, quick, and painless as possible, we’ve rolled out 6 improvements with exactly this in mind!

The focus formula: Navigating and overcoming remote work distractions

Working remotely has brought unprecedented flexibility, but a new set of challenges has emerged, chiefly managing distractions. We will explore the different types of distraction employees face while working remotely and provide practical strategies for enhancing focus and productivity for both employees and leaders.

The 2024 clear & simple guide to KPO services

Organizations opt for Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) services when their in-house team doesn’t have adequate expertise to handle certain high-level tasks. Firms offering KPO services can help you with data analytics, market research, performance management, and much more. This way, you acquire valuable knowledge to make data-driven decisions and strategize better for maximum success.

Key hurdles in young startups: Trust issues, team fit, and role overload

He sheds light on the critical issues of trust and fit in the hiring process and the challenges of managing role overload within a lean team.. Learn from real experiences about the consequences of quick promotions and the risks of hiring based on first impressions. A must-watch for anyone navigating the complex journey of startup team development. Join Liam Martin, the host of The Future Workforce Podcast, for engaging discussions and insider insights on the ever-evolving landscape of work.

Building trust through productivity analytics

As we slide into the fourth industrial revolution and the lines between physical and digital experiences fuzz, distributed work isn’t going away. Managers and employees need to trust each other, or we risk backsliding into the bad old days of panopticon monitoring. Ethical monitoring practices create an atmosphere of trust and psychological safety among team members. Employees who feel their privacy is respected are more likely to speak up, share ideas, and collaborate effectively.

5 BPO strategies for client acquisition

Starting a BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) venture can be both exciting and challenging. One of the key hurdles new BPOs face is acquiring clients. In this blog post, we’ll explore some effective strategies for optimizing your BPO startup, drawing inspiration from valuable insights shared in The Future Workforce Podcast interview with Nick Sinclair, Founder & Managing Director of TOA Global.

5 agency trends and predictions for 2024

Has 2023 been a bumpy ride for your agency? Like you’re swimming upstream with one arm tied behind your back and a crocodile snapping at your heels? Whatever your experience has been this year, it’s sure to have been a disruptive one. From the ongoing economic and geo-political uncertainty, to shifting client and consumer behavior, to rapid technological change, the agency landscape is more complex and competitive than ever.

What Is the RACI Model? A Complete Guide for Project Success

Project management is an intricate web of managing project roles, responsibilities, and tasks. And if you have multiple complex projects to handle on your plate, things can go South in the bat of an eyelid. Basically, without a project plan in place, ensuring prompt decision-making can become impossible. And the inability to complete milestones on time can become the primary reason for project failure. This is where the RACI matrix steps in as every project manager’s best friend.

Nurturing professional and personal growth in the workplace

Learn why it's crucial for employees to evolve in their roles and how this benefits both the individual and the company.. Understand the impact of personal and professional growth on client satisfaction and overall business success. This insight-packed short is a must-watch for leaders aiming to cultivate a thriving, dynamic workplace. #EmployeeDevelopment #LeadershipInsight #WorkplaceGrowth Join Liam Martin, the host of The Future Workforce Podcast, for engaging discussions and insider insights on the ever-evolving landscape of work.

5 Benefits of Using Workforce Management Software for Your Business

Are you tired of manually tracking your team’s attendance and time sheets? Do you spend hours each week reconciling payroll and benefits? You can consider using a cloud-based workforce management solution. These software tools offer a range of benefits. It can help you streamline and automate attendance tracking and payroll processes. It saves you time, money, and resources. We’ll explore the top five benefits of using cloud-based workforce software.

How to Run a Remote Digital Marketing Agency

As the digital age continues to grow, so does the demand for digital marketing services. And with good reason – digital marketing has a huge impact on the success of your business. However, running a digital marketing agency can be challenging, so it’s important to have all the right resources at your disposal. In this blog post, we’ll outline the key steps you need to take to launch a successful remote digital marketing agency.

The Recession is Coming. Why You Should Go Remote

A recession is coming. Many people already feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The global economy is contracting, and it will only get worse. If you’re concerned about losing your job, now is the time to start looking into ways to work remotely. With technology constantly changing, it’s easier than ever to work from anywhere in the world.

Remote Work Tools for Digital Agencies

As a digital marketing agency, you must have the right remote work tools to work effectively and efficiently. Remote work offers increased productivity and creativity, decreased overhead costs, and improved employee retention rates. This blog post will discuss five remote work tools that every digital marketing agency should consider.

Time Budget a Powerful trick to Get All Done in Time

Time is a valuable resource that we often take for granted, leading to poor time management and a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. A time budget is a strategic tool that helps you make the most of your time and get everything done within a given timeframe. It is an effective way to prioritize tasks, avoid procrastination, and achieve your goals.

Goal Alignment: Meeting Customer Expectations for SOWs

Goal alignment is an essential part of developing long-lasting relationships with customers and clients. For instance, if you are offering consulting services, it’s important to make sure that you are on the same page as your clients from the outset and have a solid understanding of their needs. When both parties are fully aligned with set goals and outcomes, you leave no room for hidden surprises further down the line. ‍

14 top KPO companies in 2024

Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) companies offer knowledge-specific services like market research and data processing. They enable businesses to access a talented workforce and cutting edge technology for niche services. But you can only make the most out of knowledge process outsourcing if you choose the right KPO firm. For that, you need to study their services and the industries they specialize in. In this article, we’ll explore the top 14 KPO companies in detail.

Top 17 Timekeeper Software for Businesses in 2024

Timekeeper software enhances productivity and streamlines workflow by accurately tracking, managing, and allocating employee hours. Discover the top 17 timekeeping solutions for 2024. Timekeeping software is essential for businesses to optimize workforce management. These solutions not only accurately track time and attendance management, but they also offer features that aid in scheduling, labor cost control, and compliance with labor laws.

Zoho Projects | Feature Focus - Timesheet Restrictions

We're back, but this time, to "restrict". That's right! Zoho Projects' timesheet restrictions give you complete control over when, how, and how often your users log in time. Whether your users are logging in on weekends or holidays, submitting manual entries or whirring up a task timer, nothing can fly outside your field of vision - you take control.