Hearing aid dispensing clinics, like most small businesses, have limited resources when it comes to investing in computer software.
Fortunately there are some excellent free applications out there that can dramatically improve the productivity of your team.
In our work with the Ear Works clients we started to recommend some of them, here are the top 10 of our favorites:
1.
Dropbox is an excellent way to share files between locations and computers that are not in the same network. It can also serve as an off site backup solution, since everything saved in the Dropbox folder is also uploaded on a secure server and can be accessed through the web interface. Dropbox is free for up to 2GB and you can also get additional free space (up to 8GB) when recommending other users. You also get additional free space if you are recommended by a current user.
2. LogMeIn Free is the best alternative to the Remote Desktop application integrated into Windows. It allows you to access and work on your computers from another location over the internet. The free version has limited features compared to the paid one but nothing you're likely to miss. Highly recommended if you go to remote locations where you have internet and want to work in the same environment like in the clinic. Also great when you want to do some work from home.
3. Microsoft Security Essentials is a free antivirus application that has very good reviews. Since it's very well integrated into Windows it doesn't affect the performance of your system like some of the other free antiviruses. Additionally the update is integrated with Windows Update and it has no annoying pop-ups asking you to buy the “Pro” version since there’s no such thing, the program is 100% freeware for people running any Windows operating system.
www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
4. OpenOffice.org is famous for being the open source alternative to Microsoft Office. It is powerful suite of applications, completely free and very actively developed. Most files created in Microsoft Office can be opened and edited from OpenOffice with great compatibility. FYI, open source means it’s being developed by volunteering programmers all over the world, and in this case it works beautifully.
5. Google Apps Standard is a suite of online applications designed for small groups. It is free and has a paid version with additional features. The free version is a bit difficult to find - I wonder if that's intentional - but it offers more than the average clinic needs: up to 50 users with emails, documents, contacts, calendars, web sites and more, all integrated and shareable privately and publicly.
www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html
6. Google Docs are an alternative to Microsoft Office and OpenOffice, it's main strength being the ability to collaborate in real time on the same document with multiple people. Great for brainstorming or collaborative work, Google Docs can be used both on its own or as part of a Google Apps account. You don't even need to have a gmail account, you can create a google account using your current email address.
7. Gimp and Paint.NET. Ok these are two applications, not one, but they both serve the same purpose: image editing. They are open source alternatives to professional applications like Adobe Photoshop so if you're into creating your own logo, letterhead, web banners or newspaper ads, these tools might just be perfect for you. Since each have a pretty respectable following I though of recommending them both, you decide which one works best for you.
8. Jing is a minimalist tool to take screenshots (images of your screen) or screencasts (recording of your screen activity). You can easily share the results or save them as files on your computer. It's very useful when used to request IT support from your consultants, there a screenshot is worth a thousand words.
9. Evernote is currently THE tool to organize various notes, research materials or only random thoughts. The free version gives you up to 60 MB of notes per month which is totally ok for text, small images and short audio recordings. You can even share your notebooks with other Evernote users (like people in your team) and build a very dynamic repository of standard information and useful notes. This should replace any post-its you have on your desk, and you can take it with you everywhere you go, on any smartphone or mobile device.
10. Mailchimp. A great online service for sending email campaigns, Mailchimp has a very generous free plan if you don't mind having the "Powered by Mailchimp" badge on your emails. If you have a significant list of internet-aware patients, connecting with them via email is most certainly the cheapest way of keeping in touch and making sure they come back to you when they need a new set of hearing aids.
And one more: the Audiology Font. This is not really an application, that's why it's additional to the top 10.
It is a font created for hearing care professionals to be used for reports and other documents. You already have the font if you're running Ear Works 4 but it can also be downloaded for free by anybody else from www.audiologyfont.com. Oh yes, the font was created by us.
This is just a selection of our favorites.
If you think we forgot a notable one or you want to share your experience just leave us a comment.
Enjoy!
