Zoho Assist

Whether you are looking for a Microsoft Office alternative or you don’t trust Google with your sensitive information for whatever reason, you may not feel like you have a lot of choices. It’s true: these are the two office suites that most people use, and they’re popular for a reason. Convenient and simple-to-use the moment you open any of their respective apps, competitors have a lot of work cut out for them if they hope to compete with these behemoths of office suites.

But it turns out that there actually may be an office suite that brings the heat to these two powerhouses. Zoho is its name, and you may have heard of it in the past. It’s one of the office suites that come up whenever you search for ‘Office alternatives’, but is it actually worth a damn? Can you truly stop using the likes of Microsoft Office or G-Suite and replace it 100% with Zoho?

Further, does Zoho go above and beyond these popular suites and provide even more functionality and convenience for its users? The only answer I can give you is ‘possibly.’ Ultimately, it depends on what kind of experience you are looking for and the type of adult business you are operating. Like other office suites, it may not be ideal for everyone. Still, for those that can find a way to fit Zoho into their business and use its apps to their benefit, Zoho is undoubtedly worth checking out for consideration.

Run your customer service desk all in one suite

One of the things that impressed me the most is how Zoho gives you so many options for office software. There are so many apps and programs available for you to use, that they split them up into several suites. One of these suites gives you a virtual customer service desk all-in-one. It features the kind of software you would expect to find in a customer service suite, including business e-mail, app creator, project tracker and planner, and even a help desk. Let me explain a few interesting things about each of them.

First, Zoho’s e-mail works like you would expect any other e-mail client to behave. Zoho touts that they have 99.99% uptime with rest and end-to-end encryption for your e-mail. That’s a pretty damn big deal, and should give you solace to the fact that your e-mail messages will be sent and received securely. Further, you can also get your own business domain, so your brand looks professional.

It’s also simple to navigate the e-mail client as well. It browses much like other popular e-mail clients like Gmail and Outlook. Plus, it has an app that is convenient and simple to use. Add to the fact that you can choose to have your e-mails retained for one full year, and you don’t have to worry about accidentally losing an important e-mail message ever again.

Zoho also has software called Creator for those that want to build their own apps. It comes with pre-build apps like order management, logistics, and more, but it’s also extremely easy to make your own. You can build all things of apps using the data you have, such as apps that automate your day-to-day operations to collecting traffic for your site and beyond. Zoho claims that it is one of the best low-level coding applications out there, though that’s a pretty damn bold statement too. Try it out and see if it fits into the needs of your adult brand if you don’t mind getting into the weeds of things and building complicated applications.

If Creator is too much to handle, consider Projects – especially if you need to manage your time or your team's time. Projects creates Gantt charts ultimately build a plan for your project and track the scheduling of your tasks. It also automates tasks, allowing you to know exactly what your adult brand needs to be working on next. You can even log each minute with the built-in timesheets, making it worth your time if you want to, well, optimize your time!

Last but not least is Desk. This application has unique features like the Omnichannel. This neat feature will actually manage conversations among your customers across social media, phone, e-mail, and even your website. It makes it easy to respond to inquiries all within one app, which saves so much time and headache as you juggle different platforms simultaneously. It even uses an AI-powered helper called Zia that shows you which support tickets are the most important.

Collaborate remotely, deliver remote support

Managing your tasks, dealing with customers, and benefiting from secure e-mail is awesome and can save you a shitload of headaches. But what about when you need to collaborate with your team members so all of you can get the most shit done? That is an entirely different problem, and fortunately, Zoho makes it happen.

One of the ways that Zoho pulls this off is via Meeting. This app is a lot like other apps of the same ilk, like GoToMeeting. And like its competitors, it’s secure and private. Yep, you don’t have to worry about people barging into your calls and drawing giant penises like what has happened with other alternatives whose name may or may not start with the letter ‘Z.’ What is so good about Meeting is that the software operates just like any other remote meeting you have probably used in the past. I’m talking moderation tools, screen sharing, the ability to record and playback meetings (with the option for team members to download meetings for reference), and more.

If you need to talk to your team members in real-time, Cliq makes it happen. It works a lot like any other instant messaging app you have used in the past, like Google Hangouts. You can have group chats, search conversations, jump into and out of voice/video calls, and more. Cliq even gives you the option to use bots to automate your day’s workflow, so everyone is on the same page.

If that was not enough, Assist is there to also help you to provide support to your customers, even if they need you to connect to them remotely. While it may not be a function that most adult entrepreneurs will find themselves using, it is nice to know that it is there. If you are selling adult software or games, for example, connecting remotely to your customer’s and fixing their issue for them without them having to lift a finger is possible with Zoho, so check it out!

Tons of ways to work with your team members or contractors

Sure, Zoho can help you to ensure that your workflow is optimal, your customers are taken care of, and your workers always know what they are supposed to be doing. But what about the everyday tasks that you typically use office products for? You know what I’m talking about: creating documents, spreadsheets, that kind of thing.

Zoho delivers on this front as well. They make it simple to create documents like you have been doing for years, thanks to Writer. It looks similar to other word processors out there, so if you know how to type a sentence, you already know how to use Writer. When you need to create spreadsheets, Sheets makes it happen as well. And when you need to store it all in one easy-to-search place? Docs allows you to do so and share your documents and files with your other workers.

Even if your brand needs a company Wiki to create reference documents, the Wiki tool makes this happen as well. You have so many options when it comes to getting things done with Zoho. Truthfully, there are too many tools to name here, so start exploring!

May be overkill for what you need

If you need to track your finances, Zoho makes it happen. For those that wish to streamline their customer service, again, Zoho makes it happen. But what if you need a few basic tools and nothing more? Well, you may find that Zoho is overkill for what you need.

Like I said earlier, it is up to adult entrepreneurs to decide if Zoho is right for them. If it makes sense to integrate this office suite that truly tries to be something to everyone, then great. Zoho offers an enterprise version, though the pricing isn’t mentioned on the site. Alternatively, there is a Zoho All-in-One plan that costs $35 per employee or $90 per user, though to get the $35 rate, everyone on your payroll must have a license. These rates are all monthly too, so it can get pricey.

Still, if you want to streamline your entire business and can see where each tool can fit into your workplace, I strongly consider checking out Zoho. Many companies depend on them, so they’re not fucking slouches. With many of their tools having app versions for mobile devices, it’s the best way to stay on top of everything, no matter where you are.

Suggestions:

Zoho has so many options for getting things done when it comes to your adult brand that it may seem overwhelming. Still, these tools are so well done that if they can fit into your brand’s workplace, consider implementing them. They feel familiar and makes it even easier to get shit done.