VIP Task Manager Professional Edition is a software package that feels like Microsoft Outlook’s task list on steroids. Task Manager is designed for small businesses in need of an easy way to manage group collaboration and tasks. The active task list / collaboration tool is updated in real time via simultaneous access by multiple users.
It allows for planning, scheduling, sharing, and reporting of all and any company activities. It’s hard to get a feel for what the software can really do without simply playing with it. Luckily, there’s a 30 day trial available here.
Some of the nicer features that I found most useful include the ability to leave notes, comments, or even attachments within any task. And the system has a fairly robust way of allowing you to manage permissions and access by task or employee. I could go into more detail on all of the features, but the company behind the software has already done a fairly good job of that here.
The installation process was fairly straight forward, though I had to defer to the included PDFs (one called “startup guide” and the other “installation guide”) to get the software so that it was usable. It’s nothing too tricky, but you can’t necessarily click through each screen without doing some reading first. In other words, it may be more difficult to configure initially for the less tech savvy crowd. You may need IT personnel to do the initial configuration for you.
But once set up, it’s fairly easy to use. The interface is straight forward and uses minimal resources. It doesn’t have the web 2.0 glossy look, but don’t let that fool you. The software is fairly robust with all of its options, and it responds very quickly. I’ll take functionality and speed over looks any day.
The software comes in two versions: standard and professional, with their differences outlined here. While the cost isn’t cheap, it definitely beats the cost of any Microsoft product. See pricing details here. If you’re interested in the look and feel but aren’t ready yet for a trial run, there’s a great index of screenshots found here along with tutorials here.
All and all, I found the software to be stable and reliable. It could be useful for almost any small business owner in need of a powerful task management / employee collaboration solution.
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