3 Wicked Cheap Online Tools for SMBs





Andrew Lock

Free Conference Calling


As your business grows, there are times when you need to speak with a bunch of people at the same time, and FreeConferenceCalling.com, the aptly named free service, is the ideal way to do it. Conference calling services are a dime a dozen, but what separates this one is the fact that it’s free, it’s easy to use and it’s reliable.


Within five minutes of visiting the website you can get set up with your own free conference call telephone number, which is very cool (note that it’s not a toll-free number so call charges still apply).


A partial listing of features include



  • 1,000 callers anytime

  • 6-hour maximum call length

  • 24/7 services

  • Free call recording

  • Web-based management

As we noted, up to 1,000 people can get on the call for a maximum of six hours, so there’s really no catch.


I can’t understand how this company makes money other than perhaps a share of the call revenue. Oh well, I guess we shouldn’t worry about that.


Gliffy


I love Gliffy.com. What am I talking about, I love all the Web tools I recommend otherwise I wouldn’t be recommending them, would I?


Gliffy is an online version of Microsoft Visio.  If you’re not familiar with Visio, it’s a visual tool that allows you to “drag and drop” shapes onto a planning document to create workflow diagrams, project plans, flow charts, mindmaps etc., in all kinds of industries.


I used to use Visio as a planning tool for new projects, but Gliffy does essentially the same thing. It’s online (which means there’s no software to download and install). You get five diagrams and 2MB of storage with the free, basic version (supported by unobtrusive ads).


If your business needs  exceed the basic account, you can upgrade to Gliffy Standard, which starts at $4.95 per person a month for up to 200 diagrams and 200 MB of storage. Or you can go with Gliffy Pro, which starts at $9.95 a month per person for unlimited diagrams and storage.


What makes Gliffy even better than Visio is the capability to share and collaborate on documents with others, because it’s online. I encourage you to check it out; I think you’ll be impressed.


AM-DeadLink


One of the challenges with having an online business is the number of websites that you visit and subsequently bookmark. If you’re anything like me, you have hundreds of sites stored in your Favorites folder.


One of the things that really annoyed me about my Favorites was that often a link would cease to be active, but I would only find that out when I went to visit the site.


AM-Deadlink is a small software program that works with all the major browsers to automatically weed out dead links from your Favorites folder or bookmarks folder. And it’s freeware, so there’s no cost. Go check it out and let AM-Deadlink get rid of the dead links in your Favorites list.



Andrew Lock is a self-described maverick marketer and the creator and host of Help! My Business Sucks, a free, weekly Web TV show full of practical small business marketing tips, advice and resources to help small businesses “get more done and have more fun.”

Small Business Computing is on Facebook. Join us on Facebook and interact with the site’s editors, post messages, share your small business challenges and successes, discuss technology and suggest topics you’d like covered on Small Business Computing.





Do you have a comment or question about this article or other small business topics in general? Speak out in the SmallBusinessComputing.com Forums. Join the discussion today!

Must Read

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends, and analysis.