Tips

Keeping in touch with clients, suppliers and co-workers is a vital part of running a business, whatever the size. Use these five tools listed below to communicate more efficiently.

• If you plan to make international calls on a regular basis, use Martin Lewis's MoneySavingExpert Free service to track the cheapest call providers. You can expect to shave several hundred pounds off your mobile phone bill if you use your phone in conjunction with this service.
  
• Meebo is a very smart service that allows you to access the four major Instant Messaging systems for free, without having to install any one of them. The service doesn't allow you to connect a webcam or to communicate by voice, but it should be sufficient if you want to have a quick chat.
  
• MyFax is an award-winning Internet fax service that lets you send and receive faxes using email, the web or handheld device. MyFax's price starts from just £60 per year and gives you a fixed number of sent/received faxes. MyFax is easy to setup and use (as long as you can use your email) and on top of that it requires no hardware or software, so anyone can get a fax number.
  
• If you want to access your computer wherever you are, LogMeIn is a piece of software that you should keep in mind. Although the free version is a bit limited, it should be more than enough if you want to check a few files while away.
  
• Basecamp solves a fundamental problem associated with project management - lack of communication. It does so by "providing tools tailored to improve the communication between people working together on a project". This means a to-do-list, a milestone calendar, a chat room and more besides.
  

Related Content:

Accessing email remotely

Using a PC on the move

Online discussions

Online project management

Online sharing of documents