The Apps We Use

Nathan — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:54:41 +0000

Twelve Oaks is a completely “online” company, so web-enabled tools and apps are absolutely necessary.

Some of the apps and services we use include…

Trello

Project Management

Trello is a super simple project management app that’s absolutely free. I imagine it like a series of index cards on a cork board with the project / task name on the front and details on the back. I can quickly look over the the board and see where projects stand. E-mail notifications, due dates, etc are all included.

Blinksale

Billing

Blinksale is an awesome and easy online billing solution.

It was important to me to choose a billing solution that all of our team members could access (without having to pay for each user), could send e-mail invoices, would accept online payments, and was affordable. Blinksale is absolutely beautiful and amazingly affordable. If you receive an invoice from Twelve Oaks, it came from Blinksale.

It’s great for small businesses that want to bill online, but customers can also print their invoices (a PDF is attached to all invoices) and mail in payments.

Highrise

Customer, Lead, & Deal Management

I didn't want to pay, but Highrise is amazing and I really recommend it!

I resisted actually *paying* for Customer Management, but with our team spread out over a large area, it’s essential to have everyone on the same page while we market and work deals. Highrise is super easy to use, includes all the data about a deal, and allows task assignment, emailing, file management, and a host of other features.

It’s because of Highrise that any of our account managers or customer service team can be up to speed on your account or project almost immediately.

myBalsamiq

Website “Wireframes” and Mockups

You probably won't need this for your business, but it's really handy for online designers!

This isn’t something most small businesses will need, but it’s one of my favorite tools. When you begin the design process with Twelve Oaks, we talk with you about your goals for your website. A designer takes those goals and your vision and creates in myBalsamiq a rough “wire frame” or draft of how we think your website might look. This allows us to work on spacing, placement, and general design. You’ll get a copy of the wire frame to approve.

Nathan

Nathan Reed is a spastic online entrepreneur. Since 1997, Nathan has developed online solutions for non-profits, small business, and local governments. Nathan is the owner and founder of the Twelve Oaks Group.

twelveoaksgroup.net » billing