5 Important Metrics to Measure the ROI of Low-Code

5 Important Metrics to Measure the ROI of Low-Code

Low-code/No-Code development platforms make a lot of promises; lower costs, faster development, and fewer errors are just at the top of the list. However, once companies decide to move forward with a particular platform, they often forget to measure if these tall claims are true. Often, the success of an LCNC  platform is determined more by the gut feeling of IT leaders rather than hard data.

When people mention ROI, their thoughts first go to money. But while there can be a great direct financial benefit of a low-code/no-code platform, the larger advantages are only linked tangentially to money.

The good news is that promises made by low-code/no-code platforms make are mostly real and not over-inflated — that’s assuming you pick the right one, and use it carefully. Just because it’s hard to make a clean financial line, IT leaders often don’t carefully research and share the benefits.

And that could be a big mistake.

Picking the Right Platform

Before you start counting up the numbers for your low-code platform, there are different types of platforms out there. Choosing the wrong one will quickly land you in negative financial figures. There are three main categories of low-code development platforms.

The first: general-purpose platforms, which enable teams to create apps that can do basically anything they can imagine, and be deployed on any operating system. These tools are favorites of seasoned developers, who appreciate enhanced superpowers that shave time off development cycles by letting them quickly deploy and edit new applications.

Second: mobile app development platforms, which are mostly geared toward creating mobile apps alone. Again, the functionality of the application can be pretty wide, but instead of deploying anywhere, MADPs are used mostly for churning out apps that will live on a phone. Some low-code tools help mobile developers work faster, while others make it less scary for non-programmers to try their hand at app creation.

Third: business process platforms. These create separate applications that help automate regular business processes such as purchase requests, time-off approvals, and travel reimbursements. Automated business processes take a set of data through a specific sequence of steps or approvals to complete the process. They create a smooth-flowing infrastructure that can handle large numbers of requests running through the system.

Identifying Core Goals

All the low-code/no-code development platforms out there fall into one of two groups.

Some exist to make development easier for programmers. Others exist to make it easier for non-programmers to make applications.

It’s rare (practically impossible) to find a single platform that does both very well.

Before you start to measure the success of the platform, be very clear about which goal is more important for you. If you aim to help out programmers, look for metrics that talk about improving the quality and output of the IT team. If you want to involve non-programmers (or citizen developers), look for indicators that talk about digital transformation and explosive growth.

So how can CIOs and other IT leaders see and demonstrate the real value they get from low-code?

Here are five metrics you can use to measure the ROI of your low-code platform.

  1. IT Expenditure

This is the most direct financial metric you can use to calculate the ROI of a low-code/no-code platform. There are two major areas where low-code can reduce IT spending significantly. The first is the cost of hiring new developers. If you want your existing developers to be twice as productive on low-code, it should directly result in fewer developers needing to hire. Most developers come at a significant cost, usually more than the cost of the platform, which may be reason enough to try low-code.

The second way that low-code reduces IT spending is by reducing the number of single-point solutions the company uses. Most organizations have licenses to dozens of software tools, many of which only help a single department. By leveraging low-code, you can create your own applications and automated processes and reduce dependency on multiple 3rd-party vendors for many single-point solutions.

  1. Digital Transformation Progress

For most IT leaders, digital transformation is a major focus and priority; low-code platforms can help get you there faster. Whether it means your developers are building more homegrown solutions that bring departments into the digital fold one at a time, or that you are unleashing the power of business process management onto your entire organization, low-code can give you a huge boost in reaching your goals. 

  1. Reducing IT Backlog

Most IT teams face a long list of priorities they need to tackle. And every day, the list grows.

With a low-code/no-code platform, the IT backlog can be tremendously reduced. If programmers are equipped with an efficient solution, they might be able to knock out the biggest projects in a fraction of the time it usually takes them. Or, if business leaders are capable of creating their own solutions to their IT requests, you can watch as an entire wave of projects vanishes from the IT queue as citizen developers take on their own priorities.

  1. Increasing IT Output

IT output is always high in the minds of IT leaders. A low-code/no-code platform not only means that your developers can do more projects, but also that they can work on higher quality and more mission-critical projects. How? Because they won’t have to deal with creating lots of simple applications that business leaders can build for themselves. Tracking and calculating the output of completed projects, both in terms of number and impact, is a great way to judge a low-code platform’s value.

  1. Reducing Stress Factors

One of the most overlooked metrics is the general health and level of chaos that is tolerated within an organization. Are teams constantly at each other’s throats? When you give a business leader a timeline for completing a project, do they drop their jaw in disillusionment, or are they satisfied with the pace of work? How often are issues escalating to IT leaders? While seemingly intangible, these benefits might be the most useful for an organization to show how low-code is making a difference.

Whether you are a large enterprise or an emerging SMB, a low-code platform can provide lots of dividends. Armed with new metrics, you can experiment with new low-code solutions to see which one is right.

Identifying your primary success metrics is the best place to start. Are you primarily looking for a tool for decreasing the IT backlog? Reducing stress? Advancing digital transformation?

A Look at Tigersheet

Tigersheet is a great place to start your low-code/no-code exploration. It is the ideal tool if you want to open up process application creation to everyone in your organization. Tigersheet goes beyond no-code and provides a completely code-free environment that anyone in your organization can use to create an automated process. And with a per-user pricing plan, it is one of the most affordable options as well.

For a free trial of Tigersheet to see if it is right for you, go to https://tigersheet.com/

 

November 9, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
T ask Management App Vs. Work Execution Platform: What Do You Need and What’s the Difference?

Task Management App Vs. Work Execution Platform: What Do You Need and What’s the Difference?

Have you ever wondered just what is going on in your business, how well things are going, and why? 

How can you ensure that the people and teams at your company are dedicated to achieving your long-term growth strategies and goals? How can you ensure you are doing the right things to attract the best talent and keep them happy in your company so they won’t leave you? These are all questions that an Enterprise Work Execution Platform can help you answer.

 An Enterprise Work Execution Platform will give you one integrated system across all teams for Strategy, Goal & Work Management; Work Collaboration & Socialization; KPI Tracking & Dashboards; and People Performance Management.

An Enterprise Work Execution Platform like Tigersheet enables you to record long-term company strategy and align the daily execution and work of your people and teams to it. Execution against projects and goals is collaborated and commented on daily. This speeds up your execution and increases the effectiveness of your work.

In the marketplace for work execution platforms and collaboration apps, there are a lot of colorful advertisements and user interfaces floating around.

But when you’re looking for a secure, flexible, and deeply useful web-based software as a service (SaaS) platform, be sure you look beyond the shiny exterior interface to see what’s “under the hood.”

  • Does the platform have a functional backend database? This will enable you to switch between visualizations of the same data — say, from a standard “spreadsheet” view to a card view, Gantt chart view, or a view of a calendar.
  • Does it have robust global security controls that scale at the enterprise level and allow you to invite anyone to collaborate, for free?
  • Does it provide for rich integration with the other apps you use every day, including customer relationship management systems (CRM) and messaging apps?

When you’re shopping for collaboration tools, it’s tough to find a software platform that is enterprise-ready in terms of security, consistency, and scalability. While most platforms claim to be up for these unique and evolving challenges, your decision boils down to a simple question:

Are you looking for a task tracking application or a work execution platform, and what’s the difference?

When you need more than task management

Task management apps can be handy tools for individuals and small teams to use to manage projects. Many of these solutions are effective for planning smaller-scale projects or organizing events, such as potlucks and book clubs.

Also, not all of these platforms integrate or connect with other popular platforms you rely on, such as Microsoft Office 365, Slack, Salesforce, and Google Suite.

Best-in-class work execution cum automation platforms, such as Tigersheet, help organize and regularly execute work at the team, divisional, and enterprise levels. 

Tigersheet empowers teams to streamline workflows, reporting, and work through automation, data collection through custom web forms, dashboard customization, multiple project view modes, and a synchronous mobile app experience — all while improving visibility to anyone who needs it, whether inside or outside of an organization.

So, what does a best-in-class work execution platform offer? Here are three characteristics your platform needs in order to increase efficiency and speed around work execution.

Multiple views to match your team’s process

Note: Examples of Standard view, Pivot Table, and (Kanban) card view using Tigersheet (will attach screenshots)

Your work execution platform should meet you where you are, aligning with how your team functions within the broader organization.  

Task tracker apps often default to a to-do list or basic timeline display which can hamper innovation.

The ability to access the same information in multiple views is a key to staying competitive and innovative in business. Exceptional work execution platforms will allow you to customize your work view to help move teams from idea to impact, fast.

Tigersheet, for example, uses grid (rows and columns) view as a foundation. The interface is instantly recognizable for people who have worked in spreadsheets but simplified to support workers in their day-to-day tasks.

In Tigersheet, teams can also view tasks in card view, pivot view, and Timeline View so they can determine the project’s critical path and plan accordingly. These visual options provide greater flexibility, based on how your team works.

Connect and collaborate teams through internal communication

Email overload can hinder innovation, making it tough to locate and compare ideas. 

With so much going on in a team’s day-to-day activities, it’s taxing for team leaders to remember who contributed what and nest relevant comments under the right topics. 

Finding the information you need is like playing detective, which wastes the time you could use to develop and nurture the next steps in an important project.

Tigersheet offers smooth internal communication via comments. Team members can dive into the sheet and read the latest comments as they correlate to specific tasks or activities. All it takes is for the sheet owner to create a comment and ‘mention’ the designated user with an @ symbol and an automated notification is sent as an alert to the person at his email.

For example: Here’s a comment targeted to a user @XYZ who is a team member in the organization.

@XYZ: Please look into the lead’s appointment scheduled post 20th October 2020 and update them in your logs.

Killer time saver: Automate weekly status reports

Consider investing in a platform that empowers reporting through operational controls and automated actions — such as status requests, approvals, reminders, and notifications. As a work execution platform, Tigersheet offers these solutions to help change the way you work, so you can get back time, and move faster without sacrificing quality.

Teams can also collect information and data using Tigersheet forms. Whether you send to internal stakeholders, customers, or vendors, participants can fill out forms from their preferred device.

Maximize productive time, wherever you work

For example, a software engineering department can use forms for internal bug tracking. Users submit bugs using forms, which then populate a sheet, which can then be surfaced on a dashboard.

Business is increasingly data-driven. Your task tracker app may have a beautiful user interface and design, but does it empower you to surface data and information that your team needs to execute, in a customizable format that is easy to understand at a glance?  

Once you collect the right data, you need a way to surface key performance indicators (KPIs), reports, and goals (targets versus actuals) in an accessible format. This is another area where run-of-the-mill task management apps fall short. You might be able to see tasks, task owners, due dates, and other basic information, but how can you surface key details to your executive VP?

With Tigersheet, you can quickly build dashboards for all sorts of uses, whether strategic, analytical, or operational, and visually surface key metrics to business leaders and executives. 

Increased visibility into key metrics, data, and information cuts back on time spent in meetings and sorting through email threads, and generally improves the way you work.

Are you looking for an automation solution that offers all the perks and benefits outlined above? Why not give our Next Generation Uber fast work execution platform a try today? Click here for a free, interactive no-strings-attached demo to get started

Build Powerful, Automated Business Processes and Workflows with Tigersheet…

Whether you’re trying to fix inefficient work processes with stakeholders or jumpstart a brand-new innovation department, Tigersheet helps eliminate additional administrative work so you have more time to focus on what matters most to you.

 

October 13, 2021 IT No comments yet
Top 10 Types of Software Every Business Needs

Top 10 Types of Software Every Business Needs-Infographic

Running a business can be incredibly challenging. The very best business operators know that there are a number of useful software tools which can make life easier.

This infographic lists 10 basic software solutions that a business requires on a daily basis.

 

Tigersheet will help you organize anything you put your mind to thanks to an infinitely better structure, complete flexibility, and additional features for advanced work management. Tigersheet is a modern day, spreadsheet inspired no code platform that comes packed with scalable features that make it a perfect alternative software you use for accounting, CRM, invoicing etc. You can plan, manage, and also automate your data enrichment and reporting in a single place. Whether you’re a marketing team managing content, campaigns, and reports, a sales team dealing with leads, or even a project management team assigning tasks, Tigersheet has you covered. If you’re ready to test it out, sign up for a free trial of Tigersheet, absolutely free no strings attached! You can start building your own enterprise apps for desktop and mobile using one of our templates or start from scratch with Tigersheet drag-and-drop interface.

1. Accounting and Invoicing Software

Regardless of their size, all companies need to keep track of their finances – costs, savings, revenue, tax, etc. in order to keep their business on track and be compliant with government regulations.

Hence, proper accounting and invoicing play a significant role in the growth of a business. 

Suggested Software: QuickBooks, Wave, Zoho Invoice

2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software provides a centralized platform to manage all company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. From scheduling meetings to sharing ideas, documents, etc., it provides a means to interact and build a relationship with customers.

Suggested Software: Zoho CRM, Salesforce, Sugar CRM, Method CRM

3. Email Marketing

Email marketing software can make organizing and sending emails to a large number of people an easy task. E-mail marketing is among the most efficient ways to connect with people; for this reason, it is imperative for any business or enterprise. 

Suggested Software: MailChimp, ConstantContact

4. Social Media Management

Social Media Management platforms can help a company to schedule and publish posts and updates on various social media platforms. With over 3.48 billion social media users around the globe, making social media the leading way to connect with people and expand businesses is important. 

Suggested Software: Buffer, Hootsuite

5. File Backup and Recovery

File backup and recovery software can help a business create backups of their important information and recover it in case of any loss.

Any business today is concerned about the security of its data and information. 43% of cyber attacks affect small businesses (Source: Small Business Trends). This can result in the loss of confidential data, which can be detrimental to businesses.

Suggested Software: Dropbox, Recuva

6. Blogging

Content management software provides a platform for blogging and helps companies to keep their website content and design up-to-date, benefitting the website’s ranking in Google SERPs.

Blogging is the best way to connect with people on a personal level. A good blog can create a positive impact on the reader and can eventually lead to a conversion for a company.

Suggested Software: WordPress, Medium

7. Analytics

Software for analytics can be very useful for company’s working with numbers. These software solutions can help them gather, review, and analyze their customers, revenue, and other data in order to plan their future steps for the company’s growth.

Suggested Software: Google Analytics

8. Calendar/Meeting Scheduling Software

Scheduling software can help a company to plan and schedule meetings, presentations, appointments, etc. along with reminders. This ensures that all tasks are completed on time and helps keep track of the upcoming meetings, presentations, etc.

Suggested Software: Acuity, Appointlet, Gigabook

9. Communication and Collaboration Tools

Project management and collaboration software provide a platform for people to work together, share ideas, etc. This can help in increasing the efficiency of the employees.

Suggested Software: MS Office 365, G suite, Trello

A centralized platform that covers all your business needs-Meet Tigersheet

Now, what if you could use just one centralized platform to fulfill the functionality of all the above software mentioned? Incredible isn’t it?

An ideal business automation platform should be packed with features that can help an individual, a team, and even an entire organization plan, work, collaborate, deliver results faster and more effectively. Tigersheet does the same. 

Tigersheet will help you organize anything you put your mind to thanks to an infinitely better structure, complete flexibility, and additional features for advanced work management.

Tigersheet is a modern-day, spreadsheet-inspired no-code platform that comes packed with scalable features that make it a perfect alternative software you use for accounting, CRM, invoicing, etc. 

You can plan, manage, and also automate your data enrichment and reporting in a single place. Whether you’re a marketing team managing content, campaigns, and reports, a sales team dealing with leads, or even a project management team assigning tasks, Tigersheet has you covered.

If you’re ready to test it out, sign up for a free trial of Tigersheet, absolutely free no strings attached! You can start building your own enterprise apps for desktop and mobile using one of our templates or start from scratch with Tigersheet drag-and-drop interface.

 

September 15, 2021 IT No comments yet
The Best Airtable Alternatives to Look Out for in 2021 and Beyond

The Best Airtable Alternatives to Look Out for in 2021 and Beyond

The popularity of Airtable, a tool that combines features of a spreadsheet with a database, has been on the rise over the years. 

Unlike other databases, Airtable holds a fun interface with a variety of options to store and visualize data.

However, the challenge is that its functionality is limited and this is the reason that teams have to start looking for its alternative.

Are you too using Airtable for project management? Are you not satisfied with the platform’s performance?

Looks like you can use something better—like Airtable alternatives. 

If you are also having second thoughts about Airtable, we have come up with a comprehensive guide to provide you with the list of best Airtable alternatives that can help you run things better. 

So, let’s dive deeper without wasting any minute!

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a SaaS, enterprise-ready work management and collaboration software. Smartsheet is regarded for its amazing project management, collaboration, and file-sharing functionality. It’s an intuitive application with which businesses and teams can track and manage everyday work-related stuff like projects, tasks, task lists, customer information, sales pipelines, event schedules, and more.

Smartsheet feature highlight:

  • les
  • Reminders
  • Forms
  • Update requests
  • Alerts and automated actions
  • File sharing
  • Resource management
  • Reports
  • Export, email, and print
  • Custom branding

Pricing Plans

  • Individual ($14 per month)
  • Business ($25 per user/per month)

A 7-day (+7-day extension) free trial is available.

Tigersheet

An ideal business automation platform should be packed with features that can help an individual, a team, and even an entire organization plan, work, collaborate, deliver results faster and more effectively. Tigersheet does the same. 

Airtable is a great tool for organizing your work—no doubt about it. But Tigersheet will help you organize anything you put your mind to thanks to a better structure, complete flexibility, and additional features for advanced work management.

Tigersheet is a modern-day, spreadsheet-inspired no-code platform that comes packed with scalable features that make it a perfect alternative to software like Airtable.

You can plan, manage, and also automate your data enrichment and reporting in a single place. Whether you’re a marketing team managing content, campaigns, and reports, a sales team dealing with leads, or even a project management team assigning tasks, Tigersheet has you covered.

With customizable forms, plus Kanban & Standard views, you can visualize your data effectively and share it with the world.

Here’s a sneak peek into the vast array of features and modules Tigersheet offers:

  • Track orders, projects, invoices, payments, employees, expenses, office assets, employee leaves, employee advances, and more.
  • Attach files and documents to rows.
  • Hide certain fields or rows from users easily with the powerful roles and permission system.
  • Set reminders for important dates like a deadline, a follow-up date, etc.
  • Access data from your Tigersheet’s mobile app.
  • Create reports, have different views to visualize your data better – like Kanban, timeline, etc.
  • Use Triggers to create workflows, send email notifications, and more. Now no need to resort to custom application development to automate your business.

Best suited for: Small and medium businesses (SMBs), agencies, and large organizations

Pricing: Starts with a standard free absolutely no strings attached plan at $0/user per month, scaling to the Pro plan at $5/user per month, and the Enterprise plan which costs $35/user per month. 

Does Tigersheet offer a free trial? Yes, a 30-day free trial is available with awesome features like 1500 Records per sheet, 5 Triggers per sheet, 1 Gb attachments per sheet, and Chat / Email / Community Support.

Zoho

Zoho is a simple cloud-based project management solution. Like other project management tools, you can create projects and tasks, assign them to employees, and set start and end dates. You can track time with Zoho too.

You can also interlink tasks so that the next one automatically starts after the previous one ends.

And it has four types of views. These are classic, plain,

kanban, and Gantt charts. You can pick the view depending on the project you are creating.

Zoho integrates with several third-party tools such as Zapier, Dropbox, GitHub, and Slack to simplify project management even more.

It might have all these integrations, but it is a simple tool when compared with Airtable. It will suit you best if you plan to use other Zoho tools too.

Best suited for: Individuals to medium businesses.

Pricing: $0 to $6 per user/month.

Does Zoho offer a free trial? Yes, a free plan is available.

Notion

The next Airtable alternative we’ve added to this list is Notion. Primarily a note-taking application, Notion comes with a pretty solid task management feature set that allows you to manage your tasks without getting into the frustration of complicated functionality.

It’s a tool that comes with a pretty neat user interface combining note-taking, task management, spreadsheets, and databases all under one platform. Through a knowledge base, Notion combines all your team’s knowledge in one centralized location to be accessed whenever needed.

Key Features:

  • Some of the key features you can get with Notion are:
  • To-do list management
  • Knowledgebase for common team data
  • Tasks management through Kanban workflow
  • Documents management to keep all your documents in one place
  • Third-party application integrations

 Pricing Plans:

  • Free
  • Personal ($4 per month- flat-rate)
  • Team ($8 per user/month)

Enterprise ($16 per user/month) plans

Podio

If you’re looking for a tool that provides a rich set of collaboration features, Podio might be best suited for you. The platform combines content, context, and collaboration in one place, providing a unified task management solution.

The tool ensures transparency and accountability by providing a solution that comes with elaborate social communication features, like file attachments, likes and sharing, and instant audio and video calls. Not only this, but you can also create workflows by adding if-this-then-that logic and streamline your processes effectively.

Key Features:

  • Personal dashboards for monitoring progress in a
    • Task management, with integrated workflows
    • Private and public workspaces for multiple projects
    • Recurring tasks for tasks repeating on a regular basis
    • Activity stream to keep a check on current updates
    • Comments, likes, and file sharing
    • Audio and video calls with team members
    • Podio chat for instant messaging with team members

     Pricing Plans:

    • Free
    • Basic ($9 per user/month)
    • Plus ($14 per user/month)
    • Premium ($24 per user/month) plans

Quip

If you are looking for a straightforward and simple alternative to Airtable, then Quip is the perfect option for you. It’s an easy app that allows teams to create living documents. It offers tools to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and lists in the cloud. In addition to this, the app integrated well with chat, docs, task lists, and spreadsheets. No more endless chain of emails and overly complicated document versions, Quip makes it super easy for you to simplify communication, collaboration, and document management. 

Quip feature highlight:

  • Document sharing
  • Tasklist
    • Chat and messaging
    • Spreadsheets
    • Access on any device, anytime
    • Import and export

Pricing: Free for users of Microsoft 365 and Office 365; $5 per user per month, Plan 1; $10 per user per month, Plan 2; $20 per user per month, Office 365 E3

ClickUp

ClickUp is an intuitive and easy-to-use platform for all your project management needs that can increase your team’s productivity by tenfold.

The versatile features in this app offer tools and capabilities to scale with different users and business types.

With ClickUp one can also customize and optimize features according to one’s team’s needs.

Key Features:

  • Document management
  • File sharing
  • Data import/export ability
  • Product planning and road-mapping
  • Task management
  • Workflow automation
  • Supports Waterfall, Scrum, and Agile
  • QA and Testing management

 Pricing:

  • ClickUp offers a Free Forever option
  • The Unlimited plan costs $5/month, per user
  • Business plan for $9/month, per user
  • Contact the provider for a quote for the Enterprise plan.

Have You Picked Your Airtable Alternative?

As you can see above, there are so many fantastic Airtable

alternatives. Some are simpler and cheaper than Airtable, while others are more sophisticated and cost more. The one you pick should depend on your needs and budget. So, make sure you assess them carefully before you decide on a tool.

Almost all of the above offer trials or free plans. You can try them out before zoning in on your favorites.

September 13, 2021 General, IT No comments yet
What is Vendor Lock-In? 6 Simple Tips to Avoid Falling Prey to It

What is Vendor Lock-In? 6 Simple Tips to Avoid Falling Prey to It

As cloud computing has become more accessible than ever, many companies are taking advantage of it to break free from maintaining their own IT infrastructures. 

The public cloud offers a number of advantages for businesses, allowing them to scale operations quickly and utilize enterprise-level services without investing in enterprise-level infrastructure. However, companies must be wary about Vendor lock-in and how it could limit their flexibility in the future

.What is Vendor Lock-In?

Vendor lock-in also called customer lock-in or proprietary lock-in occurs when certain restrictions prevent a customer from switching vendors, products, or services.

  • Vendor lock-in normally happens when customers can’t switch to a new product or service without incurring substantial costs. 
  • In such cases, customers will continue to be bound to a service that may no longer fit their needs or isn’t compatible with newer technologies.
  • Lock-in can also be caused by inefficient processes, contract restraints, or other limiting circumstances.

Service providers benefit from vendor lock-in because it can be an effective way of ensuring that a customer stays with them. 

Lock-in customers are dependent customers and vendors no longer have to compete for their business.

Let’s try to understand this further with an example:

Imagine that an office has coffee brought to it by a coffee vendor, and the vendor requires the office to have specific coffee machines that only the vendor can provide. Imagine that this vendor’s coffee has suffered a steep decline in quality. Switching to a new coffee vendor would mean the old machines they purchased become useless, and it is likely they will need to purchase new equipment. Given the hassle and added expense of replacing every coffee machine, the workers in the office would be effectively locked into their agreement with their old vendor and forced to drink inferior coffee.

A real-world example of vendor lock-in is the way Apple locked consumers into using iTunes in the early days of the service because music purchased via iTunes could only be played within the iTunes application or on an iPod.

Why is vendor lock-in a concern?

A number of circumstances can negatively impact a business if they’re locked in with a certain cloud vendor:

  • If a vendor’s quality of service declines, or never meets the desired threshold, to begin with, the client will be stuck with it.
  • The vendor may also drastically change their product offerings in such a way that they no longer meet a business’s needs.
  • A vendor may go out of business altogether.
  • The vendor could stop offering support for their product or service, leaving the customer to their own devices if something breaks or goes wrong.
  • Finally, a vendor may impose massive price increases for the service, knowing that their clients are locked in.

6 tips for avoiding vendor lock-in

While vendor lock-in isn’t new, it has become a more significant concern for many businesses in recent years.

The following are six tips that will help you avoid vendor lock-ins:

      1.Evaluate the market

Know what solutions are out there and how they stack up against one another. If you know your business inside and out, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about which solutions will help you now and as you grow.

  1. Read the fine print

Always read a contract in its entirety before signing. Know its restrictions, and keep an eye out for that auto-renew option. You don’t want to get locked into a subsequent contract without realizing it.

  1. Know your provider

The right provider will operate according to emerging industry standards, have a strong reputation (with customer references), and be able to demonstrate a clear vision to continue to evolve and remain technologically relevant.

  1. Ask questions

Would the vendor offer migration tools or services to help facilitate a smooth transition? If you decide to change vendors, what will your exit plan look like? These are important questions that you need to know the answers to before signing a contract.

Conclusion

No one wants to be stuck paying top dollar for bottom-of-the-barrel tech that barely gets the job done — but that’s the rock and a hard place where organizations struggling with vendor lock-in end up.

What you can do is look for vendors who are keeping pace with the ever-changing technology landscape. Is their company expanding? Are they looking to integrate newer technologies into their product or service? Do they focus on innovation within their own organization? Look for vendors that can demonstrate how far they’ve come and have a roadmap to move forward and stay competitive.

 Doing so won’t guarantee that you’ll never have to deal with lock-in, but you are more likely to find partners that will change with the forward march of time and not stubbornly fight against it.

 

August 27, 2021 IT No comments yet

10 Reasons You Should Ditch Spreadsheets Today

For many years, Excel spreadsheets have been a staple in both professional and personal circles for organizing, calculating and presenting data.

They have been a universally functional tool for a variety of applications, such as keeping tabs on company financials and managing inventory.

There hasn’t been a single technological development that’s been able to replace spreadsheets as an office fundamental (other than ongoing updates from Microsoft Office and similar competitors like Google Docs), so spreadsheets remain in active circulation.

For many uses, spreadsheets are still valuable, but there are a number of inefficiencies that prevent them from being the powerhouses they once were. which is why we have put together a list of reasons why you should really stop using spreadsheets.

  • Spreadsheets are prone to errors

Nearly 90 percent of all spreadsheets have errors. This may be an improper formula, a misreported number, or inefficient formatting that leads to misinterpretations. Given your valuable or sensitive information, even a single mistake can be costly here, so it’s not worth the risk.

  • Spreadsheets get cluttered over time

Most spreadsheets start off very simple but as they grow in size and complexity they become difficult to manage

You end up with a large spreadsheet that is very difficult to maintain.

This becomes even worse if you have multiple people working on it. 

  • Limited or no automation

With spreadsheets, you can’t automate tasks or you have to automate them through complex scripts. For example, if you want to know when someone updates the status column, with spreadsheets, either it’s not possible or it requires complex scripts.

  • No custom roles and permissions for spreadsheets

As your database grows in size and complexity, you may find that you need an extra layer of control and protection. This is very important if multiple people have access to your database. With spreadsheets, it is impossible to set up custom roles and permissions.

This means that you need to give “Full Edit” permission to everyone who wants to make an edit which could lead to security risks.

  • No Notifications or Real-Time Updates

No notifications can hamper team collaboration. Unless your spreadsheet lives on the cloud or on an otherwise networked computer, you can’t get real-time updates. To get updates, you’ll need to manually email/copy-paste rows.

  • No Attachments

For completing a task, you may need to work with documents, presentations, brochures, graphics, or other files. But you can’t attach files within a spreadsheet! This is a severe limitation.

  • Prone to Security Risks

Because spreadsheets give access to more or less everybody on a team, instead of only to specific users, sensitive information may end up in the hands of people that are not entitled to see it. This is a major disadvantage, especially in a time where companies generate ever-growing amounts of data every day.

  • Scales poorly

As an organization grows, data in spreadsheet-based systems get more distributed; It is absolutely not advisable for a large organization to keep using spreadsheets.

What to Use Instead

So there are lots of good reasons to stop using spreadsheets, but that doesn’t make your needs go away. You still need to track inventory. You still need to report financials and chances are you need an easy way to transition your old materials into a new system. What could take the place of spreadsheets?

The simple answer is specialized software. There are thousands of types of tracking and management software out there, some of which cover many needs generally (like team collaboration software) and some of which narrow down into a focused niche (like accounting software). Your best bet is to choose a suite of software services, a la carte, that best cater to your company’s specific needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution out there (which is why spreadsheets are becoming obsolete), so shop around and consider your options carefully.

Instead of relying on spreadsheets to do the heavy lifting, look for a platform like Tigersheet that scales as you grow, providing secure features that improve collaboration, accountability, and accuracy so that you can move quickly and have an impact on your organization.

TIGERSHEET- A No-Code platform to build and automate apps 10x faster!

 

August 17, 2021 General No comments yet
Nocode vs COTS: Breaking down the Pros and Cons

Nocode vs COTS: Breaking down the Pros and Cons

One of the most typical issues firms confront, is whether to purchase commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) or construct custom solutions. 

If buying was the apparent choice in the past, the increasing drive for better customer experience and operational efficiency has prompted many firms to prefer software that fully adapts to their organization’s quirks.

Of course, not everything needs to be totally personalized, so despite the trend away from off-the-shelf software, it continues to play an important role in many firms’ digital strategies. In reality, prominent digital organizations are combining buying (or renting) software with producing it as part of a new set of rules for procuring, renewing, and operating digital assets.

While the conflict between low-code platforms and customized softwares might not have the heritage of Coke vs. Pepsi, Apple vs. Samsung, or Star Trek vs. Star Wars, it’s definitely a comparison worth examining for organisations deciding to construct their own custom software solution.

Many teams and employees are fed up with the inconveniences of COTS software.

We’ve got a second option in place for 2021 and beyond.

Defining COTS software and its limitations

COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) software refers to software applications and products that are ready-made and sold in the commercial market. 

It’s like “one-size-fits-all” software because it’s pre-made, and it can’t possibly match every possible customer’s demands completely unless customised, yet most COTS software has limited modification choices.

Sure, a few COTS providers may offer customization beyond what is offered in the product as a paid service, but it will come at a high price. Businesses also pay a significant cost since customisation is required because the software does not always fit the customer’s demands as-is.

IT is constantly overburdened as more individuals work from home, and software developers are in short supply. COTS software is also a dangerous option in the face of widespread digital disruption because enterprises can’t afford to limit their operational capabilities because of what COTS software provides. 

Furthermore, COTS customisation necessitates time, which no organisation can afford to lose.

What is No-Code?

No-code is an ideal solution for many business owners. It’s a recent innovation, as development began around the same time as lowcode. 

Users can create apps and use specific software without any coding knowledge. 

Users need to apply some form of coding logic, but no-code development simplifies the logic and process of making these developments accessible to everyone.

You can use No Code to create many apps like Low Code. Most platforms optimize no-code for business use. Instead of paying professional developers to create apps, companies can get inexperienced coders to develop apps in less time than normally needed.

Users don’t need any prior coding experience to create apps using no-code.

You can quickly construct applications in minutes or hours to automate and manage all your tedious activities. 

Therefore, companies facing difficulties in automation and streamlining IT procedures can consider utilizing no-code software. 

No-code development platforms (NCDPs) are becoming the preferred tool for app development, and companies often choose no-code over COTS. 

NCDP may have some limitations, but providers are increasing their no-code use cases every day. A no-code development platform is an overwhelmingly easy-to-use solution. But is no-code better than COTS?

No-code vs COTS software: Comparison

 

  • Clutter in the IT Department

One COTS for each business case, such as CRM, Help Desk, Accounting Software, Expense Management, and so on, can lead to software clutter, resulting in data redundancy and maintenance concerns.

When used for general-purpose automation, a no-code software platform can be used to automate processes and construct applications for all departments in the firm on a single platform, removing the risk of software clutter and data redundancy.

 

  • Skills

Customization options for COTS products are restricted. 

Any customization that goes beyond what the product offers must be done by the vendor himself. 

Business users and the central IT team are powerless to help. Professional developers are required for such efforts, even if IT is authorized to customize the COTS product.

Building software with no code, on the other hand, takes no skills or even basic programming experience. Apps can be developed and customized by anyone from any department or by the user.

No-code app creation also makes it easier to make changes and upgrades. 

For customization beyond what is provided in the product, COTS apps necessitate the intervention of programmers.

 

  • Time

In most cases, COTS software is set up and deployed in a matter of minutes.

No-code apps can be produced and deployed in a matter of minutes to days, depending on what is being built. 

Many no-code software platforms offer ready-to-use building pieces for fast developing and deploying software. Delays and debugging are also no longer a source of concern.

 

  • Cost

Costs are very high since COTS software development involves weeks or months of development effort from qualified professional developers. 

They can be purchased for a set price plus an annual maintenance fee, or they can be purchased as a SaaS subscription that is paid monthly or annually.

No-code platforms, on the other hand, are far less expensive than COTS software. 

These are often given as a SaaS subscription that is paid on a monthly or annual basis and may be used to solve different business challenges and build multiple solutions with the same subscription.

 

  • Agility

One of the most significant drawbacks of COTS software is its lack of agility. 

There are only a few customising options available. Any customization beyond what is included in the product is either impossible or requires the vendor’s involvement. 

This might lead to a negative customer experience and frustration.

No-code apps are extremely adaptable, allowing for quick modifications without disrupting the user experience. 

In fact, they make it better by allowing users to add features based on their needs and feedback.

 

  • Complexity

There is commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software available to solve complicated business challenges. 

However, the few customising possibilities they offer continue to be a major drawback.

In this situation, though, No-code has been filled with myths. 

Many users assume that no-code development is only appropriate for simple applications. The truth is that there are a variety of advanced no-code platforms available that allow you to create everything from simple to complex enterprise-grade apps. COTS, on the other hand, may have limited capabilities in this area. As a result, you must be cautious during your evaluation.

 

  • Integration

Integration options are available in most common COTS software, but they may be limited.

Integration is possible with no-code platforms thanks to APIs and ready-to-use plugins and adapters.

However, as a customer, you must first verify the integration capability before making a decision.

 

  • Innovation

No-code software platforms give customers the tools they need to create and invent new.

solutions to their problems. They also free up time and provide you the freedom to think and act at the same time.

COTS software, on the other hand, does not allow for much innovation because it cannot be changed by the end users.

 

  • Reusability

No-code development also has the benefit of reusability in the workplace and pre-configured modules and functionality for apps. 

These modules typically contain all the basic and core functionality required by various programmes, and they may be quickly and readily utilized for multiple alternative solutions.

When using COTS software, this is usually not possible.

 

Conclusion

Both custom software and no-code solutions offer their own set of benefits. 

The advantages of each are mostly determined by the needs of the firm that will be employing the software, as well as the organization’s infrastructure. It may be worthwhile for a company with 500 users in a niche with complicated, highly customized software needs to custom-make their own software.

Whereas, a company that requires customized but common business applications (CRM, expense management, inventory monitoring, and so on) may choose the low-tech, DIY aspect of no-code platforms.

 

 

 

 

 

August 3, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
5 Tech Upgrades Your Business Needs in 2021 and Beyond

5 Tech Upgrades Your Business Needs in 2021 and Beyond

Over the last few years, the world of enterprise technology has changed significantly. Digital technologies have evolved. Rising data volumes have changed the way businesses operate. It seems like new technologies are constantly emerging. 

As technology is constantly improving and can sometimes be hard to understand, many businesses are not utilizing the best and latest tech, which could be holding their business back in more ways than one way. So, if you feel that you need to upgrade your business tech to improve your company but are not sure how to go about doing this..Here’s our comprehensive blog that will give you insights on some of the best tech upgrades you can make.

Keep reading this blog post to learn more!

Automation

Automation of workflow and business processes are crucial tech upgrades that businesses should adopt, especially in this day and age where time is money and has to be used wisely.

By using a no-code platform like Tigersheet for automation, the redundant and repetitive tasks could be looked after automatically. This in turn can let employees manually engage in more critical matters concerning the business, enabling it to grow and develop further.

The benefits of automation include:

  • It is inexpensive and assists you in the long ru
  • You will not be overburdening your workers
  • Your company can achieve more with the time and resources available to them

Give Your Team the Fastest Internet Possible

Switching Internet providers may not top your list of to-dos. It should be, though. Now is not the time for a snail’s pace online connection. Far too many businesses simply accept that their Internet will be ridiculously slow from time to time. Yet slow Internet has serious repercussions.

Case in point: Everyone’s experienced an arduous Zoom meeting with maddening lag times and freeze-ups. What kind of an impression do those interactions make on prospective clients or talented job candidates? What does a slow connection do to your own employees? And downloads that take forever or ones that stall? They’re cutting into profits.

Consequently, whether your team is remote, in-house, or a mix of the two, your employees, clients, and prospects need high-speed Internet.

Invest in security

Security is of grave importance at a company; unfortunately, a lot of companies do not understand the gravity of the situation until cyber thieves have a field day.

Here is why security should be treated with utmost importance:

  • Customer and business data is not something a company can afford to take lightly, quite literally, the legal penalties and fines for data breaches are a serious amount.
  • Data breaches are not tolerated by communities in today’s business environment.
  • Failure to maintain security can turn into a PR nightmare overnight.

Prioritize Better internal communication

Internal communication sure took a hit after the pandemic with everybody having to communicate and coordinate with each other while working from home. Texting is great, it’s intuitive and quick but is it sustainable in the long run?

The confusion and insecurity of texting make it unsuitable for the modern workplace in the digital era. The last thing you need is for basic communication to become taxing and frustrating.

The solution to this? Keeping all your communication in one area.

One of the techs upgrades your enterprise needs is to use a specialized tool for your teams to utilize in order to ensure a cohesive and teamwork-inducing virtual environment.

After revitalizing your technology and giving the employees time to get the hang of it, there will be a boost in their overall productivity.

Move All Collaboration to the Cloud

Teleworking doesn’t raise eyebrows anymore. But is your company getting it right or still merely getting by? Consider your collaboration efforts for a moment. Is it easy for colleagues to share documents and information? Or do they have to take extra steps to get each other key data?

Minutes matter, especially for sales and customer experience professionals. Forcing a frustrated consumer to wait because your employees can’t find what they need isn’t acceptable. Customer behavior has changed radically, and patience (let alone loyalty) isn’t high on buyers’ priorities.

Migrating all your sharing platforms to a centralized, cloud-based location can take away barriers to wooing and keeping customers.

Conclusion

In the end, it is always sensible to invest wisely in what can create and deliver value for your enterprise and your customers. The goal is always to strengthen your business and not wait for anything to become obsolete and get left behind.

We hope you gained some value from this blog post about the tech upgrades that your business should hop on as soon as possible to keep growing in and competing in their industries. Change is the only constant; do not be afraid of it, embrace it.

July 29, 2021 General, IT No comments yet
Shadow IT: The Risks and Benefits Explained

Shadow IT: The Risks and Benefits Explained

Ensuring information security is a constant challenge for companies. We are in the Digital Age, and the cloud computing phenomena have generated considerable changes in business models and the way we work. Despite the numerous benefits, it is necessary to be aware of the dangers that the uncontrolled use of these tools can bring to your company.

User-friendly cloud services such as Dropbox and Google Drive are increasingly present, and they often end up being used within the company as well, even if the IT department has not approved their use. This practice is known as Shadow IT. So, what to wait for? Let’s explore the world of shadow IT and know about its risks and advantages to the companies.

What is Shadow IT?

Synonymous with invisible IT, Shadow IT refers to devices, software, and services outside the IT department’s control and does not have explicit organizational approval.

Shadow IT happens when a person decides to use a Cloud-based service without the company’s knowledge. For example, applications for managing tasks, schedules, and projects help the professional in the day-to-day work, which was not previously or formally approved. And this can lead to problems, as it opens the company to unwanted or unplanned risks.

Given a reality in which the infrastructure cannot fully meet the demands of the most diverse sectors, Shadow IT becomes an escape valve for being an instrument that offers alternative solutions using software in the cloud. Furthermore, the poor management of multiple cloud providers can cause shadow IT due to management failures.

Prominent risks of Shadow IT

  • Leakage of sensitive information

The objective of IT management is to provide a technological environment that facilitates the work of employees and the achievement of organizational goals. It is a complex assignment that involves managing human resources, computerized systems, expensive equipment, and sensitive content.

Thus, the practice of Shadow IT can be very harmful since it is not known the origin of programs improperly installed on a user’s computer. These suspicious applications may contain malware capable of accessing machines and leaking sensitive data. An incident of information leakage would be very damaging to your company’s reputation, wouldn’t it?

  • Noise in internal communication

Good internal communication between departments is essential for everyone to be able to perform their duties. The innovation in enterprises should cherish the excellent flow of information between stakeholders. Therefore, IT technicians should be called whenever necessary to install any program on a user’s machine. In this way, technology managers can identify which applications are installed on the company’s computers and control these technologies.

Installation of a program without the authorization of the IT department can lead to management difficulty. This in turn will lead to IT technicians not being able to identify problems on a computer correctly. This situation can generate a lot of strain on communication with users. Such a scenario can strengthen an informal Shadow IT culture and create more problems in the future. As a result, many internal issues can be improperly exposed in social networks and instant messaging applications.

  • Failures in internal controls

Internal controls are central to the technical and final activities of an organization. This is a joint effort recommended by good quality assurance practices. The culture of installing programs on computers without authorization from the IT area can increase the risks of undue exposure to your business. In addition, it creates difficulty in the periodic maintenance of machines with unauthorized applications.

  • Encouraging home IT solutions

The more technical people call home IT solutions a gambiarra. This is a classic example of Shadow IT very much embedded in the culture of some companies. It is considered a serious threat to information security, as IT managers and technicians often do not know these alternative programs. This opens up loopholes for criminals and even malicious insiders.

Benefits of  calling Shadow IT

Rather than creating hindrances, some of the more savvy CIOs now accept and even encourage the clandestine use of IT. They take advantage of it to redefine the role of the IT team.

Despite the risks, there are several benefits to Shadow IT if managed correctly. If they are to be profited from, they must first come to light. Here are four ways that Shadow IT can contribute to a business:

  • Allow employees to create their solutions

Application development has always been a problem for many businesses. This is one of the reasons users are turning to Shadow IT. Tired of waiting for new applications from IT, they decide to take action. This is how they find tools that meet their needs and let them build their applications.

When managed correctly, the IT department can provide end-users with the tools they need to create their solutions. This allows IT to have control over user information and access and let them work without having to make constant requests.

  • Reduces IT department workload

In most companies, the IT department is overwhelmed. They keep the technology running, they support the business, and they are constantly solving problems. Creating new solutions for users only adds to their workload.

By bringing IT into the Shadows, end users have access to various approved tools and applications. This gives the department a breathing space and allows it to focus on more critical issues.

  • Provide solutions aligned with business needs

In addition to the problem of having to wait for solutions, there is another pervasive problem. When users request IT solutions, details are often overlooked. For this reason, the final product is not really what was ordered.

One of the benefits of Shadow IT is that there is no such hiccup, as the risk of communication failure is eliminated. When users are looking for their solutions, they won’t stop until they find the ones that best fit their goals.

  • Remove obstacles and improve productivity.

Employees turn to Shadow IT when they don’t get the solutions they need or break the rules imposed by the business. In many cases, the IT department is seen as an obstacle rather than an ally. Strict policies make it difficult to achieve something.

By embracing IT in the shadows, employees can be given the tools they require for their daily tasks, preventing them from spending more time searching for solutions instead of working.

How do platforms like Tigersheet counter shadow IT concerns?

No-code/low-code platforms like Tigersheet give users the ability not just to create custom workflows and databases for their needs—its visual programming interface means they can be built, maintained, and modified in real-time as the user needs. 

Which means no waiting on development. Changes happen as soon as they’re needed. 

Such immediacy, combined with the platform’s sheer flexibility, eliminates the need for individuals to seek out new software from other providers. They can simply make what they want themselves. Even better, what they make doesn’t need to be connected to any of their databases via REST APIs or other tools. It all rests in the same ecosystem as their other workflows, meaning users don’t fragment their data or database to get the workflows they need. 

Conclusion

While it is impossible to eliminate Shadow IT for good in enterprises, it has become essential for IT departments to distinguish between good Shadow IT and bad. The goal is to find a happy medium to allow employees to use applications that suit their work while maintaining data control by the IT department to reduce risks.



July 12, 2021 IT No comments yet
How-to-Create-Web-Forms-That-Convert-Visitors-to -Leads

How to Create Web Forms That Convert Visitors to Leads

Funneling lots of traffic to your website is an impressive feat, but it’s an empty metric unless it can convert visitors into subscribers or customers. That’s exactly why having effective web forms is essential—these data capture tools allow you to gather information on leads that you can in turn nurture into clients and customers.

But have you ever wondered how many visitors struggle to complete your forms – or simply give up?

According to one study, 80% of users have abandoned an online form even after starting to fill it out. Some 27% quit simply because the form is too long. Imagine how many leads and how much potential revenue you’re losing because of poorly executed web forms!

Best Practices to Create Web Forms

Webform conversion optimization is not just for marketers. It’s something to ponder on any time you use forms to collect orders, subscriber information, customer feedback, and product inquiries. Each successful interaction grows your business, while each failed attempt is a lost opportunity.

So, before you hit that publish button, spend a little extra time to incorporate these conversion best practices:

1. Define a Clear Purpose

  • What is the most important information to collect? Limit to as few fields as possible or consider breaking the form into two steps.
  • What data formats are required? Set up your fields to collect data in the appropriate data formats. Include a calendar to make it easier for users to enter a date. 
  • To avoid typos, use an email field for email submissions, which will display an error if users enter the text that’s not in an email format. 

2. Design with Direction

  • Stick to a clean and simple design. Choose a font and color palette that’s easy on the eyes and professionally matches your website or brand.
  • Keep field labels short. If more explanation is needed, consider adding a small tip next to the field.
  • Use a large button in a strong color. The button should demand attention with action-oriented text such as “Sign Up for Free” or “Subscribe Now”.
  • Limit any distractions around the form. Eliminate surrounding clutter such as graphics, links, or navigation that may sidetrack users from completing the form.

3. Improve form placement

Like the form’s design, its location on a website or specific page plays a considerable role in converting customers. Ideally, you can place forms as calls to action above the fold if your purpose is to generate more sign-ups and submissions. As one of the first things people may see, there’s a good chance that they’ll be willing to submit.

However, it’s common for some landing pages to take the AIDA approach (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) and place the form at the very end. Long-form sales pages occasionally use this template to maximize conversion rates.

No matter where you want to place your form, be sure to track and monitor its performance regularly. 

Better insight about which parts of your web pages receive the best engagement is critical. For example, if the majority of visitors leave before scrolling halfway through the page, and your form is at the bottom, consider adjusting placement. 

4. Ensure you have a strong call-to-action

While placement and design are essential, one of the most crucial elements in a form is the call to action or CTA. Make sure that your CTA is visible, legible, and packs a punch.

Next, ensure the clarity of your CTA by using descriptive action words. Instead of “Send,” “Click Here,” and other common language associated with a form submission, mention the specific benefit or outcome again.

A few examples include “Get My Free Guide,” “Get Your Copy Here,” and “Yes, I Want the Checklist,” among others. Once you settle on the copy for your CTA, take extra time to monitor its performance to see how your visitors respond.

Remember, changing just a word or two (or even removing them) can help increase web form conversion rates. You can always run A/B tests to see which CTA buttons work best for your organization and for your users.

Convert Your Business with No Code WebForms Built on Tigersheet

Tigersheet allows you to create web forms,  that not just convert users but also help your business digitally transform, given these unprecedented times.

Tigersheet’s no-code platform provides you with all the tools you need to create, customize and deploy powerful web forms, all without having to hand-code.

By using our intuitive point-and-click tools instead of painstakingly writing down line after line of code, you gain the agility to build and deploy apps and forms 10-20x faster. The sooner you build the forms, the sooner you get the leads, subscriptions, and sales.

Want to learn more?

Check out our Ultimate Video Guide: How to Build Web Forms on Tigersheet. This comprehensive, step-by-step video series shows you how to easily build web forms, using the contact us form as a sample use case. 

Alternatively, sign up to Tigersheet for a free trial to see how Tigersheet can help you create optimized web forms that bring in leads, subscriptions, and sales for your business.



July 6, 2021 General No comments yet
Top-5-benefits-of-using-No-code-for-Workflow-Automation

Top 5 benefits of using No-code for Workflow Automation

With the introduction and proliferation of rapid application development platforms, the problem-solving capacity of custom-built software is now well within anyone’s reach.

No-code application builders have made it possible that anyone can develop custom software to manage every kind of workflow, tasks, and conversation—instead of subscribing to expensive, single-duty enterprise apps which can easily cause two headaches for every one cured.
The key to success with no-code application builders is asking questions and experimenting with the tools available to see what solutions will work best for your team. In this blog, we will look at the top 5 benefits of using no-code for workflow automation.

Workflow evaluation and faster problem-solving

The biggest USP of workflows is to strengthen the effectiveness of processes and to make sure that the right results are achieved with the elimination of error-prone manual processes. Business automation is done to improve the efficacy of the process in the first place. However, a few bottlenecks are bound to arise even in this case. Software applications require constant changes to add new features, squash bugs, and so on. Worry not, since no-code business automation tools prove to be extremely useful in this case. 

There is no requirement for any assistance from the IT department, as the business user is empowered to fix any issue that arises and fix the workflow. No-code not only allows for simplified resolution of issues, but it also ensures that precious time is saved as otherwise, the process would have taken weeks to resolve.

Consolidate Your Software onto One Platform

Apps built in a no-code environment are perfectly capable of replacing many expensive third-party, single-duty applications. CRM, messaging apps and email, HR functions, scheduling, and many more enterprise-grade apps can all be consolidated into one system for a seamless workflow experience. 

No-code app builders are more like 3D printing your own blocks that take any shape you want and fit together perfectly. Once you start building your own custom apps to replace the majority of expensive single-duty software solutions, it’s a natural process to identify and eliminate inefficiencies, combine department functions and trim out redundant software.  It’s not necessarily something that happens overnight, but with a bit of buy-in from your team, the benefits will quickly become apparent, and it won’t be long before you’re whipping up apps with ease and canceling your software subscriptions.

Unified communication with In-App conversations


No-code app builders allow for in-app conversations, which allows teams to keep a record of every development and communication that has happened on a specific project. Only people who are a part of the process can view and contribute to these conversations by tagging and replying to their colleagues. These conversations can be referred to in the future, helping team members find solutions quickly and save time.

Get a Better Handle on Metrics and Reporting

No-code can be used to create impactful reports from the data collected by automated workflows, as the records and metrics are accurate and useful. These reports can be generated in real-time, with visual aids and graphics that are easy to understand. Instead of getting lost in a sea of numbers and incomprehensible data, no-code tools can churn out reports that tell you exactly what you need to know. This leads to a strong control over the workflow, and an opportunity to gain insights and to improve on them. There is also greater visibility of the progress in tasks on automated workflows, leading to clear, informed decision-making, transparency, and accountability.

Moreover, when you have the power to adjust your own software to collect any data you want, getting metrics on any corner of the operation doesn’t seem so daunting.

Give Your Team Their Time Back

Once you have all your data, communication, and workflows neatly organized, you and your team will probably start to find yourselves with more time and mental/emotional energy to spend on high-priority tasks. Less time will be given to just managing your data and conversations and instead turned towards discussing what your data means for your business. 

This will give you greater control over the nitty-gritty details of your workflows, tasks, and communication, no-code app builders platforms give you back time in your day. 

Tigersheet is one of those platforms. It will help you and other colleagues of yours who are not technical people to automate all of your processes without the need for codes.

If you and your team are looking for a no-code platform that can drastically improve your workflows, Tigersheet can be a good addition to your overall business strategy.  

Why Choose Tigersheet As Your No Code Business & Workflow Automation Tool

We turn to a lot of software just to help keep up with our productivity and efficiency. And sometimes, because of the very tools we use, our work suffers. But using Tigersheet as your no-code workflow platform will afford you several powerful benefits such as:

Intuitive and easy-to-use. This spreadsheet-inspired platform is easy to use because of its drag-and-drop functionality. Tigersheet also has a range of actions (triggers, reminders) that you can use and configure to build dynamic workflows. Just drag and drop the actions into the flow; no more coding.

Cost-efficient.  Using App Script and hiring a programmer to do the coding and maintain it for you can be costly. But with Tigersheet and other no-code business automation platforms, it’s cheaper while helping boost your ROI.

Wrapping Up

This is just an overview of the most common, straightforward benefits of using a no-code application builder for workflow automation. These powerful tools offer teams the chance to redesign their workflows just the way they want using their own expertise and knowledge. Think of it as democratic self-representation. What you want, you make. The software world is yours for the taking. 





June 23, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
Top-No-Code-Experts-&-Influencers-You-Must-Follow-on-LinkedIn-and-Twitter

Top No Code Experts & Influencers You Must Follow on LinkedIn and Twitter

No-Code platforms are relatively new to the market but everyone in the industry is talking about them. Every business leader is trying to figure out how they can leverage these in their digital transformation journeys. So, it’s no surprise that search engines are swamped with questions and answers on these topics.  

But more often than not, information overload can confuse you rather than providing the right answer. That is where the expert voice comes into the picture.

In this blog, we have come up with a mix of no-code experts, no-code makers, solution pushers, and just great people you can learn from in this industry and stay relevant with all the latest happenings.

Bram Kanstein

Here comes first on our list of no-code expert, Bram Kanstein is a non-technical product builder who also teaches the same to people who are not well-equipped in no-code with an online course called startupstash.com; it has come to be known as the most successful product on Product Hunt ever.

He discovered no-code through Carrd.co and built his websites with it. He then expanded upon his startup with automation using Zapier and managing tasks using Trello. Using all this knowledge, he curated a “stash” of information and tools for startups all over. A startup to help you build startups, startupstash helps democratize and execute ideas by the massive number of people with business starters who cannot code.

Find him here: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bentossell?s=20

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-tossell-70453537/

Issac Sacolick

Moving forward in our list on no code influencer next is Issac Sacolick has more than 13 years of experience in the industry. He is the Founder of StarCIO, a firm helping every business win with digital, product development, data, and great technology. He previously served as CIO for BusinessWeek, Greenwich Associates, and Stafford & Associates.

Quote:

“I think it’s probably the most important technology tool that CIOs need to look at. We do not have enough staff and our staff who are strong at AppDev need to focus on the customer-facing pieces that are going to move the needle. Building tools for dealing with knowledge bases, doing workflows, integrating enterprise data sources into a single utility that can be used for a one-time purpose — these are great use cases for low-code environments to get developers to be more productive and even citizen development programs.” – 

Read Article: CIO playbook: Citizen development is your ‘most important tool.


Read Article: CIO playbook: Citizen development is your ‘most important tool.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nyike?s=20

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaacsacolick/

Doc Williams

Doc is a big help when it comes to use cases, tips, and live streams filled with insights and information that this no-coder can provide you with. He has used a single no-code tool to build three businesses, but that’s not the catch. He builds these businesses live!

He does not just talk the talk, he walks the walk and he shows that with actual businesses that you can virtually build with him from concept to finish.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_docwilliams?s=20

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realdocwilliams/

Lacey Kelser

Lacey Kelser is the pinnacle of women’s support in the no-code community. Lacey’s no-code expert team provides all kinds of help to promulgate and assist women’s growth in the world of visual development.

Her journey with no-code arose from a love for visuals and a lack of fondness for coding. She shares her story on her website, podcast, and YouTube channel. With whatever form of content, one likes to consume, she can help one out.

Lacey used to work at a SaaS company as the Head of Product but realized that wasn’t it for her and no-coding was so much more productive and useful. She tweets about the products and software she uses and is always sharing new tools with her followers; which is literally the definition of being a no-code influencer.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacey-kesler-b39a07180/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaceyKesler?s=20

Michael Gill

Michael Gill is a big help to the no-code community and is without a doubt, one of the best no-code influencers out there. 

Anybody who is somewhat of a newbie to no-code must hop on to his newsletter: No-code coffee. Now get this, his daily newsletter introduces one new no-code tool, one new no-coder, and one new no-code product… did I mention “daily” because he puts this out EVERY SINGLE DAY.

And there’s more! Michael also has a workshop and e-book called “The Maker Minions” which guides you in a how-to fashion across the realm of no-code. It is truly the perfect toolkit to get started.

Community development is definitely notable for Michael; he is of the opinion that manpower should not be engaged in activities that do not contribute significantly to the business. People are meant for so much more. He sincerely wants to help them work more meaningfully. His solution? Automate everything else!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gill_works?s=20

Tigersheet

OK – obviously we eat our own food as well. Therefore, please forgive our little self-plug.

At Tigersheet, we aim to share our no coding expertise with others. Either be through our product, support team interactions, and since recently also through our own Low-Code No Code blog. The blog is well updated with news, informative articles on LCNC, latest trends, product updates, and what’s buzzing in the field of software, technology, and automation.

Begin Your No Code Journey with Us…

Tigersheet is a uber-fast modern-day no-code platform that can help streamline business processes in quick and easy steps. The intuitive drag and drop interface allows users with zero coding knowledge to create workflows and share them with their employees.  Follow us on our social media channels Twitter and LinkedIn to get notifications on all updates.

TRY Tigersheet for FREE and witness the change in your organization today!





June 3, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
Tigersheet Wins 2021 Rising Star and Budget Friendly Software Award at Software Suggest Awards

Tigersheet Wins 2021 Rising Star and Budget-Friendly Software Award at Software Suggest Awards

We are all extremely proud of what we have achieved at Tigersheet until 2020, and our latest honor gives us even more reason to celebrate. Tigersheet has won the prestigious 2021 Rising Star Software and 2021 Budget-Friendly Software Award from Software Suggest, a very popular B2B software review platform. This recognition is awarded annually to products that offer outstanding solutions to B2B companies in multiple categories.

To win the award, Tigersheet outshone several other software in categories like- pricing, features, and specifications.

Software Suggest is an online platform for Business Software discovery that simplifies the process by Listing, Reviewing, and Comparing Business Software. In the process, it also helps software vendors discover and connect with verified prospects.

We would like to thank all our customers for their valued reviews and for choosing Tigersheet as their preferred no-code platform. And we ensure that we will continue to maintain the high standards of services and support for you in the future.

Please visit SoftwareSuggest.com to post your own review of Tigersheet and thanks for your support through this amazing year. We hope to win many more awards in the future, as the team is constantly working to improve user experience by adding new features to Tigersheet. We can’t wait to show you what’s in store in the coming year!

Make sure to follow Tigersheet on our social media channels Twitter and LinkedIn to get notifications on all updates.

May 20, 2021 Product No comments yet
6 Best Business Process Management Podacsts

6 Best Business Process Management Podcasts You Must Listen To

Over the last few years, Podcasts have grown from a niche media to one of the most popular ways to get news and information. In fact, Podcasts are like hacks for our everyday life. They allow us to passively improve our knowledge and gain valuable insight into almost any topic one could imagine, while doing pretty much anything.

Business process management podcasts can be an invaluable resource for those in the know or those who need to know about it. With this in mind, we have come up with an insightful list of our 6 favorite business process management podcasts, listed below in no particular order. To keep up with the latest news, trends, best practices, and to hear from the top minds in the industry, we highly recommend giving these a listen.

In no particular order, let’s take a look at each of these picks.

The Project Management Podcasts

The more companies understand the importance of sound Project Management, the more will your skills be in demand. Project Management is the means used by companies today to turn their vision and mission into reality. It is also the driver behind transforming a business need into a business process. The Project Management Podcast looks at how project management shapes the business world of today and tomorrow.


-Solution’s Review

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, this is one of the BPM podcasts hosted by Cornelius Fichtner that is brilliant for both. With over 400 episodes about subjects related to process management that offer a deep program showcasing strategies for success for small businesses.

This podcast was started and remains until today Cornelius’s love project that he does on the side. He founded the OSP International LLC in 2006 and ever since then, he has utilized podcasting to help more than 50,000 students prepare for the PMP exam by teaching project management; the podcast is used as a preparation guide.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-project-management-podcast/id79900698

Workflow

Workflow is one of the BPM podcasts that enable company’s teams to find and learn the best possible ways to work, enable meaningful collaboration with each other and others and ultimately get work done in the most effective manner possible. This podcast is on Rindle.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/workflow/id1132878011

Disrupting Business Process Management

Our next pick is a podcast brought to you by FlowForma. In every episode, they interview thought leaders or one of their own customers and ask them about their Digital Transformation journey to a paperless office. 

Paperless offices are the way to go and this podcast’s recommendations can assist you in learning the best practices from your colleagues in the business world.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disrupting-business-process-management/id1400867590

HBR IdeaCast

Harvard Business Review has BPM podcasts where you can discover new ideas with an old-school provision of advice on innovative strategies and leadership. This is gained from the world’s best management and business experts to create global leaders of tomorrow.

The podcast comes out on a weekly basis featuring these thought leaders with business and management expertise.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hbr-ideacast/id152022135

Hack the Process: Mindfulness Meaningful Progress on your Plans

A podcast about taking action on your plans, and building your business, your career, and your life around sustainable and satisfying processes that support mindful and meaningful progress.


HACK THE PROCESS

This podcast is hosted by coach and writer, M. David Green who uses it to help people constantly improve by making effective collaboration an everyday practice. He coaches companies and individuals in a varied and widespread range of industries that excel in tech to assist them in the improvement of their processes so as to boost productivity, flexibility, communication, and the leader’s life quality.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hack-the-process-mindful-meaningful-progress-on-your-plans/id1076068196

In Process Podcast

The In Process Podcast has a range of conversations with experts in business showcasing new tools, techniques, and ideas in general to assist the growth and success of your business. The Host Evelyn Ashley brings you these talks featuring the importance of change being the only constant in business and the continuous challenges that are faced.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-process-podcast/id1048394662

Conclusion

We hope that you like these top 6 BPM podcasts and delve into them for your unique businesses with a better understanding of the concept.

At Tigersheet, we aim to make business process management easy and efficient through an intuitive interface and a drag-and-drop builder. We want to make automation easier for you by simplifying and demystifying the process by using no-code tools. Take the first step to automating your workflows and increasing your productivity by contacting us for your free trial!

April 29, 2021 General, Uncategorized No comments yet
Managing Your Work in Spreadsheet Is a Pain? Use Tigersheet, not spreadsheets to track and automate your Business.

Managing Your Work in Spreadsheet Is a Pain? Use Tigersheet, not spreadsheets to track and automate your Business.

Just because something is universally adopted doesn’t mean it’s the better way. There are countless examples of products and tools that are popular simply don’t deliver on their promise. And within businesses of all sizes, one of the biggest culprits is Spreadsheets. Yes! You heard that right!

Though a majority of businesses use spreadsheets in various capacities, these tools are often used by default without anyone giving serious consideration to the benefits or costs they offer compared to other solutions. A report focused on finance and accounting professionals, for example, found that Excel usage for budgeting and planning purposes dropped six percentage points from 2017 to 2018, to 63%.

This suggests that many businesses have yet to evaluate the hidden productivity toll and other costs of managing work in spreadsheets. Here are some ways that using spreadsheets to manage tasks and projects can cost your business.

Spreadsheets Slow You Down

slow warning sign isolated

Whether you’re trying to beat the competition to market or achieve some other goal, an ability to act fast is one of the top differentiators of high-performing companies. But all too often, spreadsheets slow people down by requiring individuals to manually perform repetitive tasks that can be streamlined and/or automated on other platforms. This can include things like manually populating the same information into numerous files, and extra steps such as sending an email to notify others every time you make a change.

At a glance, these added tasks may not seem too burdensome. But that time adds up quickly, across tasks, employees, and departments, taking a hefty productivity toll on companies.

Automating repetitive actions gives teams more time to focus on tasks that have a higher business value. Using Tigersheet, employees can automate update requests, approval requests, reminders, and notifications. Setting up automated actions means teams won’t have to manually send out follow-up emails to task owners.

Spreadsheets Restrict Collaboration

Today’s employees have to collaborate across teams and business lines, with both internal and external partners in different locations and using different devices. In fact, 80% of businesses say collaboration is a must for delivering on top business objectives.  Yet in order for employees to do so effectively, they increasingly need a platform that’s up to the task.

Spreadsheets act as barriers to collaboration by restricting users from simultaneously making changes in real-time. Version control also becomes a nightmare as multiple people make changes to a spreadsheet and lose track of the version they should be working from, resulting in lost time and inaccurate data.

Tigersheet is a new generation platform that ensures teams stay on the same page via seamless collaboration. With Tigersheet, collaborators can comment directly on a corresponding row in their sheet. Team members can dive into the sheet and read the latest comments as they correlate to specific tasks or activities. All it takes is for the sheet owner to create a comment and ‘mention’ the designated user with an @ symbol and an automated notification is sent as an alert to the person at his email.

Spreadsheets Aren’t Connected

Not only do spreadsheets pose a barrier to collaboration, but the fact that they aren’t connected can lead to siloed information, particularly if spreadsheets are being emailed around as they are updated.

Even if they’re cloud-based, spreadsheets are not necessarily connected to other parts of the business or the project at hand. There’s no way to attach or store related files, annotate the file with related information, or comment on the progression of work itself.

The standalone nature of spreadsheets also makes it difficult to report on work. Showing how a project is progressing based on a plan that’s being tracked in a spreadsheet is time-consuming, even worse, when data gets locked in silos, the lack of visibility may mean information gets missed altogether. This can affect the accuracy of reports and status updates and take away your ability to make informed decisions.

Spreadsheets Don’t Let You Scale

Managing a set list of tasks in a spreadsheet? Not a problem — maybe. Managing a larger initiative that involves different teams and workflows, changing information, and other complexities? You might be able to do so successfully. Yet while the limitations discussed might not be problematic for simple projects, these issues can compound as more people and parts are introduced. At some point, your process will break down.

Why? As collaboration increases, along with the speed at which you need to get work done, you’ll notice the strain of relying on spreadsheets to be your workhorses. They may seem like a convenient, free tool to help you get work done, but there’s a point at which the costs far outweigh the benefits.

Instead of relying on spreadsheets to do the heavy lifting, look for a platform like Tigersheet that scales as you grow, providing secure features that improve collaboration, accountability, and accuracy so that you can move quickly and have an impact on your organization.

Tigersheet is a new generation no-code platform that serves as a middle way between spreadsheets and business-specific software

It offers a way for everyone, not just developers to build custom business applications with everything tailored as per your business needs. The fact that millions of people out there use spreadsheets to manage their data is a good start for us.  So, we make the experience application development a lot like using spreadsheets, something everyone knows.

Tigersheet is equally capable of handling all your business challenges effectively. A unified surface with infinite room to grow your ideas, from tables to CRM tracker. If you’re ready to test it out, sign up for a free trial of Tigersheet, absolutely free no strings attached! You can start building your own enterprise apps for desktop and mobile using one of our templates or start from scratch with Tigersheet drag-and-drop interface.



April 19, 2021 General, Product No comments yet
what is citizen development

What is Citizen Development & 5 Reasons to Embrace Citizen Development at Work

Advancement in technology has empowered employees with some powerful capabilities to solve their business problems. Specifically, low-code and no-code platforms have inspired so-called citizen developers to create their own solutions to solve their business problems without relying on the IT departments of the organization.

The term “citizen development” is often  misunderstood and can easily get maligned as “shadow IT.” So, before we dig into the crucial question What are the reasons to embrace citizen development at work, we had better start with a definition to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Breaking the Basics: What is Citizen Developer?

According to Gartner, “A citizen developer is a user who creates new business applications for consumption by others using development and runtime environments sanctioned by corporate IT.”

There are a plethora of advantages that come with encouraging the citizen development initiative in the organization such as faster time to market, cost benefits, and transparency.

In this article, we will focus on five additional benefits that citizen developers bring that will compel IT leaders, to embrace and promote the citizen development initiative in their organization.

Keeping Pace with The Market

As every business becomes a digital business, there is a need to be systems in place that can keep up with the tech disruption. Legacy systems and traditional methods of IT application development are struggling to do just that.

By enabling those outsides of IT to develop their own solutions for their unique workflows or challenges, the business can become more agile to better respond to the changing marketplace. Instead of complex and expensive custom installations the business can augment and automate processes as their market changes.

Rapid development of custom applications

When the IT departments are already overburdened with huge IT backlogs and various requests, creating altogether new solutions by IT teams can result in a longer waiting time. IT leaders can fill the void between the available IT resources and enterprise users by promoting citizen development and enabling enterprise users to create solutions to fulfill their business requirements.

Low-code and No-Code platforms empower users with the rapid development of custom applications using a model-driven development approach to create applications to meet their business requirements.

Empowering your employees

Another benefit of enabling citizen developers is the empowerment your employees will get from solving problems or improving processes.

This enables them to get to the root of problems faster, enabling them to get their work done faster and more easily, and fostering autonomy.

When you empower employees to develop their own business applications on a managed software platform it provides both sophistication and security. You can transform tech-savvy employees into citizen developers, which is a great move for your entire organization.

Enabling business agility

Business agility is an organization’s ability to adapt quickly to internal and external changes while remaining flexible to market and customer demands. Four in five executives told Forbes that agility is the most important characteristic of a successful organization. Increased competition, market fluctuations, and new technological innovations force businesses to respond faster than ever.

Here are some of the benefits of business agility:

  • Quickly spot clunky or broken applications and processes
  • Faster application deployment
  • Faster innovation
  • Improved customer experience
  • Improved employee morale

Dedicated citizen developers can deal with problems immediately instead of sitting tight and hoping IT find time to help. They can minimize the time between identifying issues and solving them.

A No-code Platform is what you need

Citizen development marks the beginning of the organization-wide culture of innovation. Tigersheet empowers citizen developers with No code technology to create applications and automate any vertices of their organizations. With Tigersheet, anyone can be a developer as it provides an intuitive environment with powerful features to create an app. 

Tigersheet ensures that your business applications and workflow processes are consistent and compliant and gives you the visibility to easily change and improve individual processes – all while empowering citizen developers, boosting morale, and reducing costs. If you are looking for a no-code platform to embark on your journey of digital transformation to boost your productivity while remaining agile, please visit www.tigersheet.com and Sign Up for a free trial today




March 30, 2021 General, IT No comments yet
Web Application Development Challenges You Need to Mitigate for 2021 and Beyond…

6 Web Application Development Challenges You Need to Mitigate for 2021 and Beyond…

Technology is evolving at breakneck speed, and it is bringing its fair share of opportunities and challenges too. Businesses that are now understanding the importance of moving from legacy to a more digitized architecture must be on the lookout for these opportunities and know about the methods of mitigating web app development challenges for 2021 and beyond. But, before we dive deeper and introduce these challenges let us look into some basics first!

So, what’s a web application? 

In concrete terms, an application is a software program that runs on a device. A web app is one that’s stored on the Internet and can be accessed from any browser. They aren’t constrained to any one operating system, don’t take up hard drive space on your device, and can be used by anyone with an Internet connection.  

Web applications can include everything from productivity-improving collaboration tools (e.g. Google Drive and Slack) to less productive (but often fun) games (e.g. Candy Crush and Words with Friends). Popular web apps are also often available as mobile apps too.

Moving to the next important question: Why are web applications so important right now? As the world becomes increasingly digital, more of your business moves to the web. As a result, your web application development process becomes a vital part of your business.

What does a modern web application development process look like? It’s all about speed and security. You must create secure applications efficiently, in hours/days rather than days/weeks. Those applications must be easily maintainable. They must grow with your business.

How does your development process stack up? Perhaps a better question: How can you meet these goals?

If you want a modern development process, you must first address a few common challenges that most businesses face. In this article, we’ll explore 5 of these challenges and explain why they’re so important to your development process.

Challenge #1: Standardizing your development process

If you ask 5 developers to build an application, you might get 5 different approaches. Sure, they might meet the requirements, but they’re all built using a different process. Imagine the maintenance nightmare.

Unfortunately, this is a challenge for too many businesses. They don’t have a standard development process. The result: This makes maintenance far more difficult and time-consuming than it should be.

A modern dev process requires a standard approach that’s consistent and easily maintainable. Every developer works the same way. The process is understandable and predictable.

Challenge #2: Speed

These days, speed is the name of the game. Developers are under more pressure to deliver solutions quickly–without sacrificing function or security.

How can one move past the development time hurdle? There are a couple of options:

Hiring more developers: If you’re facing a development bottleneck, the simplest solution is building your team. However, there is no denying that this is the most expensive option, and most businesses can’t afford to hire a bunch of developers.

Using software tools to get more out of your existing team: Over the past few years, we’ve seen major growth in the low-code/no-code development software space. One of the driving forces behind this growth is the whole “do more with less” challenge. Low-code tools help your existing team create web applications 50-80% faster. How? The speed boost is driven by a couple of factors:

They eliminate coding in most projects: Most applications are built-in minutes or hours, without code. 

More complex applications might take longer, and have the option to add custom code if needed.

They reduce testing: Since low-code tools create use pre-tested templates and components, testing time is dramatically reduced.

However, you choose to address the dev speed challenge, one thing is clear: The demand for fast development is only growing, and becoming a competitive necessity.

Challenge #3: Security

One of the main things web app developers are always concerned about is the security of their web app. With the rise of cyber-threats over the years, keeping the app secure should be the priority of product managers.

There are many things to consider when it comes to web application security such as the denial of service attacks, the safety of user data, database malfunctioning, unauthorized access to restricted parts of the website, etc. 

Creating robust password requirements and multi-factor authentication for your users are also effective security measures. More complex passwords are less likely to be hacked. Multi-factor authentication, where your users take multiple steps to confirm their identities, also gives your application an added layer of protection.

Challenge #4: Bridging the talent gap

Web application development is becoming more complex. It’s evolving faster than ever. Developers need an ever-increasing, and ever-changing skillset.

The problem for businesses: Finding web developers with modern skills. Sure, they have developers to maintain their current systems…but those are often outdated. The skills you need for modern web app development don’t always align with the skills you need to keep the business running.

How do you find developers that understand security, integration, responsive design, etc.…? How do you bridge the skills gap without hiring a dozen new employees? Here are two common approaches:

  • Adopt development tools: Development tools bring modern skills to your existing team. For instance, suppose you have a team of COBOL developers. A web development platform will help those developers create web apps with a minimal learning curve.
  • Set up training: There are plenty of online training options available for developers. Set up training classes for your team, or incentivize them to take training classes on their own.

Challenge #5: Support and Maintenance

Just like your car needs service after every three months, so does your web app. Building a nifty app is great, but without the right support, maintenance and upgrades, your app is only relevant until the next algorithm release. Without application maintenance, businesses become unhappy because the app doesn’t perform well and the tech leader gets the heat.

Challenge #6: Integration

More and more, business applications live outside of the firewall. They are more diversified than in the past. For instance, a modern business might use a SaaS-based CRM system, in-house BI tools, and host their website on the cloud.

While this improves flexibility, it creates a challenge. How do you tie everything together? The challenge for web developers is no longer building every feature into an application. It’s creating an application that can integrate with other applications. This challenge can easily be handled by creating more indigenous applications and integrating them with other applications.

How does Tigersheet fit into the grander scheme of things?

Tigersheet has been dedicated to providing custom web applications that have been changing the way businesses work. We like to take advantage of the disruptive technologies that can provide scalability to our clients.

Developing a sound and functional web application means you can make the most of modern technologies and benefit financially. There is no denying that the constant influx of money in the form of grand revenues allows you to flourish in this market. Tigersheet is a custom app solution provider that has helped various businesses successfully achieve their digital transformation goals. We take on web app development with a straightforward motto; help you deliver excellent customer experience and personalized experience to your audience.

TRY Tigersheet for FREE and witness the change in your organization today!




March 15, 2021 General, IT No comments yet
Factors to Consider When Upgrading a Business Software

Making a Choice: What to Consider When Upgrading a Business Software?

If you own or operate a business, that means good and bad news. The good news is that, for nearly any task, software makers have given us practically thousands of options. The bad news is that we now have to choose between these thousands of options. This leaves decision-makers in a tight spot. Do you let teams choose their own tools based on what they think works best? Or do you clamp down and choose a single, unified platform that provides “one-speed” of integrated capabilities?

All business technology has a shelf-life, whether it’s that an app that receives weekly upgrades or that dusty server that’s been underpinning your IT infrastructure for years.

For businesses of all sizes, it’s vital to consider not only when to upgrade, but how to do so if they are to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible.

And Here We Enter into Enterprise-Grade Decision-Making

This is why making enterprise-wide technology decisions can be complicated. There are some high-level benefits to either path: a single unified platform or diverse point solutions.

  • A unified platform increases your control while decreasing risk and limiting the number of checks you have to write to vendors. But it might also make modernization slower and make for unhappier users. It also gives you room to grow as you modernize (or digitize) more workloads.
  • Letting teams decide increases freedom and allow your organization to adopt new tools more quickly, but it may introduce unnecessary risk to your business. It’s also the easiest way to match the task to the tool carefully.

So, what’s a decision-maker to do? The answer is simple, but probably not 100% satisfactory: it depends.

The right and smartest choice must be driven by the unique outcomes you’re looking to achieve and the obstacles you face getting there. In this piece, we’ll take a look at some of the most critical factors decision-makers should consider before going for a software upgrade.

Is it necessary?

It may sound obvious, but the first thing that organizations must consider is whether now is the right time to upgrade. On the one hand, businesses don’t want to get caught up in a tedious IT cycle and upgrade just for the sake of it, but on the other, they can’t afford to let legacy systems hamper business growth.

Businesses must evaluate whether their current hardware and software solutions are meeting their organizational needs and whether an upgrade would make them more competitive. They should also research whether further upgrades are expected in the coming months to ensure they do not end up with new IT technology that quickly becomes obsolete.

How is the Data Being Managed – Big, Medium, or Otherwise?

Everybody wants to talk about data. And, not surprisingly, lots of people want to sell you solutions. So, do you need to embrace ‘big data’ applications or stick with a medium-sized data solution that’s serving you now? Whether you’re moving from popular spreadsheet software to something more sophisticated or looking to switch your online database provider, the decision must be driven by facts on the ground.

Employees: Assessing Your Culture

Another important consideration that businesses should make before upgrading is whether their employees are ready for new IT solutions. After all, they will be using the hardware or software on a daily basis and so it is often useful to canvass their opinions before committing to an upgrade.

If you do ultimately decide to overhaul your IT solutions, it is then time to evaluate whether employee training will be needed to help them get to grips with the upgraded technology. A staggered upgrade may be useful to give employees more time to transition to new ways of working.

Integration Capabilities

When you upgrade a particular aspect of your business technology it is likely that other software and hardware features will remain as they are, which is when integration issues can arise. Making sure upgraded solutions integrate with legacy IT is crucial, as any issues can bring workplace productivity to a standstill.

A pilot upgrade can help organizations determine whether any integration issues are likely to arise before committing to a widespread rollout and it is also worth checking to see if help is available from your technology vendor.

The best IT suppliers will offer consultancy alongside the sale, as well as post-sale support, to help prevent and mitigate any potential problems surrounding the upgrade process.

The Final Battle: Budget

Ultimately, many of these decisions come down to money. If you’re not already investing a lot in software, how are your teams getting the job done? Are they using a collection of free tools? Or even worse, obsolete 20th-century tools like paper and pen?

Deciding how much to spend is harder. The best bet is to triage – look for the most significant opportunities to add speed or certainty to how teams work. This is the first step when creating a plan. Beyond that:

  • Chat with peers in your industry or those working at businesses of similar sizes or shapes. What tools have they tried? Which were disasters? Which are they still using?
  • Read reviews online. What do customers like and dislike? Look for users not just using the software but trying to solve similar problems—the more relevant the ‘use case,’ the more relevant the review. 
  • Check video services like YouTube. You can find reviews and walk-throughs that show the software in action. This will give you details you can’t get reading a brochure or website.
  • Signup for a free demo. Many vendors will do it for free, although you’ll probably be dealing with aggressive sales reps for a short period of time.

We can help.

At Tigersheet, we live to help connect businesses of all shapes and sizes with the right software to help transform their business. Whether you’re starting from scratch, scaling for growth, or just trying to keep Frank and Francine happy, we can help you assess your needs, understand your needs, and chart the smartest path forward. If you’re interested in learning more about how an all-in-one uber-fast platform like Tigersheet can help your team based on your role and area of interest, sign up for a free trial today!





March 2, 2021 General No comments yet
Build Powerful Apps with Tigersheet Drag and Drop Based UI

Simplifying App Development Using Drag and Drop- Build Powerful Apps with Tigersheet Drag and Drop Based UI

Gone are those days when building applications be it Web Apps, Hybrid Mobile Apps, or Native Apps, was seemingly an excruciating task-one that required hiring a development firm or onboarding an additional workforce capable of application development. 

But, today we have MXDPs- Multi Experience Development Platforms that help enterprises in low-code/no-code rapid application development using an array of advanced inbuilt tools and widgets to build enterprise-grade applications and get to market faster. 

One such feature frequently found in MXDP’s is Drag and Drop Interfaces. While these are not completely new, their usage has rapidly expanded since their original role of file manipulation and clipboard actions. Now, drag-and-drop interfaces are used to give the average non-coder the freedom to build a wide variety of products, from websites to movies to video games to business software.

While drag-and-drop is old news in website development, its role in software development is only just emerging. But before we dive in, let’s take a brief look at what drag-and-drop is:

Breaking into the Basics- What is Drag and Drop?

Drag-and-drop is a type of interface called a graphical user interface (or GUI). GUIs rely on the use of visual and audio to help the user communicate with the computer. Examples of a GUI would be software application icons on your desktop, rearranging widgets on your phone, or creating a hyperlink between two files. These types of visual triggers inform how you can interact with the computer to get what you want, and they don’t require writing a line of text to do so. 

(The contrast to GUIs are text user interfaces, which require text input in order to produce a response from your computer; your command prompt would be an example of a text user interface.)

Drag-and-drop style GUIs take visual interfaces one step further by allowing users to create “relationships” between the objects represented by visual items. For example, dragging a document into a new folder creates two kinds of relationships:

  • It tells the computer (and the user) that the document is now a part of the new folder
  • It tells the computer (and the user) that the document is no longer part of the old folder

What value does drag-and-drop offer to software?

It significantly speeds things up. 

Instead of cracking open the text-interface and typing in commands, the user can select an item (or items) and drag them onto the object they want a relationship with.

But speed isn’t just a matter of execution—it’s also a matter of understanding. Drag-and-drop tells us about the possible relationships different objects can have without us having to read a manual or understand it on a technical level every time. It’s the digital picture that’s worth a thousand words. 

Of course, this also relies on a well-designed interface to work. If the drag-and-drop interface doesn’t clearly indicate its uses in unspoken terms, it can quickly generate confusion and frustration in a user. 

But a good drag-and-drop interface can drastically reduce the learning curve people face when embracing new technology. Which is a significantly good thing considering the number of various software tools most business employees use on a regular basis.

Drag and drop builders have changed the game…

Today getting a website up and running has become a matter of days and not months just by dragging and dropping the right elements on a canvas. More and more businesses are now empowered to quickly have a digital presence in the form of a website.

Mobile app development has not been slow in picking up the drag and drop trend. We now have the ability to convert our ideas into a working model within hours by dragging an object, dropping it on the screen where we want to place it and it’s done.

The drag and drop systems today are so sophisticated that we can design and speed up the deployment of our app or web projects in matters of hours using drag and drop tools that are intuitive and powerful.

Hundreds of thousands of users are now reaping the benefits and convenience of using drag and drop technology.  The key advantages of drag and drop tools offer are:

Prototype within hours –Drag and drop tools enable you to quickly build the front end of your website or app that the user will interact with. This enables business users and knowledge workers to get involved in the solution development process to ensure the end product meets exactly what the problem requires.

Instant visibility into the results of your actions – Drag and drop tools bring with them the beauty of WYSIWYG. (What you see is what you get). There is no mystery anymore on what is going on with your application as it only involves selection and dragging of an element from an element kit, repository, and dropping it to the screen. You can see exactly how it looks, how the data transfers on the screen.

Whenever you move something you immediately see its impact. It is as easy as playing with building blocks; the same blocks will let you go from simple to complex structures.

No technical or coding expertise necessary– For a lot of people, interaction with computers stops at excel and emails. They feel computers are only for the technical. While that is an image that has often been portrayed in the movies, the real reason is the lack of confidence or the awareness about the vast possibilities of drag & drop, no-coding-required solutions. 

Drag and drop interfaces were created with the aim to give more people an opportunity to leverage the abilities of modern development technologies. Whether you are an experienced developer or you don’t have technical experience, you can create your applications without any knowledge about codes.

Speed and Simplicity– The drag and drop builders are designed to empower tech and non-tech users alike to turn the idea or plan in their mind into an actual working application or website. To suffice that, the builders need to be intuitive and easy to have a short learning curve for the users.

Flexibility to modify – The greatest advantage of drag and drop builders is the ability to restructure as and when required without the need to spend any extra money over it or calling in a specialist. From time-to-time, the nature of your business changes, new regulations, new company policies, changing consumption patterns, and so on. This calls for the freedom to modify your applications, change the appearance, add and remove blocks, and not lose time over it.

Get Responsive Apps with Tigersheet Drag and Drop Functionality

With no shortage of options to select from, the best drag and drop builders tend to be similar, intuitive, and user-friendly. You can make forms out of them to capture leads, sign-ups, surveys, requests, or new orders. Some app builders like Tigersheet will even let you add conditions and rules to hide or show form elements in your application in order to control the data that gets collected from these apps. Whether you are trying to make a form-based application or a dashboard kind, drag and drop builders are the easiest, fastest way to get there with all the different forms and visual fields, colors, size, border, background options to choose from. 

Tigersheet drag and drop functionality is one of the most powerful and advanced builders out there to create applications that are responsive. You can drag, drop elements, visually design workflows, trigger third-party events, and a whole lot more.

These features in Tigersheet when combined lay the foundation of a successful, robust, scalable application with all the security standards met to give you more confidence in your end product.

You can set reminders, schedule events, assign tasks and automate approval with a visual workflow designer that assists in total business process automation.

While it is one of the most advanced tools out there, the team behind the product itself needed a quick, easy to understand tool to assist them in their processes and that is exactly what the platform represents – a user-friendly tool to let you build any application without the need to code. 

Have you tried using such drag & drop tools for a task of yours? If you haven’t, you are lagging with the current trends and missing on a technology breakthrough that can make your digital goals easily achievable, faster than ever.




February 10, 2021 IT No comments yet
I S NO CODE VIABLE FOR BUSINESS? Breaking The Benefits of No Code…

IS NO CODE VIABLE FOR BUSINESS? Breaking The Benefits of No Code…

With constant innovations in the technological landscape, there can be confusion about new offerings that are becoming popular. One such new offering is low-code no-code development. To non-technical people, no-code can sound like a dream – being able to create applications with no technical knowledge needed? Amazing.

However, no-code might also sound too good to be true. This is where the question comes in – Is No-Code Viable for your Business?

Below is an infographic where we have broken down the top benefits of no-code and what benefits it can bring to enterprises and entrepreneurs. While moving later we have tried to answer the question if no code is viable for businesses? 

If you would like to brush up some basics on what is low code and no code and how are two different. We would recommend heading to this blog post:https://tigersheet.com/blog/low-code-vs-no-code-whats-the-difference-infographic/

Answering the Question: Is no-code viable for enterprises and entrepreneurs?

Yes, no-code is a viable solution for entrepreneurs and enterprises who are looking for solutions that can provide the above benefits. No-code solutions will be faster to market, easy to maintain, and easier to test than solutions created by a full team of developers. 

Is no-code viable? Yes, and it may have different benefits for different users.

No-code solutions can be perfect for entrepreneurs/business users and enterprises:

For entrepreneurs/business users:
No-code can be helpful for entrepreneurs specifically because they will be able to build and test their business ideas much faster. This method is also very cost-effective, leading to quick solutions at a minimal price. 

  • The entrepreneur will also not have to take on the risk of hiring and managing a team of developers working on creating a solution. 
  • Through no-code, the business user will have the capability to create a program or application that embodies their vision and perfectly fulfills their goals. 
  • Apart from building the MVP with no-code, entrepreneurs can also use no-code to automate their business processes across departments.

For enterprises: No-code platforms can help small and medium enterprises automate processes across different departments on a single platform. Over a period of time, these enterprises can possibly build custom ERPs on no-code platforms. In large enterprises, where an ERP already exists, a no-code platform can help automate processes that the current ERP does not handle and then integrate these new processes with the core ERP.

Summary

No-code development is one of the best tools that an entrepreneur or enterprise could use to transform their idea into an actual digital application or program.

With its numerous benefits, no-code development is the way to go for faster turnaround time, faster time-to-market, better flexibility, and finding innovative solutions to specific problems. Hopefully, this article helped you answer the question ‘is no-code viable for me’?

Tigersheet is a no-code platform that can help you build bespoke applications using our intuitive visual drag-and-drop builder. Experience the benefits and viability of no-code development right now with our free trial!

 


January 25, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
5 Must-Read Technology Books for 2021

5 Books You Should Read to Stay Relevant in the Age of Technology

Resolutions aren’t for everyone but around this time of year most of us
start thinking about our intentions for the new year ahead.
Coincidentally, it is usually this time around the year we start thinking
about setting new goals- or provide feedback or direct reports to peers-as part of the annual review process.

As you consider goals for 2020, whether you aim to stay relevant in the
ever-changing age of technology, or want to continue to strengthen
your leadership skills, books can be a valuable resource. And they can
help you formulate feedback and constructive criticism, or even serve
as a resource for a team member needing to grow in a certain area.

The books on this list range — from self-care to professional
development — and are a mix of backlist and newly published. But all
of them offer tips and teach concepts that apply to all leaders, while
still allowing you to remain true to your personality and values;
hopefully, there’s room on your bookshelf!


“Rise: 3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, and Liking Your Life,” by Patty Azzarello


“Rise” is the perfect resource to use as a practical guide for career advancement. The book is broken into three sections:


do better, all about how you can have more impact;

look better, covering your visibility and credibility;

and connect better, giving tips for networking and asking for help.

Why you should read it: A former sales engineer, product marketing
manager, vice president, and CEO, Patty Azzarello is honest and
authentic, diving into what people tend to dislike about their jobs and
how to reframe how they think about them in order to achieve more.

Check the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12838919-rise

The Power of Experiments: Decision Making in a Data-Driven World By Michael Luca and Max H. Bazerman

Book description (via MIT Press): “Have you logged into Facebook recently? Searched for something on Google? Chosen a movie on Netflix? If so, you’ve probably been an unwitting participant in a variety of experiments — also known as randomized controlled trials — designed to test the impact of different online experiences. Once an esoteric tool for academic research, the randomized controlled trial has gone mainstream. No tech company worth its salt (or its share price) would dare make major changes to its platform without first running experiments to understand how they would influence user behavior.

“In this book, Michael Luca and Max Bazerman explain the importance of experiments for decision making in a data-driven world.”

Why you should read it: This book examines the role, experimentation has played in the success of some of today’s tech giants like StubHub, Alibaba, Uber, eBay.  Business professors Luca and Bazerman outline the rise of tech-enabled experimentation in organizations, the powerful role that data-driven tests can play in decision-making, and how business leaders can most effectively harness this powerful tool.

Check the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51777468-the-power-of-experiments

“Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle,” by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., and Amelia Nagoski, DMA

This book is for any woman who has felt overwhelmed and exhausted by everything she had to do and yet still worried she was not doing ‘enough.’ Which is every woman we know—including us.

“Burnout” argues that women face the challenge of being — and doing — enough at home, at work, and sometimes even for themselves and that women experience this burnout differently than men. As a result of this, women tend to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, and experience negative physical effects thanks to the “biological stress cycle.”

Why you should read it: It’s a valuable exploration for those who experience these challenges first-hand, and it’s especially useful for those who don’t personally identify with this experience, providing context and creating awareness around issues some may not be aware of due to lack of exposure. 

Relying on science, research, and data, the Nagoski sisters wrote an accessible, conversational guide to empower any reader to create positive change in their life.

Check the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42397849-burnout#:~:text=This%20groundbreaking%20book%20explains%20why,in%20America%20have%20experienced%20it.

“The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When To Stick)” By Seth Godin

Quick summary: Whenever you embark on a new project, it always starts out great. You’re excited. You’re motivated. You’re having fun. But, inevitably, it gets frustrating. This is what marketer and writer Seth Godin calls “The Dip,” which is the moment when most people quit. And in this book, Seth Godin teaches you what you need to do in order to get through the dip in your own projects and ultimately succeed. “The Dip” is a short, entertaining book that will forever alter the way you think about work and success.

Why should you read the book: This book is a must-read for anyone who feels they have trouble persevering toward their goals.

Moreover, we’ve all heard the phrase “quitters never win.” But, unfortunately, this isn’t true. In fact, winners quit all the time. The world is full of successful individuals who have quit their way to success by quitting the things they weren’t good at or the things they didn’t love so that they could spend their time doing something even better. However, what winners never do is quit just because something is hard. In order to be successful, you have to learn to quit the things that don’t bring you closer to your goals and persevere with the things that do.

Check the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/324748.The_Dip

“Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results” By Stephen Guise

“Mini Habits” by Stephen Guise offers practical and science-backed strategies for building good habits, breaking bad habits, and shows how small behaviors can lead to remarkable results over time.

Why you should read this book: Read it if you want to build good habits, or break bad habits.

If you’re struggling to start, build, and maintain a new habit, then start utilizing mini habits. Mini habits are the tiniest version of the habit you want to build. For instance, exercising 30 minutes a day is a regular habit. Exercising 1 minute a day is a mini habit. Focusing on mini habits will make it nearly impossible for you to miss a day because the truth is a habit must be established before it can be improved.

Check the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20567918-mini-habits

Final Thoughts: Make 2021 Your Year

Have you read any of these books yet? Are there any new ones that sound interesting to you?

With these 5 books in hand, you will have new ways to read up on important aspects of leadership. Whether it’s encouraging and shaping your team, expanding the skills of employees, or refining your poise, reading any of these books will be a sure-fire way to learn something new and apply the latest findings on leadership to enhance your strategies and skills.

We hope you found a few new must-reads for 2021 to make this year your best year!


January 7, 2021 General, IT No comments yet
8 Tough Questions to Ask Vendors Before Choosing a LCNC Platform

8 Tough Questions to Ask Vendors Before Choosing an LCNC Platform

A recent podcast published by Forrester revealed that companies are now under immense pressure to produce new products and services but at a lower cost.  They often rely on new generation software and services to get there. 

Low code and no-code platforms are a popular option over enterprise-grade applications for companies looking forward to scaling quickly. Since the infrastructure and building blocks are already pre-built in low code/no-code platforms, they tremendously speed the application development process. However, choosing a low code/no-code platform that meets the long-term needs of organizations can be challenging.

Given the myriad options available and an oversupply of information, the decision process can become challenging. That is why we decided to bring the most basic yet important questions you should consider asking vendors when choosing an LCNC platform for your business.

If you need to learn more about the features of the low-code market and the benefits you can get, take a pause and study one of the articles in our LCNC series “Low Code/No-Code Movement: Top Disruptive Trends to Look Forward in 2020 and Beyond.”

Now, let’s get down to the topic at hand.

1)What type of applications does the platform create? How customizable is the platform?

You need to know whether the applications created on the platform are stand-alone or if they need a subscription to run. Ideally, you want to create applications that can run independently without dependencies on the tool, to ensure they will work even if you move away from the platform.

It is equally important to question the levels of customizability that the apps developed on the platform will offer.

  • Will you be able to change, edit, add or remove steps in the workflow?
  • Will you be able to add or remove fields easily?
  • How fast can you do these customizations and deploy them for use?

Also, check on the possibility of white labeling if it’s important for you.

2) What skills are needed by employees of my company to use the platform

The business case for low-code/no-code software usually boils down to time and money savings. They let you deliver applications in less time, using fewer resources. They reduce the need for coding knowledge in the development process.

However, these benefits only apply if the platform has a low learning curve and doesn’t require additional technical skills.

Therefore, the question: What skills are needed to use the platform? How long will it take to get up and running? What technical knowledge will our developers (or citizen developers) need? These are all important questions to consider when calculating the ROI of the software.

3) Does the platform provide enough ready-made templates?

Be sure to check this out if your goal is to automate business processes. The fact is that ready-made templates and components significantly increase productivity, provide flexibility, and a comfortable development process.

4) How secure is the platform?

This is another important one from the questions CIOs must ask low-code no-code vendors. There has been a lot of debate about application security in low code and no code app development. But, the best ones do not take this for granted and incorporate security controls at every step. So, make sure you ask the vendor to go into the details. Ask about user authentication, secure data transmission, content privacy, user access control, encryption of data, and anti-theft measures. 

5) Does the platform make it easier to create, share, and consume APIs? What are its integration capabilities?

Chances are, you don’t want to create apps that operate independently of your existing systems. Integration is a critical part of any low-code/no-code tool.

This question will give you an insight into whether you can use open APIs to integrate seamlessly and if you can integrate the apps you develop on the platform with other apps on the platform or 3rd party systems. At the end of the day, you don’t want another piece of software working in a silo.

6) Can I use other products in tandem with the platform? Are there any limitations to the types of applications I can create?

The main criterion when selecting an LCNC platform is its flexibility and openness, hence it is equally vital to understand what limitations does the platform offer. You shouldn’t get locked-in or dependent on the platform. A “lock-in” further includes different aspects, from the creation of standalone applications, data access, and control, to open-source or proprietary code generated. When examining the platform, you need to approach the answer to this question from several angles.

7) Are there any hidden costs in the licensing structure? What is the pricing?

One of the main aspects when selecting an LCNC platform is pricing. There is no standard, one-size-fits-all licensing structure, and hidden costs could increase your budgeted cost. To be certain you know what you pay for, you need to know the type of charge by vendors such as the fee for end-user seats, developer seats, run-time, distribution, and maintenance fee. Some platforms also provide standard email support included in the cost.

8) What does the customer support service entail? Is training provided?

It is very important that the low-code platform provides proper technical support. Read reviews about the platform. Here they often mention the quality of the platform’s support. Your employees will learn how to develop applications on this platform. That’s why it’s vital that the platform provides training programs.

Conclusion

When choosing a low-code/no-code vendor, it’s important to:

  • Pay attention to how it has proven itself and whether it has a developed network of partners and integrators.
  • Follow trends in the industry and see what’s suggested about the years to come. Reports from Gartner and Forrester can also be an irreplaceable help. 
  • Explore cutting-edge reports, reviewing authoritative feedback, and taking advantage of the trial period to work with the platform can help. When choosing a suitable low-code development platform, consider the needs of your business. A functionality that is ideal for one company may be useless in another.

These are just a few questions to ask about low-code platforms, but the list could be much longer.

Tigersheet is a no-code platform that helps managers automate business tasks by creating applications at drastically reduced costs and lightning speed.  Start your free trial now and experience the difference yourself.




December 20, 2020 General, LCNC No comments yet
1 0 Smart Tips to Help You Achieve More with Tigersheet

10 Smart Tips to Help You Achieve More in 2021 with Tigersheet

2020 has really been a tough year for all of us.

But as we disembark and come to a close with the last month of the year, what are your plans for 2021? Are you ready to go full swing ahead in January?

Or are you looking at a month or more of lag time to start turning your ideas into projects and programs that will help you achieve your goals? Well, if you are one of our customers, you’re already looking ahead to what’s coming and how you can achieve more over the next year!

No matter the scale of your ambition, we are here to help you and your organization achieve more. To get set and going, here are 10 awesome tips that will help you do just that in 2020-starting today!

Get the show on the road

Rather than spending the first few months of the year getting your projects and processes set up, get started right away with templates and solutions designed to help you create velocity and scale your operation with confidence.

Tigersheet provides ready to use templates to meet the needs of multifarious data management purposes. You can install them and customize them as per your need.  Whichever department you are in (production, customer service, project management, research, procurement, warehousing, HR), there is always a suitable data management template designed to make your work easier and faster! Add new entries, fields, set triggers, and manage workflows in an already designed layout available for FREE!

Control your data with field types

Column types help you gain better control over what kinds of data are allowed in specific columns. Find out more about different fields/column types, including contact list, dropdown list, date, user, and sub sheet columns — then use them to configure your information and ensure more consistent data entry.

Tip: Set up your columns using configurable column types to help ensure the correct information is added to each of your columns

Get the relevant information in the sheet

Filtering in sheets might be the most useful feature you will discover as you embark on a journey with Tigersheet (of course there are many more!). If you’re one of those individuals who gets bogged down with a lot of data and is working in a sheet that has hundreds of rows and you’re overwhelmed by information, consider setting up a filter or two. 

For one of the sheets you need to reference, for example, you only care about the projects assigned to you. So, create a filter to show only those projects where you are listed as the owner, so instead of 150 rows, you’ll see a quarter of them. There are far more uses for filters; don’t be shy about trying them. 

Bonus tip: Sorting and filtering are two different features, so be sure to learn the differences.

On-time, every time

Missing deadlines isn’t just frustrating — it can also be costly. With date-based triggers, you can set yourself and your stakeholders up for success every time with automated reminders that let you know what’s coming up, so you can keep projects on track and ahead of any shifting deadlines.

Tip: Set up date/time-based triggers to remind yourself and your teams of upcoming milestones and deadlines.

Select Kanban View (Card View) for a more visual view

Stuck seeing Tigersheet as just a spreadsheet? 

A Kanban board is a work and workflow visualization tool that enables you to optimize the flow of your work, limit work-in-progress, and maximize efficiency.

Kanban or card view displays data in cards organized in lanes, to help you see information in a different way and visually prioritize everything you have in flight.

Tip: Switch your view to kanban view to visually manage your work on desktop and mobile.

Get your project across the finish line with a Timeline view

Another view in which you can see your Tigersheet data is the Timeline view, which displays data in a spreadsheet on the left and a Gantt chart on the right, so you can see how all of your work fits together in a timeline.

The power of a timeline is that it is graphical, which makes it easy to understand critical milestones, such as the progress of a project schedule.

Tip: Learn how to create and work with a timeline chart to get a full picture of the duration — as well as the start and finish date of your project’s tasks — in Timeline view.

Quickly — and correctly — capture information with forms

All too often, data collection and data entry are manual processes prone to human error and result in wasted time. 

Tigersheet Web forms are a perfect tool to collect and capture data in your sheet. Data captured through forms is saved to Tigersheet in a structured format, so you can easily review and analyze collected data, and quickly act on that information. And you’ll probably save yourself quite a bit of time on the data entry side as well. 

Tip: Set up a form for the information that you routinely need to capture from others, such as a request form, a customer intake form, a survey, or quality inspections.

Control Your Sharing via Role-Based Permissions

To collaborate effectively, you need to make sure everyone has access to the information they need, as well as the ability to contribute to a sheet or report as needed. You can make sure the right people have the right access to your sheets, reports, and dashboards by paying attention to the sharing permission level when you share an item with someone.

Tip: Set the desired roles and configure permissions levels when sharing sheets, reports, and dashboards to ensure that everyone has access to the capabilities they need to help you move work forward.

Join conversations

With conversations, you can track your work and have discussions about that work in one place. You can see all comments about a specific row or sheet in the comments in the conversations panel.

Tip: Use @mentions to flag specific work for specific people while keeping track of the entire thread for all stakeholders.

Keep sharpening your skills

You can still take advantage of all of the resources available to build your skills in Tigersheet.

Even some of our most proficient customers find our YouTube tutorial videos helpful. And don’t forget about one of our best resources, the Tigersheet Knowledge Base (Help Centre). You can simply have these sites bookmarked because I visit them almost daily to find the answers I need.

Keep Learning with Us.

Here’s to what you can achieve in 2020! For more tips and tricks, stay tuned to our Tigersheet Blog! Tigersheet is flexible enough to meet any business need, so odds are you’ll find new ways to get more done, faster. And pretty soon, you’ll be teaching us a thing or two!






December 11, 2020 Uncategorized No comments yet
Best Digital Transformation Quotes to Lead Change and Drive Business Value

Best Digital Transformation Quotes to Lead Change and Drive Business Value

Digital Transformation has recently become the buzzword within Low Code No Code Sphere. Earlier there used to be a notion that digital transformation is just meant for business houses and companies. However, with time the notions and definitions both have changed significantly making it more of a “People business”.

As Mary Kate Loftus states,

“Digital used to be about coding and IT; now it’s becoming a people business.” Speaking of the definition:

Digital transformation is defined as the changes taking place within an industry or organization whereby the whole set of activities, models, processes, and marketing among other factors are being transformed by the adoption of digital technology with the aim of creating value for their customers, users, and citizens while at the same time expecting to out their competitors.

Digital leaders and renowned industry experts have been talking about digital transformation for years- On that note, here are some of the best digital transformation quotes and what they illustrate. Read them if you truly need to understand digital transformation and its value.

“When digital transformation is done right, it’s like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, but when done wrong, all you have is a really fast caterpillar.”

— George Westerman, MIT Sloan Initiative on the Digital Economy

Key Takeaway:  This quote subtly brings out the fact that digital transformation isn’t just a switch you turn on with the right amount of investment.  There is always a method to practice it correctly. If you have invested in digital infrastructure but don’t have the knowledge to best utilize the many tools it offers, then you haven’t transformed, rather just built a façade.

“90% of CEOs believe the digital economy will impact their industry, but less than 15% are executing on a digital strategy.”

—MIT Sloan and Capgemini

Key Takeaway: This is an interesting quote that brings out the worrying tendency for leaders (and perhaps humans in general) to understand something and yet not fully internalize what that something means. Too many leaders see the unstoppable wave that is digital transformation coming but choose not to act on that fact.

“You can’t delegate digital transformation for your company… You and your executives have to own it! Executives need to engage, embrace, and adopt new ways of working with the latest and emerging technologies.”

— Barry Ross, Ross & Ross International

Key Takeaway: This quote illustrates that digital transformation has to come from the top down to work well. Company leaders have to take charge. They cannot afford to take a hands-off approach. Not only will that lead to there being a disconnect in the digitization efforts, but they’ll also be making themselves less valuable to their company.

“The biggest part of our digital transformation is changing the way we think.”

— Simeon Preston, Bupa

Key Takeaway: Another detrimental factor that goes into digital transformation is the mindset. Digital transformation is not just getting access to the technology of tomorrow, it’s about having a forward-thinking mindset and company culture. Digitization almost becomes ineffectual without the right outlook driving it.

“We’ve moved from digital products and infrastructure to digital distribution and Web strategy to now into more holistic transformations that clearly are based on mobile, social media, digitization and the power of analytics and we think it’s really a new era requiring new strategies.”

Saul Berman, Chief Strategist, VP & Global Digital Business Strategy Practice Leader for IBM Global Business Services.

“The next 5 years will be more disruptive than the last 15. This is NOT business as usual. A lot of technology that came in three years ago doesn’t work anymore.”

— Saul Berman, IBM

Key Takeaway: Another statement on the exponential speed of technological innovation. Going digital simply means keeping your company afloat so that it has the infrastructure to continue growing technologically. It is a baseline.

“There is no alternative to digital transformation. Visionary companies will carve out new strategic options for themselves — those that don’t adapt will fail.”

— Jeff Bezos, Amazon

Key Takeaway: And we come back around, full circle. Jeff Bezos himself unequivocally states that there is no other option to digital transformation for companies. It’s either to digitize or welcome failure.

…. Choose the transformation path that works for you

Each of these quotes draws on a very real element of the digital transformation reality. Why not use them to get you thinking about how to implement digital automation successfully in your own business?

Tigersheet is a uber-fast modern-day no-code platform that can help automate and streamline business processes in quick and easy steps. The intuitive drag and drop interface allows users with zero coding knowledge to create workflows and share them with your employees.

Using digital transformation quotes as a catalyst. Want to give it a try? Try a 30-day free trial of Tigersheet to witness the change in your organization today!

December 1, 2020 General No comments yet
5 Top No Code/ Low Code Podcasts for Non-Technical Users

5 Top No Code/ Low Code Podcasts for Non-Technical Users

Low Code and No-Code Development is an innovation that is slowly changing the landscape when it comes to the coding of applications and websites. There is no surprise if you find every software funding and product announcement to includes some sort of reference to “low code or no-code” platforms or functionality. The frequent callbacks to this ‘buzzy’ term over the last few years reflect a realization that we’re entering a new software era.

While the technology is not fairly new, still it can sometimes get overwhelming to understand for beginners or non-technical readers.  In this blog, we’ll be discussing a good way to get a firm grasp of the basic thought behind low code-no-code without disrupting your busy schedule.

If you wish to know more about no code and low code technology, but don’t have the time to sit and study the concept, consider listening to podcasts! 
Yes, Podcasts may be perfect for you. This new medium is an easy way of gaining knowledge while being engaged in other tasks. On that note, we’ve rounded up (in no particular order) the top low code & no-code podcasts you should follow to stay abreast of the latest happenings in the LCNC sphere!

This is by no means a complete list, and if we’ve missed any needles in the haystack, let us know!

The Makerpad Podcasts

Ranked top in our list of top no-code podcasts, the Makerpad podcasts are hosted by Ben Tossell, the founder of Makerpad. Makerpad is an enlightening destination to learn, share, and work together to create software—without writing code. They provide best-in-class education paired with a supportive community and accountability. Here you find detailed reviews, product demos, how-to guides of an extensive category of no-code tools.

Coming back to Makerpad podcast, Ben Tossell talks to the founders of no-code tools as well as professionals who are using different tools and solutions based on no-code to help grow and expand their businesses.

In each episode, which lasts about 30 to 60 minutes, there’s an in-depth conversation with a professional in the no-code industry regarding how this form of development helped automate workflows, increase overall productivity, and set-up processes to allow for more time and creativity at work. Each individual gets the chance to share their story giving you a chance to see what goes on in the minds of the founders of the best no-code tools.

Listen Here: https://feeds.transistor.fm/makerpad

No Code Podcast by Alex Karpinsky

Do you often find yourself thinking How to learn more about No Code? How do I quickly test no-code tools for my startup? Where should I learn more about this exciting movement in tech? Well, then it’s time to decode the answers.

This is another informative no code podcast that will answer most of your questions around no code. Hosted by a no-code expert and user, Alex Karpinsky, this podcast has 7 episodes of varying lengths currently, including guests like Mark Magnuson, the CTO of Bildr, and Ben Tossell, the CEO of Makerpad.

This podcast is aimed towards giving non-technical individuals a resource to refer to as they journey into the world of no-code.

Listen Here: https://anchor.fm/nocode

The Make / Shift Low Code Podcasts by Mendix

This Mendix podcast series “Make/Shift”, is a detailed and open conversation with peers about how they are delivering success through building solutions that make an impact on their organization. In an open conversation, the Mendix experts sit down with leaders and makers across IT and business to explore how peers adopted low code.

Listen to the podcasts to get a better understanding of why low code is the solution to rapidly digitize processes using existing resources, deliver much-needed solutions to market more quickly, and cut down on the cost of development.

Listen Here: https://share.transistor.fm/s/2d0d681f

No Code No Problem by Ryan Myher

This podcast is hosted by Ryan Myher, the Head of Community at V/One, and aims to help engage creators in conversation regarding the thoughts behind creating applications and websites using no-code.

No-code development doesn’t have to be difficult for newcomers and this podcast could be perfect for you if you want to just test the waters a little. 

  • It will help you understand how no-code tools are changing the technological landscape in terms of development for applications and websites. 
  • No Code No Problem is also a great podcast if you don’t have much time in the day since each episode is for 6 minutes or less. 

Tune in to No Code No Problem, and you will be able to meet potential co-founders, discover tools, meet investors within the No Code Space, and network with other like-minded people.

Listen Here: https://www.nocodepodcast.co/podcast

Indie Hackers by Courtland Allen

This is another awesome podcast that consists of conversations between Courtland Allen, the founder of Indie Hackers, and other individuals who have created profitable online businesses. The platform- Indie Hackers- is a community where founders of successful businesses have a chance to freely share their stories and teachings with motivated entrepreneurs who want to read and learn more from these stories.

With 176 episodes lasting more than an hour each, this podcast can be a great way for you to get some insights into the different ways that people have created their businesses and their motivations behind launching these successful ideas. 

There are in-depth conversations about how these founders have gotten away from the 9-to-5 grind and found innovative business models that have turned into successful online businesses.

Listen Here: feeds.transistor.fm/the-indie-hackers-podcast

Summary

We hope that you like these top no-code podcasts and enter the world of no-code development with a better idea of the minds behind this concept. At Tigersheet, we aim to make no-code development easy and efficient through an intuitive interface and a drag-and-drop builder. We want to make automation easier for you by simplifying and demystifying the process by using no-code tools. Take the first step to automating your workflows and increasing your productivity by contacting us for your free trial!


November 15, 2020 General, LCNC No comments yet
New Tutorial Videos in Tigersheet: Build Fast, Automate Tasks, Solve Business Challenges Quickly!

New Tutorial Videos in Tigersheet: Build Fast, Automate Tasks, Solve Business Challenges Quickly!

We have recently renewed the Tigersheet YouTube channel with Tutorial Videos and there’s a lot more to come in the coming months! If you are new to creating apps and using Tigersheet, checking out these tutorial videos could be very useful for getting started in no time.

As you continue using Tigersheet, you’ll build more skills and be able to increase the agility of work. Tigersheet is flexible enough to meet any business need, so odds are you’ll find new ways to get more done, faster

The most recent tutorial videos are:

Creating Tigersheet From Scratch

Sheets are the very foundation of any application you build inside Tigersheet. Hence, creating the very first sheet is the most fundamental step to begin. Designing your first Tigersheet application would be a breeze after watching this video.

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/kkAhpmfHKOo

How to Create Automated Workflows in Tigersheet

Tigersheet workflows can help you automate your business processes, making them both more consistent and more efficient.

This is a comprehensive video demonstrating how you can go about designing automated workflows for your business processes and save in a lot of time and effort. The video demonstrates an example of a workflow designed for Employee Expense Management.

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/m5YsE4LXjaw

Group and Filter Records

Using a grouped or filtered view for records in Tigersheet can have many usages. It is a good way to reduce the number of records and fields to only those essential to your current task.

Another common use is to apply a grouped or filtered view to an Authentication. For instance, you can configure a view to removing records based on a set of criteria where app users are automatically removed from authentication when setting to inactive. Filtering views is an efficient way to display the data you want without making any changes to the application/sheet.

Watch the Video Here: https://youtu.be/oSj5OxleURU

Creating a Standard Report

Creating reports from data stored is generally a tedious and labor-intensive job.  The good news is that with Tigersheet in place, you don’t have to worry about this! Learn how to create a Standard Report in this video.

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/UHfBOH2IXBE

Creating a Kanban Report

A Kanban board is a work and workflow visualization tool that enables you to optimize the flow of your work, limit work-in-progress, and maximize efficiency. Learn How to create one in Tigersheet through the video.

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/eaLApzOTgLI

How to use ‘Send Email’ Trigger in Tigersheet

With Tigersheet you can send email notifications as well as reminders to ensure that for every update, your team receives notifications through email. Onscreen reminders are also available for them to keep up with happenings whenever they are on the Tigersheet interface.

Learn how to create and use “Send Email” Trigger in Tigersheet.

Watch the Video Here: https://youtu.be/I4FOp66oskI

Build a Simple CRM System With Bob- DIY on Tigersheet

This one is our ultimate video guide on building a custom CRM app. This video series consists of two parts and covers some of the basic and intermediate functionalities within the Tigersheet Platform.

We encourage you to follow along with the video and see if you can recreate this app. You’re going to learn how to use the platform with its point-and-click interface to build out different functionalities and workflows.

Watch the Video Here: https://youtu.be/gMxSN5JQgXs

Summing It Up

You can find our tutorial videos and help articles on your start page from the “Help Centre” link on the top-right corner, or from your “People Icon” you can navigate to ‘Help’.

We are currently working on more videos about other linking options, planning to publish them very soon. If you want to view additional tutorials and tips, you can subscribe to our youtube channel.

Make sure to leave a comment to let me know about your tutorial requests!

October 29, 2020 Product No comments yet
3 Efficiency Killing Tasks Your Employees Want You to Automate Today!

INFOGRAPHIC: 3 Efficiency Killing Tasks Your Employees Want You to Automate Today!

Your team is well equipped with staff, the market campaign is running in full swing, and the key projects have successfully launched. Yet the business isn’t growing…

One of the major problems that get often overlooked – but creates a great hindrance to growth and innovation- is manual, inconsistent processes that restrain productivity.

Many organizations today are rapidly embracing automation, and for a good solid reason: A recent survey demonstrated that employees want their employers to automate manual, repetitive tasks, and give them time back to focus on higher-value work.  As per the survey report, more than 59% of workers have said that automating manual tasks can save them six or more hours per week.

Here’s an infographic- that offers in-depth knowledge of what workers think about automation- and the top 3 efficiency killer tasks they want their employers to automate.

Repetitive, manual tasks steal time and energy that could be better spent on critical business tasks. Here are three of the most common reasons your business isn’t reaching its potential, along with solutions:

Data collection is tedious and boring. But, you need data to run your business-sales figures, profit/loss numbers, expenses, etc. but manual data collection and analysis can take hours (or days). Error-free, consistent, and organized data becomes easy to achieve with automated web forms.

Approval processes drag on. Major business decisions aside, routine approval requests needed for tasks like expense reports, equipment purchases, and time off requests can be quickly approved when there are established guidelines. Instead of facing delays when requests get lost in email and approvers try to conquer their inbox, automating the process reduces email churn. Using automated triggers & alerts keeps the process flowing.

Reporting on updates monopolizes resources. Employees need to keep managers, teammates, and direct reports informed about the status of work, but it often comes at the cost of the real work getting done. By automating processes, project updates and key results can be done instantly, freeing up time to make an impact. Stakeholders gain instant insight into the progress being made. You save time by automating key tasks, without needing to invest significant amounts in new software or skills.

Take the next step…

If you can’t decide where to begin, check in with your people. Select a single team or pull together a small group of folks to identify opportunities to automate processes, like setting up automated alerts for expense reports or gathering details for weekly sales reports. Once you begin, you can always scale up the solution to automate other processes.

Your business is likely already using business tools, so you can also start there. Identify the solutions adopted by teams that may be useful for other departments. From there, a business automation platform like Tigersheet could help you corral the myriad solutions your teams adopted individually.

Removing the impediment of repetitive tasks for your employees frees them up to focus on the work that matters: strategic thinking, innovation, and problem-solving. These are the activities that truly power your business and propel it forward. Making a small investment now in automation tools and taking the time to master them will pay dividends tomorrow.

October 22, 2020 General, Startups and SMBs No comments yet
Automation with Tigersheet

Automating the Mundane: 5 Smart Ways to Kick Start Your Business Automation Journey with Tigersheet Today!

Are you buried under emails, expense reports, meeting requests, and dozens of similar administrative tasks…? And.. the little voice in your head wishes if this to-do list could get completed? Well, Automation can grant your wish!

All those 3 to 5-minute tasks you repeat throughout the day can take a toll on your productivity. You may find yourself creatively spent, unable to come up with new ideas, or see things from a different perspective. Or, you may burn out and look for shortcuts, which can lead to mistakes, recklessness, or avoidance.

This mental strain has a name: It’s called the decision fatigue. The more choices you make, the harder it becomes for your brain.

Let’s talk about the solution:

You have already thought many times about automating your business processes? But your team is busy now and you are wondering how can you convince them to put in the effort to adopt a new automated work process?

The short answer: You don’t. Instead of switching to a complex work automation project, you can look for a solution like Tigersheet. This will empower your team members to automate their own processes with flexible building blocks and easy-to-configure automation rules.

Here are five ways to start building automated workflows at the individual or team level. You can adopt them, then grow it across the entire organization to improve your business as a whole.

Ask your team what they want to stop doing?

Deciding what to automate is the very first step to get started with your automation journey.

For instance: you might look at the processes behind areas with low productivity.

Or, target the most repetitive and time-consuming processes plaguing your back office.

You could also target the processes automation could boost for a specific department.

Repetitive tasks such as compiling a weekly status report or requesting approvals are important, but they can also be boring. When you automate the most mundane or disliked tasks, you free up time and attention for more creative work that can help advance your business.

Look for the teams with the largest number of repetitive tasks, or the highest level of annoyance. These always act as a strong motivator for change.

Build upon your existing foundation. Explore the resources you already have

From a work management platform to messaging tools to personalized alerts, chances are your teams are already familiar with some of the building blocks for automation. Some teams at your company may have even found their own solutions on their own, either for specific projects or to improve their own team processes.

Not only will they know how to get the best results from the solutions they’re currently using, but they will also serve as great ambassadors and seasoned experts when it’s time to roll out new processes to the rest of the organization.

Finding the Automation Tools That Will Work for Everyone, not only a Few

If you want your entire IT team to jump onboard with intelligent automation, consider a solution that works for everyone – not only a select few. , you should look for a platform that is versatile enough to cover a broad range of tasks and workflows, from routine and common to complex and unusual. Empower your users’ tools that anyone can put in place without the need for coding or scripting. The easier and more flexible the platform, the greater the adoption will be.

Tigersheet is a no-code platform that can help everyone achieve more. It is an automation solution that offers easy-to-configure rules that anyone can set up, without a single line of code, complex formulas, or help from IT. Learn more and Sign up today!

Reducing Email Overwhelm and Too Much Reliance

As you automate tasks, resist the urge to push all communications — such as deadline reminders or completion notifications — out via email.

For example, with Tigersheet you can set up automated alerts and update requests that prompt team members to update status from within the app and using mobile push notifications.

(1) A centralized platform like Tigersheet lets the entire team see when a task gets complete, without generating lengthy email threads.

(2) Updates and alerts can be delivered to the specific people who’ve been assigned a task, instead of spamming a team email alias with messages that aren’t relevant to most members.

(3) Keeping inboxes free of requests and notifications can help employees prioritize and respond to the emails that really matter.

Keep mobile top-of-mind!

We live in an increasingly mobile dependent world. The ability to manage automated workflows from anywhere can be an attractive benefit for your busy IT team. Look for a solution that connects information seamlessly and securely across devices. This will enable workers to check project status and approve requests from anywhere, so you can define how and where teamwork happens.

Are you looking for an automation solution that offers all the perks and benefits outlined above? Why not give our Next Generation Uber fast business automation platform a try today? Click here for a free, interactive no-strings-attached demo to get started.

Build Powerful, Automated Business Processes and Workflows with Tigersheet…

Automating tasks and workflows empowers your staff to become more productive while helping to cut costs, save time, and create efficiencies. That’s why software tools that support task and process automation are critical to your success. One such tool is Tigersheet, a new generation work execution platform that fundamentally changes the way teams, leaders, and businesses get work done at lightning speed and drastically reduced costs!

References:

ü Technology Blog, Why You Need to Start Automating Repetitive Tasks. https://ayehu.com/5-simple-strategies-to-get-employees-onboard-with-intelligent-automation/

ü Tech Republic Blog, 10 ways to automate the mundane (so you can focus on what matters) https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-ways-to-automate-the-mundane-so-you-can-focus-on-what-matters/

ü ThinkAutomation Blog: How to start your business automation journey;https://www.thinkautomation.com/automation-advice/how-to-start-your-business-process-automation-journey/

October 16, 2020 General, Product No comments yet
ways-to-break-email-addiction-using-Tigersheet

4 Ways to break your team’s Email addiction. Yes! It’s possible with Tigersheet

Email has certainly changed how people communicate all over the world. However, it’s a notorious productivity killer.

Excessive email is not only a time suck; it can result in lost or outdated information, crossed wires, and duplicative effort.

The email has certainly changed how people communicate all over the world. However, it’s a notorious productivity killer. Excessive email is not only a time suck; it can result in lost or outdated information, crossed wires, and duplicative effort.

Moving your team away from email doesn’t mean you can’t capture and share exciting ideas, no matter where you are when inspiration strikes. With Tigersheet, you can explore at least four alternate ways to collaborate with your team without making them feel chained to their inboxes.

We’ve laid out some simple steps to help you ditch this broken, outdated system of communication and switch to something better—a centralized platform that combines the communication and data you’re communicating about in one place.

Brainstorm in the sheet

Most teams schedule time for face-to-face brainstorming sessions. One team member might take notes for the group, recording in their notebook or a shared, online document. While this technique might seem dependable, it can be a pain for the document owner to consistently loop in the right people.

Tigersheet empowers teams to collect, organize, and transition these ideas into actionable plans. Sheets are incredibly flexible and let you attach reference documents and images directly to rows. In addition, Tigersheet integrates with Gmail so you can always access your saved drafts, attachments, or templates on the go.

Once your team agrees on the plan of action and finalizes deadlines (with start and end dates), anyone with access can easily track progress through standard views, pivot view, Kanban report?card view, or timeline.

Document, Share or Update on the Go Through Mobile App

With Tigersheet forms, it’s easier for individuals to contribute ideas as they occur from their mobile devices using the Tigersheet mobile app. Forms can be customized and formatted to meet the needs of your project, and once submitted new information automatically populates in the sheet.

With all these options, your teams can combine brainstorming with productivity — and improve internal visibility amongst team members, stakeholders, and managers — into the decision-making process.

Parse that email to an Auto-Updating Sheet

Reducing email overwhelm can seem inevitable if a part of your business relies on data that you receive by email. For example, leads from a lead owner, product inquiries from prospective customers, order confirmations from your online shops, sales stats…and a lot more… And you need to copy this imported data from Email to your database or Excel?

If such is the scenario, how do you convert data trapped inside those emails to an easy handle format like an Excel sheet?  Well, we don’t want you to struggle with a tedious copy & paste manual routine anymore.

Ever heard of email parsers? You teach these programs how to recognize patterns in your emails, tell them what data is actually important and that everything else can be ignored, and then have them save only the important stuff.

Tigersheet can parse incoming emails for key information and import this email data into an auto-updating sheet. Yes, another super useful reason to stop sticking to your inboxes and say goodbye to heavily dependent email communication!

Make comments visible, traceable- Conversations in Tigersheet

Email overload can hinder innovation, making it tough to locate and compare ideas. With so much going on in a team’s day-to-day activities, it’s taxing for team leaders to remember who contributed what and nest relevant comments under the right topics. Finding the information, you need is like playing detective, which wastes the time you could use to develop and nurture the next steps in an important project.

If a marketing team member has a great recommendation for an email campaign, how do you capture and organize all ideas around that topic using email? With Tigersheet, collaborators can comment directly on a corresponding row in their sheet.

Team members can dive into the sheet and read the latest comments as they correlate to specific tasks or activities. All it takes is for the sheet owner to create a comment and ‘mention’ the designated user with an @ symbol and an automated notification is send as an alert to the person at his email.

For example: Here’s a comment targeted to a user @XYZ who is a team member in the organization.

@XYZ: Please look into the lead’s appointment scheduled post 20th October 2020 and update them in your logs.

Automate to avoid writing emails

Automating repetitive actions gives teams more time to focus on tasks that have a higher business value. Using Tigersheet, employees can automate update requests, approval requests, reminders, and notifications. Setting up automated actions means teams won’t have to manually send out follow-up emails to task owners.

Teams that have replaced email communication with an app built on Tigersheet can respond to updates and approval requests directly through the app, freeing them from needing to follow up via email.

Tigersheet helps teams realize their great ideas and move them along to make a lasting impact. We all know that ideas can be gone in a flash, so it’s important for your team to capture them before they disappear.

If you’re ready to test it out, sign up for a free trial of Tigersheet, absolutely free no strings attached! You can start building your own enterprise apps for desktop and mobile using one of our templates or start from scratch with Tigersheets drag-and-drop interface.

October 3, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Product No comments yet
TigerSheet Tips - How to Become Advanced TigerSheet User

New to Tigersheet? Worry Not! 5 tips to take you from novice to advanced user. (Part-2)

Hello…Welcome back to Tigersheet!

In the last part, we saw 5 super cool features that can help you leverage the most out of Tigersheet platform. In this post, we will look at the next set of features that users can greatly benefit from while they are embarking on a journey with Tigersheet.

Besides, these too you can always refer to our Tigersheet Knowledgebase (the help center), read our help blogs, or watch YouTube videos for free. In case of queries, help or any issue don’t think a second but ping us at Tigersheet support and we are here to help!

Benefit from Triggers in Tigersheet- Create Powerful Workflow Applications in a jiffy!


Triggers are one of the most vital automation tools inside Tigersheet that take away all the hassle out of tracking your work, managing your client and employee relationships, and tracking your time.

Our smart triggers run in the background – shooting off emails, tasks, status changes, and a lot more- so that you can focus on the work that matters leaving Tigersheet to handle the rest! The best part, these can be defined across nearly all your workflows (Sales, Requests, Approvals, Invoices, Companies, and Even Contacts).

IT’S ALL ABOUT TIMING. A Wrong Message sent at an inappropriate time is as powerful as a bad punchline!

With Tigersheet in place, send the perfect message at the perfect time. You can use event-triggered messages to send to customers that are actively reading your email messages or to re-engage users after a set period of time. You can use event-triggered messages as a way to thank someone for visiting your website or for making a purchase on your website. Event-triggered messages can be set up based on any user activity such as email opens or clicks and more specifically, based on which links the user has clicked on.

Here’s a screencast video that shows how you can use the ‘send email’ trigger in Tigersheet.


Convert data trapped inside those emails to an easy handle format like an Excel sheet! Parse Email to Sheet!

Does a part of your business rely on data that you receive by email? For example, leads from a lead owner, product inquiries from prospective customers, order confirmations from your online shops, sales stats…and a lot more… And you need to copy this imported data from Email to your database or Excel?

If such is the scenario, how do you convert data trapped inside those emails to an easy handle format like an Excel sheet?  Well, we don’t want you to struggle with a tedious copy & paste manual routine anymore.

Ever heard of email parsers? You teach these programs how to recognize patterns in your emails, tell them what data is actually important and that everything else can be ignored, and then have them save only the important stuff.

Tigersheet can parse incoming emails for key information and import this email data into an auto-updating sheet.

Here’s our screencast that will walk you through Tigersheet to understand the step by step process to set an email parser where you can parse your lead/inquiry emails and store them in Tigersheet.


Build Powerful Web Forms with Tigersheet

Have you ever tried building a web form right from the beginning?

Yes, we agree! It can be extremely daunting to build a web form from scratch, even if you are a web developer. Teams often require tools that can input data to automate the processing and monitoring of valuable information. While business professionals do have a clear insight into what these web forms should look like, they often lack the requisite skills to code and deploy applications.

Now, imagine what if you need a lot of forms with built-in notifications, spam filters, validation checks, and other such smart features, you will have to consider months of development. Not to forget, the concerns you may have about keeping your data secure and private.

Well, with Tigersheet in place you don’t have to imagine anymore!

Tigersheet lets you design and launches web forms in just minutes, right from your browser. On top of that, there is no coding involved, so anyone in your team can build forms. Plus, you can add all the nifty stuff we mentioned, like automated email notifications!

This comprehensive, step-by-step video series walks you through using Tigersheet to create contact forms, which are among the most basic or the most complex web forms you can build.

Design Custom Print Templates

Print templates enable you to print a record in a pdf format. You can customize and beautify the template look and feel.

For example, the sales reps may have to send a quote to a customer for review. In this case, they can use print templates and choose a template to print a quote and email them directly.

With print templates, you can print, email the pdf directly, and download a record. You can use the readily available templates from Word and paste it and then print or export your records.

Check our video below to learn how you can print records with custom templates!


Use the ‘Mail Merge’ feature and send bulk emails to clients and or run email campaigns.

Anyone who has access to an email address would probably know how popular mass emails and newsletters have become today. The benefits of sending out bulk emails are fairly self-explanatory: you can customize email templates to your marketing message and then send it out to a huge number of people in a short amount of time, for free (or very inexpensively). From a value standpoint, that is tough to beat.

Here at Tigersheet, we do acknowledge and realize that bulk emails can have a great impact on many businesses. In fact, that’s why we have our own bulk email feature called Mail Merge using which users can send bulk emails and run email marketing campaigns.

here’s an interactive screencast that will demonstrate the entire process through which you can send out bulk emails and run email campaigns using Mail Merge in Tigersheet.

September 28, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Product No comments yet
DIY Video Guide on Tigersheet

Build a Custom CRM with BOB- DIY Video Guide on Tigersheet

Welcome to our ultimate video guide on building a custom CRM app. This video series consists of two parts and covers some of the basic and intermediate functionalities within the Tigersheet Platform.

Here you will learn how to build an entry-level application that’s really meant for first-time users. For more advanced concepts and features, you can browse our library of articles and videos inside our Help Centre Knowledge Base.

Summarized Video Transcript

Part 1 will give you a quick overview of the app, so you know exactly what we plan on developing.

Inside this simple CRM application, we chose to develop an app that has two user levels: We can log in as an employee or a sales rep, or as an admin/manager.

  • Visit www.tigersheet.com and create a free account. Once you login into Tigersheet with your credentials, you will be welcomed to the dashboard.
  • You will find some useful ready-made templates that you can directly import. These templates have been specially designed to meet the needs of multifarious data management purposes. You can install them and customize as per your need.  Whichever department you are in (production, customer service, project management, research, procurement, warehousing, HR), there is always a suitable data management template designed to make your work easier and faster!

Keep in mind that the Tigersheet platform allows you to build more sophisticated user-level management workflows. But for the sake of this training, we opted to keep things simple. Here’s an overview of what you’ll see in CRM Video Part 1.

Step-1: Bob Creates a Lead Database and Adds Users to CRM

  • Creating the New App and Naming it CRM.
  • Creating a New Sheet (building a new sheet from scratch) called ‘Leads’ and adding relevant fields to this sheet to save Lead details. These include Name, Contact Number, Email, Status, Lead Owner, etc.
  • Adding Lead Records to the Lead Sheet.
  • Creating User Entry (Sales Staff) into ‘User Account’ Sheet
  • Once the Sales Staff are Added, The Lead Sheet is shared with the sales staff using the ‘Share’ option. The two options available are to share through email and share by generating a link.

Part 2 of the CRM Video focuses on advance functionalities like managing permissions, creating follow-ups and scheduling follow up reminders with Leads.

Step 2: Bob Restricts Lead Visibility by Managing Roles and Permissions within the CRM.

  • Bob Clicks on ‘Roles & Permissions” and Creates a New Role called ‘Sales Staff’.
  • Bob Assigns the respective users (Marry Allen, John Doe) to sales staff role.
  • Bob Restricts Lead Visibility by setting a criterion within ‘Can View’ Option.
  • Bob also prohibits sales staff from deleting any rows in the Lead Sheet.
  • Visibility Permission Works: John and Marry log in to their Tigersheet account and view the Lead Sheet- They are able to see only the leads assigned to them.

Step 3: Bob Creates a Mechanism to Follow Up with Leads

  • Bob Creates a ‘Date-Time’ type Column and names it as ‘Next Follow Up’.
  • Bob Creates an Action Button called ‘Next Follow Up’. On click of this button, the user receives a prompt to set a particular date and time for scheduling s follow up with their Lead.
  • Bob Add an Action to the ‘Next Follow up’ Button “Set Fields Value of Current Row”.

Step 4: Bob Creates Automatic Reminders to Notify Sales Staff About their Follow-Ups.

Once you set up a 30-day free trial and log inside your Tigersheet account, it’s really easy to begin building an application.

Visit: http://bit.ly/Tigersheet

We encourage you to follow along with the video and see if you can recreate this app. You’re going to learn how to use the platform with its point-and-click interface to build out different functionalities and workflows. To Know What’s In Store and for all new updates, follow this space and Stay Tuned With Us!

September 22, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Product No comments yet
Tigersheet Features

New to Tigersheet? Worry Not! 5 tips to take you from novice to advanced user( Part-1)

Are you new to using Tigersheet and a fan of getting work done more efficiently?

Do you want to add more value to your company? Do you and your team want to achieve better results, faster? 

As a new user of Tigersheet, I’ve quickly become familiar with the basics of Tigersheet and know it can help me accomplish all of the above. Now, I’m ready to dive a little deeper and enhance my knowledge of the platform to unlock even more capabilities that help me collaborate with my team and stakeholders, gain better visibility into projects and processes, and discover important information more 

I searched through our library of resources (so you don’t have to) and discovered these five tips to help you take your Tigersheet knowledge to the next level:

Use notifications and schedule automatic reminders to keep collaborators informed

For every update, your team receives notifications through email. Onscreen reminders are also available for them to keep up with happenings whenever they are on the Tigersheet interface.

You can even customize in settings and update your teams to receive mobile push and email notifications. These Notification are quite fruitful and they allow you to see and quickly act on other items — such as update requests, approval requests, and notifications — as you work in Tigersheet. 

You can set up and customize notification rules (triggers), and save time and work faster with automated workflows. With notifications, you can even stay informed about who’s making changes in your sheet.

Keep teams and stakeholders updated with reports

Creating reports from data stored is generally a tedious and labor-intensive job.  The good news is that with Tigersheet in place, you don’t have to worry about this! 

Tigersheet offers a wide variety of powerful reporting options such as Standard Views, Charts, Pivot Tables, Kanban Boards, Grouping Items and Filtered Views. This enables you to easily analyze your data and derive great insights. The intuitive drag and drop interface further make it super easy to construct the required reports in a matter of a few minutes!

With a handy Report Builder, you simply follow a few prompts to build and customize a report. 

Bonus tip: If you publish a report, the people you share it with can see the information without being shared with the underlying sheets, which can be helpful if you have data in the sheet(s) that shouldn’t be, or doesn’t need to be, shared.

Filters help get to relevant information in a sheet

Filtering in sheets might be the most useful feature you will discover as you embark on a journey with Tigersheet (of course there are many more!). If you’re one of those individuals who gets bogged down with a lot of data and is working in a sheet that has hundreds of rows and you’re overwhelmed by information, consider setting up a filter or two. 

For one of the sheets you need to reference, for example, you only care about the projects assigned to you. So, create a filter to show only those projects where you are listed as the owner, so instead of 157 rows, you’ll see a quarter of them. There are far more uses for filters; don’t be shy about trying them. 

Bonus tip: Sorting and filtering are two different features, so be sure to learn the differences.

Got A Lot of Data in a Spreadsheet? Import from Excel to get started without losing anything!

By the time you discovered Tigersheet, you’d probably already made an Excel sheet or two (thousand). Perhaps you painstakingly copied and pasted all those spreadsheets into Tigersheet. Or, maybe — faced with the inescapable drill through Microsoft Excel — you left it alone.

We understand your pain.

If you have data housed in Excel spreadsheets, then you can benefit from Tigersheet’s importing capability. This allows you to bring your Excel record to the platform and create custom applications using them.

Don’t Know How to Use Import? Head on the guide here: https://tigersheet.com/blog/feature-import-excel-data-to-tigersheet/

Don’t forget about YouTube videos!

Even some of our most proficient customers find our YouTube tutorial videos helpful. And don’t forget about one of our best resources, the Tigersheet Knowledge Base (Help Centre). You can simply have these sites bookmarked because I visit them almost daily to find the answers I need.

Keep Learning with Us.

As you continue using Tigersheet, you’ll build more skills and be able to increase the agility of work. Tigersheet is flexible enough to meet any business need, so odds are you’ll find new ways to get more done, faster. And pretty soon, you’ll be teaching us a thing or two!




September 15, 2020 Product No comments yet
Difference Between Start-up & Big Corporations: All you Need to Know

Difference Between Start-up & Big Corporations: All you Need to Know

Growing up, we often hear a lot of household names such as Google, Facebook, Walmart, Microsoft without really knowing what they are. Big corporations have been so deep-rooted into society and people’s minds that we do remember what these companies do but stopped thinking about their impacts on society.

On the other hand, startups, though well recognized by people, do not get remembered as easily and are not as integrated into our societies. But, what is crucial to understand that both startups and big corporations are essential to the progressive improvements and growths of society with each of them providing different strengths, opportunities, and purposes.

Demystifying the Difference: Startup vs Big Corporation

Not all recently created companies are startups nor do they have to be. By definition, as coined by Steve Blank, a serial entrepreneur, and professor at business schools such as Stanford, Berkeley and Imperial College, a startup is “a temporary organization designed to look for a business model that is repeatable and scalable.”

While a company is “a permanent organization designed to execute a business model that is repeatable and scalable.” Therefore, the difference is that startups look for an attractive business model, while companies already have such a business model and are focused on successfully executing it. This distinction affects the nature and needs of both kinds of organizations.

Tanker vs Speedboat Analogy

To make it sound interesting and chalk out the differences easily, let us use an analogy of comparing big corporations to ‘the huge tankers’ and startups to ‘small speed boats’.

  • The big tanker moves very slowly, is untouched by the ocean currents and waves, and hire a lot of people on board.
  • The speed boat is agile, has a small team, and is capable of going far or be punished by the cruel nature of the sea.

Jumping off this analogy, let’s dive into the strengths and weaknesses offered by startups and big corporations.

Startups

Small team: The reason why you feel impactful in a startup is often that you are a part of a very small team. The average startup team can very well be within 10 people. So when you’re part of that team, you are going to be tasked with tasks that are very core to the survival of the entire team. It’s great to be impactful in a startup, but that also means that it can go both ways.

Always hustling: One of the most frequently heard things about startups is that they are constantly on the hustle. Such pivoting in fact is crucial for the survival and growth of the startup. For instance, Instagram which today is the most popular photo-sharing application was not one when it started. It incepted as a check application that allowed people to show people where they are.  But, a series of pivots and edits made Instagram what it is today!

This is why it’s important to know that the final products of startups aren’t always what they set off to create at the very start. There will be new challenges and opportunities that will either evolve or destroy startups.

Offering innovation: Startups normally set off their journey as an entity that is trying to solve problems through innovation. Coursera and Udemy allow people to learn anytime and anywhere via their platforms. Venmo allows people to pay each other conveniently via their phones. Discord allows people to talk to each other as a team when gaming. Point is, startups always have their eyes set on a problem and they firmly believe that their products are the keys to solving these problems.

Low cash flow: Another important but disheartening fact about startups is their low cash flow. Another thing that is most heard about startups is they are always fundraising. The longer the runway is the more likely it is for a startup to take off successfully. That is why you often hear startups actively going through a series of fundraising. Startups won’t take off without the funds necessary. It’s great to have a dream of solving problems, but there are also harsh realities that one must face when doing so.

Big Corporations

Huge Team: It is no surprise to know that big corporations are characterized by big teams. They offer more job security to people because of how big they are. Big corporations are not as likely to fail and go bankrupt compared to small startups because of their solid foundations, well-established relationships with the government and people, and board of executives that makes decisions together.

Doing similar things: As previously stated, big corporations tend to be more risk-averse. They won’t make huge pivots and conduct large scale company restructuring like what some startups may do. They focus on doing what they do best and substantially increasing profit. Companies like Walmart are still innovating, but what keeps it alive is the everyday process of selling household goods to customers.

Huge Pools of Funds: The biggest difference between startups and corporations is probably their amount of funds. Startups are always tight in cash flow and always looking for more. Corporations are always looking for profit, but a week without sales will not have as much of an impact on the company’s well-being compared to a startup. Corporations also have more funds to spend on things like advertisements, talent hiring, and opening up additional locations. Startups probably have to pick between hiring a sufficient engineer and running online ads for 2 months. That is the main difference. Startups have to be careful in every step they take while big corporations and more rebound for mistakes.

Coming back to the tanker vs speedboat analogy, you can treat big corporations as the tanker that moves slowly but never stopping. Startups, on the other hand, will be the speedboats that explore different industries, the newest trends, and disrupting industries drastically.

Uber disrupted the taxi industry without owning one car at all. Airbnb =changed the hotel industry forever by not owning any real estate. WeWork changed the traditional concept of working space through space sharing. Startups are constantly changing the traditional concept of things.

It is also a possibility that the two can work together. Startups are constantly being acquired by big corporations for their talents and unique value proposition. Facebook acquired Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus because it felt connected to what they were doing. Big corporations often treat startups as little R&D centers where innovation is created by constant failures and talented people.

Although startups and big corporations offer very different things, they both keep society moving and ensures progress through their constant engagement in revolutionary changes and their lookout for opportunities.

August 26, 2020 General, Startups and SMBs No comments yet
What is the difference between Low Code VS No Code

Low Code vs No Code. What’s the Difference? [Infographic]

You may hear the terms “No Code” and “Low Code” thrown around by developers and entrepreneurs. There’s a lot of ambiguity as to what these terms even mean. To add to the confusion…

At first glance, it’s easy to confuse low-code and no-code. They sound the same for one. Even the big analyst firms seem to have a hard time differentiating them. Gartner views “no-code” application platforms as part of the low-code sphere, lumping them together into its latest Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms, 2019 (LCAP).

But there are a number of very significant differences between low-code and no-code platforms. If you’re considering moving away from traditional application development, or even just want to try out visual application development, you’ll want to be aware of what you’re getting in each offering.

Low-code vs No-code: Decoding the difference

The key differences between low-code and no-code platforms are their target users and their output capabilities.

  • Low-code platforms primarily target developers, enabling them to rapidly build working front-end prototypes in a matter of days, or even hours.
  • This allows them to get to the most interesting part of software development much faster: customization.
  • Low-code platforms are suitable for the creation of more complex applications and processes that require integration with other application databases or systems.

  • No-code platforms target smaller businesses, those without the budget to outsource development, or hire a developer internally.
  • Using a no-code platform, a citizen developer can create and deploy complete applications without needing to write a single line of code.
  • The downside of this speed, ease, and simplicity, is that no-code platforms are only really capable of developing basic applications that don’t require integration with any other systems. They may help to simplify a manual internal process, but they simply don’t have the capabilities to develop competitive, innovative software.

Low-Code vs. No-Code: When to Use What

Both low-code and no-code platforms are built with the same thing in mind: Agility. And although at a distance they look similar, each is suitable for very different purposes.

Low-code is good for developing sophisticated applications that run important, often mission-critical processes at the core of your business. It’s also good for building standalone mobile and web apps that may or may not require sophisticated integrations. In fact, it can be used for just about anything.

Conversely, no code’s limitations mean it should only be used for front-end use-cases.

Having said this, there’s room for both, or at least a combination of both, in the modern enterprise. And for those embracing DevOps—another methodology designed to create greater agility in development—the combination of low-code and no-code could present the perfect application development environment.

In a world where everything has to happen faster, both low-code and no-code platforms can provide a competitive advantage for developers and the organizations employing them. However, unless you’re developing only the simplest applications, and require little in the way of customization, low-code will always be the better option.

Low-code offers greater flexibility and control, which means you can build more varied, powerful, and responsive apps. Yet, it still has the simplicity to get those apps up and running much faster than if you were to hand-code them. And, since low-code still requires some knowledge of coding, you know the people creating your applications will do so properly, and your new applications won’t saddle you with security risks or compliance issues.

Tigersheet for No Code Development

At Tigersheet, we acknowledge that technology is at the tip of the iceberg. Change is always more significantly more complicated than merely designing a new application or moving to a new infrastructure.
That’s why we do what we, helping organizations get the most of their technology today and tomorrow. Whether you need to replace an accounting system or develop a plan for becoming truly cloud-native,
our experts can help your experts build a plan and move ahead. And,
most importantly, we can help you manage change along the way.


Sign up to Tigersheet For Free and Leave the Rest Upon Us!

August 20, 2020 General, LCNC No comments yet
5 Reasons You Should Import your Spreadsheets into Tigersheet Today!

5 Reasons You Should Import your Spreadsheets into Tigersheet Today!

By the time you discovered Tigersheet, you’d probably already made an Excel sheet or two (thousand). Perhaps you painstakingly copied and pasted all those spreadsheets into Tigersheet. Or, maybe — faced with the inescapable drill through Microsoft Excel — you left it alone.

We understand your pain.

We want to make it as simple as possible to turn your pile of spreadsheets into one magical Tigersheet application. So, now you can select “Import from Excel” and pick the Excel sheet you want. Within seconds, your spreadsheets are magically transformed (imported) into Tigersheet.

Still not convinced by the ease & simplicity? Here are five very specific reasons you should consider bringing all of your Excel sheets to Tigersheet

Microsoft Excel is slow. Tigersheet is Fast and Easy

The more data in the spreadsheet, the slower Excel is to respond.

Excel was only designed to handle so much data in each report. The problem is, the size of the report not only impacts the time it takes for the spreadsheet to load but also the time it takes to make any changes to the data within the document. As a result, many businesses start to use multiple spreadsheets or worksheets to make the data more manageable.

However, speed is never an issue with Tigersheet! Tigersheet is robustly designed to handle your data so you can seamlessly navigate between sheets and leverage the power of a custom made application that tailors your business needs. Since no coding knowledge is required..sometimes it is even possible to push your apps in a day!

No aspect of Tigersheet is static and inflexible. In fact, everything is based on configurations. Whenever you want to add or modify something, you can do so in a matter of minutes.

Familiarity of a Spreadsheet & Way Lot Smarter Than It

Spreadsheets: we all love them. They’re pretty easy to start and can help you structure your thoughts and your data in a straightforward way.

On that note let us break that to you Navigating your way around Tigersheet is super easy too. If you have utilized spreadsheets before, then you may find that this solution acts in a similar manner. This means that you can enjoy its simplicity while leveraging its power.

The fact that millions of people out there use spreadsheets to manage their data is a good start for us.  So, we make the experience application development a lot like using spreadsheets, something everyone knows.

Multiple Sheets= More Issues

What starts with a plain ‘data.xls’ modifies quickly to ‘data edited.xlsx’ and then ‘data final. xlsx.’ Then ‘data final new.xlsx’ pops up, followed by ‘Copy of data final new – edits Mike.xlsx.

And not to forget, all these spreadsheets will land up in your inbox at the same time. Soon, your team will spend half of their valuable time figuring out if they’re looking at the latest data or not and copying data between sheets to hopefully collect all relevant data.

But, Not to Forget…There You found Tigersheet. Your spreadsheets are now in an easy-to-find place — Tigersheet that neatly organizes into separate sheets and reports — and can be shared with teammates with a single sharing tab.

Drag and Drop Templates

Tigersheet opens a world of interactivity for your Excel Sheets For example, you can gather more feedback and judge the real-time sentiment of your data.

Don’t Know How to Get Started? We have a lot of FREE templates made for you!

Try out our Free Order Management, CRM, Sales and Invoice Tracker, Ticket Management, and other #templates. Whichever department you are in (production, customer service, project management, research, procurement, warehousing, HR), there is always a suitable data management template designed to make your work easier and faster!

Create reports and analyze them through insights and stats shared via interactive dashboards

Using powerful reporting you create pivot tables, charts, Kanban,, or timelines and share them instantly across your teams.

More control over who can do what

With Spreadsheets, people can view, comment, or edit; there’s nothing in between. What if you want to let people add more items to a table, or give their feedback without risking them accidentally changing any of your document?

Tigersheet offers Role-based Settings, which gives you a lot more control over who can do what. This becomes crucial particularly in scenarios when you have several team members on board & it becomes imperative to protect sensitive data. Tigersheet helps you ensure the confidentiality of such information with role-based access settings. You can configure these to make certain that only particular users can launch certain tasks and perform specific actions.

A Sheet that Gets Better Over Time

When was the last time Microsoft Excel added new functionality?

Tigersheet introduces new features from time to time so your data and applications can get better and better. Recent examples: Parse Email to Sheet lets you parse incoming emails for key information and import this email data into an auto-updating sheet. And so, you don’t have to struggle with a tedious copy & paste manual routine anymore!

And there are more things in the pipeline.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear your feedback.

August 14, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Product No comments yet
Top 10 Low Code-No Code Blogs & Resources to Follow in 2020

Top 10 Low Code-No Code Blogs & Resources to Follow in 2020

What is the perfect way to keep a tap on Low Code/No Code (LCNC) news? Follow a Blog, Head to a Digital Tech Magazine or subscribe to newsletters..

It seems like every software funding and product announcement these days includes some sort of reference to “low code or no-code” platforms or functionality. The frequent callbacks to this buzzy term over the last few years reflect a realization that we’re entering a new software era. Low Code- No Code platforms have enabled programmers and non-programmers to build application software by using graphical user interfaces and configuration rather than conventional computer coding.

On that note, We at Tigersheet have curated this list of the best blogs to follow for Low Code/No Code (LCNC) resources and news articles. We hope you can add a few of these LCNC blogs to your reading list.

The Low Code Daily

The Low-code daily is a daily curation of the most important news in the Low-Code industry Curated by Nigel Warren.

If you subscribe to the site, you’ll receive a daily digest of news and articles from “the world’s leading providers of Low-code and no-code application development platforms”.

Therefore, the low-code daily is a highly popular low code resource that regularly pops up on our screens.

http://low-code-daily.com/

The No-Code Journal

The No-Code Journal is a digital magazine that provides resources for anyone interested in learning about No Code, Low Code, Visual Development and Citizen Developer news, insights, and trends. It includes articles written by over a team of No Code enthusiasts who come from varied technology backgrounds and experiences.

https://www.nocodejournal.com/

CIOReview

This one is a popular name, you might be familiar with.  CIOReview is a technology print magazine. It provides the latest technology news, articles, insights from the industry. CIOReview stands out from others by listing articles from top CIO’s CTO’s and CEO’s in the industry. They have a huge number of audiences who read their digital magazines, news, company listing, and so on.

The Good Part: It also has an entire section just for low code relevant topics.  So, you can easily navigate to the category and get access to all the latest news on low code.

https://low-code-platform.cioreview.com

Forrester and Gartner

Ok, so these aren’t classical blog entries like others, but are renowned consulting and research firms that continue to dominate conversations on low code no code space.

Forrester is widely known for its enlightening analysis and evaluation of existing low code platforms. It is interesting to note that Forrester is a pioneer to define the term ‘low code’ in 2014 as a part of establishing it as a distinct category for evaluation.

The Forrester New Wave, a comprehensive industry report, examines the top 13 low-code solution providers in the U.S. market. These reports use a 10-category scoring process, including its user interface development, data management, digital process automation, reporting tools, cloud platform features, and many more such parameters.

On the other hand, Gartner, the second leading name in the low code world is an IT research and advisory firm, offers an in-depth look at low code’s impact on businesses. Every year, Gartner releases its “Magic Quadrant” report, which analyzes the high productivity building of applications, including mobile apps. One thing to be aware of is that Gartner utilizes its own definitions of low code and no-code, meaning its results while sharing some similarities with Forrester’s report, is fundamentally different.

John R. Rymer

Well, we know what you are thinking, he isn’t a blog, CORRECT!

However, John is such a major source of inspiration that he just can’t be left out of this list. John R. Rymer – Vice President at Forrester Research – has been the person inviting the industry and coining the term of Low-Code.

According to his Forrester bio, Rymer is an “authority on the enterprise strategies of IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle and contributes to Forrester’s coverage of low-code application platforms and business rules platforms.” Rymer’s market analysis has been featured in a number of publications including TechRepublic, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, and Fortune. Therefore, we highly recommend following him and his content online.

go.forrester.com go.forrester.com

ADTMag: Application Development Trends

ADTmag.com provides the latest enterprise application news, trends, and best practices to help readers tackle the broad range of issues that enterprises must cope with every day.

Although ADTMag is rather a fully-fledged development magazine, it has a good variety of low-code relevant blog articles in there, too.

ADTMag in general – and its low code section in particular – is definitely a blog we recommend checking regularly for new low code articles.

https://adtmag.com/pages/topic-pages/low-code.aspx

DZone

If you work in the software engineering realm, chances are high that you would be familiar with DZone. DZone is a great platform providing a broad variety of tech-related content.

With more than 70,000 articles overall, DZone has been a great resource for us many times. And while they don’t have a separate low-code section on their site (yes, looking at you, DZone), you’ll find plenty of Low-Code content. Actually, there are more than 70,000 articles alone for the topic of low code.

Simply start a search query yourself.

https://dzone.com

NoCode Tech

This isn’t a regular blog but a curated directory of resources, tools & hacks for non-techs that is purely dedicated to no-code tools, hacks, and members sharing their experiences on building applications using no code.

No Code Tech is a must-read place where you can discover more than 200+ tools and skills used by entrepreneurs, designers, and employees around the world to create the software they need – without coding.

https://www.nocode.tech/

Makerpad

Makerpad is another valuable destination to learn, share, and work together to create software—without writing code. They provide best-in-class education paired with a supportive community and accountability.

Here you find detailed reviews, product demos, how-to guides of an extensive category of no-code tools. To Sum up, Makerpad is a complete educator in the no-code space. Thousands of professionals—working from startups to schools—can use it to learn how to build projects and automation without writing code.

https://www.makerpad.co/

Tigersheet

OK – obviously we eat our own food as well. Therefore, please forgive our little self-plug.

At Tigersheet, we aim to share our low code with no coding expertise with others. Either be through our product, support team interactions and since recently also through our own Low-Code No Code blog. The blog is well updated with news, informative articles on LCNC, latest trends, product updates, and what’s buzzing in the field of software, technology, and automation.

blog – TigerSheet – Custom Software for Business

If you enjoyed this article, you might also find our blog useful.

August 7, 2020 General, LCNC No comments yet
How to create Automated Workflows

Video Guide: How to Create Automated Workflows in Tigersheet Explained!

Make your workflow like a happily-raging river…

Never drop the ball again. Map out your steps in a snap, automate the boring stuff, and assign tasks so everyone’s on the page and super-productive. And changing workflows is a cinch, so your processes can evolve as quickly as your business.

Workflows can come in handy if you wish to get things done automatically in Tigersheet. Tigersheet workflows can help you automate your business processes, making them both more consistent and more efficient.

Let’s start by creating a workflow for something simple like an employee expense claim approval process.

  • An employee submits a claim request for approval.  The claim initial status is set to ‘Approval Pending’
  • The Approver (concerned authority for e.g. HR manager etc.) receives a notification (email) that a claim request has been submitted and is seeking approval. The approver reviews the claim request and verifies if the approval conditions are met. 
  • If the request is approved by the user, an email notification is sent to the account manager in the accounts department with all the relevant details
  • If the request is Rejected, then the approver is asked to specify the reason for rejection (Request a comment action is set).
  • Once the request has been approved and payment is released, the accounts manager is asked to specify the mode of payment used.

(Note: Please refer to the video above that demonstrates the above process step by step)

Create these columns in your Employee Expense Management Sheet (EEM). 

To begin creating a workflow click on settings icon present on top right and navigate to ‘workflows’.

Defining Workflow Status

A workflow status represents the current state of a record.

In case of an employee expense management, when an employee submits a new expense claim request. There can be 4 possible ‘status’ conditions which are:

Approval Pending: The claim request is yet to be approved

Approved: The Claim request has been accepted by the accounts department or concerned authority.

Rejected: The Claim request has been rejected.

Payment Released: Once the claim request has been approved, Payment gets released

Workflow Start Status: This is the default status of the record assigned to it upon creation. For e.g.: As soon as an employee submits a claim request, its workflow status shall be assigned as ‘Approval Pending’ 

Defining Workflow Transitions

Once the workflow status has been configured, the next step is to define Possible State Transitions.

Workflow state transitions are used for moving from one workflow state to another. The transitions can be initiated manually by users or triggered automatically by the system.

Configuring Workflow Transitions:

Once the possible state transitions have been defined, the next step is to configure each of these transitions for different parameters. These include:

Permissions: You can define the roles, users, or specific column users who can make this transition. These three permission options include:

Select Roles: Each user belongs to a role and each role has specific permission associated with it. Tigersheet provides two predefined roles for users- Admin and Standard. Besides these, the admin can add more roles such as ‘Sales Staff’, ‘Marketing Staff’, ‘Content Team’ etc.

Select Users from a Column: If there are some specific users in a particular column you wish to grant permission to be able to make the transition, It can be done by using this option.

For e.g.: Transition:  Pending Approval to Approved

Allow/Disallow Transition

You can allow or disallow a transition based on certain conditions. For E.g.:

According to company policies, all food expenses greater than 1000 shall not be accepted. So, if I want to disallow such claim requests automatically, I will add the following condition to the transition Approval Pending-🡪Approved:

EmployeeExpenses.claimType =’Food’

AND

EmployeeExpenses.claimAmount>=’1000’

Note: Here Claim Type is a drop-down column that specifies the type of claim such as Food, Travel, Other, and Claim Amount is a currency column (INR) that specifies the amount to be reimbursed.

Auto Transitions

You can set auto transitions to automatically initiate a state transition when certain conditions are fulfilled. For example, you can trigger an auto transition for a request to state ‘Approved’ or ‘Rejected’ if a certain number of days effective through have passed. 

Adding Actions/Triggers to Workflow Transitions

Tigersheet is designed to enable you to skip over redundant workflows and leave them to the system to finish. That is why it has trigger-based workflows. These automatically complete tasks whenever an event is caused to occur. This is a very powerful feature that lets you make the most of workflows.

For example: As soon as a claim request is ‘approved’ by the concerned authority, the admin should be notified about it with an email. 

-Navigate to Actions- On Transition Success
-Click on ‘Add Action’
-Choose ‘Send Email’, under the list of actions available on the left-hand side.
-Fill in the email template entries such as To, (Recipient) Subject, Body with the appropriate information, and once done Click ‘Save’.

July 29, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Product No comments yet
What is Workflow and Why You Need a Workflow Automation Software?

Breaking the Buzzword: What is Workflow and Why You Need a Workflow Automation Software?

The word ‘workflow’ sounds familiar? Right?

You might have heard it in your workplace conversations, usually in conjunction with automation and business processes. But, what is workflow exactly?

Workflows are the day to day motions that make up your job. You might follow them routinely, you might document them methodically, or you might be somewhere in between. In any case, workflows make up a crucial part of your workflow life. So, let’s try to delve deeper and understand what workflow is all about.

Understanding the basics: What is a workflow and how it is useful?

A workflow can be ideally defined as a sequence of related processes, actions, or tasks undertaken to complete a piece of work. For example, A writer’s workflow can look like this:

ResearchàOutlineàWrite-àEditàOptimizeàPublish

Every business whether they are aware of it or not uses workflows. Anytime you have performed a sequence of steps to complete a piece of work, you have used a workflow. But, by outlining and structuring your workflows, you mitigate risks and unlock a host of benefits.

The Role of Automation in your Workflows

There is one big benefit of mapping your workflows: they let your opportunities to automate. The word workflow is used routinely in conjunction with automation, that’s because two are closely related in conjunction. So, what is workflow automation software?

  • Automation software allows you to make certain processes happen automatically. This means that automation will handle some of the steps in your workflows for you. In other words, you can augment your workflows with automation. This allows you to free your team from time-consuming, repetitive work that comes as part of a workflow.
  • In some cases, you can build workflows with your automation tool. Alongside automating individual processes, you can string them together to automate repetitive workflows. (But only those that don’t need human intervention.)
  • Automation can also help your workflows run smoother by acting as an IT bridging tool. This means that automation software can bridge processes across your tools and departments. So, if a workflow calls for work to cross departments or swap tools, the automation tool can join those dots.

Benefits of Workflow Automation Software

An automated workflow benefits your business in numerous ways. Here are some of the most important benefits of business workflow automation:

Better Insight into Business Processes

Mapping your processes in workflow allows you to get a more clear, consistent, and top-level view of your business.

One of the biggest reasons why workflow automation is important is because it gives you greater insight into your processes. From then on, you can use the said insights to better your workflows, and improve the bottom-line of your business: get more profits.

Improved Employee Productivity and Quality of Service

Repetitive tasks are the main reason why employees feel unmotivated. The mundane tasks not only take up time, but they also hurt the overall productivity of your employees.

Eliminating repetitive tasks allows your employees to focus on more critical business activities. It can enhance the morale of employees and improves creativity.

Businesses that have automated workflows for repetitive and manual tasks have successfully increased employee productivity by 12% to 15%.

Improved Teamwork and Communication

Workflow automation provides employees with a convenient platform where they can communicate and collaborate efficiently.

Proper communication encourages teamwork and improves overall productivity.

Most of the workflow automation systems have internal communication platforms that are designed to connect different departments and teams within your organization. It will notify individual groups when the specific phase of the project is completed, so the team responsible for the next stage can step in.

Actionable Data and Scalability

Workflow automation can help teams focus more on the organization’s growth rather than spending time on mundane tasks. The right business automation software allows you to eliminate the bottlenecks and reach a higher potential.

In addition, workflow automation software provides you with valuable insights and actionable data. This data helps you identify employee performance, overall business productivity, and the problem areas.

Improved task management and resource allocation can increase individual team performance and overall productivity of your organization.

Why Is Tigersheet Best Value for Your Business?

In addition to offering all the above-mentioned features, Tigersheet is known for its no-code environment, which offers a highly flexible and adaptable business process management, and application that users at every level can refine.

At Tigersheet, we understand that organizations are constantly evolving and growing, and their processes should, too. Being able to make processes match the reality of business operations shouldn’t take countless hours, expert developer assistance, and multi-phased functionality testing.

With a solution like Tigersheet, end users can be empowered to creating and refining their own workflows without prior coding knowledge. The intuitive drag and drop interface, web forms, one-click triggers, interactive reporting tools make business automation a much-needed breeze and everything happens in a no-code environment. Anything more than this is a waste of your staff’s time and your organization’s money.

Take the Next Step

Keeping your business ahead of the curve takes technology that is adaptable, innovative, and easy to use. Tigersheet takes the frustration out of creating, monitoring, and improving your business processes by empowering end-users while removing coding hassles. Want to see and try Tigersheet for yourself? Sign up for a free trial today!

July 27, 2020 Bussiness, General No comments yet
Low-Code-No-Code-Terms

Low Code-No Code Jargon: 10 Key Industry Terms Explained for Everyone! (Not Just for Developers)

If you have ever run a few searches in the domain of organizational digitization, there are high chances that you would have come across low code and no-code platforms. While the technology is booming and seems quite interesting, it can be a bit overwhelming place to start without context and a brief understanding of some of the key low-code no-code terms surrounding this technology.

For those who are curious readers, tech-buffs, or technology enthusiasts without any prior technical background, comprehending the no-code/low-code industry shouldn’t be like cracking a cipher.  On this note, we bring here 10 common terms you should know to help you navigate the no-code/low-code space at ease:

NO-CODE

“No code” or “no-code platforms” are application development platforms that can be built and customized with zero programming experience. No-code platforms often feature intuitive, drag-n-drop interfaces that allow non-coders to quickly build and run business applications. No code and “low code” are often featured together in articles, but refer to platforms with different technical competency requirements.

Read more: Demystifying the Difference: Low Code vs. No Code and How to Decide Which One Is Right for You?

LOW-CODE

“Low code” or “low-code platforms” are application development platforms that require or offer the ability to build new code into the platform as part of creating business applications. These platforms are especially suitable for people who want to go beyond out-of-the-box solutions to create more complex, sophisticated business processes. Both technical-minded business users and developers can utilize a low-code platform (although programming language requirements may vary by platform). Many no-code platforms have built-in low-code capabilities, making them accessible to both non-technical and technical users.

Read More: Dispelling 5 Misconceptions Around Low Code: It’s Time to Let Them Go!

AGILE/AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Agile development is a set of processes for creating software that includes being creative and flexible in software development. This means that the code is kept simple, is tested often, and, instead of waiting for everything to be finished, incremental but functional parts of the software are released as soon as they are ready. These modules are functional and will be able to help users do some work

Why Agile Development is Important in IT?

Businesses today have different needs, and because of the ever-changing demands coming from new technologies and customers, you need to be very flexible in addressing these needs and demands. Agile development allows you to bring a quality and functional product more quickly. And because agile development puts more focus on individuals and their ideas rather than tools and processes, it creates a better understanding between IT and business leaders.

CITIZEN DEVELOPERS

“Citizen developer” is relatively a novice term coined by Gartner, a global research firm that specializes in technology-related research. According to Gartner, “A citizen developer is a user who creates new business applications for consumption by others using development and runtime environments sanctioned by corporate IT.” Specifically for the no-code/low-code sphere, citizen developers are the business users creating business apps for themselves or their company.

More to Know:

“In a general sense, this developer is not a professional developer who is paid to code applications, but an “amateur.”

Citizen developers usually have no formal training or even an educational background in computer science.  Surprisingly, these developers often work in a management or supervisory role — not in the professional developer job role that we would think. Many have limited experience and knowledge outside self-taught application and coding used for specific platforms, but they are savvy computer users.

Over time the meaning has changed and is used in a much broader context. For example, some may use the phrase citizen developer to mean any person (with or without formal developer education and job training) who creates the apps outside traditional workplace IT channels.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

While Gartner did not coin the term digital transformation, their heavy influence in the space of no-code and low-code software has greatly influenced its meaning.

‘Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new — or modify existing — business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements. This reimagining of business in the digital age is digital transformation.’

Digital transformation runs anywhere from the corner shop using mobile payment methods to a new website for an organization that tracks the usage of the customers. It doesn’t need to be of a certain standard, but it is the process in which the focus is turned towards making the customer’s journey easier and how value can be delivered more efficiently. There is space for digital transformation in each business unit of an enterprise and each step of a supply chain, all to make collaboration and efficiency of an organization better. No-code and low-code platforms help encourage making these changes as they make the shift easier, faster, and more affordable.

More to Know: A key element of digital transformation is understanding the potential of your technology. Again, that doesn’t mean asking “How much faster can we do things the same way?” It means asking “What is our technology really capable of, and how can we adapt our business and processes to make the most of our technology investments?”

A Real-Life Example: Before Netflix, people chose movies to rent by going to stores and combing through shelves of tapes and discs in search of something that looked good. Now, libraries of digital content are served upon personal devices, complete with recommendations and reviews based on user preferences.

Streaming subscription-based content directly to people’s TVs, computers, and mobile devices was an obvious disruption to the brick-and-mortar video rental business. Embracing streaming also led to Netflix looking at what else it could do with the available technology. That led to innovations like a content recommendation system driven by artificial intelligence.

BUSINESS PROCESS AUTOMATION (BPA)

It is a technology that streamlines business processes thus eliminating the need to perform repetitive manual tasks. This helps the workforce to restructure time to more important issues when routine work is completed in much lesser time through automation.

Read more: 5 Tedious Business Tasks & Processes You Must Automate in 2020

ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION(RPA)

RPA is an application that automates business processes through structured inputs and logic. It takes care of the routine and repetitive tasks that are usually time-consuming and monotonous e.g. generating insurance premium receipts every time an insurance premium is paid against an insurance policy. With RPA in place, you will be able to focus on other important tasks in the business process.

However, RPA is not a deep-rooted answer. It is a basic fix for repetitive tasks and low-level events that require the use of a mouse or keyboard functions. It only works to get things done faster and save human effort.

CLOUD DEPLOYMENT

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. The data is stored on cloud (public, private, or hybrid) and the vendor takes care of the security and uptime. Businesses do not need to spend on additional infrastructure, resources, or data privacy within their own premises. It is a service that takes care of it all in one shot. You also do not need physical space because everything is on the cloud.

One of the highlights here is that you can get cloud computing solutions specific to your business needs. You won’t be paying extra for space or services that you do not use.

Also Read: The Power of SaaS: How Subscription Software can help you reduce costs and drive value

Why is No-Code/Low-code Development Important?

The digital curve is inevitable in any business. Every organization is feeling the need to up their efficiency and shift to the digital way of life. No-code and low-code platforms allow business users in these functions to unlock the hidden potential, automate processes, and build applications without overburdening the IT department.

Low code/No-Code platform is the future of application development for one simple reason- It is a faster, easier, and more efficient use of time.

It doesn’t matter whether developers are on-board with this change or not- it is inevitable because it’s the path of least resistance, and as the demand for low code platforms continues to grow, businesses & developers will find themselves rising to meet it.

Want to Learn More?

Be sure to check out some of the other blogs on Tigersheet if you want to learn more about what you can accomplish using no-code and low-code platforms. If you are ready to take the next step forward in No Code, feel free to take a free trial of Tigersheet here. We have a multitude of features and an ample support system that will help you through the process.

Help Sources:

July 19, 2020 LCNC No comments yet
Spreadsheet Problems, Excel Errors

Enough of Spreadsheets. It’s Time To Move On…

Documents and spreadsheets have been around since the 1980s. Yet, they haven’t changed in 40 years. That’s right — we said it!

VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet computer program released in 1978 for personal computers, originally released for the Apple II by VisiCorp. The interface changed and we slowly traversed from the desktop to cloud but the core primitives are the same. For example, the grid layout, the way cells are addressed (A1, B3, etc., AKA “Battleship”), the formula language, etc.


VisiCalc, invented in 1978, next to a Google Sheet. The interface changed, and we went from desktop to the cloud, but the core primitives are the same. (We still reference A1 and B2 in a spreadsheet — we call that Battleship.)

Spreadsheets: we all love them. They’re pretty easy to start and can help you structure your thoughts and your data in a straightforward way. But beyond that, things can get messy with data integrity and versioning problems. That amazing spreadsheet you made? Now it’s the blight of people’s existence.

A Perfect Spreadsheet = A Perfect Problem

Let’s say you have created a spreadsheet that contains essential data for your team to make decisions. You have either exported it from an existing IT system, collected the data manually, or simply used some prepackaged software to create a doc in spreadsheet format.  You are happy, your teammates are happy and your boss is impressed by the increase in efficiency of your team operations. Everyone lives happily after!

But Wait…. Only in Dreams!

What starts with a plain ‘data.xls’ modifies quickly to ‘data edited.xlsx’ and then ‘data final. xlsx.’ Then ‘data final new.xlsx’ pops up, followed by ‘Copy of data final new – edits Mike.xlsx.

And not to forget, all these spreadsheets will land up in your inbox at the same time. Soon, your team will spend half of their valuable time figuring out if they’re looking at the latest data or not and copying data between sheets to hopefully collect all relevant data. Your dream-come-true ending is now your worst nightmare!

Adding further to the situation, an employee at a prominent role who created the spreadsheet has moved to another role. Now what worked well at first is showing complicated errors, data gets corrupted, and there’s no one there to solve it.

While there is no doubt that spreadsheets can be undeniably useful, it isn’t a perfect fit for organizations that deal with mission-critical apps or sensitive data. Spreadsheets no matter how useful-are created by people and thus are susceptible to human error and have the potential to bring real harm.  The heavier an Excel model gets; the more mistakes can happen and some with even irreversible consequences.

At Tigersheet, we can change this…How?

Tigersheet is a new generation no-code platform that serves as a middle way between spreadsheets and business-specific software

It offers a way to everyone, not just developers to build custom business applications with everything tailored as per your business needs. The fact that millions of people out there use spreadsheets to manage their data is a good start for us.  So, we make the experience application development a lot like using spreadsheets, something everyone knows.

Tigersheet is a no-code platform equally capable of handling all your business challenges effectively. A unified surface with infinite room to grow your ideas, from tables to CRM tracker.

With Tigersheet, your team can:

  • Track orders, projects, invoices, payments, employees, expenses, office assets, employee leaves, employee advances, and more.
  • Attach files and documents to rows.
  • Hide certain fields or rows from users easily with the powerful roles and permission system.
  • Set reminders for important dates like a deadline, a follow-up date, etc.
  • Access data from your Tigersheet’s mobile app.
  • Create reports, have different views to visualize your data better – like Kanban, timeline, etc.
  • Use Triggers to create workflows, send email notifications, and more. Now no need to resort to custom application development to automate your business.

How to get your team started the Tigersheet Way?

Tigersheet starts with a blank canvas and a new set of building blocks, like tables that talk to each other, buttons that act inside and outside of a doc, triggers that automate your workflows, and role-based access so every team can see the data in their preferred way.

Good News?

You don’t have to necessarily start from scratch! Use our ‘Import from Excel’ to pull those 50 project-related Google docs into your new doc. Step 2? Invite the structured data in. Copy/paste your spreadsheet into a table (rows & columns) and see it magically reformat. Then add some interactivity for your team, like building workflows, setting reminders/alerts, using interactive reports, and there you are…

…..Ready with a custom tool for your team!

Use Tigersheet, not spreadsheets to track and automate your business. TRY Sign up for a FREE Trial and witness the change in your organization today!

July 13, 2020 Product No comments yet
Automation-Quotes

Best Automation Quotes and What Can Be Learnt from Them

We are living in the age of fast-paced technology that has paved the way for Automation, to a point where human intervention has become unnecessary. If something can be done without human interaction, by just giving some sort of “start signal” (e.g. pushing a button), this can be considered automation.

Automation can save time and money, delight customers who no longer have to wait in line for a person to assist them with a transaction, and impede human error.

It might come out as a surprise for some people, but automation is already everywhere around us!

Examples of everyday automation that most people experience on a daily basis; Washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerators, bus doors, Air Condition systems in a car, turning on a complete home theater system with the push of just one button, etc. And these are just a few examples to quote.

Automation is quite broad in terms of its applications, significance, and its opportunities. This scope has long vexed the imagination of some of the world’s greatest thinkers. On that note, here are some of the finest and intriguing automation quotes to ponder upon along with insights on the lessons they offer.

In a 1994 famous science horror film, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the protagonist creates an intelligent life using inanimate materials. However, far from the perfect artificially created specimen imagined, the result is a hideous creature that brings terrible consequences.

Takeaway: So, this very first entry in the list of our automation quotes reminds us to be careful of what we automate. Just because you can automate something doesn’t imply that you should be automating it. In fact, automating the wrong things can trigger a ripple effect of damage. Wondering what could be these wrong things? Some examples:

  • Prolonged Customer Service Calls: No one wants to be stuck in an automated phone call that lasts for all eternity. Slowly making your way through random questions while keeping patient is painful. With long automated phone calls, customers end up getting frustrated which means a bad experience and low customer satisfaction.
  • Highly complex processes: Automation software is capable of complex processes but sometimes during complex processes, one needs human intervention and decision-making. If it’s a process that demands significant human attention at many stages, it’s better not to automate it all. Instead, automate the smaller, simpler segments.

Moreover, attempting to automate everything puts you at the risk of losing the human touch and friendly face of your company. When customers can’t get support from a human, and the automation in place isn’t equipped to help them, they’ll inevitably feel alienated.

Here’s another entry in the list of automation quotes that meaningfully sums up an important message: You should not attempt to automate broken processes.

Automation is not a cure-all remedy, so it’s important to understand it will not mend your broken processes.  Automation will do only what you tell it to do. If you tell it to complete a broken or faulty process, it will. As a result, you’ll get broken, faulty results. And, they’ll be on a much larger scale, as automation efficiently replicates your inefficient operations.

So, remember the thumb rule: Automation is best for common, constant, and systematic tasks that follow a standard pattern. Always start small as it will let you identify errors and correct them as you move forward. Initially, stick to a goal followed by trimming minutes from predictable, repetitive processes, with small benefits adding up over time.

Using automation to replace humans is one of the biggest automation pitfalls. It fuels automation anxiety in your office, meaning that the remaining human team members worry about being replaced by technology. This hurts office morale and can see valued employees jumping ship.

Not to forget, automation can’t do everything a human can do anyway. Automation isn’t capable of out-of-the-box thinking, problem-solving, or analysis – you need the human members of your team for that.

It’s imperative that you find the right balance between automation and human intelligence within your business. Automation is shy; it’s great for boring, repetitive tasks behind the scenes, but not so much when it comes to the frontlines. So, leave representing your business — be that to customers, partners, or other employees — to human team members.

Business Process Automation is not Artificial Intelligence. Remember, Automation is not ‘smart’ as it will only do what you tell it to do. This means that it doesn’t learn or adapt by itself. You must instruct it. If you tell it to do something incorrectly, it will complete the task incorrectly.

So, there is no flexibility in automation. It will neither offer a magic solution to all your problems nor recognize faulty or broken processes.

Takeaway: While Automation might not be able to learn for its mistakes, Humans always Can.  And these mistakes can always be corrected. To Sum up at its best: Data is a useful tool, but human initiative and understanding remain at the heart of any successful business.

Moving next in the list of best automation quotes is a best practice curtain call. If you visualize automation as a means to cut corners or avoid certain processes, mind it but your outlook is all wrong.

Daily workflows across various business departments are loaded with small repetitive tasks. It’s no surprise that your team performs them as a part of everyday challenges. When these tasks expand and burden your team, don’t ask who should be handling them, instead Focus on how to handle them. In other words, a good automation approach will start by assessing your company’s work and how best it should be done.

Personal Takeaway: A different way to put this together: improving your business processes shouldn’t be a ‘who’ question, but a ‘how’ question.

Asking ‘how’ splits your business workflows up into the individual processes and tasks they comprise. This offers an opportunity to review the workflow from end to end and find areas both to automate and to optimize.

While this may be the age of automation, nothing can beat human touch and personalization. In fact, in many services industries, human labor is considered a mark of luxury.  So, at the same time robots are said to destroy manufacturing jobs, the demand for labor-intensive services is soaring.

The good part, we can see it all around us.

  • The rise of Etsy, an online marketplace whose main selling point is that the products are not mass-produced.
  • Then there’s the craze for restaurants with organic, locally sourced ingredients that often come from smaller, less mechanized farms.
  • In recent years, there has been an exponential rise of coffee breweries where Hand/manual coffee picking requires laborers to pick the coffees, quite literally, by hand.

These are all cases where greater automation is technologically feasible, but companies are using their lack of automation as a selling point. They’re doing this because customers like the feeling of a personal connection to the farmers, brewers, and artisans who make the products they’re buying. So, while automation undoubtedly makes products cheaper and readily available people will increasingly shift their spending to goods and services where a connection to a human provider is seen as a key benefit.

…. Choose the automation path that works for you

Each of these quotes draws on a very real element of the automation reality. Why not use them to get you thinking about how to implement automation successfully in your own business?

Tigersheet is a uber-fast modern-day no-code platform that can help automate and streamline business processes in quick and easy steps. The intuitive drag and drop interface allows users with zero coding knowledge to create workflows and share them with your employees.

Using automation quotes as a catalyst. Want to give it a try? Try a 30-day free trial of Tigersheet to witness the change in your organization today!

July 6, 2020 General No comments yet
Low Code/No-Code Movement: Top Disruptive Trends to Look Forward in 2020 and Beyond

[Infographic] Low Code/No-Code Movement: Top Disruptive Trends to Look Forward in 2020 and Beyond

Heraclitus once said, ‘The only constant in life is changing’.

We all face changes every day—whether it’s a simple change in weather or massive disruption in the ways we consume technology. A phenomenal change is brewing within the software industry too similar to the disruption we’ve seen hit other industries like health care and manufacturing.

It only seems like yesterday when Google Docs took the world by storm through free cloud-based software, compelling Microsoft to change its Office 365 business model. And it’s no surprise that Cloud-based software has become a benchmark today!

2020 has paved the way for us to witness another software industry jolt. But, unlike other transformations that destroy existing markets, low-code and no-code software promises to make the software even more ubiquitous than it is today.

Low Code No Code platforms have been rapidly growing in importance over the last few years, particularly among small and midsized businesses (SMB’s). These have enabled programmers and non-programmers to build application software by using graphical user interfaces and configuration rather than conventional computer coding.

With significant half of 2020 ahead of us, let’s take a look at some of the biggest low-code trends that are shaping the industry!

Big Trends. Bigger Challenges and Biggest opportunities

Gartner, a multinational IT, and research firm that offers an in-depth look at low code’s impact on business predicts “that low-code application platforms will account for 65 percent of all app development by 2024.” This directly implies that the majority of apps created in 2024 will be developed using platforms and tools that provide turnkey ways to program.

What Will Be the Implications?

Enterprise software providers like Oracle and SAP Oracle will need to continue to simplify their solutions to allow for greater customization faster. This also means we will encounter an entirely new set of software infrastructure platforms in the coming years oriented to enabling faster development.

As a result of this, gone will be the days of tolerating yearlong enterprise software customizations or hiring a development house to program your application entirely from scratch.

In terms of revenue, Forrester says the low-code market will top $21 billion in spending by 2022. That’s a huge number–and opportunity.

Check out our infographic on low-code trends to see how the industry is growing and its popularity among decision-makers, business professionals, and software developers!


Infographic Transcript:  Low Code Trends 2020

Forrester expects the market for low-code development platforms to increase to $21.2 billion by 2022, up from $1.7 billion in 2017, a CAGR of 41%.

Some of the highest-growth years for the market are expected to be between 2019 and 2021. In 2019, 37% of developers were using or planning to use low-code products. By mid-2020, this is expected to rise to more than 50%.

Nearly 60% of all custom apps are now built outside the IT department, companies report.

Of those, 30% are built by employees with either limited or no technical development skills.

…but professional IT workers are still the ones driving the majority of development, with 69% of businesses using low-code stating IT staff are the primary users.

Gartner estimates that “by 2024, low-code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.”

82% of businesses say citizen developers will become more important over the next two years.

72% of low-code developers create applications in three months or less, compared with six months or even years to develop applications using traditional development.

68% of IT developers agree that low-code is viable for the development of mission-critical applications.

…and 80% believe that using low-code can free up developer time to work on higher-level projects.

Citation:

Closing Words

Low code platform is the future of application development for one simple reason- It is a faster, easier, and more efficient use of time.

It doesn’t matter whether developers are on-board with this change or not- it is inevitable because it’s the path of least resistance, and as the demand for low code platforms continues to grow, developers will find themselves rising to meet it.

The old way of doing things will not completely perish, but people and companies who rely on it will be made increasingly redundant as low code programmers outmaneuver them. Those who survive are likely to be those who at least partially adopt the low code methodology to form a hybrid. Otherwise, they’ll be too slow, too cumbersome and too costly. Therefore, as the global low-code development platform market size grows from $4.32 billion in 2017 to the predicted $27.23 billion by 2022, low-code is mainstream, is not going anywhere, and is very much here to stay.

June 27, 2020 LCNC No comments yet
Growth and marketing hack for your mobile app

Growth & Marketing Hacks for Your Mobile App on a Modest Budget

With the rise of the mobile app development industry, creators around the world have been building digital products and services with and without engineers. You too have built a beautiful and professional mobile app using no code for your business. Now, how should you promote the app to ensure a stable ROI?

The App Store is one of the most competitive environments today. With over 2 million apps available for Android users and about 1.8 million apps on the Apple app store, you can never be 100% sure that your app will get the success it deserves.

And if you are a small business it’s no surprise that you don’t have sufficient budget for elaborate app promotion. So, is it possible to acquire and engage users, as well as gain new customers, without having to spend a lot? Let’s review the possibilities:

Budgeting for and Beyond App Development

A recent study by The Manifest revealed that a majority of businesses dedicate a considerable portion of their total app development budget (more than 31%) to marketing efforts

In previous years, businesses developed their app marketing budget by using a formula to determine their cost per install (CPI) figure:

However, today CPI is not considered a central measure to determine your app’s success. Just getting the app installed on someone’s device does not generate ROI, in fact, one needs to go above and beyond the total number of installations.

There are key performance indicators or KPIs like impressions, clicks, and more that have to be considered. If market stats are to be believed, experts estimate that app marketing budgets can range anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 per month or more.

While sponsorships, in-app advertising, -and freemium upsell are common app monetization strategies, everyone talks about. Here are some creative and smart promotional hacks that you can use to do on a smaller scale to drive users to your app.

Build a Great App Landing Page

A great landing page is vital to all businesses, regardless of whether they provide a desktop or a mobile app.

This also means you can use SEO to drive traffic your way. But it’s also a great place to showcase your app and all the features it includes.

And once you are done building a landing page, offer Direct Download Links from your landing page. This helps to eliminate the entire hassle out of the conversion process, thereby reducing friction for users thinking about signing up.

Plan an App Party

Many times, a simple app launch party can go a long way in receiving the attention of the local community and the local media. This can get even better if you have the ability to focus on a special geographical area.

If your app has any type of draw for a local community, find out where those community members gather the most. That can provide a perfect location for your event—go where your potential customers are and pitch them when/where they are most comfortable.

For example, the Splore team celebrated the official launch of their mobile app with “good people, good vibes, and good art” on Cinco de Mayo. They even shared some great information about what is involved in throwing a successful app launch event.

Source: https://medium.com/@sploreapp/11-steps-to-throwing-a-successful-launch-party-ecba3d9f515

Run an Invite Only Launch

As Humans, we are easily drawn to the idea of exclusivity. Our general tendency to be on the ‘inside’ can be smartly employed when it comes to the world of apps.

When you are ready to launch your app, consider starting out with an ‘Invite only’ campaign.  Big names such as Google, Apple, and Twitter have successfully adopted this model and have witnessed an upsurge in their app downloads.

While it will take some effort and skill to be able to build buzz around your invite-only launch, it is very much possible and can potentially help skyrocket your app’s growth.

Change the Language

Yes! You heard it right.  While your app idea might already exist, maybe it doesn’t exist in another language. Users are always quick to find better solutions, especially when an app is in their native tongue. A quick search on the App or Play store will reveal if top-selling apps have been localized in different countries. Changing the language, user experience, and layout could be a huge opportunity.

Gamify your app

While no-code gaming apps can be easily outclassed by companies that employ hundreds of people to work on a single game, a good sense of humor and original thinking can lead to app virality.

The good news is that you don’t have to always create a literal game to seize the power of in-app wins. Points, stars, status bars, and even the occasional notification that indicates a user’s success are all enough to help keep them around long.

Let’s give you a real-life example. Duolingo is a language learning app that offers 95 different language courses and has over 300 million registered users worldwide. It uses a very creative game like sign up experience for users where they are taken straight into a process of small successes, ending in the new user being a percentage “fluent” in their new language. Because the user receives this small win just a few minutes after signing up for the first time, they’re hooked.

Hence, to put it down simply, whether your app is fun and light, or filled with spreadsheets and numbers, you can still use gamification to your advantage. Find a way to use point systems or unlock new features after users complete certain steps, for example. It could greatly boost your user engagement.

Feature Your App in Your Emails and Link in Your Signatures

Your new app needs to be smartly engraved in every aspect of your marketing, which includes all your emails. Sending countless emails every day is every business routine practice and not including your app in each of those is a missed opportunity.


Example Template:

Our new app, (Insert app name here), helps you (insert what the app does). Click here (include hyperlink) to check it out!

Add your app download links or a link to your app landing page to your email signature as a really easy way to drive downloads over time simply by sending the emails you normally send.

If you have a few people in your business, make sure they do the same.

For example, if you had 4 people in your business each sending out an average of 20 emails a day (that’s a really low estimate), that’s 80 people that you’re able to inform per day about your mobile app. That’s 560 a week or over 2,400 a month!

The simplest things can be the most effective in the long run.

Integrating Social Share Within Your App

Take your app promotion strategy a way deeper by letting your app promote itself!  It is no surprise that your customers will encounter their own discoveries while using the app and nothing can be more satisfying than sharing the personal experience. By including the option within your app to share their screens and share in-app content, you broaden your app’s visibility and create a platform by which your users can express themselves.

Offer How-to Videos & Free Webinars

If you have kept yourself abreast of the modern-day digital trends, you would certainly know that the importance of video marketing to reach your prospective customers is paramount.

Invest in some time in creating quality video content for your app — even if it’s just in the form of a catchy explainer video. Incorporating Reward Videos can also be a good idea. These are videos that run after a user completes or triggers a specific activity within an app.

While videos can be a great growth hack for your app, using webinars can boost your success even more. If you can find a way to use webinars, your app could experience incredible growth because of it. Instead of focusing them on sales, though, try creating webinars to be highly useful and actionable.

Get Featured on App Review Websites

Getting on an App Review Site can benefit you greatly especially when you are starting small. Some of these websites have a regular follower base and hence you can expect a similar amount of traffic to flow through to your website and App Store listing.

Also, to get listed on a mobile app review website you will have to submit a proposal where you need to show that your app is good enough to be reviewed by them and therefore featured on their site

Most of these app review sites are looking for things such as:

  • User-friendly, easy to use, interactive interface
  • Beautiful graphical designs in high quality
  • Stable apps with no glitches, crashes, overwhelming loading times or poorly pieced together content

When you reach out, you will most likely have to provide support material for your app. This is usually done by filling a document/form listing down the following information:

  • A link to your app in the app store
  • A summary paragraph describing your app and what makes your app stand out
  • Screenshots of your app logo, title screen, and in-app content
  • Links to videos of your app from YouTube or Vimeo
  • Pricing Details of your app including the free trial and premium features available to your users

Conclusion

There are a number of options for marketing your no code app on a small budget. To recap, consider trying the following growth hacks for your app:

  • Create a Landing Page that has a direct download link to your app
  • Plan an App Launch Party
  • Run an Invite Only Launch
  • Gamify Your App
  • Change the Language
  • Feature Your App in Your Emails and Link in Your Signatures
  • Integrating Social Share Within Your App
  • Offer How-to Videos & Free Webinar
  • Get Featured on App Review Websites

And don’t forget…. knowing the audience and being able to create the “ideal customer persona” is a must for a lean marketing strategy.

REMEMBER…. Not every strategy will work; the point of growth hacking, though, is to rapidly test, gather information, and move forward with what’s most helpful for your own app.

So, put these hacks to use, and see witness how your mobile app that started small will scale big leaving you to celebrate its success in no time!

June 20, 2020 IT, Startups and SMBs No comments yet
Top 5 Low Code/No Code Influencers You Must Follow on Twitter & LinkedIn

Top 5 Low Code/No Code Influencers You Must Follow on Twitter & LinkedIn

Search for an answer to a question, and Google will give you hundreds of them.

But you don’t need a lot of answers. Do You?

 In an age where information is freely flowing and everyone’s got a glass to share, finding the right answer can seem challenging.

In the past few years, Low-code/ No-Code development (LCNC) has garnered a lot of attention from organizations looking to become more agile and responsive to market dynamics and customer needs. In fact, Forrester predicts low-code as one of the top emerging technologies to watch through 2020.

If you are looking for LCNC News, conference coverage, and groundbreaking innovation, there are experts to watch. From technology leaders, Forbes contributors to eminent founders here are 5 renowned influencers (in no particular order) you should follow to stay abreast of the latest happenings in the LCNC sphere.

Jason Bloomberg

According to Forbes bio, Jason Bloomberg is a leading IT analyst, keynote speaker, Forbes contributor, and a leading expert in the sphere of enterprise technology and digital transformation.

Jason is also the founder of Intellyx, an advisory firm focused on empowering professionals to achieve Agile Digital Transformation.

Mr. Bloomberg’s articles in Forbes have been viewed by more than 100,000 readers. During his career, he has published over 1,500 articles (over 270 for Forbes alone), spoken at over 450 conferences and webinars, and he has been quoted in the press and blogosphere over 2,300 times.

Mr. Bloomberg has also co-authored five books: Low-Code for Dummies (Wiley, 2019), The Agile Architecture Revolution (Wiley, 2013), Service Orient or Be Doomed! How Service Orientation Will Change Your Business (Wiley, 2006), XML and Web Services Unleashed (SAMS Publishing, 2002), and Web Page Scripting Techniques (Hayden Books, 1996).

Quotes:


“As companies proceed with their digital transformations, software becomes increasingly strategic and pervasive – which means they need more of it. Lots more.”


Don’t Let Your Application Backlog Sink Your Digital Transformation


“Because low-code platforms focus on giving professional developers the ability to build applications more quickly while minimizing the need to hand-code, traditional development backlogs become less about features and tasks and more about applications – improving both the productivity and morale of the developers as well as the customer-centricity of the apps themselves.”


Don’t Let Your Application Backlog Sink Your Digital Transformation

Where you can follow him: Twitter, Linkedin

George Westerman

A Senior Lecturer at MIT School of Sloan School of Management and Research Scientist for Workplace Learning in the MIT Jameel World Education Lab, George Westerman has a diverse experience of 17 years working at MIT, where he has worked at the intersection of executive leadership and technology innovation.

He works frequently with senior management teams and industry groups around the world. Prior to earning a Doctorate from Harvard Business School, he gained more than 13 years of experience in product development and technology leadership roles. 

Quotes


“When digital transformation is done right, it’s like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, but when done wrong, all you have is a really fast caterpillar.”


“technology leadership is not just about IT leaders, although they are part it. It’s not just about technical skills, although they’re essential. It’s about merging the skills and perspectives of business and IT leaders so that they drive transformation together.”

George Westerman Quotes Goodreads.com

Where to Follow Him: Twitter, Linkedin

John Rymer

A graduate from Ohio University with a B.S. in journalism, Joh Rymer is a principal analyst at Forrester. Forrester is one of America’s top analyst firms and is recognized for defining much of the low-code industry.

According to his Forrester bio, Rymer is an “authority on the enterprise strategies of IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle and contributes to Forrester’s coverage of low-code application platforms and business rules platforms.” Rymer’s market analysis has been featured in a number of publications including TechRepublic, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, and Fortune.

Quotes

” Just because you can build something doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. Maybe you should reuse something that somebody already built or take something somebody already built and customize it a little bit to meet your needs.”

How To Choose a Low Code Platform: 3 Tips

“Like any product, Low Code has its strengths and weaknesses. In the case of low-code platforms, users can face challenges of scale, while companies must grapple with the possibility of vendor-lock in. While some of the larger players in the low-code space can point to large application deployments — mission-critical products with thousands of global users — not all the companies offering low-code solutions are equipped. “

Low code 101 and the rise of drag-and-drop programming to support scale

Where you can follow him: Twitter, Linkedin

Forester and Gartner

Forrester and Gartner

Ok, so these aren’t human entries like others, but are renowned consulting and research firms that continue to dominate conversations on low code no code space.

Forrester is widely known for its enlightening analysis and evaluation of existing low code platforms. It is interesting to note that Forrester is a pioneer to define the term ‘low code’ in 2014 as a part of establishing it as a distinct category for evaluation.

The Forrester New Wave, a comprehensive industry report, examines the top 13 low-code solution providers in the U.S. market. These reports use a 10-category scoring process, including its user interface development, data management, digital process automation, reporting tools, cloud platform features, and many more such parameters.

On the other hand, Gartner, the second leading name in the low code world is an IT research and advisory firm, offers an in-depth look at low code’s impact on businesses. Every year, Gartner releases its “Magic Quadrant” report, which analyzes the high productivity building of applications, including mobile apps. One thing to be aware of is that Gartner utilizes its own definitions of low code and no-code, meaning its results while sharing some similarities with Forrester’s report, is fundamentally different.

Quotes:

“High-productivity application platform as a service continues to increase its footprint across enterprise IT as businesses juggle the demand for applications, digital business requirements and skill set challenges.”

2018 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise High-Productivity Application Platform as a Service Report

“When business people can’t get the automation they need to carry out their missions, they build software tools and apps themselves. They have been doing so for decades, typically relying on unmanaged spreadsheets, desktop databases, and, more recently, collaboration and website tools. Low-code development platforms for business developers offer a managed and more productive environment for this inevitable software-delivery activity, with tools designed specifically for business experts rather than professional software developers.”

The Forrester New Wave™: Low-Code Platforms For Business Developers, Q4 2017

Where you can follow them:

Forrester: Twitter, LinkedIn 
Gartner: Twitter, Linkedin

Begin Your No Code Journey With Us…

Tigersheet is a uber-fast modern-day no-code platform that can help streamline business processes in quick and easy steps. The intuitive drag and drop interface allows users with zero coding knowledge to create workflows and share them with your employees.  Follow us on our social media channels Twitter and LinkedIn to get notifications on all updates.

TRY Tigersheet for FREE and witness the change in your organization today!

June 12, 2020 LCNC No comments yet
SaaS Benefits

The Power of SaaS: How Subscription Software can help you reduce costs and drive value

Over the past decade, the rise of subscription-based services has been the most popular trend in the software industry. While vendors like NetSuite and Salesforce pioneered this model, IT giant Microsoft joined in subsequently.  A few years until now, productivity applications like Word and Excel were sold with ‘perpetual licenses’, intended to be purchased once and replaced by a newer update. But, today Office 365, which is a cloud variant is sold as a subscription. 

It is interesting to note that the recent transition to subscription-based services is not only dominant in the software industry. Here are some examples of subscription models that have become a part of our lives really soon:

Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu for movies and T.V

Spotify, Saavn, Wynk for streaming music

Slack, Trello, Canva for Project management 

……and the list could be endless

So, the vital question here is that what is the driving force that is making us move to subscriptions, and why software in particular? Let’ s try to decode it here.

At Tigersheet, our every effort is an endeavor to stay at the forefront, and SaaS is no exception. Our new generation no-code platform helps businesses automate their processes in a drastically reduced timeframe and in a cost-efficient manner. We’ve chosen to embrace the SaaS model for a number of reasons.

Flexibility to Scale

Scalability is one of the most beautiful aspects that lead customers to subscription pricing models.  By paying for only what you use, the magnitude of your bill can be tied to the individual needs of your business. The subscription can increase readily, adding one user license every time a new employee joins in. Similarly, it can be removed meaning that – if your business wants to cut off expenses or your team downsizes, your software license subscription can reduce proportionately.

This is in complete contrast to burdensome perpetual licenses, generally sold in fixed numbers, often hundreds at a time.  These purchases tend to be inconsistent, uneven, and often unpredictable and often adding to the company’s capital expenditures (CAPEX) than operational expenditures (OPEX). On one hand, this does eliminate fluctuations in costs from month to month, it also leaves companies with little room to adjust changes in their business environment. However, with SaaS companies can more easily harmonize costs with growth.

Note: Capital expenditures (CAPEX) are major purchases a company makes that are designed to be used over the long-term. Operating expenses (OPEX) are the day-to-day expenses a company incurs to keep their business operational.

Immediate Access to Live Upgrades

Another significant benefit of selecting a subscription-based model is the access to live upgrades which happens instantly.  This eliminates the need for any new installation or purchase agreement. For instance, you must have experienced this with any online or cloud-based application you use. Every time Google introduces a new feature to Gmail, there is an instant pop up telling you what is new and offering information on how to use it.

This is a massive gain to the user in more than one way. You never have to worry about missing out on new features or having out-of-date software. Such immediate reach to the latest technology is crucial in a world where competition never sleeps and security threats emerge continuously.

With Tigersheet, for example, new features, connections, upgrades, and integrations are regularly updated to enhance the offering. If new features like parse email to a sheet, document generation, etc. are available within your subscription, they’ll be ready for you to use as soon as they’re released. Not already subscribing? It’s fast, simple, and cost-effective to expand your subscription to include them.

Easy to offer a proof of concept

With a one-time rigid payment system, it becomes arduous to offer a free trial version.  Even with a free trial, the full price of the item could be a potential deterrent to a sign-up. However, a SaaS model makes this much easier allowing vendors to offer free versions in the hope of enticing clients into subscribing to the full package.

This can work in more than one way and especially in the long run. Even if the customer doesn’t sign up immediately, they are likely to have provided you with their contact details, which can be used to email newsletters and/or promotions that may convince them to sign up later.

Tigersheet acknowledges the importance of offering a thorough demonstration and live experience of the product to users, much before its purchase.  We have a free trial in place (that has no strings attached), you aren’t compelled to make an outright purchase.  One can test out the features like visual tools, UI accessibility, etc. and determine if the platform actually delivers on the promises solving one’s business needs.

Under this no cost trial, customers can avail some awesome features like:

•        2 Applications

•        5 GB storage

•       Up to 3 Users Access

•        Phone/Chat/Email support

A Route to business automation with Tigersheet

Tigersheet is an innovative SaaS platform and there’s no need to purchase any additional infrastructure.  Once the app is built, it’s ready to go. This makes it possible to develop applications in a matter of days and in some cases right away. The no-code platform is available in the cloud and supports the easy deployment of your app in the cloud. It’s time you take advantage of it!

 

 

 

June 8, 2020 Bussiness, IT No comments yet
Business Process Automation with Tigersheet

5 Tedious Business Tasks & Processes You Must Automate in 2020

We are living in a fast-paced technologically-driven world that is constantly changing. Speed, Agility, and Adaptability have become game-changers in the 21st century.  Living in an age of instant gratification, customers today get easily accustomed to new services and expect you to deliver excellent quality in whatever you are offering.

Amidst this, a pivotal question to ask is how quickly does your business move and adapt to changes?

Well, frankly speaking, every business organization be it a small startup or multinational giants like Amazon or Google are looking at ways to improve productivity and for many of them, the answer lies right under their nose. 

The Answer: Business Process Automation. It is a technology that streamlines business processes thus eliminating the need to perform repetitive manual tasks. By leveraging rule-based logic to automate manual tasks, workflow automation can help your business save time and money, reduce errors, avoid inefficiencies, and boost productivity.

The Big Question: What types of tasks or processes can be automated? 

The good news is that Automation can start small and doesn’t necessarily require sophisticated tools, to begin with.  You can always begin by mapping the workflow of a given process and look for inefficiencies and errors. 

An important aspect to keep in mind is to not begin automating mission-critical tasks.  Starting small has an advantage that it lets you identify errors and correct them as you move forward. Initially, stick to a goal followed by trimming minutes from predictable, repetitive processes, with small benefits adding up over time.

As you move forward identifying your workflow, search for processes that are:

  • Simple if/then scenarios
  • Actions that are recurrent and predictable
  • Actions that often get delayed in the absence of any human action

Now that you have a fair insight into what automation means, let’s dive deeper into specifics.  While the list could go on and on, we bring here 5 common tasks that are ripe for automation

Copy and Paste Between Systems

Let us begin with a common yet significant task. One cannot deny how many times, organizations are seen struggling to manually move their data across systems.

For example, their ERP systems aren’t connected with their reporting software, so they are forced to manually pull data out of their ERP, edit in Excel, and then upload it to other systems. No wonder, this wastes so much time and also puts data at grave risk for errors. While this is just an example, I am sure it shows the bigger picture. Any time one is manually moving the data from one piece of software to another, that process should be simply automated.

With Tigersheet in place, we don’t let our users suffer from the hassle of moving their precious data from system to system. Tiger sheet’s importing capability ‘Import from Excel’ allows you to bring your Excel record to the platform while saving in a lot of time and effort that can otherwise go into creating a sheet from scratch. You can even convert your excel sheets into a centralized web application without any coding knowledge involved!

Reporting

Reporting-Options-in-Tigershee
Reporting Options in Tigershee

Reporting is one of the most vital arenas that has highest potential for automation, yet very few organizations take this step.  For many companies, reporting is still a manual process wherein some cases employees waste hours manipulating data in Excel. In other cases, users still submit reporting requests to the IT department and wait for their approval.

In today’s data-driven world, automated reporting is a must-have. Here’s why you should consider automated reporting for your organization:

Data Error & Inaccuracies: Studies suggest that more than 90% of data stored in spreadsheets contain errors. So, if you are still relying on manual reporting through excel, you must be prepared to deal with data inaccuracies in your reports.

Slow and Tedious: We live in a fast-paced technology-driven world, but manual reporting is tedious and very slow.  These days, businesses need a way to be able to create and access reports on the go which can be automatically delivered to them on a daily basis.

Tigersheet has powerful report generation capabilities, including grouping items, generating pivot tables and charts. All your reports can be saved and shared with other users, along with drill-down filter capability. Such insightful reports will not only give your business a better insight but will also help you identify bottlenecks, view how your teams are performing, and allocate budget and other resources effectively.

WebForms

Build-Web-Forms-in-Tigersheet
Build Web Forms in Tigersheet

It’s 2020, and it’s quite surprising to see that some businesses still do not have automated forms.  Wondering what are automated forms? Let us break this down to you.

Let us consider a scenario where a prospect completes a contact form on your website asking for more information on a specific service or product. 

Now with a manual process, someone in your company will receive an email with the prospect information. He will first enter his data into a system (preferably a CRM) and then a concerned salesperson shall be notified to follow up with the lead. But with automated forms, all of this happens instantly!

Tigersheet lets you design and launches web forms in just minutes, right from your browser. On top of that, there is no coding involved, so anyone in your team can build forms. The data gets sent to your CRM system and any other necessary system. Notification emails are sent to the appropriate employee. The form can even trigger an email campaign that educates the prospect of the benefits or the product/service they inquired about.

See the difference? The automated forms not only eliminate manual data entry, but they can also improve the entire process.

CRM Tasks

Having a CRM software for your business has become indispensable at this point.  While you must be familiar with the common benefits like data organization, improved sales performance, higher customer retention, and so on, there is still a lot more that an automated CRM can offer. 

The automation features in a CRM can provide a plethora of benefits like:

  • KPI Tracking: Present-day automated CRM gives you a visual summary of your key metrics in an easy to read manner. This completely eliminates away the need to go through complex steps to measure your KPI metrics. All you have to do is configure your dashboards and display the information that you want to keep track of. 
  • Better lead nurturing: Many CRM systems provide the option to set up follow-up emails, meetings, or calls. They can trigger email campaigns based on specific actions taken by the prospect.
  • Improved efficiency: Integrating your CRM system with other tools can dramatically improve your sales team’s efficiency. It can automatically schedule meetings, update calendars, create follow-up reminders, and much more.

Most of the pre-canned CRM software available today incur huge costs and that too with a lot of features you don’t need. Instead, why not subscribe to a no-code platform that allows you to create your own CRM at a fraction of costs? By using a no-code platform like Tigersheet to build a custom CRM system, you have an opportunity to automate another process of your business. Right from sales, customer service to HR your daily business operations can run more smoothly with Tigersheet when implemented across multiple departments.

Email or Text Message Auto Responses

Triggers-in-Tigersheet

Automatic responses are one of the simplest yet most effective areas to automate that can save so much time. Some of the ways in which email or text automation can help are:

  • Nurture and Follow Up Leads: Many businesses nurture and follow up their leads via autoresponders that are activated whenever a lead completes a form on their website. These responses share content that the prospect might find useful and help them understand how the business can solve their problems.
  • Improve Customer Support: Let us consider a situation that a customer submits a form on your website. Hence, an automated message can be sent to deliver a thank you message to the customer and an alert message to the concerned employee in your business.
  • Report Sharing: Many companies set up their reports to run on weekly/daily intervals. With the help of automated responses, they can automatically distribute these reports to various department heads without any human involvement.
  • Set Reminders and Alerts: If you are constantly reminding your team to complete specific tasks Or, are there predefined steps in a project that require reminders, its high time you should consider automation to increase productivity.

Closing Words

Automated workflows are key to remaining competitive in the coming years, as they help businesses achieve higher goals in a relatively shorter time. Start streamlining your processes today, and don’t get left behind. Get in touch with us.

Tigersheet is a uber-fast modern-day no-code platform that can help streamline business processes in quick and easy steps. The intuitive drag and drop interface allows users with zero coding knowledge to create workflows and share them with your employees. 

TRY Tigersheet for FREE and witness the change in your organization today!






May 28, 2020 Bussiness No comments yet
Send Bulk Emails Using Mail Merge in Tigersheet

Now You Can Send Bulk Email Easily and Run Email Campaign Using Mail Merge in Tigersheet!

Anyone who has access to an email address would probably know how popular mass emails and newsletters have become today. The benefits of sending out bulk emails are fairly self-explanatory: you can customize email templates to your marketing message and then send it out to a huge number of people in a short amount of time, for free (or very inexpensively). From a value standpoint, that is tough to beat.

On the contrary, if you opt to send a direct printed mail, go for an ad in a publication or use any other method of traditional advertising, then you know how expensive it can be. With the advent of smartphones that enable people to check their email from anywhere, mass mail has given marketers a great power: direct access to their customers’ pockets.

Here at Tigersheet, we do acknowledge and realize that bulk emails can have a great impact on many businesses. In fact, that’s why we have our own bulk email feature called Mail Merge using which users can send bulk emails and run email marketing campaigns

Step by Step Guide: Send Bulk Emails Using Mail Merge

1.To begin sending out bulk emails using Mail Merge, first filter the records to whom the email needs to be sent.

2. Select all the records by clicking the checkbox next to each record. A mail merge option will be visible on the top. Click on this button.

Configuration Options:

Send Mail:

From field – Connect to your email account. You can connect your email address – Gmail / Google Apps / your own SMTP account. Once you have successfully added your email address, you can also choose which user groups this email address can be shared. 

To field: To field will display the fields which have email address fields setup. E.g. – Employees, Clients, Prospects.

CC: You can add any other email address directly here. This email address need not be associated with the users of the current sheet.

Subject Line: Enter the subject line and create the template.

Body: You can customize the template by using variables captured in Tigersheet. E.g. – Dear <student name> using Insert Variable dropdown.

You can also choose from an existing template created and saved in Tigersheet earlier. 

You can create the template in the Draft folder of your email account and access that template from here. If you select from the Gmail draft, the dropdown will display the Drafts emails subject line. You can choose one and the Template Body will display the Draft email’s body.

You can click on Source and draft the mail in HTML.

Preview: You can preview the template. If you have not entered From email address, Preview will not be displayed. Preview will be displayed for each recipient.

Schedule later: You can schedule to send this mailer at a later date and time.

Save Template: You can save this template in case you will be reusing it in the future to run more campaigns.

Campaign Name: You can add a Campaign name for this mailer for tracking the number of emails sent, Read / Unread status and Number of times it was read.

Manage Accounts 

  • You can view the email address connected. 
  • You can choose to delete or disconnect or reconnect these accounts.
  • You can also specify which user roles should be permissions to send emails from this email address in Tigersheet.

Manage Templates  

  • You can see different templates saved earlier. 
  • You can delete the template.
  • You can choose to pick this template for running the current mailer.

Video Tutorial- Send Bulk Emails Using Mail Merge in Tigersheet

Still facing issues with bulk emails. There is no need to worry, here’s an interactive screencast that will demonstrate the entire process through which you can send out bulk emails and run email campaigns using Mail Merge in Tigersheet.

Still facing issues with bulk emails. There is no need to worry, here’s an interactive screencast that will demonstrate the entire process through which you can send out bulk emails and run email campaigns using Mail Merge in Tigersheet.Now, you can go ahead and carry out your bulk email campaigns by signing up with Tigersheet and witness how easy it is to reach all your customers in a breeze! Try it Today!

March 16, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Uncategorized No comments yet
Everything You Should Know About Event-Triggered Messaging Unleashed!

Everything You Should Know About Event-Triggered Messaging Unleashed!

“Would you like to have Coke with it?” 

Have you ever given a thought why Dominoes send you this message while you are enjoying a cheese burst pizza you just ordered?

We will break it down for you! Because: 

  • It’s Relevant– Now, who would not want a glass full of coke with their pizza?
  • It makes sense in context– You are at Dominoes and you are obviously hungry, aren’t you?
  • It’s Timely- It’s the best time you would most likely want to take action!

Event-triggered messaging also called behavior-driven messaging is a web application feature that involves sending automated emails or SMS messages on a pre-determined schedule, or based on application events. Messages can be triggered by any event, from customer interactions to changes in data and everything in between.

Where is Event-Triggered Messaging Used?

Behavioral or event-triggered messaging is useful across various business and industries, here we bring out some of the most common ways organizations use it:

Creating Workflow Applications: Triggered messaging is widely used in building workflow applications that can help to automate business processes. For example, A project proposal report often requires separate approvals from managers in various departments. With a workflow application, that proposal report will move from manager to manager for approval automatically.

Automatic Communication with Customers: When customers complete a form or sign up for an account, this can automatically trigger an event sending a confirmation email to the customer. 

Alert Business and Officials to Problems: Using event-triggered messaging, executives and managers at the organization can be notified about any time a sensitive business issue occurs, such as customer account cancellation.

Report Distribution and Sharing: Many companies set up their reports to run on weekly/daily intervals. With the help of event-triggered messaging, they can automatically distribute these reports to various department heads without any human involvement.

Introducing Triggers in Tigersheet- Create Powerful Workflow Applications in a jiffy!

Triggers are one of the most vital automation tools inside Tigersheet that take away all the hassle out of tracking your work, managing your client and employee relationships and tracking your time.

Our smart triggers run in the background – shooting off emails, tasks, status changes and a lot more- so that you can focus on the work that matters leaving Tigersheet to handle the rest! The best part, these can be defined across nearly all your workflows (Sales, Requests, Approvals, Invoices, Companies and Even Contacts).

IT’S ALL ABOUT TIMING. A Wrong Message sent at an inappropriate time is as powerful as a bad punchline!

With Tigersheet in place, send the perfect message at the perfect time. You can use event-triggered messages to send to customers that are actively reading your email messages or to re-engage users after a set period of time. You can use event-triggered messages as a way to thank someone for visiting your website or for making a purchase on your website. Event-triggered messages can be set up based on any user activity such as email opens or clicks and more specifically, based on which links the user has clicked on.



February 24, 2020 Product No comments yet
Email to Tigersheet: How to Parse Email Data to Sheets

Email to Tigersheet: How to Parse Email Data to Sheets

Does a part of your business rely on data that you receive by email? For example, leads from a lead owner, product inquiries from prospective customers, order confirmations from your online shops, sales stats…and a lot more… And you need to copy this imported data from Email to your database or Excel?

If such is the scenario, how do you convert data trapped inside those emails to an easy handle format like an Excel sheet?  Well, we don’t want you to struggle with a tedious copy & paste manual routine anymore. 

Ever heard of email parsers? You teach these programs how to recognize patterns in your emails, tell them what data is actually important and that everything else can be ignored, and then have them save only the important stuff.

Tigersheet can parse incoming emails for key information and import this email data into an auto-updating sheet. Let’s back up, and step-by-step build an email parser that can copy text out of your emails and put it to work. 

Setting an Email Parser in Tigersheet: Step by Step Guide

To begin setting up an Email Parser, click the ‘Fetch from Email’ button positioned on the top right corner.


This will prompt you to connect your Gmail account or Outlook account from which you need to parse emails to Tigersheet. Once your email account is successfully connected, you can begin configuring the parser. 

  • First, you need to define the frequency which will specify the number of times your email will be checked upon to auto-update your sheet. For example: ‘Every 5 minutes’, Hourly, Daily, etc.
  • Next, you need to choose the filter criteria for the emails you need to parse in Tigersheet. You can choose to parse all the incoming emails or skip selecting some emails that you do not wish to parse at all.

Alternatively, chose only certain emails that you wish to parse by specifying the filter criteria. E.g.: Here we want to parse only those emails where the subject contains ‘Contact Forms’, hence the criteria is mentioned as:

EMAIL_SUBJECT= ‘Contact Forms’

The next step is to map fields (present in your sheet) to various email parameters from which you need to extract data. Tigersheet allows you to parse data from the email body text, the subject line, the sender/receiver or other header text and even from file attachments.


Eg: Here we want to map the ‘contact field’ that will extract the name of the sender (present in the email body), so we need to define the parser for that.  Once you chose ‘Extract from the body’, the system will ask you to paste a sample email content and Highlight the parts which you wish to extract.

Similarly, you can map other fields and highlight the parts from the sample email to let the parser understand.  Watch our video (attached below) where we have demonstrated mapping all the field.

Once the parser has been successfully set, you can test it to see if it is working correctly. 

Here’s our screencast that will walk you through Tigersheet to understand the step by step process to set an email parser where you can parse your lead/inquiry emails and store them in Tigersheet.


Hence, bring an end to your manual copy-paste routine now and use Tigersheet to automate your email workflow. Sign up today for a FREE trial and automate your workflows!

January 30, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Product No comments yet
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Build Powerful Web Forms with Tigersheet [ DIY Video Guide Included]

Have you ever tried building a web form right from the beginning?

Yes, we agree! It can be extremely daunting to build a web form from scratch, even if you are a web developer. Teams often require tools that can input data to automate the processing and monitoring of valuable information. While business professionals do have a clear insight into what these web forms should look like, they often lack the requisite skills to code and deploy applications. 

Now, imagine what if you need a lot of forms with built-in notifications, spam filters, validation checks, and other such smart features, you will have to consider months of development. Not to forget, the concerns you may have about keeping your data secure and private.

Well, with Tigersheet in place you don’t have to imagine anymore!

Tigersheet lets you design and launches web forms in just minutes, right from your browser. On top of that, there is no coding involved, so anyone in your team can build forms. Plus, you can add all the nifty stuff we mentioned, like automated email notifications!

Create Web Forms With Tigersheet Step By Step Tutorial

1.To begin creating a new web form, click on the Settings Icon and navigate to “Web Forms”.

2. Click on “Create new Webform”. This will open a window where you need to give your form a heading. E.g.: If you are creating a web form to capture lead information, you can name it as “Contact Us”

3. Now add the field from the left that you want to place in your web form such as Name, Company, and Designation, etc. and click ‘Save’.

You will be able to see a new web form ‘Contact Us’. If you wish to place this form on your website, Click ‘Embed Code’.

4. Copy the code and embed in your website. You can also modify the styles to suit your website.

Test your form on your live website to see that notifications are going to your email and your Tigersheet Inbox. If nothing comes through, go back and check that you set up your form and notification email correctly.

Create Web Forms in Tigersheet- The Video Guide

Titled Rising Star Software from Software Suggest, Tigersheet provides you with all the tools you’ll need to build, customize and deploy your web form applications.

This comprehensive, step-by-step video series walks you through using Tigersheet to create contact forms, which are among the most basic or the most complex web forms you can build.

Tigersheet’s no-code application development features an intuitive point and clicks interface along with a handful of easy to use user guides that show you the way through your development process.

Watch our DIY video guide today and kick start building your online forms through Tigersheet.

January 22, 2020 Features, Tips & Tricks, Product No comments yet