10 Useful Tools Every Manager Should Know
Feeling overwhelmed by endless to-do lists, constant emails, and back-to-back meetings?
You’re not alone. Even the most organized managers face challenges managing teams and multitasking across projects.
Luckily, a variety of managerial tools exist to streamline your workflow, enhance team collaboration, and enable more efficient decision-making.
In this article, we’ll look into the most effective tools for managers, covering areas like project management, communication, and time tracking.
These tools cover different aspects of management and productivity, offering solutions tailored to your specific needs. Whether you choose to adopt a single tool or combine several, you’re sure to find valuable assistance. Let’s explore these options.
Overview:
| ProofHub | Centralizes project management and team collaboration. |
| Chanty | Enhances team communication with real-time messaging. |
| Buffer | Schedules posts and tracks social media performance. |
| HubSpot CRM | Streamlines customer relationship and sales tracking. |
| Email Analytics | Monitors email activities for team productivity insights. |
| Canva | Simplifies graphic design for professional visuals. |
| MeetingHand | Manages event planning from registration to surveys. |
| SocialBee | Optimizes social media scheduling and analytics. |
| Birdview PSA | Manages projects, resources, and finances comprehensively. |
| Clockify | Tracks work hours and project progress efficiently. |
ProofHub
ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration platform. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools that help you plan, organize, collaborate, and deliver projects efficiently. With ProofHub, you gain a comprehensive overview of all your projects, tasks, and teams, enabling you to make informed decisions and effectively manage resources.
This tool centralizes your workflow, bringing all elements and team members onto a single platform. You can monitor project progress, assign tasks, establish deadlines, and communicate seamlessly with your team.
By consolidating multiple functionalities into one platform, ProofHub simplifies collaboration, enhances productivity, and aligns everyone with the project objectives.
Key Features
- Task management with deadline setting, file attachments, and comment capabilities.
- Built-in chat, discussion boards, shared notes, and @mentions for real-time communication.
- Automatic timer for detailed tracking of time spent on tasks and projects.
- Interactive Gantt charts for visualizing project timelines and dependencies.
Pricing
ProofHub offers a 14-day free trial. Beyond the trial, it provides two pricing plans with no per-user fees:
- Essential Plan: $45 per month (billed annually) for up to 40 projects and unlimited users.
- Ultimate Control Plan: $89 per month (billed annually) for unlimited projects, users, and access to all features.
Chanty
Chanty is a team collaboration tool designed to enhance communication within teams. It enables project managers to boost teamwork, ensure seamless interaction, and maintain alignment across the team.
Featuring an intuitive interface and versatile features, Chanty simplifies team management significantly.
Key Features
- Direct messages and group chats for real-time communication.
- Convert messages into tasks and assign them directly to team members.
- High-quality video and audio calls integrated within the app.
- Effortless sharing of all file types and sizes with the team.
Pricing
Chanty offers the following plans:
- Free: Available forever for teams of up to 5 members.
- Business: $3 per user per month, billed annually.
Buffer
Buffer is a user-friendly social media management tool designed to help you schedule posts, track performance, and manage all your social media accounts efficiently.
If you’re aiming to streamline your social media efforts and maintain a consistent online presence, Buffer is an excellent choice.
Key Features
- Schedule posts across multiple social media platforms for efficient content management.
- Access performance analytics for insights into post engagement and reach.
- Use a calendar view to strategize and visualize your social media plan.
- Store, categorize, and reuse posts to maximize content utility.
Pricing
Buffer offers a 14-day free trial, followed by a range of plans including a free option:
- Free: Manage up to 3 channels without cost.
- Essentials: $6 per month per channel.
- Team: $12 per month per channel.
- Agency: $120 per month for up to 10 channels.
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM is a user-friendly tool that effortlessly manages your customer relationships, streamlining your sales process to help you focus on business growth.
This CRM enables you to track deals, manage contacts, and analyze sales performance efficiently.
Key Features
- Centralize all contact information in one accessible database.
- Visualize your sales pipeline with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
- Automatically log and track all email interactions by connecting your email to HubSpot CRM.
- Generate detailed reports on sales activities and performance.
Pricing
HubSpot CRM offers four pricing plans, including a free option:
- Free: Available for up to 5 users.
- Starter: $15 per seat per month (billed annually) for up to 1000 contacts.
- Professional: $1080 per month for 5 seats (billed annually) for up to 2000 contacts.
- Enterprise: $4000 per month for 7 seats (billed annually) for up to 10000 contacts.
Email Analytics
Email Analytics is an email management tool that offers insights into your team’s email activities. It helps monitor productivity and streamline communication by analyzing data from your email accounts.
This tool delivers essential metrics and visualizations, showcasing how much time is spent on emails, and assists in making decisions to enhance efficiency.
Key Features
- Track email response times to gauge responsiveness.
- Access detailed reports on emails sent and received.
- Visualize email activity patterns and productivity trends.
- Create personalized dashboards tailored to your specific needs.
Pricing
Email Analytics provides a 14-day free trial and offers two pricing plans:
- Pro: $13.50 per inbox per month (billed annually).
- B2B Email Outreach: $900 per month (billed annually).
Canva
Canva is a graphic design tool that simplifies the creation of stunning visuals, making it accessible for users without any design background.
From engaging presentations to eye-catching social media graphics and marketing materials, Canva’s vast template selection and intuitive drag-and-drop features empower you to design like a professional.
Key Features
- Comprehensive template library for presentations, social media, and more.
- Easy drag-and-drop functionality to add and arrange images, text, and other elements.
- Real-time collaboration tools to comment and edit designs with your team.
- Tools to maintain brand consistency, including options to upload logos, fonts, and colors.
Pricing
Canva offers a free plan along with several premium options:
- Free: Ideal for individual use with basic features.
- Pro: $14.99 per month for enhanced design capabilities for individuals.
- Teams: $29.99 per month, suitable for up to 5 team members.
- Enterprise: Pricing details available upon contact.
MeetingHand
MeetingHand is an all-in-one event management software that simplifies the planning and execution of meetings, conferences, and events.
This software streamlines the entire event process, from registration and ticketing to post-event surveys, ensuring a smooth experience for both organizers and attendees.
Key Features
- Online registration forms and ticket sales management.
- Comprehensive handling of scheduling, speaker, and venue arrangements.
- Easily build professional-looking event websites without needing coding skills.
- Customizable templates for personalized branding.
Pricing
MeetingHand offers a variety of pricing plans to suit different needs:
- Free: Up to 25 registrations without cost.
- Pay as you go: $3.99 per registration.
- Pay as you plan (small): $790 for up to 250 registrations.
- Pay as you plan (medium): $2490 for up to 1000 registrations.
SocialBee
SocialBee is a social media management tool that enhances your online presence by streamlining and optimizing your social media activities.
This tool allows for efficient planning, scheduling, and analysis of your social media content across various platforms, saving you time and increasing engagement.
Key Features
- Categorize posts into different content types for organized management.
- Schedule your posts in advance with automated posting features.
- Access detailed analytics and reports for insights into your social media performance.
- Facilitate teamwork with role assignments, content collaboration, and approval processes within the platform.
Pricing
SocialBee offers a 14-day free trial and three structured paid plans:
- Bootstrap: $24.2 per month (billed annually) for managing up to 5 social profiles.
- Accelerate: $40.8 per month (billed annually) for managing up to 10 social profiles.
- Pro: $82.5 per month (billed annually) for managing up to 25 social profiles.
Birdview PSA
Birdview PSA is a robust tool tailored for managing your projects, resources, and finances with precision.
It provides a comprehensive view of your operations, enabling informed decision-making and ensuring your projects remain on track.
Key Features
- Extensive project management capabilities.
- Efficient resource management features.
- Monitor budgets, expenses, and profitability to maintain financial health.
- Real-time reporting for deep insights into project performance.
Pricing
Birdview PSA provides a 14-day free trial and offers two pricing plans:
- Team: $37 per user per month (billed annually), suitable for teams of 5 to 100 users.
- Enterprise: Pricing details available upon request.
Clockify
Clockify is a time-tracking tool that helps you and your team meticulously manage work hours. It enables project managers to oversee time management efficiently, monitor productivity, and keep track of project progress.
This tool helps streamline your workflow and provides insights into how time is allocated across different tasks.
Key Features
- Time tracking for individuals and teams to ensure accurate work hour recording.
- Robust project and task management functionalities.
- Detailed analytics and reports for comprehensive insight into time spent.
- Seamless integration with a variety of third-party applications.
Pricing
Clockify offers a 7-day free trial, followed by several tiered pricing options:
- Basic: $3.99 per user per month (billed annually).
- Standard: $5.49 per user per month (billed annually).
- Pro: $7.99 per user per month (billed annually).
- Enterprise: $11.99 per user per month (billed annually).
Conclusion
Selecting the right tools can dramatically enhance your work efficiency. By integrating suitable tools into your daily tasks, you can heighten productivity, enhance team collaboration, and make informed, efficient decisions.
More than just simplifying your managerial tasks, the right tools empower you to achieve your goals and manage your resources with precision.