Week 2: notion
Introduction
Notion started out as a note-taking app some years ago, but it was quite ambitious for its time and lacked the structure required to support all its tools and features. Fast forward a couple of years and it has evolved into a workplace management tool to rival the likes of Trello and ClickUp.
Other articles in this series:
- Week 1: Airgram
- Week 3: ChatSonic
- Week 4: GPT-4
- Week 5: Excel Formula Bot
- Week 6: AI tools for Teams and Zoom
- Week 7: TimeHero
- Week 8: Airtable
How it works, in a nutshell
Your content in Notion is organised as pages that you can interlink and/or nest, and each page consists of blocks. The blocks are objects that allow you to create everything from to-do lists, sub-pages, videos, calendars, project management trackers, and so much more. You can drag and drop blocks anywhere on your page and add as much content as you like.
Features
Notion is packed with features that make it an incredibly versatile and powerful productivity platform. Here are some of its most impressive tools.
The AI writing tool
Brainstorm ideas
- Think, “List 5 KPI’s that an associate adviser can be evaluated on”, or
- “Draft a recruiting email and create a job description for a new client services officer”
Write blog posts
- Companies who blog get 97% more links to their website, and 67% get more leads than those who don’t blog.
(Ultimate List of Blogging Statistics and Facts, MonsterInsights) - If you don’t have the time, this tool can help you generate content ideas.
Create to-do lists and meeting agendas
- A structured meeting is an efficient meeting. Using a templated agenda can help keep you on track. Use it in conjunction with Airgram to really boost your efficiency.
Write a ‘pros and cons’ list
- If you need help making a decision, AI can generate a pros and cons list to help you. For example, “Write a pros and cons list about outsourcing my paraplanning”
It will also help you write a poem, but it’s unlikely you’ll need this feature in financial planning any time soon!
Customisable templates
There are over 50 pre-built and fully customisable templates available, split into categories ranging from Human Resources, Marketing, Sales management, and much more.
- One of the best is their pre-built office manual. This pre-built template is comprehensive and has a lot of standard text that can be customised to suit your company. Having one, central living document that codifies your company’s policies will help to create a transparent environment for your staff.
Database management
- It’s challenging trying to manage a tech stack. Between client management, research, staff management, and everything else, there is a lot of information to maintain. What we like about Notion is that you could use it as a central repository for existing staff and for onboarding new team members. Store all your standard office procedures, policies, contact lists, leave calendars, and training manuals in one workspace.
Collaboration tool
- Notion is a great tool for collaboration. Use the Wiki workspace to share information with your team, share individual pages, entire workspaces, or databases to make it easier to work together on projects and tasks. Give everyone at your company one source of truth for important information, policies, announcements, and more.
Integrations
Notion offers integrations with a wide range of tools, making it easy to streamline workflow and improve accuracy. Some of the tools that Notion integrates with include Trello, Slack, Google Drive, Zapier, and Salesforce. These integrations allow for seamless collaboration between different tools, enabling teams to work more efficiently and effectively
Pricing
There are four pricing tiers available:
- Personal – free plan for individuals. Great if you are a solopreneur.
- Personal Pro – for users that want capabilities beyond the basic plan, the Pro plan is $4 per month.
- Team – if you want a collaborative workspace for a small team, the Team plan is $8 per user per month.
- Enterprise – if you want to use Notion across your company, you may want to consider the Enterprise plan which requires a discussion with the Notion sales team.
Our final thoughts
Notion is a powerful productivity tool that has become increasingly popular due to its versatility and user-friendly features. With its AI-powered writing tool, customisable templates, database management capabilities, and collaboration tools, it is quickly becoming a favourite workspace for managing back-office tasks and improving team collaboration. The tool has the potential to fill in gaps that financial planning software doesn’t quite cover and can be used as a central knowledge base for staff.
It’s certainly not the tool you would use to replace financial planning software but it is worth a look if you’re after a tool that acts as an internal resource library that your staff can use to manage their roles.
We’d love to hear your feedback. Leave us a comment and let us know if you’ve used Notion, or if you’d like to suggest an AI tool for us or others to try. Stay tuned for Week 3!
Other articles in this series:
HOW CAN WE HELP?
Introducing new technology to your business can be challenging and confusing. Our back-office consultants have extensive experience in technology onboarding and can guide you in the right direction to ensure seamless integration, and staff that are fully up to speed.
