Yesterday I had the opportunity to review CatalystOffice, an integrated suite of productivity software from CatalystWeb, for Work From Home Momma. (A special thank-you goes out to CatalystWeb CEO, Bob Mathew, for taking the time to demonstrate this small business software to me.)
What I found when I examined CatalystOffice was as professional a platform for small business owners as any that I've ever seen. In fact, I found myself comparing it favorably to products that I used when I worked for Fortune 500 companies. CatalystOffice handles the following functions:
- Company wide Document Management
- Company wide Scheduling
- Contact Management
- Task Management
- Alert system
- Space for Notes
- Journal
- Company wide Instant Messaging (IM)
All of this functionality is hosted on CatalystWeb's server for you and includes daily backups and technical support. If you've ever accidentally deleted a document, then you understand how important it is to have a reliable backup system. With CatalystOffice you can retrieve a document that was deleted as far back as thirty days ago. It's a 'no worry' solution.
One thing that really impressed me about the product was how ideal it was for telecommuters and small businesses where all of the employees might not be in the same location. The document management system makes it possible for workers to collaborate on documents without having to e-mail them back and forth (the method that I currently use with a lot of my clients). The IM messaging system keeps remote employees in touch even when they might be on the phone.
If you're traveling, CatalystOffice allows to forward your mail to a mobile device such as a Blackberry. You can reply to e-mail from your Blackberry and the response will be sent from your corporate, not your personal, e-mail account. (In other words, clients won't even realize that you're away from your office.)
There are lots of extras built into CatalystOffice (such as the creation of e-mail templates) that allow you to customize it for the specific needs of your small business.
I've just been able to touch on a few of the benefits of the CatalystOffice productivity solution, but the good news is that you can try it yourself for free. CatalystWeb is offering a free trial.
As CatalystWeb CEO Bob Mathews says:
"The primary benefit of this product is that your office can be anywhere, with an unlimited user licenses, and without any long-term contractual obligations. We were designed for small businesses and we're coming from the world of small business. The product allows you to customize it so that you can work any way that you want to."What are you waiting for? Why not give CatalystOffice a try today?
You can learn even more about CatalystOffice on the Catalyst launch blog.
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