Ok so I like tools…a lot! All kinds of tools! I grew up with a father who worked in a tool and die shop. He spent a lot of his time building tools for jobs. One thing I have learned from my father is having the right tool makes a huge difference in fixing the problem! Whether we are talking about power tools or software tools they are all tools which solve problems. In today’s world, your business can live and die by the tools it uses. So here are some of the great tools we find simple, useful and effective.

Browsers

Mozilla FireFox  There is only one browser for this TCS Geek…FireFox! I refuse to use Internet Explorer for the simple fact, I spend too much time cleaning up PCs for friends and family who run IE. I have ran FireFox for many years now with little or no virus protection (not suggested) and never had a problem. FireFox also has great Add-ons for many different types of tools, which is a whole other blog post!

Educational

You thing you never want to do is use a tool you do not have some understanding of. Common Craft creates videos which are short, simple and to the point. They use cut-outs to explain the topics and breakdown complex topics. Check out the technology section to learn about computer hardware and software, social media , RSS and many more!

I ran across this blog when looking for a compact calendar to keep in my notebook. I try to get the most out of my day and this site has great tools for productivity and task management.

For someone who does not enjoy reading… I do a lot of it! I do believe we have to continue to learn and educate ourselves to make this world a better place to live! Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The only difference between you today and you five years from now ,are the books you read and the people you meet.” Today it is easier than ever to have content brought to you. I currently have 50+ websites I read or follow in my Google Reader. Anything from basic websites, blogs, forums, news, product releases (for all these great tools!) and many more. Google Reader uses a RSS feed to capture only the new items posted to a site. This way anytime I find a few quite minutes, I can quickly flip through the new posts and read only the content I want and I can even share content with others. Google Reader is my favorite of all the tools I use!

Collaborative Tools

Google Apps offers a wide range of online applications for businesses. I have had multiple Googles Apps accounts for well over a year and really like the shear simplicity of the tools. Gmail, Gtalk, Calendar, Sites, Webpages and Docs and Spreadsheets are all great tools for creating content online which you can share, or just get to it from anywhere! I have over 100 documents shared with many people from different areas of my life (family, work, church and friends) for various reasons. Check it out, it will change the way you work! Here is a review from PC Magazine.

I recently saw this tool used in a webinar. The host put all the steps to a complex process in MindManager and I was surprise how easy it was to follow. Use it to visually connect ideas and information to help you save time, solve real business problems, improve business processes, and drive innovation. By visually organizing all your information, you’ll have the big picture clearly before you, while still tracking the smallest details.

There are some truly great tools available today and taking advantage of them could take your company to the next level. Enjoy.

Ever wondered how simply bragging about how well your tire company is doing could make you even more money? Not only does our software put money in your pocket by streamlining your tire operations, but now you can benefit from telling other tire dealers or wholesalers what keeps you a step ahead of the competition. If you refer another tire dealer to us and they purchase our software or web product, you get $500 to spend on support or a website! Helping out the guy down the street may not appeal to you, but send us your friends in the business you see at trade shows. Or better yet, tell your wholesaler how beneficial our software and web products are and get him on board!

TCS has fast become an industry leader in tire software. Our growth is reflected in the same software features and business relationships that bring you more profit. So helping us grow also betters your tire dealership! Our referral program is just another way to continue the win-win relationship you have with our software company. Contact us with your referral name by phone or email, or be sure they drop us your name when they inquire about our software. We value you as a customer and thank you for talking to other growth-focused tire dealers about our Tire Company Solutions!

While monitoring web statistics within the tire and automotive service industry we are seeing an unusually large percentage of outdated browsers.

What is a browser? A web browser is a software application used to view websites online. i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.

Comparing them to the statistics and trends reports from the W3CSchools.com , http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp, we are seeing that the tire and automotive service industry is falling closer to the 2006/2007 numbers.

As new web technologies come out browsers have to update their capabilities to handle these. When browsing the internet with an older browser you may find that features on many newer sites will not work properly for you.

Consider upgrading today!

Internet Explorer Users:

To determine the version of Internet Explorer, click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu or press Alt + H and then press A.

• Upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 Click HERE and then follow the instructions
• Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 Click HERE and then follow the instructions

Also Try Firefox Click HERE