Urban Landscape Design logo
  • Menu
01829 740194
[email protected]
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Awards
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Careers
  • Domestic
    • Domestic Projects
    • Outdoor Kitchens
    • Outdoor Living
  • Commercial
  • Design
    • ASRI
    • Paul Beckmann
    • Sally Bower
    • Marianne Dobson
  • Maintenance
  • Our Work
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • The Landscape Academy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Houzz

01829 740194 | [email protected]

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Awards
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Careers
  • Domestic
    • Domestic Projects
    • Outdoor Kitchens
    • Outdoor Living
  • Commercial
  • Design
    • ASRI
    • Paul Beckmann
    • Sally Bower
    • Marianne Dobson
  • Maintenance
  • Our Work
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • The Landscape Academy

Blog

Being Tech Savvy For Your Business

August 1, 2019

With an abundance of apps, software and social media available for your business, Holly Youde lists her top choices in this Pro Landscaper article.

Just when I think I’m up to date with technology, I speak to someone who raves about a new plug-in or app and realise I need to update my software knowledge. Regardless of how technologically advanced you are, it’s worth keeping an eye out for anything new. It could help make your job easier, and keep you organised and ahead of the game. Here is a little insight into what we use at Urban Landscapes to help you navigate your way down the list of useful apps out there.

Accounting software is fundamental for small businesses. There are some excellent online apps and software available that will also work as your customer database, keep track of costs on projects, and point to where your finances are. We have used online accounting software Kashflow in the past, but have recently switched to Xero accounting, to create paperless accounting.

Social-Media-Interaction

There are constant debates about whether businesses need social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter. For us, these platforms are a good way of keeping staff and potential customers up to date with what we are doing and can be a powerful way of staying under the spotlight. Facebook and Instagram are great for sharing photos and videos, Twitter is a good place for commentary, and LinkedIn to create a professional network and build on relationships. We have found MailChimp to be a successful mechanism for marketing campaigns and an effective way of reaching new people and tracking the results of your publications.

When planning and organising our work we go to Google Earth, Google Maps and various weather apps to gain an accurate overview of a site, and use these tools for scheduling work.

In order to plan and organise our staff and resources efficiently we use the TeamUp app. This is a useful and flexible resource that helps us track multiple projects. Timetastic, on the other hand, helps us record staff leave time to avoid any disputes over holiday bookings and accommodate any shortfalls of staff during our busy periods.

Communication-Technology

To keep health and safety a primary priority we utilise CDM Wizard and Citation to form our method statements and risk assessments. Communication within the team is via a wide range of platforms including WhatsApp, texting, Slack, Skype and FaceTime.

Call me traditional, but a good natter on the phone is still often the best way. We are also regular users of Dropbox – an excellent way to share images and documents across the team.

My favourite all time app is Trello. Having a terrible memory, I have to write everything down, so Trello is basically my ongoing work-inprogress list. It’s a handy organisational tool to monitor projects and prioritise tasks.

These recommendations are just a handful of the huge choice of apps out there, and listing those we regularly use has made me realise just how much the team and I rely on handy technical tools every day.

For those of you now frantically searching and downloading my suggestions, there is one app you might want to try first so that you can sleep tonight – Headspace. I highly recommend this meditation app to catch some well earned rest after a hectic day.

Month

    August

    • The reasons you should invest in an outdoor kitchen

    January

    • How we encourage staff development

    November

    • Safety and confidentiality of our clients
    • We’re hiring!

    June

    • When Opportunity Knocks
    • Urban Director talks work & personal life in Pro Landscaper Magazine
    • Penthouse Roof Terrace – Liverpool
    • Covid-19 announcement

    July

    • Benefits of Commercial Landscaping
    • 6 Reasons To Install A Fire Pit In Your Garden

    May

    • The Renson Canopy Range
    • Why You Should Have An Outdoor Kitchen
    • Kamado Joe Ceramic Grills offer

    April

    • Urban Landscapes continue to follow government Covid guidelines

    March

    • Urban Landscapes Covid-19 Update
    • Urban Landscapes Coronavirus Policy

    February

    • Whatever the Weather: Preparing for adverse weather conditions
    • Learning to adapt
    • Attracting more valuable projects
    • The First Steps to Employing Staff
    • Don’t Forget the Plants: Soft Landscaping Design
    • Being Tech Savvy For Your Business
    • The Health Benefits of Outdoor Spaces
    • Let’s Hear it From Holly and Mark Youde
    • Our exciting partnership with London Stone
    • Growing Ranks
    • Make The Right Choice: The Do’s and Dont’s of Recruitment
    • All For Show: Why Industry Shows are Good for Your Business
    • Entering Awards: The Pros and Cons of Taking Part in Industry Awards
    • Growing Pains and Gains: Growing Your Own Business

    September

    • For Better Or Worse: Being in Business With the Other Half
    • We’re Pro Landscaper Business Award winners!
    • How to create cosy outdoor living spaces for all year round
    • Basic gardening tools everybody should have
    • Planning a Dementia Friendly Garden
    • Marshalls Register Award for Best Driveway Transformation over 70m
    • A Week in the Life of a Cheshire Landscaping Company!

    October

    • 42 Under 42
    • 2018 BALI Awards
    • Modern day love of Fire Pits
    • MUD SLINGING AT WORK
    • THE BENEFITS OF RECRUITING AN APPRENTICE
    • WE MUST BE MAD …!
    • WE ARE PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF THE LANDSCAPING INSTITUTE
    • IS THERE A HOSEPIPE BAN?
    • AWARDS UPDATE JULY 2018
    • Award Winning Landscape Design
    • Commerical Landscaping, Wilmslow
    • Pro Landscaper Business Awards

    December

    • Festive Wishes
    • APL Awards
    • Commercial Landscaping, South Manchester
    • Landscaping Services, Cheshire
    • Fire Magic Outdoor Kitchen, Cheshire
    • Outdoor Living Area, Cheshire
    • Commercial Landscape Contractors, South Manchester
    • The Silver Lining
    • Flower Power
    • Compact & Bijou Outdoor Cooking
    • Outdoor Living on the Wirral
    • RHS Tatton – Show Garden
    • An unexpected guest
    • Exclusive Event 30th March 2017
    • Outdoor Living Area, South Manchester
    • Blistering Ovens
    • Pullover Power
    • Shropshire Lad
    • DoubleTree by Hilton, Chester
    • Teaching an old dog new tricks!
    • APL Membership

Categories

  • Outdoor Kitchens
  • Staff development
  • Urban Landscapes News
    • Awards
    • Charity Work
    • Commercial
    • Events
    • Large Projects
    • Pro Landscaper Articles
    • Products
    • Small Projects

Our Work

  • 01
  • 02
  • 03
  • 04
  • 05
  • 06

Heathlands Care Home

Directly with the client, we constructed and installed a beach themed garden, suitable for Dementia patients

Penthouse Roof Terrace – Liverpool

Roof terrace with garden studio and different areas to enjoy, including a seaside themed area

Contemporary Garden Chester

A cool contemporary project on a new build property in Chester.

Contemporary Courtyard Chester

In this small courtyard development in Hoole, we created a cool split level space for the client who wanted a modern feel.

Urban Landscapes HQ

Urban RHS Tatton

Our Work

Commercial
Heathlands Care Home

Heathlands Care Home

Directly with the client, we constructed and installed a beach themed garden, suitable for Dementia patients

Read More
Large Project
Penthouse Roof Terrace – Liverpool

Penthouse Roof Terrace – Liverpool

Roof terrace with garden studio and different areas to enjoy, including a seaside themed area

Read More
Medium Project
Contemporary Garden Chester

Contemporary Garden Chester

A cool contemporary project on a new build property in Chester.

Read More
Small Project
Contemporary Courtyard Chester

Contemporary Courtyard Chester

In this small courtyard development in Hoole, we created a cool split level space for the client who wanted a modern feel.

Read More
Outdoor Kitchens
Urban Landscapes HQ

Urban Landscapes HQ

Read More
Outdoor Living
Urban RHS Tatton

Urban RHS Tatton

Read More
 
Home
Home
Domestic
Domestic
Commercial
Commercial
Contact
Contact
Click here to Call Us On
01829 740194
Sign up to our newsletter
Get access to our quarterly news update
Click here to complete our simple
enquiry form

Make an enquiry

    I wish to receive updates via email

    Thank you for getting in touch. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

    London Stone

    We are the only London Stone partner in the North of the UK, providing their products on display and the same knowledgeable and friendly customer service you expect from this forward thinking landscaping products company.

    Renson

    Gold Partner status meaning we are approved designers and installers of RENSON® canopies

    HTA

    The Horticultural Trade Association provides a vital contact for identifying and dealing with key garden industry issues and opportunities, and represents industry views to Government and is its voice in the media.

    Association of Professional Landscapers

    We are members of the Association of Professional Landscapers and are vetted annually to keep up to date with legislation and best practice

    Trust Mark

    Trustmark is the only government endorsed scheme for almost all trades in and around the home

    Rolo

    All our operatives are ROLO trained which was introduced to raise the standards of Health and Safety and reduce the risks and accidents throughout the industry

    CHAS

    We are accredited with Construction Health and Safety who as an organisation, help businesses and organisations manage their Health and Safety risks and safeguard their reputation

    Bali

    We are members of BALI, the UK’s trade association for the landscaping sector who have a rigorous vetting procedure

    T: 01829 740194
    E: [email protected]

    Urban Landscape Design Ltd, Unit 7d, Barrowmore Enterprise Estate, Great Barrow, Chester CH3 7JA

    Company no: 8466269 Registered in England & Wales Copyright 2022 - Urban Landscapes - All Rights Reserved

    Web Design by eclipse marketing | Sitemap | Privacy Policy

    This site uses cookies: Find out more.