01732 759725 18 WORKPLACE James Stacey, Solution Consultant at ECI Software Solutions, picks the tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without I couldn’t do my job without... w Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendars As a solution consultant at ECI, my role is a combination of looking after existing customers, nurturing prospects, constantly evaluating our offerings, and supporting strategic partnerships. As such, no two days are ever the same. Time management and planning tools that are available across Outlook and Google calendar are easy to use and enable me to manage these relationships and commitments. Anyone who spends their day on calls or in meetings will appreciate the time-consuming nature of booking in these appointments. The ability to automate this process is key, with many platforms now offering the ‘scheduling assistant’ function – a great time saver for checking availability when scheduling internal meetings or catch-ups. To create a realistic overview of my time, I’ve got into the habit of including any personal or private appointments, including lunch breaks, and using the ‘BUSY’/’AVAILABLE’ statuses where appropriate. I have used a number of different tools in the past and each has their own pros and cons from a user experience perspective. Because of this, I have found that the key to great user experience is strong integration across all core solutions. A great colleague and friend once told me he had waged a war on ‘clicks’, seeking solutions that drove efficiency – the fewer the clicks, the better the solution. Microsoft software such as Outlook and Teams is a great example of this. e Calendly Calendly automates scheduling meetings and eliminates the need for discussions about finding the best date and time to suit all participants. Not only does this tool reduce your email inbox and q iPhone Many see their phone as either a blessing or a curse. For years, my mobile made it virtually impossible to switch off from work at the end of the day or over the weekend. However, I’ve looked to change this and now see it as one of my most powerful business tools. Business-related apps, such as Outlook, Microsoft Teams and LinkedIn, allow me to take a quick look at any emails or messages that have come in overnight and mentally prioritise adhoc, time-sensitive tasks before even switching on my computer and tackling the working day. With the most recent update, the iPhone’s ‘Focus’ capability allows me to effectively select the apps and people I want to hear from during different times of the day – minimising distractions and driving efficiency during working hours. This also helps to silence the corporate noise during important downtime with my family. streamline communications, but when synced up with a work calendar, users are able to book appointments around your existing commitments. r LinkedIn I’d argue that in recent years, LinkedIn has – occasionally, been and continues to be misused by a handful of people as a vanity project. But it continues to be a must-use networking site and there are definitely gains to be had. t ChatGPT By no means would I call myself any sort of expert with AI technology, but I know more and more of us are dipping our toes into this technological advancement, exploring the benefits it can bring to making my day more efficient. Namely using ChatGPT, I have begun using AI functions as a tool for expanding my work, gathering information that I may never have tapped into before and assessing the alternative points of view presented by artificial intelligence. AI is not leaving us any time soon, and I am a great believer in that the more we can explore its benefits and experiment with how AI can support our current working practices, the better prepared we can be for the future of business. y Slack Streamlining workloads and simplifying communications across teams is a vital part of maintaining increased productivity, amplifying cost savings across a business, while also considering the mental capacity and health of employees. By organising conversations and projects into different channels, work management tools such as Slack allows our teams to collaborate effectively – creating a well organised central hub for everyone to come together in one place, share ideas, make decisions and progress. https://www.ecisolutions.com James Stacey
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDUxNDM=