3 tips to boost team productivity

Does this phrase sound familiar? Have you found yourself repeating this over and over, without knowing how to start? You're not alone.

Increasing team productivity often sounds like a full-time chore. It's time to change that by proving to your employees that they can increase their productivity while still keeping it fun.

Thanks to the cloud, it's now easier than ever to find the right apps you need to easily and effectively increase your team's productivity.

With the following suggestions, you'll be ready to surprise your team with a bouquet of the best cloud apps available for improving productivity.

Adore Your Projects

It can be difficult to love certain projects. Even when a team is motivated and the work is exciting, extended deadlines and increasing costs can put a damper on morale. Sometimes the biggest problem behind a struggling project isn't the motivation or lack of resources, but the simple fact that the team may have bitten off a bigger chunk than they can handle.

Having a great cloud project management app can bring the love back to the project. Tools like Earliz makes project management easier by breaking down larger projects into more manageable chunks.

Earliz lets you choose between Agile and Gantt management styles, so you can manage your team however you see fit. Simply list the top-level deliverables and then break them down into smaller tasks.

You'll be able to monitor these tasks on a day-to-day basis, making the larger project much more manageable and the goal easily attainable. With custom reporting, email notifications, and full collaboration capabilities nothing falls through the cracks. Once your team is proud of their work and eager to do more, you'll watch your productivity increase and learn to adore your projects.

Make Communication Endearing

Communication is the most important aspect of business, yet taking the time to nurture communication is rarely a priority for most organizations. The best way to do so is to start with a professionally branded email.

Many small businesses have chosen to use free email accounts in order to save time and money, which can hurt their brand recognition when first starting out. However, with so many affordable options available for a branded, business-class email, it makes little sense to ask your customers to email you @gmail.com.

For those that love Gmail, Google offers business email as a part of their Google Apps for Business bundle. With this package, you can connect your company domain to your Gmail account, allowing you to send out company-branded emails that build brand recognition.

No matter which type of email you choose, be good to your company and those that you communicate with by making communication more endearing with your own branded email.

Dote on Your Clients

Of course you love your clients, but do they know how much you love them? How do they know? When was the last time you reached out to your biggest customer? How about your smallest?

If you weren't able to answer these questions, then you need to look into a customer relationship management (CRM) cloud app. The beauty of a CRM app is that it allows you to keep all your customer information in one easy-to-access location.

Keep track of client names, companies, contact information, birthdays, and important dates along with notes on each conversation you have with clients so your team always has a running history to access when needed. Keeping all of that information in one area also has an extra benefit; you'll get to know your clients better.

Have a really great customer who loves cats? Send them a cat e-card for their birthday! CRMs also allow you to set reminders to check in with your customers and see how they like your new product or updates. With a simple click of a button, you can take your customer service to the next level.

These three examples are just some of the many cloud apps available to companies looking to fall in love with productivity.

What apps have helped your team's productivity? Tell us below in the comments!

• Margaret Quin Lyons is the Director of Customer Success at InfoStreet