Managing workflow across your company can get really annoying if everyone isn't on the same page. That's why customer relationship management tools came out in the first place. But the issue with some of these tools is that they can get complicated or are expensive.
No one understands these problems more than engineers that have to manage complex workflows at big companies like Facebook, Google and Microsoft. This may be why the following tools came from engineers who once worked for those companies. Although each tool is special in its own way, you’ll find that they all share two traits: simplicity and elegance.
1. Streak
Omar Ismail and Aleem Mawani, a YC Alum and an ex-Googler developed Streak as a way to create a CRM in your inbox. Since a lot of people already live in their inbox, having access to a CRM immediately is convenient. You can use Streak for sales, customer relations, hiring, bug tracking or even create your own custom campaigns. If you want to add an e-mail contact as a lead, you simply click the 'boxes' button and add them to a box. If you want to add people to certain projects, all you need to do is type in their name or their e-mail address. The program is intuitive and user friendly. It's currently in beta and it's free.
Here's how you can use it for sales:
Here's how you can use it for customer service:
2. Asana
Ex-Facebookers Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein created Asana, a productivity web application designed to improve workflow. Like Streak, you can use it for sales, hiring, bug tracking, customer relations and more. Asana is very user friendly and nimble. It's also free for up to 30 users. Beyond that, there is a paid plan.
Watch how it works here:
3. Trello
Trello was created by Joel Spolsky (formally of Microsoft) and Michael Pryor, founders of Fogcreek Software.
Trello is based on the same productivity premise as Asana and Streak. In the video below, you'll see a good example of how some use the tool. Oh, and it's free.