Stay up to date with the latest product news on Qatalog, including new features, in-depth explainers, and tips and tricks.

Product

Stay up to date with the latest product news on Qatalog, including new features, in-depth explainers, and tips and tricks. 

Product | Qatalog Blog

Sales teams know the pressure of balancing client meetings, strategy sessions, product demos, and ongoing training. Each day brings a new set of challenges and opportunities that require precision and efficiency.&nbsp;
Enter Qatalog &ndash; the AI-powered platform designed to help Sales teams work smarter, not harder. Qatalog centralizes all your work tools and information, making it easier to streamline your daily tasks, collaborate seamlessly, and achieve your sales targets. Here&rsquo;s how Qatalog can transform your typical week, making every interaction more efficient and impactful.
<h4>Monday</h4>
9:00 AM: Weekly kickoff&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Review the week ahead in the team meeting.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "What action items were agreed in our team meeting last week?"
</li>
<li>
Tools: Google Calendar, Salesforce
</li>
</ul>
11:00 AM: Client call&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Review notes and action items from the previous meeting.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: &ldquo;Summarize the notes from the last meeting with client X.&rdquo;
</li>
<li>
Tools: Microsoft Teams, Slack
</li>
</ul>
3:00 PM: Strategy session with Marketing team&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Gather relevant data and insights from marketing campaigns.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: &ldquo;How are our marketing campaigns doing?&rdquo;
</li>
<li>
Tools: Google Drive, Microsoft Excel, Tableau
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Tuesday</h4>
9:30 AM: Sales training workshop&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Research customer characteristics.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "What are the common characteristics of my top 10% customers by industry?"
</li>
<li>
Tools: Salesforce, Hubspot, Tableau
</li>
</ul>
12:00 PM: Lunch with key client&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Prepare for the lunch meeting.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "Summarize client X's main feedback."
</li>
<li>
Tools: Salesforce, Gmail
</li>
</ul>
4:00 PM: Product demo for potential client&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Review product demo script and new features.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "What is our latest product demo script? What new features have we released?"
</li>
<li>
Tools: Google Drive, SharePoint
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Wednesday</h4>
11:30 AM: Pipeline review&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Review and update sales forecasts.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "What is the current status of all deals with a forecasted close date this month?"
</li>
<li>
Tools: Salesforce
</li>
</ul>
2:00 PM: Client onboarding session&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Manage the scheduled client meeting.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: &ldquo;What are the most recent discussions and interactions with client X?&rdquo;
</li>
<li>
Tools: Google Calendar, Outlook
</li>
</ul>
4:30 PM: Prospecting new leads&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Analyze and prioritize new leads.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "Which industries or sectors are most responsive to our outreach efforts?"
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Thursday</h4>
10:00 AM: Sales strategy review with leadership&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Review sales forecasts.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "Show the forecasted DBF for the end of this month that we prepared."
</li>
</ul>
12:30 PM: Lunch &amp; learn: Industry trends&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Pull industry trend reports and data.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: &ldquo;Pull the latest reports on industry trends and provide a summary of key insights."
</li>
</ul>
3:30 PM: Contract negotiation with prospective client&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Access all necessary documents for negotiation.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: &ldquo;What products and offers could we give client X?&rdquo;
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Friday</h4>
9:00 AM: Weekly sales report preparation&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Prepare the weekly sales report.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: &ldquo;How many deals have we won and lost vs competitors in the last quarter? What were the common reasons?&rdquo;
</li>
<li>
Tools: Salesforce
</li>
</ul>
1:30 PM: Client retention strategy session&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Review client feedback and satisfaction scores.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "Summarize recent client feedback and satisfaction scores."
</li>
</ul>
3:00 PM: Finalize proposals and send out to new customers&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Key task: Finalize proposals.
</li>
<li>
Ask Qatalog: "Show me examples of proposal templates we've used in the past few months."
</li>
</ul>
Using Qatalog, Sales teams can streamline their workflows, enhance productivity, and improve client interactions. By leveraging Qatalog's powerful querying capabilities and integrations with essential tools, Sales professionals can stay on top of their game, making data-driven decisions and maintaining strong client relationships.
<h4><a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">Request your demo with Qatalog today</a></h4>

Discover how to streamline weekly sales tasks with Qatalog's AI-powered platform. Boost efficiency, productivity, and client interactions.

Sales teams: A week in the life with Qatalog

Sales teams know the pressure of balancing client meetings, strategy sessions, product demos, and ongoing training. Enter Qatalog – the AI-powered platform designed to help Sales teams work smarter, not harder.

The security and efficiency of your work tools are more important than ever. When it comes to managing and leveraging your business data, trust is paramount. Qatalog understands this and has built a platform that prioritizes your privacy, security, and productivity. Here are five reasons why you can trust Qatalog.
<h4>1. We respect your data privacy</h4>
At Qatalog, your data privacy is our top priority. We understand the sensitive nature of the information you handle, and we are committed to protecting it. Unlike other platforms, we do not copy, index, or store your data. Your data remains exclusively yours, and we never use it to train our AI models. This ensures that your business intelligence stays confidential and secure.
<h4>2. We&rsquo;re secure and compliant</h4>
Security breaches can have catastrophic consequences for any business. Qatalog takes this seriously by implementing full data encryption both in transit and at rest. This means that even when your data is being transferred across networks, it is always protected.&nbsp;
Additionally, we comply with the highest industry standards including SOC II, GDPR, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701. These certifications demonstrate our commitment to maintaining a secure and compliant environment for your data.
<h4>3. We&rsquo;re permissions-aware</h4>
Data access control is crucial for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of your information. Qatalog ensures that your employees only view information they already have access to, reinforcing the security and relevance of all data interactions. This permissions-aware approach means you can trust that sensitive information remains accessible only to authorized individuals, reducing the risk of accidental data exposure.
<h4>4. We prioritize accuracy</h4>
Inaccurate data can lead to poor decision-making and lost opportunities. Qatalog prioritizes accuracy by generating responses that are up-to-date and resistant to hallucinations. Our AI models are designed to deliver precise information based exclusively on your data, ensuring that you can trust the insights and recommendations provided. This focus on accuracy helps you make informed decisions with confidence.
<h4>5. We provide custom responses</h4>
Every business is unique, and so are its data needs. Qatalog excels in providing custom responses to your queries. By asking questions in plain language, you can receive refined, tailored responses that address your specific requirements. This personalized approach not only enhances the user experience but also ensures that you get the most relevant and actionable insights from your data.
<h4>Curious to see if Qatalog is the right fit for your team? Get started today and <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">request a live demo</a> with us.</h4>

Trust Qatalog for secure, private, and accurate business data management. Learn how we protect your data and deliver custom, relevant insights.

5 reasons to trust Qatalog | Qatalog

The security and efficiency of your work tools are more important than ever. Here are five reasons why you can trust Qatalog.

5 reasons to trust Qatalog

The traditional concept of perfect documentation being the gold standard is becoming obsolete. We're moving towards a more dynamic, agile way of managing information, and Qatalog is at the forefront of this revolution. It's time to let go of the burden of flawless documentation and embrace the efficiency of a platform designed to work with the natural flow of your team's knowledge and data.
<h4>Why perfect documentation is overrated</h4>
For years, we've been conditioned to believe that documentation must be immaculate. Every detail, every process, and every piece of information needed to be captured flawlessly to ensure smooth operations. However, in reality, this pursuit of perfection often leads to inefficiencies and frustration.
<ul>
<li>
Time-consuming: Creating and maintaining perfect documentation is a time-consuming task. It takes away valuable time that could be spent on more productive activities.
</li>
<li>
Stifles agility: Rigid documentation can hinder agility in rapidly changing environments. Teams need the flexibility to adapt and evolve without being bogged down by outdated or overly detailed documents.
</li>
<li>
Human error: No matter how much effort is put into creating perfect documentation, human error is inevitable. Mistakes can still slip through the cracks, rendering the documentation less reliable.
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Qatalog: A new way forward</h4>
At Qatalog, we understand that in the modern workplace, the flow of information is constant and ever-changing. Our platform is designed to work with the way teams naturally operate, rather than imposing strict documentation standards. Here&rsquo;s how Qatalog makes perfect documentation a thing of the past:
<ol>
<li>
Unified workspace: Qatalog brings your tools and data into one unified workspace. Whether it's project management, communication, or data storage, everything is interconnected. This eliminates the need for separate, meticulously maintained documents, as the platform itself becomes the source of truth.
</li>
<li>
Dynamic knowledge management: Qatalog's dynamic knowledge management system allows information to evolve naturally. As teams collaborate and update their work, Qatalog automatically captures these changes. There's no need to share the latest version of a document with your colleagues.
</li>
<li>
Search and discover: The powerful search capabilities of Qatalog make finding information effortless. Even if the documentation isn't perfectly organized, users can quickly locate what they need.
</li>
<li>
Collaboration-first approach: Qatalog prioritizes collaboration over documentation. By focusing on seamless communication and teamwork, the platform ensures that knowledge is shared and leveraged effectively, without the need for perfect documentation.
</li>
</ol>
<h4>Embracing the future of work</h4>
The end of perfect documentation doesn't mean the end of organized, efficient work. On the contrary, it signifies a shift towards more intuitive and responsive ways of managing information. Qatalog empowers teams to focus on what truly matters &ndash; collaboration, innovation, and productivity &ndash; without being hindered by the pursuit of perfect documentation.
In a world where change is the only constant, embracing tools that adapt to our natural workflows is key. Qatalog is leading the charge, providing a platform where imperfection isn't just accepted &ndash; it's embraced. Say goodbye to the endless quest for flawless documentation and hello to a more fluid, dynamic way of working with Qatalog.
<h4>Ready to experience the seamless efficiency of Qatalog? <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">Request your demo today</a> and transform the way your team works.</h4>

Discover why perfect documentation is outdated. Embrace agile knowledge management with Qatalog for dynamic, efficient teamwork.

The end of perfect documentation | Qatalog

The traditional concept of perfect documentation being the gold standard is becoming obsolete. We're moving towards a more dynamic, agile way of managing information, and Qatalog is at the forefront of this revolution.

The end of perfect documentation

In our <a href="https://www.bigmarker.com/orbitalx-webinars/Unleash-Your-Company-Insights-AI-Powered-Approaches-to-Self-serve-and-Productivity">recent webinar</a>, we explored how Qatalog can transform your company's data into actionable insights, significantly boosting productivity. Led by Tariq Rauf, our CEO and Founder, and Adrian McGreevy, our VP Commercial, the session highlighted the powerful capabilities of AI-driven tools.
<h4>The modern business challenge</h4>
Traditional methods of asking questions and waiting for responses are both inefficient and outdated. Employees often spend significant amounts of time each week searching for information scattered across various systems.&nbsp;
Generative AI is revolutionizing how businesses handle data. Manual extraction and transmission methods are not only slow but also prone to errors. Qatalog tackles this challenge head-on, empowering employees to save time and boost efficiency through effective data management and AI-driven insights. It provides seamless self-service access to insights stored across platforms like Salesforce, SharePoint, emails, and other SaaS applications. This shift enables faster and more accurate data retrieval, significantly enhancing overall productivity.
<h4>Unlocking value with AI</h4>
According to a McKinsey report, data users waste up to 40% of their time searching for insights. Qatalog aims to reduce this time to near zero. Our RAG-powered AI technology ensures that data retrieval is not only quick but also accurate and reliable. This allows businesses to realize value faster and make informed decisions without the usual delays.
<h4>How does Qatalog work?</h4>
Qatalog provides a user-friendly interface where employees can ask nuanced questions in plain language and receive smart, AI-powered answers. Our system understands the intent behind queries and retrieves relevant data from connected systems, ensuring that the information provided is accurate and verifiable. This approach eliminates the inefficiencies of traditional search methods and empowers employees to find the information they need quickly.
A common challenge with AI systems is hallucinations, where the AI generates incorrect or misleading information. Qatalog tackles this by using real-time data retrieval from authorized systems, ensuring that responses are based on the most current and accurate information available. This method significantly reduces the risk of errors and enhances trust in the AI&rsquo;s outputs.
Data security and privacy are paramount. Qatalog respects user permissions and maintains strict compliance with SOC II, GDPR, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 standards. Our system uses end-to-end encryption and a no-trace policy to ensure that your data is secure. Users can only access the data they are authorized to see, using their existing permissions, which preserves data integrity and privacy.
<h4>Get started</h4>
Organizations across various sectors, including finance, media, and technology, are already benefiting from Qatalog&rsquo;s capabilities. These businesses are leveraging our AI solutions to access vast repositories of data instantly, reducing the time and effort required for data retrieval and processing. This not only saves time but also accelerates operations, giving them a competitive edge.
Our team is ready to show you how our AI-powered platform can be tailored to meet your specific needs and help your organization achieve its goals. 
<h4>If you&rsquo;re interested in exploring how Qatalog can revolutionize your data management and boost productivity,&nbsp;<a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">request a demo with us today</a>.&nbsp;</h4>
<h4>Watch a recording of the full webinar&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bigmarker.com/orbitalx-webinars/Unleash-Your-Company-Insights-AI-Powered-Approaches-to-Self-serve-and-Productivity">here</a>. Stay updated on upcoming webinars <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/qatalog/events/">here</a>.</h4>

Discover how you can unleash your company insights with Qatalog, boosting productivity and efficiency across your organization.

Webinar: Unleash your company insights | Qatalog

In our recent webinar, we explored how Qatalog can transform your company's data into actionable insights, significantly boosting productivity.

Webinar: Unleash your company insights

To maintain a competitive edge and make strategic choices, organizations must adopt advanced technologies. Generative AI is a pivotal innovation, transforming how Insights and Analytics teams develop actionable business strategies. It doesn't merely assist in strategic decision-making &ndash; it is essential to it.&nbsp;
A recent McKinsey survey reveals that companies effectively using customer analytics are 23 times more likely to excel in new customer acquisition and nine times more likely in enhancing customer loyalty compared to their rivals. Yet, many organizations face challenges in fully leveraging their data across various sources. Often, insights are confined within the central analysis and research teams, depriving decision-makers of the timely, pertinent information they require. According to a Forrester study, 60-73% of all data within businesses remains unexploited for analysis and decision-making, underlining a significant gap that no business can afford to ignore.
By granting frontline workers and decision-makers self-serve access to relevant, trusted insights via generative AI, organizations can become more agile, innovative, and resilient.
<h4>How can Qatalog help?</h4>
With its AI-enhanced capabilities, Qatalog offers a seamless solution that amplifies the effectiveness of Insights and Analytics teams. Here&rsquo;s how Qatalog can specifically bolster these functions.
Instant, self-serve access to verified insights: At the heart of Qatalog's approach is our intuitive natural language interface. This feature empowers users to query insights using everyday language, eliminating the need to navigate complex dashboards or master technical query languages. Simply pose your questions as if you were asking a colleague. For instance, you might ask, "What was our market share in Europe last quarter?" or "Which customer segments are most likely to churn?" With Qatalog, accessing crucial business insights is as easy as having a conversation.
Centralized data streams: Qatalog acts as a centralized platform where all data streams are integrated. This consolidation eliminates the silos that typically complicate data accessibility and interpretation. With Qatalog, teams can access a unified view of information, which is crucial for comprehensive analysis and quicker insight generation.
Enhanced collaboration: Collaboration is key in analytics projects, and Qatalog's tools foster an environment where sharing and communication are streamlined. Whether it&rsquo;s sharing dashboards, reports, or real-time data insights, Qatalog ensures that all team members are on the same page, enhancing synergy and reducing the risk of errors.
<h4>Find out how Qatalog can drive innovation and efficiency across your Insights and Analytics teams by <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">signing up for a demo today</a>.</h4>

Discover how Qatalog harnesses AI to transform Insights and Analytics teams by providing self-serve access to insights, centralizing data, and enhancing collaboration for agile, informed decision-making.

Harnessing AI in Insights and Analytics teams | Qatalog

Generative AI is a pivotal innovation, transforming how Insights and Analytics teams develop actionable business strategies. It doesn't merely assist in strategic decision-making – it is essential to it.

Harnessing AI in Insights and Analytics teams

In today's fast-paced work environment, managing time efficiently and enhancing productivity is more critical than ever. Professionals are swamped with tasks, meetings, and endless communications, often leaving them drained and with little time to focus on truly impactful work.&nbsp;
Finding solutions that can streamline operations and boost efficiency at work are paramount. They&rsquo;re not just advantageous for saving time; they&rsquo;re essential for staying competitive and achieving professional success.
This is where Qatalog steps in &ndash; AI-powered software designed to streamline workflows and drastically reduce the time your organization spends on mundane tasks. It can save you precious hours, leaving you to think about what you can do with that newfound time.
<h4>How can you save time with Qatalog?</h4>
Qatalog isn't just another tool for you to add to your tech stack and forget about. It's a central hub that integrates your workplace apps and consolidates fragmented workflows into a cohesive, streamlined process. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple apps and platforms, reducing the cognitive load and allowing you to focus more on your work.
<ul>
<li>Eliminate redundant requests: Qatalog can significantly reduce unnecessary communication, eliminating the need for 80% of requests that typically clutter your inbox or messaging apps. Imagine not having to send or respond to emails asking for document locations, project statuses, or meeting updates? With Qatalog, your organization can keep all this information transparent and accessible, ensuring you spend less time chasing information and more time using it.</li>
<li>Automation and integration: Qatalog expertly automates routine tasks and integrates seamlessly with essential tools like Dropbox, Slack, and Jira. Whether for project management, communication, or resource planning, Qatalog ensures that your organization&rsquo;s data is synchronized and always current. This integration capability means no more manual entry of the same data across different platforms; a common time-waster in most organizations.</li>
</ul>
<h4>What can you do with your extra time?</h4>
With the hours you save using Qatalog, the possibilities to enhance both your professional and personal life are vast.
<ul>
<li>Enhance work quality: Fewer distractions and less time spent on administrative tasks mean your team can dedicate more effort to the quality of your work. This could be refining your project, crafting more thoughtful strategies, or simply having the bandwidth to think creatively.</li>
<li>Invest in professional growth: Use the extra time to allow your team to upskill; something that&rsquo;s tricky to find the time to do. Whether it's learning a new tool, improving existing skills, or staying updated with industry trends, having more time means your team can invest in professional development, making your team stronger.</li>
<li>Boost team collaboration and innovation: With fewer hours spent on administrative tasks and communications, teams can dedicate more time to brainstorming sessions, strategic planning, and collaborative projects. This not only accelerates project timelines but also encourages a culture of innovation, where ideas can be developed and implemented more efficiently.</li>
</ul>
In a world where time is a precious commodity, Qatalog offers a promising solution to help your organization focus on what truly adds value to your work. By reducing the need for constant requests and eliminating repetitive tasks through automation and integration, Qatalog frees you up to grow and innovate in the way you see fit.&nbsp;
Embrace Qatalog, and take control of your time, paving the way for a more productive, fulfilling professional journey. Try Qatalog for yourself by <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">signing up for a demo</a> today.

In today's fast-paced work environment, managing time efficiently and enhancing productivity is more critical than ever. Explore how your organization can save time and focus on what matters.

Save time and focus on what matters | Qatalog

Finding solutions that can facilitate operations and boost efficiency at work are paramount. Qatalog is designed to streamline workflows and drastically reduce the time your organization spends on mundane tasks.

Save time and focus on what matters

In today's digital era, businesses are continuously searching for technologies that not only enhance efficiency but also provide up-to-the-minute, reliable information. One of the most transformative advancements in this quest is the development of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).&nbsp;
RAG technology revolutionizes traditional language models by dynamically integrating live data into its responses. Unlike conventional large language models (LLMs) that rely solely on pre-existing, static datasets which can quickly become outdated, RAG systems actively query and incorporate information from live databases, documents, and other digital resources in real time.
<h4>The power of RAG&nbsp;</h4>
At Qatalog, we harness the power of RAG to redefine how businesses access, interact with, and benefit from their data. Here&rsquo;s how RAG empowers Qatalog to deliver unparalleled service and functionality to our customers.
<ul>
<li>
Enhanced accuracy and relevance: Qatalog's RAG-powered AI does more than just retrieve information &ndash;&nbsp;it ensures that every piece of data it pulls is precisely tailored to the query at hand. By accessing real-time data from a wide array of internal sources and integrations with work apps, such as Slack, Confluence, or Google Drive, our AI provides answers that are not only accurate but also highly relevant.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Hallucination-resistant answers: Using live, verified data reduces the risk of generating inaccurate or fabricated responses &ndash; commonly referred to as "hallucinations". This capability is crucial for maintaining the integrity of decision-making processes, as it ensures that every response is rooted in factual data. By continuously querying and integrating current data from authenticated sources, our system not only minimizes the likelihood of errors but also adapts to new information as it becomes available.
</li>
<li>
Source information is easy to edit: Qatalog provides a user-friendly interface that allows administrators to easily control the information accessible by the AI, ensuring that the system always delivers the most relevant and current data.
</li>
<li>
Directly traceable sources: Transparency is key in building trust with technology. Each response generated by Qatalog's AI can be traced back to its exact source. This feature is vital for compliance and auditing purposes, allowing users to verify the validity and origins of the information provided.
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Commitment to security and compliance</h4>
The integration of RAG within Qatalog&rsquo;s framework upholds the highest standards of data security and compliance, ensuring sensitive information is handled with utmost integrity. Key aspects include data visibility based on user permissions to prevent unauthorized access, strict adherence to GDPR and CCPA regulations for compliance, no use of customer data for training models to protect data integrity, and no storage of customer data within our systems to minimize security risks while maintaining accessibility.
To experience the transformative potential of Qatalog&rsquo;s RAG-powered AI, you can <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">sign up for a demo</a>. The journey from trial to adoption is supported every step of the way by Qatalog&rsquo;s dedicated customer success team, ensuring that you can tailor the platform to your unique needs.

Explore how Qatalog's innovative use of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology enhances AI response accuracy by integrating real-time data, ensuring high integrity and compliance.

Achieve new levels of efficiency with RAG technology | Qatalog

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology boosts AI response accuracy by integrating real-time data, ensuring decision integrity and compliance. Qatalog harnesses this technology to become a vital asset for businesses navigating the digital landscape.

Achieve new levels of efficiency with RAG technology

In an era where generative AI has unlocked new possibilities across industries, it has also introduced fresh security concerns, particularly in the context of data breaches and cybersecurity threats.
Maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of company information is more critical than ever. Companies are under increasing pressure to safeguard sensitive data while ensuring employees can access the information they need to perform their duties efficiently. This delicate balance is where Qatalog excels, providing a solution that respects privacy and enhances operational security.
<h4>What is Qatalog?</h4>
Qatalog provides a centralized platform that enhances workplace efficiency through several key features. Its keyword search allows users to quickly find relevant conversations, files, and emails all in one place.
Qatalog employs AI-powered technology to enable users to ask questions using everyday language and receive smart, prompt answers. It helps to streamline operations by allowing users to design, manage, and automate custom workflows, making process management smoother and more efficient.
<h4>Boost your workplace privacy and security&nbsp;</h4>
Secure, permission-aware access: Qatalog's innovative approach ensures that employees can access only the information they are permitted to see. By aligning with your organization&rsquo;s existing permissions structure, Qatalog maintains strict confidentiality and compliance, preventing unauthorized access and leakage of sensitive information. This ensures that every piece of data retrieved through Qatalog is not only relevant but also securely delivered according to the user&rsquo;s access rights.
Advanced data encryption: From the moment data is queried until it&rsquo;s displayed on your screen, every bit of information is protected by robust encryption protocols. Qatalog applies full data encryption both in transit and at rest, adhering to stringent industry standards including SOC II, GDPR, and ISO 27001. This comprehensive security measure safeguards your data against unauthorized access and cyber threats, ensuring that your company&rsquo;s information remains secure and private.
No indexing or copying of data: Qatalog&rsquo;s commitment to privacy is further reinforced by its policy of not copying, indexing or storing your data, or using it to train AI models. Unlike other platforms that store snippets or copies of your information, Qatalog interacts directly with the source data in real time. This approach not only minimizes the risk of data breaches but also ensures that no outdated or inaccurate data is ever used in decision-making processes.
Intelligent, privacy-centric workflows: Automate your document management and approval processes while keeping your data secure. Qatalog&rsquo;s AI-assisted workflows are designed to handle sensitive information with utmost confidentiality. These smart workflows ensure that data handling complies with organizational and regulatory standards, reducing human error and enhancing data privacy.
Real-time, accurate and secure responses: Experience the pinnacle of privacy-focused artificial intelligence with Qatalog. The platform&rsquo;s AI provides instant, accurate responses to your queries, drawing information securely and directly from your internal databases and documents. This ensures that the answers you receive are not only timely and relevant but also completely secure, maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of your company's sensitive data.
Choosing Qatalog means prioritizing both efficiency and security. It's designed for enterprises that value privacy, requiring no synchronization or storage of customer data. Crucially, Qatalog places control in the hands of its administrators regarding which data sources can connect to the system. This not only protects your information but also significantly mitigates the risk associated with external breaches.
<h4>You can experience the difference with Qatalog by <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">signing up for a demo</a>. Witness firsthand how our platform can transform the way your team accesses and utilizes information without compromising on privacy or security.</h4>

Discover Qatalog's AI-powered platform for secure, efficient workplace operations with advanced encryption and privacy-centric workflows.

Elevate your workplace privacy and security | Qatalog

Maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of company information is more critical than ever, and companies are under increasing pressure to safeguard sensitive data. Qatalog provides a solution that respects privacy and enhances operational security.

Elevate your workplace privacy and security

Operational efficiency has emerged as a critical battleground for enterprises in the relentless pursuit of competitive advantage. Optimized operations, agility, and institutional knowledge can directly impact customer experiences, revenue streams, and bottom lines. However, despite having vast amounts of operational intelligence distributed across various systems, tools, and teams, many companies face challenges in effectively leveraging this information to drive business value.
Enter Qatalog's enterprise search AI solution, a pioneering approach that aims to break the operational intelligence struggle. By combining advanced natural language AI with unified access to disparate, internal data sources, Qatalog empowers every employee with on-demand self-service access to the operational knowledge they need.
At the heart of Qatalog's solution is the ability to write in natural language. Users can simply ask questions using conversational language, such as "What are the steps for the cloud database backup procedure?" or "Which operational sites have open compliance issues this quarter?" Qatalog's cutting-edge natural language understanding capabilities comprehend the nuanced intent behind multi-part, conditional queries to provide precise and contextually relevant results &ndash; not just keyword matches.
But Qatalog doesn't just search your information &ndash; it connects it. By providing a single search bar experience where you can search through a variety of connected applications, Qatalog offers unified visibility across sources. This seamless integration extends to your existing operational systems and workflows, allowing Qatalog to initiate actions and data flows, pushing relevant information to employees in context, accelerating operational efficiency.
With enterprise search AI powering unified operational intelligence across your organization, you can unlock transformative operational optimization.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Boost efficiency through on-demand access to procedures, documentation, and best practices.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Accelerate operational decision-making with real-time visibility into key metrics, processes, and resource availability.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Improve cross-functional alignment by facilitating visibility and collaboration across operational domains.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Rapidly upskill employees leveraging democratized access to institutional operational intelligence
</li>
<li>
Strengthen governance by connecting policies, safety guidelines, and regulatory standards into a unified operational experience.
</li>
</ul>
Embrace the future of operational excellence with Qatalog's enterprise search AI solution, and unleash the power of unified operational intelligence.
<h4>Interested in trying it out for yourself? Reach out to our team to <a href="https://qatalog.chilipiper.com/book/round-robin-queue" rel="follow">schedule a free demo</a>.</h4>

Unlock operational agility with Qatalog's AI-powered search solution. Access unified data, and drive optimization.

The power of unified operational intelligence

Operational intelligence access through natural language AI and unified data connectivity empowers employees to gain self-service access to insights, drives optimization, alignment, and accelerated decision-making.

For organizations striving to unlock the full potential of their information assets, ensuring the security and sensitivity of that information is paramount. With sensitive insights often stored in a variety of applications, folders, and other repositories, maintaining proper access controls and adhering to data governance policies becomes a critical challenge. Traditional approaches to data management, which involve indexing and storing information in centralized repositories, can introduce potential risks and compliance issues.
To address these concerns, innovative solutions like Qatalog's AI-powered platform have adopted a unique approach to enabling insights access while maintaining high levels of information security and sensitivity.
<h4>Our actionquery engine</h4>
At the core of Qatalog's approach is a proprietary AI engine called "actionquery," which enables self-serve insights without indexing or copying sensitive information. Instead of copying, storing or saving insights, actionquery connects directly to an organization's existing sources via live APIs, leveraging user-level tokens and granular permissions to ensure each individual only has access to the information they are authorized to view.
This approach eliminates the need for data replication or syncing, reducing the risk of security breaches and ensuring compliance with industry regulations and internal policies. Furthermore, actionquery discards all information after processing, leaving no residual traces of sensitive insights within the system.
But security is not the only consideration &ndash; Qatalog's architecture is also designed to accommodate a wide range of insights, sources, and integrations. Enterprises can connect as few or as many sources as needed, starting with one or two and expanding over time.
By combining advanced natural language processing, machine learning, and secure integration capabilities, Qatalog enables organizations to strike the perfect balance between enabling insights access and safeguarding sensitive information. With this innovative approach, companies can unlock the full potential of their insights-driven initiatives while maintaining the highest levels of security, compliance, and control.
In today's insights-driven landscape, the ability to provide access to information while ensuring information sensitivity is a critical competitive advantage. By prioritizing both accessibility and security, organizations can empower their workforce with the insights they need to drive better decision-making, foster innovation, and achieve long-term success in an increasingly insights-driven world.
<h4>Want to see Qatalog for yourself? <a href="https://qatalog.chilipiper.com/book/round-robin-queue" rel="follow">Get in touch with our team to book a demo</a>.</h4>

Qatalog's AI platform provides secure insights access without copying data, it connects directly to sources via live APIs.

Secure sensitive information while enabling insights

Your information is valuable, so think, how secure are the Gen AI solutions your organization is deploying?

Secure sensitive information while enabling insights across the enterprise

In the ever-evolving landscape of information, gaining swift access to relevant insights has become a critical competitive advantage. However, traditional data analytics tools and dashboards often require significant technical expertise, creating barriers for non-technical users and hindering the widespread adoption of data-driven decision-making.
This is where natural language processing (NLP) comes into play, revolutionizing the way organizations interact with and consume insights. By leveraging NLP, innovative AI solutions enable users to retrieve insights using everyday language, eliminating the need for complex queries, prompt engineering, or coding skills.
<h3>A look ahead at the market</h3>
According to a report by MarketsandMarkets1, the global natural language processing market is expected to grow from USD 18.9 billion in 2023 to USD 68.1 billion by 2028, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.3% during the forecast period. This growth is driven by the increasing adoption of NLP across various industries, including healthcare, retail, and finance, as organizations seek to simplify data access and enhance decision-making processes.
With NLP-enabled insights platforms, users can simply ask questions in natural language, such as "What was our market share in Europe last quarter?" or "Which customer segments are most likely to churn?" The platform's NLP capabilities then interpret the query, retrieve relevant data from various sources, and present the insights in an easy-to-understand format.
This approach not only democratizes access to insights but also fosters a data-driven culture across the organization. By empowering non-technical users to explore and leverage insights independently, NLP solutions cultivate a shared sense of ownership and accountability for informed decision-making.
Furthermore, NLP-powered insights platforms can integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, bringing relevant information directly to the point of decision-making. For example, a sales manager preparing for a client meeting can quickly retrieve the latest version of the client's purchase history, product preferences, and service interactions, all within the context of their customer management workflow.
As the demand for data-driven decision-making continues to grow, natural language processing will play a pivotal role in simplifying access to insights for non-technical users. By breaking down technical barriers and fostering a culture of data literacy, NLP-enabled solutions empower organizations to unlock the full potential of their data assets, drive innovation, and gain a competitive edge in an increasingly data-driven world.
<h4>Read more about how you can democratize insights across your organization in our <a href="https://qatalog.com/resources/self-service-insights/" rel="follow">most recent white paper</a>.</h4>
1<a href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/natural-language-processing-nlp-825.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/natural-language-processing-nlp-825.html</a>

Natural Language Processing empowers organizations by simplifying insights access and fostering a data-driven culture.

NLP: Simplify access to insights for non-technical users | Qatalog

Natural language processing (NLP) simplifies data access, enabling non-technical users to retrieve insights effortlessly. Its adoption is driving a data-driven culture across industries, enhancing decision-making processes.

Natural language processing: Simplify access to insights for non-technical users

In today's fast-paced, hyper-competitive business landscape, data-driven insights have become the new strategic asset. From understanding customer behavior and market trends to optimizing operations and driving innovation, the ability to leverage insights is separating industry leaders from the rest.
However, many organizations struggle to fully capitalize on the wealth of insights at their disposal. Despite significant investments in data collection and analytics, valuable insights often remain siloed within specific teams or functions, inaccessible to the decision-makers who need them most. This disconnect between insights and decision-making can lead to missed opportunities, suboptimal resource allocation, and erosion of competitiveness.&nbsp;
To unlock the full potential of data-driven insights, businesses must cultivate a culture of insights-driven decision-making that permeates every level of the organization. This requires breaking down traditional barriers and empowering employees across departments with self-serve access to relevant, trusted insights.
<h3>The Benefits of Insights-Driven Decision-Making</h3>
When organizations embrace an insights-driven approach to decision-making, they can reap numerous benefits, including:
<ol>
<li>Improved agility and responsiveness: With real-time access to insights, businesses can quickly adapt to changing market conditions, customer preferences, and competitive landscapes.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Enhanced operational efficiency: Data-driven insights can help organizations identify bottlenecks, streamline processes, and optimize resource allocation, leading to increased productivity and cost savings.</li>
<li>Better risk management: By leveraging data-driven predictive analytics, companies can anticipate potential risks and proactively mitigate them, protecting their bottom line and reputation.</li>
<li>Increased customer satisfaction: Insights into customer behavior, preferences, and pain points enable organizations to deliver personalized experiences and anticipate evolving needs.</li>
<li>Competitive advantage: Companies that effectively leverage data-driven insights can gain a significant edge over competitors, driving innovation, and identifying new market opportunities.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Build an Insights-Driven Culture&nbsp;</h3>
Fostering an insights-driven culture requires a combination of organizational mindset shifts, technological investments, and strategic initiatives. Here are a few key steps organizations can take:
<ol>
<li>Prioritize data literacy: Invest in training and education programs to help employees across all levels and functions develop the skills necessary to interpret and leverage insights effectively.</li>
<li>Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing: Break down siloes by promoting cross-functional collaboration and establishing platforms for sharing insights and best practices.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Empower self-service: Implement user-friendly, AI-powered tools that enable employees to access and analyze insights independently, without relying solely on centralized analytics teams.</li>
<li>Lead by example: Senior leadership must champion insights-driven decision-making and demonstrate a commitment to using insights to inform strategies and drive business outcomes.</li>
<li>Continuously iterate and improve: Regularly assess data processes, tools, and initiatives, and be willing to adapt and evolve based on feedback and emerging best practices.</li>
</ol>
In today's insights-driven world, the ability to leverage data effectively is no longer a competitive advantage &ndash; it's a necessity for survival and growth. By cultivating an insights-driven culture and empowering employees with self-serve access to insights, organizations can unlock the true power of their data and drive smarter, more informed decision-making at every level.
<h4>Read more about how you can activate organizational insights with AI <a href="https://qatalog.com/resources/self-service-insights/" rel="follow">in our white paper</a>.</h4>

Cultivate an insights-driven culture, leveraging data effectively to drive smarter decision-making and gain a competitive advantage.

The power of data-driven insights for smarter decisions | Qatalog

In a competitive business landscape, leveraging data-driven insights is essential for success. Organizations must foster an insights-driven culture, breaking down barriers to access and empowering employees with self-serve analytics to gain a competitive edge.

Unlock the power of data-driven insights for smarter business decisions

The ability to transform raw data into actionable insights has become a crucial competitive advantage in today's business world. Organizations across industries are grappling with an ever-increasing volume of information, from customer demographics and purchasing patterns to operational metrics and market trends. However, simply having access to data is not enough &ndash; the real challenge lies in effectively leveraging that information to drive better decision-making and fuel growth.
Unfortunately, many companies struggle with what can be called the "insights bottleneck" &ndash; a phenomenon where valuable insights remain trapped in siloed systems, scattered across disparate tools, and inaccessible to those who need them most. This bottleneck is often caused by centralized research and analytics teams being overwhelmed with basic requests, leaving little time for strategic analysis and high-value initiatives.
<h4>The hidden costs</h4>
The consequences of the insights bottleneck are far-reaching and can significantly impact an organization's bottom line. According to a report by McKinsey &amp; Company1, inefficient data processes and delays in accessing insights can result in significant financial losses, with some organizations spending up to 30% of their operating budgets on unnecessary insight surfacing and analysis time.
Beyond the direct costs, the insights bottleneck can also lead to missed market opportunities, delayed product launches, and ineffective resource allocation, eroding competitiveness in rapidly evolving markets.&nbsp;
When decision-makers lack timely access to critical insights, they are forced to either wait for support teams to provide the necessary information or make decisions based on gut instinct alone. In many cases, the urgency of the situation compels employees to move forward without the benefit of data-driven insights, leading to suboptimal outcomes and potentially wrong decisions.
Moreover, the absence of self-serve options for business users perpetuates a cycle of dependency on overstretched research and analytics teams, hindering agility and informed decision-making across the organization.
<h4>An insight-driven culture</h4>
To unlock the full potential of their information and break through this bottleneck, organizations must prioritize the accessibility of insights. By implementing AI-powered self-serve tools and fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making, companies can empower every employee to easily find and leverage relevant insights whenever they need them.
This approach not only frees up analytics teams to focus on higher-value activities but also serves as a catalyst for building an insight-driven culture across the enterprise. When employees are empowered to explore and leverage insights independently, it cultivates a shared sense of ownership and accountability for informed decision-making.
In a world where insights are rapidly becoming the most valuable currency, addressing the bottleneck is a critical step in an organization's journey toward data-driven success. By breaking down barriers and unlocking the hidden costs and opportunities associated with inaccessible insights, companies can drive better outcomes, enhance competitiveness, and unlock new levels of innovation and growth.
<h4>Read more about how you can break the insights bottleneck with AI in our <a href="https://qatalog.com/resources/self-service-insights/" rel="follow">most recent white paper</a>.</h4>
1<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/reducing-data-costs-without-jeopardizing-growth" style="color: rgb(206, 212, 217);">https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/reducing-data-costs-without-jeopardizing-growth</a>

Discover the hidden costs of the "insights bottleneck" and learn how to break through it with AI-powered self-serve tools.

Break through the insights bottleneck | Qatalog

The "insights bottleneck" – a phenomenon where valuable insights remain inaccessible due to siloed systems, overwhelmed analytics teams, and a lack of self-serve options. We highlight the hidden costs of this bottleneck, such as financial losses, missed opportunities, and suboptimal decision-making.

Break through the insights bottleneck: Unlock hidden costs and opportunities

In today's fast-paced business environment, insights are crucial for decision-making within large organizations. However, the abundance of scattered information poses a significant challenge for teams striving to extract valuable insights efficiently.
Enterprises struggling with these issues are seeking innovative solutions to democratize insights across their teams. One such solution is the adoption of enterprise search tools, such as Qatalog, which provides one search bar for your business. With Qatalog, insights become available without disrupting your team&rsquo;s productivity; this is achieved by empowering requesters to self-serve the information they need, with ease.
<h3>The challenge for insight teams</h3>
Insight or support teams are often burdened by a sea of requests, many of which do not need the expertise of an analyst, leading to wasted resources and decreased performance. Qatalog represents a shift in workflow efficiency by automating insights retrieval and enabling seamless collaboration. This liberates analysts for strategic tasks, driving innovation and overall productivity.
<h3>A way to self-serve</h3>
With a unified interface, requesters are able to independently search through dependable corporate documents and applications to retrieve critical information in a timely manner. This leaves behind the days of raising tickets, chasing analysts, and waiting a long time to get important information needed to make decisions.
By centralizing information and democratizing access to insights, enterprise search tools enable teams to work smarter, not harder. With easy access to accurate and up-to-date insights, decision-makers can navigate complex challenges with clarity and confidence. Moreover, the seamless integration of different data sources fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration.&nbsp;
As we embrace the power of enterprise search, we pave the way for a future where insights are not just reserved for a select few, but are readily available to all &ndash; empowering teams to achieve their goals and drive meaningful impact.
Qatalog offers an AI-powered search bar for your business that empowers your team to self-serve their way to insights. <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/insights/" rel="follow">Find out more about how we can help</a>.&nbsp;

Your company insights are stronger when easily accessible.

Democratizing insights with Qatalog

Most AI-powered search or knowledge retrieval tools use data-indexing. It&rsquo;s chosen because it&rsquo;s supposed to provide quick and efficient retrieval of relevant data.
Typically, it works by copying data to a vector database, which uses algorithms to index and store numerical representations of the data &mdash; so it can be retrieved more efficiently.&nbsp;
Although data-indexing is the most common approach it has a number of drawbacks, particularly for enterprise deployment, with reduced security, poor precision, and complex data management.&nbsp;
<h3>1. Reduced data-security</h3>
One of the most significant problems of data-indexing for enterprises is that it risks compromising the security of company data.&nbsp;
The process of indexing effectively creates a copy of your data, usually on a third-party server. This may make searches quicker in some cases, but it increases the potential attack surface for hackers and massively increases the potential damage of a data breach.&nbsp;
In addition, rather than having information stored on multiple distributed applications, indexes bring all that data together in one place. Ordinarily, if a specific app has a data-security problem, the damage is limited to the information stored within that app. But if the data-index provider is breached, the hackers could access to a much larger range of data, including everything you have indexed.&nbsp;
One might think that vector embeddings don't pose a major security risk, as the numerical representations don't mean anything on their own. However, <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2310.06816.pdf" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">a recent study from researchers at Cornell University</a> found that 92% of the meaning can be recovered exactly. The conclusion was that "embeddings should be treated with the same precautions as raw data".&nbsp;
<h3>2. Poor precision&nbsp;</h3>
The second problem with data-indexing is precision and accuracy, which degrades very significantly for larger datasets. This is because data-indexes use a vector database to index information.&nbsp;
Vector databases work by transforming the source information into a vectorized numerical form, where it is then stored in high-dimensional space. Nearest-neighbor algorithms are used to resolve searches, identifying the vector in the dataset with the smallest distance to the query vector and marking it as the nearest neighbor.
However, as more and more data is added, the volume of the space increases exponentially, and the data becomes increasingly sparse. This sparsity means that the distance between many data points converges in relative terms, making it difficult to distinguish between a genuine nearest neighbor and a non-relevant data point.
The practical consequence of this loss of precision is that the prevalence of false positives will increase. This means the AI generated answer may be grounded in real information from the business, but the lack of precision means it&rsquo;s using the wrong information to generate the answer.&nbsp;
This is different to the problem of hallucination where information in a large language model&rsquo;s (LLM) training data is used to resolve queries, generating completely fabricated responses.
<h3>3. Complex data management</h3>
The third problem with data-indexing is the complex data management that comes with it. Enterprise companies generate large volumes of data from hundreds of software applications. This adds significant complexity (and cost) to the data management requirements to enable data-indexing, not least because the index needs to be kept constantly up to date if it is going to be relied upon.&nbsp;
While the solution provider will take some of the load, there is still a large burden of responsibility on the customer to make this possible. This might include:
<ul>
<li>
Data mapping - Creating accurate mappings from diverse data sources to guide the indexing process requires a deep understanding of the data and its structure.
</li>
<li>
Managing duplications - Handling duplicate information across different systems is critical to maintain the integrity and usefulness of the indexed data.
</li>
<li>
Monitoring data pipelines - Monitoring the data pipelines for errors, latency, or other issues is crucial for maintaining the reliability of the system.
</li>
<li>
Data cleaning - Data may need to be cleaned or transformed to ensure it&rsquo;s consistent and high-quality, which is fundamental for the effectiveness of the solution.
</li>
</ul>
Making this happen across an enterprise sized dataset that&rsquo;s constantly expanding and shifting is no easy task. For this reason, it&rsquo;s entirely possible that you&rsquo;ll need a dedicated team whose job is to manage internal data systems, so that the indexing works as it should. This will add significant overheads to the real cost of the solution or take up valuable time that could be better spent elsewhere.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>The alternative&nbsp;</h3>
The good news is that there are much better alternatives. Qatalog&rsquo;s <a href="https://qatalog.com/resources/action-query/">ActionQuery AI engine</a> uses a combination of federated search (using real-time APIs) and retrieval augmented generation (RAG). This approach has a number of advantages:
<ul>
<li>
Secure - It&rsquo;s highly secure as there&rsquo;s no data transfer or duplication needed, as the relevant information is pulled directly from the source in real time and discarded after use.
</li>
<li>
Accurate - Even with large datasets, it delivers consistently accurate query resolutions, making it much more scalable.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Easy to manage - The data management is much less onerous, as there&rsquo;s no data-index to maintain and, therefore, no need for constant updates from hundreds of tools.&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Request<a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/?utm_medium=&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_campaign=blog&amp;utm_content=data-indexing" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> a demo</a> to learn more or <a href="https://qatalog.com/resources/action-query/" rel="follow">download the ActionQuery whitepaper</a>.</h4>

Data-indexing might be the most common approach, but it has a number of drawbacks for enterprise customers.

Why data-indexing is a problem for AI-powered search

Keeping track of tasks and projects is crucial for getting work done, but when there&rsquo;s too much to do it&rsquo;s easy to lose sight of where your priorities lie.
That&rsquo;s where our new&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cu.qatalog.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMDcyMDYsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2hlbHAucWF0YWxvZy5jb20vaGMvZW4tdXMvYXJ0aWNsZXMvMTczNTcwNzUyNzA3OTc_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPUp1bmUrJTI3MjMrLStQcm9kdWN0K05ld3NsZXR0ZXJcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1KdW5lKzIzKy0rTkxcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE2ODg2NTAwMDl9/54738fdff93245fac9f0032a59908c42fd428aaefef933608de3e0c13b0ace57&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1688739375167000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1XZBgsGIQkCiPUtYbMxHY4" target="_blank" href="https://cu.qatalog.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMDcyMDYsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2hlbHAucWF0YWxvZy5jb20vaGMvZW4tdXMvYXJ0aWNsZXMvMTczNTcwNzUyNzA3OTc_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPUp1bmUrJTI3MjMrLStQcm9kdWN0K05ld3NsZXR0ZXJcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1KdW5lKzIzKy0rTkxcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE2ODg2NTAwMDl9/54738fdff93245fac9f0032a59908c42fd428aaefef933608de3e0c13b0ace57" rel="noopener">Timeline View</a>&nbsp;comes in, to show you tasks, projects, campaigns, and more in a clear timeline so you can see what's due soon, what status things are, and more.
Try it out by going to any Module or Tasks browse views and switching the view from list to timeline, in the right-hand corner.
<h3 data-pm-slice="1 1 []">What else is new?</h3>
<ul>
<li>
Export from browse views: Whenever you have a specific filtered view on any of your Modules, you can download that data as a CSV file.
</li>
<li>Dashboard uplift: We've added more options for sorting and filtering your browse views.</li>
<li>
Version history for pages: Your pages now have version history, to ease your collaboration. You&rsquo;ll find it under the three dots menu on any page.
</li>
<li>Label filtering on tasks: You can now filter and group tasks by label</li>
</ul>
<h3>Keep up to date on everything Qatalog</h3>
If you want more updates on all things Qatalog, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter by entering your email on the menu to your right.

Here’s what we’ve launched or updated in Qatalog in the past month.

What’s new on Qatalog: June 2023

What’s new on Qatalog: Updates from June 2023

If we're talking about work, every individual, team, and organization strives to achieve specific goals. But how can you make progress if you're not tracking it? Enter: <a href="https://help.qatalog.com/hc/en-us/articles/16175977405325" rel="follow">Measurements</a>.
Measurements allow you to track and measure specific metrics or progress toward particular goals. Essentially it&rsquo;s a flexible feature that enables you and your teammates to measure anything you want in Qatalog.
<h3>What can I use Measurements for?</h3>
<ul>
<li>
Goals setting and tracking: This is the primary use case for measurements. Whether you use OKR, SMART, or a different type of goal framework, measurements can accommodate it.
</li>
<li>
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) tracking and reporting: KPIs are great for tracking important, everyday metrics that you want to keep your eye on. Unlike goals, they may not have an explicit deadline or target value.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>What else is new?</h2>
<ul>
<li>
Weekly Slack Digest: Automatically generate a digest post to a Slack channel at the end of the week, to keep track of your Item&rsquo;s updates.
</li>
<li>
Workflow assignments: You can now execute them from mobile.
</li>
<li>
Kudos: New UX for Kudos on profiles.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Keep up to date on everything Qatalog</h2>
If you want more updates on all things Qatalog, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter by entering your email on the menu to your right.

When it comes to work, every individual, team, and organization strives to achieve specific goals. But how can you make progress if you're n

What’s new on Qatalog: May 2023

When it comes to work, sometimes we wish things could just get done on their own.
Well, now they can! Introducing: <a href="https://help.qatalog.com/hc/en-us/articles/15167685106829" rel="follow">Triggers</a>.
Triggers are automated actions that happen in the background of your Qatalog. You can set them up by choosing an event that triggers a desired action, and Qatalog will do the rest. You can use them for things like:
<ul>
<li>Sending welcome emails to new members of an Item (such as a project, client, or campaign)</li>
<li>Creating a Slack channel anytime a new Item is added</li>
<li>Publishing an announcement Thread when an Item&rsquo;s status changes</li>
</ul>
Read on to discover more updates, or <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call</a> with our friendly team to learn more.
<h3>What else is new?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Externally share Workflows: You can now invite people outside of your organization to fill out a Workflow, without inviting them to join your Qatalog.</li>
<li>Default sub-tasks: Admins can now add sub-tasks when they create a default task on a Module.</li>
<li>OpenAI Workflow steps: Now you can include text generation from OpenAI as a step in your Workflows.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Keep up to date on everything Qatalog</h3>
If you want more updates on all things Qatalog, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter by entering your email on the menu to your right.

What’s new on Qatalog: April 2023

When it comes to your company&rsquo;s tool stack, has the approach been to introduce just one more piece of software to solve the problem? And then another? And then another?&nbsp;
If so, you&rsquo;re not alone. The latest research from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okta.com/sites/default/files/2022-02/Businesses-at-Work-2022-Annual-Report.pdf">Okta</a> found that large companies are using an average of <a href="https://www.okta.com/uk/businesses-at-work/">211 applications</a>. Of course, the intention here is to improve productivity. But SaaS sprawl on this scale typically has the opposite effect. It complicates workflows, restricts access to vital information, and wastes everyone&rsquo;s valuable time.&nbsp;
Our&nbsp;<a href="https://language.work/research/workgeist/">research with Cornell University</a> found that employees waste an hour every day trying to locate information hidden away in these apps, and more than 40% of workers report spending too much time switching between tools. Worse yet, employees aren&rsquo;t just losing time from navigating different tools, but also from the loss of focus that follows, which harms their productivity further.&nbsp;
This is what we call the productivity paradox &mdash; where software is actually harming productivity. Solutions that were designed to simplify our lives and help us work better are having the opposite effect. Teams are suffering from endless pings and notifications, restricted access to important information, and the stress that arises from navigating dozens of apps every day.
It&rsquo;s time to change the way you work for the better. It&rsquo;s time to rethink digital business systems, to move towards new tools that work the way your business does, that centralize your information, make knowledge-sharing seamless, and unlock revenue potential.
Enter the era of the Work Hub.
<h3 dir="ltr">What is a Work Hub?</h3>
Qatalog&rsquo;s Work Hub is an operating system to run your business, where everything is connected in one place. Instead of scattering your people, processes, and knowledge across dozens of apps, a Work Hub centralizes them in a clearly structured and seamlessly connected platform.&nbsp;
But we know that every business is unique, with different customers, employees, structures, industries, markets, processes, goals, and communication styles. That&rsquo;s why your Work Hub adapts to meet your business&rsquo;s unique needs, with an interface and structure tailored to the way your teams work, and without unnecessary features or complications.&nbsp;
Your Work Hub also uses your company&rsquo;s internal terminology, so teams don&rsquo;t have to familiarize themselves with a dictionary of new words. For example, if your marketing team prefers &ldquo;campaigns&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;projects,&rdquo; and your product team &ldquo;sprints&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;phases,&rdquo; your Work Hub reflects this.
<h3 dir="ltr">How are different businesses using Work Hubs?</h3>
Tech start-ups, marketing agencies, manufacturing companies, fintech firms, and more, are using Qatalog to <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/how-to-fix-saas-sprawl/">reduce SaaS sprawl</a> by building a bespoke Work Hub. Here are some examples of how different businesses might set up their Work Hub:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Marketing and design agencies. Marketing and design agencies often create Work Hubs where they can store information about their clients, manage and collaborate on projects, document and automate SOPs, and create a pipeline system for new business. We&rsquo;ve also seen some customers create a Services Module to centralize information related to the different services they offer.</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Recruitment firms. For recruitment firms, a Work Hub provides a bespoke platform to manage their clients, roles, and prospective candidates, where everything is connected. These Modules ensure consistency of data input and make it quick and easy to get an overview of all their open roles, which of their clients are hiring, and which candidates are actively looking for roles.&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Tech start-ups. There&rsquo;s a bit more variation in terms of how tech start-ups use Qatalog, as it depends on the sector and business model. Generally speaking, it&rsquo;s quite common to see them use it to help them track and manage their different products and features, which gives engineering, product, and marketing teams a space to collaborate, make decisions, and share updates. Often they will create a system to manage their prospective and existing customers too, making it easy for the product teams to view feedback.</li>
</ul>
As you&rsquo;d expect, we also use Qatalog internally, and some of our team members have created some Modules to manage more of our internal operations, such as: 
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">Vendor management. Our operations team built a vendor management system within Qatalog to track all of the subscriptions, suppliers, software tools, and other third-party suppliers we work with. If anything needs renewing, or there are questions about a supplier, they take place in context, attached to the vendor in question. </li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">Events. Our people team created an Events Module, to keep everyone informed about upcoming internal events and how to get involved in them. For example, we used it to plan our most recent offsite in Italy, and it gave us a central hub for people to ask questions, share the agenda, and communicate key information. </li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">Content pipeline. Our marketing team created a content production pipeline for our blog. It sounds simple, but it&rsquo;s really helped streamline our workflow and increase visibility of what&rsquo;s coming.</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">How a Work Hub works</h3>
Traditional custom software requires anywhere from a few weeks to several months to design and build. However, thanks to Qatalog&rsquo;s AI-powered builder, you can create your custom Work Hub in minutes. Let&rsquo;s talk more about how this customizable system works.
Qatalog&rsquo;s building blocks are called &ldquo;Modules&rdquo; and they usually reflect the core pillars of your business. For example, if you&rsquo;re a marketing agency, one of your Modules might be called &ldquo;clients.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The Module would help you organize your clients&rsquo; information in a consistent format. This might include the company&rsquo;s name, industry, size, contract value, account lead, and so on. It would also help to centralize critical information you do with your client, such as scope of work agreements or contracts. If you ever need to find these documents, you know exactly where to look.
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bezlImVmFkYceBEyogC5jpK77qFm5kKbcRj8rF5AOcp1QQRGlNhBBs0y3tBoXf-T2OkTzKogKLQPLUxt_GIwiIF2oBkWiCUEsA4ZvudLUZZR7E0NTYbHYHGvcJjyAbLu6B34WaTdg0YOa2YkhGGqnw" width="624" height="391">
You can also customize and configure your Modules any way you want to suit your needs. For example, a SaaS start-up might have a Module for its subscribers with fields that specifies how long a user has been a subscriber for and what tier they pay for.&nbsp;
Having these building blocks in place makes it really easy to scale because every time you get a new client or onboard a new customer, your Module makes sure you&rsquo;re consistently capturing the right information. And you&rsquo;re not bound by your Module&rsquo;s initial configuration, either &mdash; you can add or remove features and adjust the format whenever you need to.
You can also create relationships between different Modules to further streamline your workflow. For example, let&rsquo;s say you&rsquo;re a financial services company that relies on external contractors for legal counsel. You can create a Module called &ldquo;Contractors&rdquo; to record the different contractors you work with, including details about their areas of specialization, hourly rates, and where they&rsquo;re based.&nbsp;
Now, when you create a new case (using a Case Module), you&rsquo;ll have the option to link the case to the client it relates to and to the relevant contractor that&rsquo;s working on it. This means when you view a case, you can instantly see which client it&rsquo;s for, which internal team members are working on it, and which external contractors are engaged. And if you need information about any of them, it&rsquo;s all in the same system, just a click away.&nbsp;
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/J5hjouUpJ-IOgJRWt8JFhSRmVgPznTtk03YuuwAyX_Nj-XdGzfeO7rcmyvh3b7TcYhrga8JqNFdpz1sGcbF1oqi2e34SLV5zUIepv_QgsPPQ5FBAwDg5_QEhpcvqbXzV3QH0yHHmVShYYRPOIZh4zw" width="624" height="388">
As you can see, this structure of Modules allows you to create a Work Hub, where everything is connected and all your information is centralized. If someone on your team needs context around a client or project, they can refer to the relevant Item. Qatalog makes information sharing a breeze and gives you complete visibility into the context of your workflows.
<h3 dir="ltr">What are the benefits of a Work Hub?</h3>
Still wondering whether a Work Hub is right for you? Here are the top benefits of building your own custom virtual workspace with Qatalog.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Streamline your tool stack. <a href="https://language.work/research/workgeist/">More than half of workers</a> have trouble finding the information they need, context-switching is disrupting their workflow, and having dozens of subscriptions puts a strain on your budget. With Qatalog, you can radically simplify your tech stack, saving money, improving productivity, and centralizing your information and processes in a single, connected Work Hub. </li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">It's tailored to you. Until now, custom software has typically been a luxury that only tech giants like Shopify, Stripe, and Amazon, can afford. They realized that off-the-shelf solutions don&rsquo;t cut it, so they used their enormous in-house tech teams to create solutions tailored to their business.&nbsp;Qatalog has&nbsp;<a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/why-everyone-should-have-access-to-custom-software/">democratized access to custom software</a>, so every business can build a solution that&rsquo;s precisely configured to meet their needs. The structure and processes will match your company&rsquo;s unique workflow, and it&rsquo;ll use the same terminology that your teams use internally. By creating the features you need in your custom Work Hub, you can also avoid the need for additional tools to patch any gaps. </li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Scale your system. Qatalog&rsquo;s modular structure makes scaling your workflows and processes seamless. Whenever you onboard a new client or start a new project, your relevant Modules will make sure all the important information is collected consistently. And as your business grows and evolves, you can create new Modules to manage new types of work and information. Qatalog also avoids the classic problem with most customizable tools, where it descends into chaos once you reach a certain size. This is because the permission system in Qatalog mirrors their roles in your organization, so you can keep adding new users without worrying they&rsquo;re going to break the entire structure you&rsquo;ve created.&nbsp; </li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Make work visible and accessible to everyone. With a Work Hub, if a team member needs to access information on a project, client, or product, they can simply click on the relevant project item to instantly get context around it or ask a question to the relevant team.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
The good news is that it&rsquo;s also quick and easy to get started. Just let us know what kind of business you're in, and Qatalog AI will create your centralized Work Hub to manage your processes and run your operations. If it needs more fine-tuning, we&rsquo;ll be on hand to help you.
When you&rsquo;re ready to escape the productivity paradox, book a call with our&nbsp;<a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">customer team</a>.

The very tools that were designed to improve productivity have done the opposite. Work Hubs are the answer.

Feeling the productivity paradox? You need a Work Hub

Are your tools making work harder? You need a Work Hub

Work can be routine, and chances are, you find yourself doing the same tasks over and over again. Enter: <a href="https://help.qatalog.com/hc/en-us/articles/14235659819149-Recurring-Tasks" rel="follow">Recurring Tasks</a>.
Daily standups, weekly document updates, and monthly reminders will no longer slip through the cracks. Simply add a task, set it up to recur when you need to see it again, and never forget to do it.
Read on to discover more updates, or <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call</a> with our friendly team to learn more.
<h3>What else is new?</h3>
<ul>
<li>We re-introduced the ability to mark a resource as key.</li>
<li>Threads can now be shared to a Slack channel of your choice, not just the one connected to an Item.</li>
<li>Navigation setup just got easier with &lsquo;drag and drop&rsquo; and improved nesting options.</li>
<li>Invite buttons are available in all items and browse views, for easy access.</li>
<li>People and Teams connections can now be shown as tabs on their profiles. An admin will need to enable this option on each Module&rsquo;s settings.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Keep up to date on everything Qatalog</h3>
If you want more updates on all things Qatalog, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter by entering your email on the menu to your right.

What’s new on Qatalog: March 2023

Are you tired of managing complex processes across different departments? As a Chief of Staff, I know the struggle. I have oversight across finance, HR, and operations, and I have a stack of weekly, monthly, and quarterly processes that I need to keep track of and be on top of, many of which are sometimes lengthy multi-step processes.&nbsp;
Previously, I was a heavy Google Docs and Notion user. All of my to-do lists were on Notion, and I documented all of my processes in big Google Docs, where I would add any context if needed. The problem was this would quickly become out of date when a process changed and the Google Docs were often difficult for others to find. I also realized my instructions weren&rsquo;t as clear as I thought, when other people tried to follow them. Not to mention the fact there were lots of very manual processes involved.&nbsp;
Now, it&rsquo;s all become a lot easier. I use Qatalog&rsquo;s Workflows feature, which is designed to streamline, document, and automate routine processes. This means I never forget a step, I&rsquo;ve always got the context I need to complete a task, and large parts of the process are automated.&nbsp;
But the biggest benefit of doing this is that, even if I were to disappear into thin air, everything would keep working smoothly because there is an easy process to follow that&rsquo;s clearly documented for everyone else.&nbsp;
So, here are five ways that I use Workflows to automate my job:
<h3 dir="ltr" role="presentation">1 - Automated emails and Slack messages to share updates from a completed process</h3>
Example: When we have a new joiner, it&rsquo;s my job to create their email address. Once the email address is created, I need to let HR and the hiring lead know so they can start setting up their onboarding meetings. Previously, I&rsquo;d have to manually type this out every time. Now, I have a template for this that is pre-populated automatically with all the relevant information required about the new joiner, and the email (or Slack message) goes out automatically using the Workflow. All I have to do is press &lsquo;Next.&rsquo; 
<h3 dir="ltr" role="presentation">2 - Workflows are automatically assigned to me at the right time&nbsp;</h3>
Example: I use this in various ways. I have a weekly and monthly workflow with all the different tasks I need to complete over that period. Once I complete the last step in that Workflow, the next one is assigned to me straight away. This helps me prepare for next week and kick off the week well, as I know what&rsquo;s ahead, and makes it almost impossible to forget critical tasks. 
<h3 dir="ltr" role="presentation">3 - Streamlined compliance approvals&nbsp;</h3>
Example: We use workflows that allow team members to request new vendors, tools, and suppliers, as well as a payment for them. As each new request needs to be evaluated for SOC2 and ISO processes, we have set up approvals for this process. When a team member requests a new tool to use, it first goes to our security team to approve and identify what type of access is needed. After that has been approved, the requester needs to add the payment information and it goes to the finance team to approve and complete. Previously, all these steps would have been done in direct messages on Slack, and there would not have been the required steps for our certifications process. Now, the requester can see exactly in which stage the request is and what next steps still need to be done to complete the request. I know exactly when I am needed to jump in, as I&rsquo;m notified when it is time for me to approve my part of the Workflow.
<h3 dir="ltr" role="presentation">4 - Automated database updates</h3>
Example: Workflows can be used to create an &lsquo;item&rsquo; in Qatalog, which is essentially a record of anything you want. We use Qatalog to manage all of our vendors, where we store key information about them, such as the renewal date, owners, cost, data risk, and more. At the end of the new vendor request Workflow (mentioned above), a new item is automatically created in the system, with much of the information already populated. It helps to eliminate a tedious manual task and ensures consistency of information. This was one example, but you can also use Workflows to automatically create other items based on the inputs, such as Clients, Projects, Campaigns, Cases, Products, Orders, or Bug Reports.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/NChIvUePRy2Tc5UwR3X8" alt="undefined">
<h3 dir="ltr" role="presentation">5 - Auto-assign tasks&nbsp;</h3>
Example: When you create a Workflow in Qatalog, you can specify tasks that need to be done by a particular person as part of the Workflow or as a result of it. These tasks are automatically assigned to the relevant person and will appear on their tasks page, so there&rsquo;s no need to add them manually to a separate task manager. I use this in a number of our onboarding Workflows, where there are certain tasks that our operations teams need to complete, and these are automatically assigned to the right person at the relevant point, without the new joiner having to do anything!
These are just five of the countless ways that I use Qatalog to automate my work. It helps me focus, I know exactly what I need to do next, and I don&rsquo;t have to worry that I&rsquo;ve forgotten anything. But more importantly, it means I can relax when I&rsquo;m on holiday because I know the team can execute these processes faultlessly when I&rsquo;m not working!&nbsp;
To learn more about how Qatalog could increase automation in your team, <a href="https://qatalog.chilipiper.com/book/round-robin-queue?utm_medium=organic-social&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_campaign=blog&amp;utm_content=automate-my-job" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">book a call with our customer team</a>.

Learn how Qatalog's Chief of Staff has automated her role using Workflows.

Five ways I automate my job as Chief of Staff | Qatalog

Learn how Qatalog's Chief of Staff has automated large parts of her role using Workflows.

Five ways I automate my job as Chief of Staff

<ul>
<li>Customers get custom setups that mold to their business in seconds </li>
<li>New era for software as every business now has access to made-to-measure tools </li>
<li>Powered by world&rsquo;s first generative AI that designs and builds software instantly </li>
<li>Qatalog&rsquo;s Intelligent Work Hub allows businesses to radically simplify their technology stack</li>
</ul>
London, December 6th: Qatalog, the Intelligent Work Hub, has launched Qatalog 2.0, a major upgrade to its platform that enables anyone to create a made-to-measure software platform for their organization, in a fraction of the time and cost. Qatalog wants to use the technology to <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/no-excuse-for-one-size-fits-all-software/" rel="follow">democratize access to custom software</a> and &lsquo;reimagine&rsquo; the way we design, build and use software more widely. 
Qatalog 2.0 is powered by QatalogAI, the world&rsquo;s first generative AI that can design and build bespoke software instantly, using Qatalog&rsquo;s infrastructure. The system understands the needs of any organization, no matter the industry. In less than a minute, customers can go from briefly describing their business to using their bespoke Work Hub, which centralizes all of their people, processes, and knowledge. 
<h3>Radical simplification of the tool stack </h3>
With Qatalog 2.0, companies no longer have to use a stack of generic project management tools, task managers, company wikis and document editors, which don't integrate with each other, and don&rsquo;t reflect the nuances of how different organizations work. Qatalog replaces all these point solutions with an integrated made-to-measure platform. The customer simply tells Qatalog what kind of business it is, and it will create a single, centralized Work Hub in seconds, with all of the functionality they need. Customers can then make further changes to precisely configure the platform exactly as they want. 
This allows for a radical simplification of the tool stack. Qatalog&rsquo;s Work Hub acts as the unifying software layer across an entire organization, replacing a range of applications, and integrating with specialized tools for specific use cases, such as Figma for design, GitHub for code, or Salesforce for commercial use-cases. 
<h3>QatalogAI </h3>
QatalogAI is currently in beta, but it already demonstrates a clear understanding of the likely requirements for each customer&rsquo;s Qatalog Work Hub, as well as the relationships, permissions, features and data models that will be needed. The feat is possible because of the foundational architecture of Qatalog&rsquo;s product infrastructure, which was built to catalog business items, connect tools, and streamline collaboration at scale. This infrastructure is what allows the AI to generate actionable designs that can be instantly turned into powerful software. Over the next 12 months, Qatalog plans to build its AI into features across its platform to help automate menial tasks, make smart suggestions, and much more. 
<h3>An Intelligent Work Hub </h3>
At its core, Qatalog&rsquo;s Work Hub is a set of tools to manage people, processes and knowledge in a centralized platform that&rsquo;s seamlessly connected. With Qatalog 2.0, these tools can be completely customized and reconfigured to create custom software to manage businesses of any industry, size, or structure. If a company uses specific terminology to reflect a distinct operating model or culture, this is also mirrored. This allows Qatalog to reproduce the core business operations of any company and make them digitally native. 
For instance, a global marketing agency might want to manage its Clients, Campaigns, Consultants and Offices; a recruitment firm might want to manage its Recruiters, Roles, Clients, and Candidates; while a tech company might want to manage its Customers, Products, Projects, and People. In each case, bespoke software &lsquo;Modules&rsquo; are configured to fit the intended use case, with seamless relationships between them. 
Despite the high level of customizability, the platform remains highly structured and scalable. Once a customer has agreed on the design for their Qatalog Work Hub, the structure is locked in place for the rest of the team or company, but can be configured by accounts with relevant permissions. This ensures consistency as the company grows, with minimal oversight required. 
<h3>Tariq Rauf, founder and CEO of Qatalog, said: </h3>
&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t just about Qatalog 2.0, we are at the forefront of a new era of software where machines understand us, adapt to us, and work for us. All we need is a brief description of the business you want to manage, and Qatalog&rsquo;s AI will create a structured and scalable Work Hub, tailored to your needs. This is the first time generative AI has been used to design and build software.
&ldquo;It completely reimagines the way we design, build, and use software. For decades, we&rsquo;ve been forced to adapt to our tools, conforming to their structure, terminology and processes. The only alternative was custom software, which is only accessible to the world&rsquo;s largest companies, because it&rsquo;s phenomenally expensive to build and maintain. 
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re upending that narrative and we can make it radically cheaper, faster and more convenient. It enables an entirely new way of building a collaboration stack for a company - and one that is radically simplified. No more bloat and wasted budgets. Just software that fits. And because everything is connected and centralized, work becomes visible, processes are automated, and collaboration is supercharged. 
&ldquo;The reality is that most software tools for work don&rsquo;t function in companies with more than 50 people, typically because they lack a scalable structure in the first place, or the level of customization means it quickly falls apart. We&rsquo;ve taken an entirely different approach and from day one, we built the foundations of Qatalog so that it could be both flexible and highly scalable.&rdquo;
 -Ends- 
Media contacts: 
Sam Ferris, Communications Manager 
Email: <a href="mailto:sam.ferris@qatalog.com" rel="nofollow">sam.ferris@qatalog.com </a>

Images:
<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14bUPw6SauGpERkBlZlIOXeqh5XDzPuYr?usp=sharing" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Qatalog Media Kit </a>

Qatalog, the Intelligent Work Hub, launches the world's first AI software builder as it sets out to democratize access to custom software.

Qatalog launches world’s first AI software builder

Qatalog has launched the world's first AI powered software builder with the release of Qatalog 2.0, as it sets out to democratize access to custom software.

Your business is unique. The products, customers, employees, structure, industry, markets, processes, goals, communication style - everything is distinct. But the software tools you use to do your jobs are not. 
And you&rsquo;re using hundreds of them. Research suggests your company of a few hundred people is using <a href="https://www.okta.com/sites/default/files/2022-02/Businesses-at-Work-2022-Annual-Report.pdf" rel="follow">89 apps</a> on average, up 24% from 2016. And if you work in a larger company of 2,000 people or more, it&rsquo;s almost twice that. No wonder it often feels so hard to keep up with the endless stream of notifications. 
Software bloat is running out of control, with a sprawl of generic tools, and the customer has been overlooked. We've created endless iterations of spreadsheets and documents for almost every problem, but none of these tools reflect the way our business actually thinks or operates. We need to take a step back and consider and empower how an organization actually functions in order to better serve our customers. 
The problem is so pervasive that we are almost desensitized to it. It&rsquo;s as if we have forgotten that digital technology was meant to make our lives easier. Make no mistake, today&rsquo;s software often feels like forcing square pegs into round holes. 
For starters, each piece of software brings an entirely new set of terminology into your business&rsquo; lexicon, which you&rsquo;re now forced to use. Is it a board or a workspace? A database or a dashboard? An interface or a channel? The list goes on. Then it shoehorns a bunch of processes and structure into the way your team operates, with a completely different way of organizing your work. This often triggers the following sequence: 
<ul>
<li>Adoption is limited - Some people in the team struggle to get their head around the new tool. Although they have had some training, there are new words for everything, redesigned processes, and additional information required. It doesn&rsquo;t feel intuitive at all, so they just stop using it and carry on as before.</li>
<li> Workarounds are created - Although &lsquo;X tool&rsquo; has most of the functionality required, it becomes clear that it&rsquo;s missing a few important capabilities, so another tool is needed to fill the gap. Some kind of workaround is created where information has to be copied manually from one place to another. It just about works, but the process has now become clunky and crucial information is often lost. </li>
<li>Back to square one - The combination of weak adoption and broken processes starts to hurt productivity and damage team morale. The intended goal of improving efficiency seems like a distant memory and the concern amongst management is that it&rsquo;s having the opposite effect. 12-18 months later, after a huge investment of time and money, they scrap it and look for an alternative. </li>
</ul>
It&rsquo;s a cycle that is repeated over and over, as companies search in vain for a workable solution but all the while, their software subscriptions keep rising. It&rsquo;s astonishing really, because all the companies we speak to want to reduce the number of tools they use. The first reason is obvious. Paying for hundreds of software subscriptions is insanely expensive. But the second reason is arguably even more costly, and that&rsquo;s the enormous hit to productivity and employee experience. 
This was laid bare by a recent study of <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/08/how-much-time-and-energy-do-we-waste-toggling-between-applications" rel="follow">a Fortune 500 company</a> which revealed that its employees were switching applications and websites 1,200 times each day on average. It estimated this took two seconds each time, equivalent to just under four hours a week, or 9% of their annual time at work. As the study describes, &ldquo;for most employees, there isn&rsquo;t an obvious way to avoid ping-ponging between documents, websites, and apps &mdash; it&rsquo;s just how the work has to be done&rdquo;. 
This echoes the findings from <a href="https://language.work/research/workgeist/" rel="follow">our own research with Cornell University</a>. We found that employees are wasting an hour every day trying to find information hidden within apps, and 43% say they spend too much time switching between them. All of this context switching slows us down, but it also makes it harder to focus and, over time, increases our stress levels. 
There is a clear paradox here. The very tools that were supposed to make us more productive are doing the opposite. 
<h2>A failure to innovate </h2>
All of this points to why work often feels so broken. We&rsquo;re using a stack of generic tools, all patched together, to run entire companies. You might think this represents a failure of leadership or management. I believe it represents the abject failure of the technology industry to innovate, because businesses have been left without a viable alternative. 
We&rsquo;ve created thousands upon thousands of apps and tools developed to solve specific problems, with zero regard for the bigger picture and how all these disparate pieces join together. Instead, we have focused on making incremental improvements, whether it&rsquo;s a slightly better document editor, a task management tool with barely distinguishable feature set, a marginally more functional sheet, or a new take on messenger apps. Huge amounts of brain power, capital, and effort, but the net result is stagnation. 
To give customers what they deserve with the technology we have at our disposal, we need to think bigger. 
Qatalog 2.0 is launching on December 6. Follow our team on <a href="https://twitter.com/qatalog" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> for the announcement.

We need to think bigger. Something new is coming.

The end of an era

Do you have collaborators outside of your company? Giving them access to everything they need, without sharing any sensitive or confidential information is key to successful cooperation. Enter external Page sharing: a way to collaborate with stakeholders outside your company without them becoming a user of your Qatalog instance or having access to an entire Project (which you can also share externally if you want).
Read on to discover more exciting updates, or <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call</a> with our friendly team to learn more.
<h3>What&rsquo;s new?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/YjteN7SRgusJXXqPXMUj" alt="undefined" width="699" height="352">
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">SOC 2 Type II compliant: Our SOC2 compliance confirms that our controls and practices have been independently verified to protect the privacy and security of all our customer data. Soon we&rsquo;ll be sharing how we used Qatalog internally to make this process pain-free.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">External Page Sharing: You can now externally share Pages with people outside of your Qatalog, they will receive access only to the shared page and not to any other information within a Project (which you can also share externally).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New integration: OKTA Universal Directory Sync.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">BambooHR auto-sync: This automatically pulls your information from BambooHR and keeps data automatically updated in Qatalog.</li>
</ol>

SOC2 compliance, external sharing of Pages and Projects, Okta integration and much more.

What’s new on Qatalog: September 2022

Already have projects started somewhere else? Don't fret, we've introduced migration from Asana to help you pick up right where you left off. Keep working on your existing Projects and easily add Goals, Tasks, Workflows and more to get you and your team closer to your achievements. Plus, we&rsquo;ve also launched external Project sharing so even stakeholders outside your team can collaborate with you.
Read on to discover more exciting updates, or<a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow"> book a call</a> with our friendly team to learn more.
What&rsquo;s new?
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/KHNUeA9zRZGpB3uisyRI" alt="0822 newsletter whats new" width="703" height="356">
<ol>
<li>Migrate Projects from Asana: Your Asana Projects (including description, due-date, status, people and tasks) can be imported into Qatalog and found in the Projects section.</li>
<li>External Project sharing: Invite external collaborators to securely manage projects within one hub.</li>
<li>BambooHR integration: Sync your Bamboo HR directory with Qatalog &ndash; automatic population. Everyone will come in as an inactive user (and won&rsquo;t get an invite until you activate them as a user).</li>
<li>Activity feed: See activity feed across your tools, such as Trello, included within activity feeds across your work, grouping events.</li>
<li>Improved Search: Faster filters that work across different apps showing you richer search content, whether you&rsquo;re searching on Dashboard or using quick search. We&rsquo;ve also added Groupings so it&rsquo;s easier to find what you need.</li>
<li>More filtering on Directory: You can now filter by location, manager, and custom attributes for enterprise customers (sync from Active Directory).</li>
<li>Template manager: You can create a page or post template.</li>
</ol>
What&rsquo;s Coming?
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/vbsD7SwpTuWazuPWmb0Z" alt="0822 newsletter whats next" width="701" height="366">
Here&rsquo;s a sneak peek of new updates coming soon!
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Team Digests: Automated summary of what&rsquo;s happened in Teams in a Post or Slack message. It will go out to teammates and collaborators on a bi-weekly basis.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Homepage keeps getting better: You will have a &ldquo;for you&rdquo; section and actions you can take to catch up on the day e.g. approvals, follow-ups.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Keep better track of Goals: Automatically track goals in Salesforce, better OKR tracking and updates</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Import from Notion: You will be able to bulk import pages from Notion.</li>
</ol>
Hints and Tips
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/CFH6aiASPyIO3DXzq0hQ" alt="0822 product-newsletter &mdash;&nbsp;In-email-asset" width="701" height="366">
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">🔍 Leo: Press &ldquo;CMD (or CTRL) + K&rdquo; on your keyboard to quickly search for a file, folder, or repo, across your connected tools.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">🪟 Varun: In Projects, Workflows or Goals, you can set up filters you often use and save that view for future use.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">🔗 Kaitlin: Chaining actions in Workflows, for example a link (e.g. Jira or Shortcut ticket) that gets produced after a step to create an object in an integration can be really helpful for tracking issues and reporting.</li>
</ul>

What’s new on Qatalog: August 2022

It&rsquo;ll come as no surprise that the Qatalog team uses Qatalog all day long &mdash; it&rsquo;s rumored that Marta, our Chief of Staff also uses it in her sleep. So naturally, we all get very excited about updates to our workspaces.&nbsp;
We recently gave our UI a refresh, and safe to say, it&rsquo;s stunning. Not only is it visually appealing, but we&rsquo;ve also made it much easier to get started on Qatalog with guided setups. So, if you haven&rsquo;t seen our smooth, easy-on-the-eye design &mdash; we&rsquo;ve often been called the only GenZ/Millennial-friendly work solution out there &mdash; you&rsquo;re missing out.
<h3>Bug reporting and bug squashing</h3>
However, as with all larger-scale updates to software, bugs will inevitably crawl between the code. So before we let our customers share in our rapture for how much easier work gets with every new release across our Work Hub, we stress test everything internally, in a process dubbed dogfooding. It&rsquo;s become a sort of competition between us &ndash; who can find the most, the hardest to uncover, or the most critical to usability. And we wouldn&rsquo;t have a chance of getting any of this done without <a href="https://qatalog.com/workflows/" rel="follow">Qatalog&rsquo;s very own Workflow feature</a>. And yes, there are extra points if you <a href="http://app.qatalog.com/workflows/workflow/report-a-bug-to-qatalog">find a bug</a> in the bug reporting process.&nbsp;
The steps in our bug reporting Workflow record every critical piece of information our engineers need to locate the source. There are text fields for the description of actual behavior vs. expected behavior, drop downs for browser and hardware info, and additional upload fields for images or videos. Once the Workflow is completed, we immediately receive a notification in our #bugs Slack channel which allows for further discussion and additional visibility. Most importantly, the Workflow automatically creates a ticket for the relevant engineer using all the entered data. In short, the completion of one process in a Qatalog Workflow triggers the automatic completion of two other steps linked to our engineering tech stack, which most of the team don&rsquo;t have access to. This saves approximately 10 minutes of work per bug for an engineer but, above all, it puts a structured, consistent and scalable process in place that ensures we can priortize and trace bugs and keep shipping improvements to our customers&hellip;and to our Chief of staff. &nbsp;
<h3>Automating standard operational procedures&nbsp;</h3>
That&rsquo;s just one example of how <a href="https://qatalog.com/workflows/" rel="follow">Qatalog uses Workflows internally to save everybody time</a> while creating a higher-quality outcome. So if you don&rsquo;t have bugs to worry about, how else can Workflows help your business? In a nutshell, Workflows let you <a href="https://qatalog.com/use-case/process-management/" rel="follow">automate standard operational procedures</a>. They transform repeat tasks into a structured and simplified sequence, making it easy for crucial steps to be followed correctly, even by people unfamiliar with the process or completing it for the first time. The completion of one task triggers or even automates the start of another and the user only has to fill in the parts that are unique to the event, saving hours a week.&nbsp;
Internally, we rely on Workflows across people operations for quick weekly processes such as payroll updates, work with external accountants, or multilayered, monthly processes like <a href="https://qatalog.com/templates/hiring-process-steps/" rel="follow">hiring</a>, <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/create-a-seamless-onboarding-experience/" rel="follow">onboarding</a>, or colleague feedback, to <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/raise-your-work-standards/" rel="follow">ensure consistency in execution every time</a>.&nbsp;
Our finance team uses Workflows to gather all requests to <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workflow-collaboration-external-partners/" rel="follow">work with external consultants</a>, contractors, and companies in one place. Our sales team documents their daily standups or post-sales call actions using Workflows. Our customers have raved about their newfound ability to operationalize daily routines, cover critical Project steps, onboard clients, log requests to ops teams, or even create <a href="https://qatalog.com/use-case/knowledge-management/" rel="follow">internal resource centers</a> like intern reading assignments. No matter the team, there is a clear use case for setting up a Workflow and getting time back that would otherwise have been wasted searching through your tool stack or duplicating work.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re new to the world of process automation the good news is that you don&rsquo;t have to start from scratch. Our Workflows are now available to Qatalog users in the form of templates, such as daily stand-ups, new joiner onboarding, or hiring process templates.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/f2bNjIKFRp2NSgCFMWox" alt="July-blog-post-workflows (1).png" width="800" height="450" />
And this most recent version of Qatalog brought further superpowers to Workflows.
Coordinated Workflows let you create things like team or project-specific processes that simplify alignment. Externally shared Workflows let you collaborate with teams outside your org. No more back and forth, <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/client-collaboration-survey/" rel="follow">no more squinting at email threads</a> for information, just hours of time saved. And nested Workflows merge multiple processes into one, which makes complex tasks like the onboarding of a new employee manageable using only one primary Workflow. You can read more about how you can turn weeks of onboarding into an afternoon <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/create-a-seamless-onboarding-experience/" rel="follow">here</a>.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re starting to sense a pattern, it&rsquo;s because there is one &ndash; our Workflows give time back to people so they can spend it on the things that matter, rather than wasting it on mundane, repetitive work.&nbsp;
And it doesn&rsquo;t stop there. Our engineers have also added a multitude of new steps and outputs to improve functionality. Within a Workflow, it's now possible to create Asana or ClickUp tasks, Jira or Linear issues, Trello cards, or even automate the creation of new Dropbox or Google Drive folders and save files within them. In turn, these outputs can also be used to trigger further steps. As demonstrated with our bug reporting Workflow &ndash; the Shortcut ticket that is rendered after the Workflow is completed also generates and sends a Slack message to the Qatalog bugs channel. Qatalog not only integrates seamlessly with other work tools but acts as a <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/what-is-a-work-hub/" rel="follow">coordination layer</a> between them.
Long story short, with Qatalog you don&rsquo;t need to be an engineer to set up automated company processes. <a href="https://qatalog.com/signup/" rel="follow">Start here!</a>

You don’t need to be an engineer to create standardized company processes. Read how to get started with no-code Workflows.

Standardize company processes | Qatalog

You don’t need to be an engineer to create standardized company processes

How would you and your team like to save hours every week on time-consuming processes? Cue <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/automation/" rel="follow">Workflows</a> &mdash; you can turn routine tasks, like employee onboarding, daily stand-ups, and bug reporting, into repeatable sequences. Add automation, so completing one task triggers an action, like sending a message to Slack. And to make things easier, we&rsquo;ve launched ready-to-use templates so you can start automating processes in minutes.
Read on to discover more exciting updates, or <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call</a> with our friendly team to learn more.
What&rsquo;s new?
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/WYeZYk7kSCqos0ccKr8L" alt="Whats-new-Templates-July-newsletter--..." width="645" height="364">
<ul>
<li>Save time with Workflows: Use <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/workflows/" rel="follow">Workflow templates</a>, duplication, and automated triggering to standardize processes. That means no more admin to ensure processes are aligned across teams!</li>
<li>Templates: Save time, standardize ways of working, and instill an async-first culture with templates for Pages, Posts, and Workflows, like new hire onboarding or project planning.</li>
<li>Quick views and custom filters: Reduce context switching with quick views across your work and saveable filters by due date, team, or owner.</li>
<li>Bring your documents and updates to life: Create rich documentation with Pages, like project planning docs. Include what&rsquo;s important, like goals, task lists, relevant slack channels, and noteworthy call-outs, so that everyone is on the same page.</li>
</ul>
What&rsquo;s coming?
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/bfp2OJr2RPKxrjhSzqsl" alt="undefined" width="645" height="321">

<ul>
<li>A snapshot of your day: Your Qatalog homepage will become the place where you catch up on the day with a centralized view of key discussions, open actions, and approval requests.</li>
<li>Create expert-level goals: You&rsquo;ll be able to set up and maintain goals like an OKR expert with automated tracking from Salesforce and Jira, OKR health scores, and confidence reporting.</li>
<li>Sync work with your tools: Centralize work and import important information from Asana. And sync Asana with Qatalog to ensure work is up-to-date with a single source of truth.</li>
<li>Centralized activity feeds: Get updates across your tools like Trello and consolidated updates across important work in Qatalog.</li>
<li>Smart Search: Finding what you need will become easier and quicker with smart filters and rich search content.</li>
</ul>
Hints and Tips
<ol>
<li>📃Add to-do lists, Goals, and Slack channels to your documentation and updates to make them rich with context.</li>
<li>🔔Hit the bell icon on a <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/teams/" rel="follow">Team page</a> or <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/collaboration/" rel="follow">Project</a> to get real-time updates.</li>
<li>🏝Use <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/automation/" rel="follow">Workflows</a> for holiday cover, so your team has clarity on how to get things done while you&rsquo;re away!</li>
</ol>

Check out the most recent product updates from Qatalog: Workflow updates, in-product Templates, Dashboard filters.

What’s new on Qatalog: July 2022

We know there&rsquo;s lots to do when wrapping up a quarter and planning the next one. So, to help you and your team seamlessly manage this, we've got a ton of exciting product updates, like using Tasks to manage what's important by setting estimates and priorities. Or using Workflows to create hands-free team processes like bug reporting.
<h3>What&rsquo;s new?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/KGOZY54XQOWCwFp2wpKG" alt="June__Product_Newsletter_what's+new_G...">
Structured Tasks: Align on what&rsquo;s important and set expectations by setting priority levels and estimates for your <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/collaboration/" rel="follow">Tasks</a>. To try it out, <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call</a> with our customer team.
Hands-free Workflows: Build logic into your <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/automation/" rel="follow">Workflow steps</a> to execute processes effortlessly, like IT equipment requests. Automatically create a Task, add it to the relevant Team, and assign it to the right Ops executive.
Streamlined notifications: Reply directly to <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/settings/notifications/" rel="follow">notifications</a> from the Qatalog app in Slack, use it to instantly add your two cents to a discussion for example.&nbsp;
Default SSO login: Choose how people login into Qatalog by selecting a <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/settings/organization/" rel="follow">default login method</a>.
Restrict access: Ensure the right people are added to your Qatalog account with the <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/settings/organization/" rel="follow">invite-only setting</a>.
Comments on Pages: Jam on ideas and have discussions directly from your docs. Tip: Make a Q3 planning Project and add a jam session page so other teams and stakeholders have visibility over the decisions your team made.&nbsp;
Updated Admin Console: Manage licenses, billing, seats, and users directly within <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/settings/" rel="follow">Qatalog</a>.
Transferring ownership: Never lose work when someone moves teams or leaves your company. Easily transfer data from one account to another. 
<h3>What&rsquo;s coming?</h3>
<h3> <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/hull75UQLiQQudWJFLNg" alt="June-product-newsletter-what's+next.png"></h3>
External Project sharing: Invite external collaborators to manage your projects within one hub securely.
Templates: Save time and standardize processes with templates for Pages, Posts, and Workflows, like new hire onboarding or daily standups.
Automated monthly Digests: Reduce the noise with a personalized summary of important work, every month, directly in your Qatalog app.
Custom filtering: Personalize how you view your team&rsquo;s projects with custom filterings, such as due date or project owner. And save these filters for quick access next time.
<h3><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/LkJ544ITVGxi7bYBKahA" alt="June-product-newsletter-tips.png"></h3>
<h3>Hints and Tips</h3>
💡 Tariq: Use /hints in Pages to highlight important parts of your docs. 📄 Marta: Document your how-to guides with <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/workflows?utm_campaign=06-22-June-product+newsletter&amp;utm_content=0522+%E2%80%94%C2%A0Product+%26+content+newsletter+-+May&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=customer.io" rel="follow">Workflows</a>. 🎨 Valeria: Add color to your <a href="https://app.qatalog.com/?utm_campaign=06-22-June-product+newsletter&amp;utm_content=0522+%E2%80%94%C2%A0Product+%26+content+newsletter+-+May&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=customer.io" rel="follow">Homepage</a> by bookmarking an image URL. 🚧 Sumedh: Use draft Pages to coordinate weekly updates.

Check out the most recent product updates from Qatalog.

What’s new on Qatalog: June 2022

As you scale your team, focusing on employee experience becomes more critical. Creating a positive employee experience is about building workplace engagement and creating an environment where people want to work at your company. It doesn&rsquo;t come easily and requires proper processes, structure, and the right digital tools to be in place. So this month we&rsquo;ve put together our top tips for doing just that. <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">Book a slot</a> with our friendly team if you&rsquo;d like to learn more.
Read on to find out about how to improve 'employee experience', what's new in the product, and a sneak peek of what's coming!
<h3>How Qatalog improves 'employee experience'</h3>
Check out our new or improved features that will help you instill a positive employee experience.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/CUfKrnMTsucbLPtq3wdH" alt="Pages rich editing.png" width="639" height="348">
<ol>
<li>Centralized documentation: Qatalog powers async with Pages and&nbsp;<a href="https://app.qatalog.com/posts/create/" rel="follow">Posts</a>&nbsp;to document things like quarterly reviews or weekly sprint planning. And make them rich with context by adding teammates, images, and rich formatting.</li>
<li>Simplified onboarding: There should be one primary onboarding flow for a new joiner to run through. You can do this by merging multiple processes into one with our new nested&nbsp;Workflows&nbsp;feature &mdash;&nbsp;<a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/create-a-seamless-onboarding-experience/" rel="follow">learn more</a>.</li>
<li>Feedback-first culture: Use Kudos to log feedback directly on a person's profile. This is important for employee development and helps managers when it comes to performance reviews.</li>
</ol>
<h3>What else is new?</h3>
Automated access: Accessibility is easy to manage in Qatalog, now you can add any Google Drive file as a resource within a Project, Team, or Goal, and the right coworkers will automatically get access.
Active Directory Sync: Securely sync users and admin controls directly from your HR system to Qatalog via Okta, Azure, and more. <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">Book a call</a> to learn more.
Seamlessly manage offboarding and team changes: Oversee approvals for reporting line changes and reassignment of work in Qatalog for employees who move teams or leave.

<h3>What's coming?</h3>
Guided setup: Setting up new Projects, Goals, Workflows, and Teams will get faster and simpler with an intuitive guided setup. And, you might notice a little refresh to our UI, too!
External Project sharing:&nbsp;Invite external collaborators to securely manage projects within one hub.
A toolkit for Ops teams to revamp processes:&nbsp;Workflows is getting an update with templates, drafts, automated notifications, and more.
Structured Tasks: Align on what&rsquo;s important and set expectations by setting priorities, estimates, and blockers with Tasks.
Share Posts across Qatalog: Ensure your updates get the right blast radius by sharing Posts across multiple Teams, Projects, or Goals.
Collaborative editing: Work on documentation with your team async, by live editing Pages and easily managing versioning.

<h3>Hints and Tips</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/LxdkH7mnTpyi53S6nXVE" alt="pn-may-8.png" width="630" height="329">
<ol>
<li>🗓 Susana: Set future due dates for Workflow&nbsp;assignments. Simply choose a date when you want your coworker to provide inputs, and they'll get reminded.</li>
<li>💬 Ahmed: Use comments in Posts&nbsp;to have async discussions.</li>
<li>🎯 Joan: Automate Task creation within Projects by adding &ldquo;Create Task&rdquo; as a step within your Workflow.</li>
</ol>

Check out monthly product updates from Qatalog: centralized documentation and streamlined onboarding.

What's new on Qatalog: May 2022

Onboarding is critical, but the experience for the employee is often mediocre at best, and there&rsquo;s a lot to remember for the person responsible.
In previous roles, I would often see people turn up on their first day and spend hours sifting through employee handbooks, which were almost always out of date, or mindlessly scrolling through Google Docs containing endless onboarding task lists. Each day they would go and meet with various people from across the business, who had very rarely spent much time thinking about what they should say.&nbsp;
Then there&rsquo;s the huge checklist of other critical tasks that HR teams and hiring managers have to do before someone even starts, all of which can be unbelievably time-consuming. This includes things like payroll, contracts, tech equipment, compliance, and more.&nbsp;
Now, in the era of remote work, the stakes are higher. Companies need to be much more intentional to get the employee experience right, as they can no longer rely on the office as a failsafe. You can&rsquo;t simply turn to a colleague and ask them to quickly explain something. Nor can you take a quick tour of the office and introduce yourself to various teams or departments and have a quick chat, to get a sense of who does what. On top of that, you now have the logistical challenges of getting all of the equipment they need to work from home effectively.&nbsp;
For companies that are growing quickly and hiring constantly, this can quickly become a problem if it&rsquo;s not managed correctly, and crucial things can be missed. Online onboarding tools and standalone workflow software are sometimes touted as potential solutions, but they come at steep additional costs and sit separately from the rest of a company&rsquo;s work and processes.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Since joining Qatalog almost two years ago, I&rsquo;ve used our own <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/automation/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Workflows</a> feature to onboard new joiners, which allows you to build customized, repeatable processes, and automates large parts of them too. This has already saved me hundreds of hours and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. And for the new joiner, what used to take them a couple of weeks is all sorted in an afternoon, meaning they can get started much faster.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/G8as8dTfiGsMqysrKvxQ" alt="undefined" width="601" height="399" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
Here are my five tips for successful onboarding using Qatalog:&nbsp;
<h3>1. Provide access to vital tools from day-one</h3>
There&rsquo;s nothing worse than starting a new role but being unable to access crucial information because you don&rsquo;t have a log-in and then having to chase five different people to give you access. To make sure everyone can hit the ground running, we created a Workflow with steps that include the invite links from each of the core tools each team needs. Whenever we have a new joiner, one of the admins selects the relevant Workflow, and goes through the steps to invite them to each of the tools. It takes about fifteen minutes in total, and it means they are set up with everything they need from day one.&nbsp;
<h3>2. Never forget security and compliance training again</h3>
It&rsquo;s no one's idea of fun, but making sure new joiners are quickly made aware of security procedures and policies is critical. We&rsquo;ve made this part of our onboarding Workflow, meaning all new joiners will automatically be assigned relevant training to complete, such as GDPR rules and data security. Because it forms part of our standard onboarding Workflow, it&rsquo;s literally impossible for us to forget it.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/VlStRKMwR166RgWQLhtl" alt="Workflows.png" width="601" height="398" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<h3>3. Automate WFH equipment requests</h3>
As a remote-first company, we provide a budget for all new employees to improve their work-from-home setup. We still wanted to manage the process centrally, but we knew it had the potential to be quite time-consuming for all involved. To streamline it, we added a step to our standard onboarding Workflow that allows new joiners to submit links (e.g from Amazon) for the pieces of equipment they want, along with any notes or explanations. We then review it and, once it&rsquo;s been approved, they get a notification to say that it's on its way. Job done.&nbsp;
<h3>4. Get up to speed in record time</h3>
There&rsquo;s often a lot to take in whenever you start a new job with a barrage of information in the form of presentations and webinars. Qatalog allows everyone to do this on their own schedule. Our onboarding Workflow points everyone to our &lsquo;Company&rsquo; section, which every Qatalog user will have. As the name suggests, the Company section is where you can store key information about your company; things like values or tenets, benefits, and policies, useful articles, as well as information you might need day-to-day, like the WiFi password for the office.
All of this is clearly important, but it can still feel detached from the actual work that people do. What is particularly unique about Qatalog is that it allows every user to seamlessly navigate around the company, looking at different teams and their members, projects, tasks, processes, and key resources. This quickly gives people context on who is who, what they have been working on, why certain decisions have been made, and what objectives everyone is working towards.&nbsp;
In many ways, it&rsquo;s like being able to walk around the office and have a chat with everyone while having a rummage through their latest work (unless it&rsquo;s marked as private, of course). Except that with Qatalog, it&rsquo;s on demand whenever you need it, and it&rsquo;s constantly being updated automatically.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/Poxg0RuyRO2VDONWWczU" alt="undefined" width="603" height="400" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">

<h3>5. Make the fun stuff easy</h3>
It&rsquo;s important to remember the little things that ensure people get a warm welcome. But there&rsquo;s always a danger this gets forgotten about when work gets busy. To get to know everyone a little better, we play a game of &lsquo;two truths and one lie&rsquo; with every new joiner on our all-company Zoom calls. To make sure we don&rsquo;t forget (yes you guessed it), we include a step in everyone&rsquo;s onboarding Workflow, where we ask them to submit the three answers. Other things might be getting people to introduce themselves on Slack (the Workflow points them to the right channel), or submitting a photo to create our branded illustrations (again via the Workflow). Essentially, once you&rsquo;ve built a process as a Workflow, you can repeat it time and time again without having to think twice, and you can keep tweaking and improving as you go. It really is that easy.

Read to find out how to turn two weeks of onboarding into an afternoon with Qatalog’s Workflows feature.

How to create a seamless onboarding experience

Follow these five steps and turn two weeks of onboarding into a single afternoon.

Our customers are modern workers who are hybrid, in-office, remote, async, and everything in between. They have left legacy ways of working behind and are relying on a Work Hub to bring structure, transparency, and efficiency into their workday. To give you an idea of how teams are using Qatalog, to improve their day-to-day operations, we&rsquo;ve assembled some of our favorite feedback and reviews from our customers into this post.&nbsp;
&ldquo;With other tools, it&rsquo;s like throwing paint on a canvas and it ends up differently each time, but with Qatalog anybody can throw paint on canvas and it&rsquo;ll end up the exact same picture, every single time." &mdash; Logan, Founder, Marketing Agency
"Qatalog makes a global business feel like we're meeting in the same room...Issues we previously had relating to time zone differences that normally hinder communications have been reduced as all staff now have access to the same information hub." &mdash; Calum, Sales Administration.
&ldquo;With Qatalog, I don't have to spend time looking in my email for things or arranging meetings to align on work, so the time I spend on my computer is cut in half.&rdquo; &mdash; Maija, Project Manager, Media Company.
&ldquo;Qatalog is a single source of truth for content documentation and a way to create business rules. This makes it easier for organizations, in our case the sales team, to get the information they need so they can spend more time selling and less time searching for information&rdquo; &mdash; Kent, Operations Team Lead, E-commerce Startup.
&ldquo;The Goals feature has been a complete game changer. I love the fact that you can add comments to give more context, and the graph that shows your progress and whether you are on track. It&rsquo;s probably the feature we all use because every single one of us on the team has a target that we are working towards. Now the whole team has visibility on it, which has given us a real sense of momentum." &mdash; Niani, CEO, Human Resources Services
"Qatalog has become my command center to run my startup from. When you work across lots of software and every team member has a different favourite tool, Qatalog helps to bring all your project details under one space...I love that I can mark my favorite links and documents in the hub homepage and so can each team member to make the space work for them." &mdash; Rachel, Director
"The visual design and user experience in Qatalog are fantastic and go a long way toward team adoption. The focus on OKRs helps our team see goals set for projects or the company, their statuses, and help us do more meaningful work." &mdash; Joel, CEO&nbsp;
&ldquo;Qatalog is a great tool to be able to search and find what I need, including the initiatives I'm working on&hellip;Having that search functionality, was very beneficial for me because I was able to find pretty much everything I needed very quickly, which saved me a lot of time.&rdquo; &mdash; Daniel, Product Manager, Media Company
&ldquo;Everyone has a different way of working, people like some tools because you can have everything in one place, but you still don't get granular details like why decisions have been made, it's more high level. With Qatalog you get that granularity, for example, if someone updates a project everyone gets to know that's happened&rdquo; &mdash; Lee, Product Designer, Design Agency
"The search feature is really handy, allowing us to find information usually scattered across many software (Drive, Slack etc.) and providing easier access and transparency for new joiners. Similarly, having a directory of the organisation will prove useful once we're at a scale where (in a remote world) not everyone can meet everyone." &mdash; Esther, Head of Growth
Thousands of teams trust Qatalog to connect and coordinate work across every part of their business. You can read more about how they do so our <a href="https://www.g2.com/products/qatalog/reviews" rel="follow">G2</a> and <a href="https://www.capterra.com/p/212389/Qatalog/#reviews" rel="follow">Capterra</a> profiles or <a href="https://qatalog.com/contact/demo/" rel="follow">book a call with our Customer team</a> to find out how you can get started.&nbsp;

A collection of feedback and reviews from our customers. Find out how businesses and teams are getting the most out of Qatalog.

Qatalog reviews: What our customers are saying

Read all about how our customers and their teams are getting the most out of Qatalog.

What our customers are saying

Creating a single source of truth in your organization is difficult. That&rsquo;s why this April, we&rsquo;ve added features that make it easier to do just that &mdash; access files across your tools from a centralized Search, set and manage Tasks from one control center, and add Tasks to Team pages to keep your teams focused on the output.
<h3>What&rsquo;s new?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/eIrtqvGTRyOgqX5unO3w" alt="gifffyyy.gif">
All-in-one Search: Search and filter across your email accounts and file drives such as Outlook, Gmail, Sharepoint, or OneDrive to find what you need with a single search.
Quick Tasks: view, assign, and manage Tasks right from your Homepage in the new &lsquo;your Tasks' section.
Universal Tasks across Qatalog: set to-do lists across all parts of your work &ndash;&ndash; create Tasks within your Team page or add Tasks that support your goals.
<h3>What&rsquo;s next?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/pAPOKdDgQDqeEGX99k2f" alt="10.png" width="720" height="348">
Active Directory sync: avoid manual input by syncing users and admin controls from your HR system to Qatalog via Okta, Azure, and more.
Resource access management: maintain control over who has access when you add a Google resource to Qatalog.
Externally share your work: invite external users to collaborate on your Projects and keep stakeholders informed.
Activity-based Workflow triggers: decide which Workflow gets assigned to a team member based on their role or activity.
Slack replies from Qatalog: decrease tab switching by replying to Threads in Slack from inside Qatalog.
Qatalog Threads from Slack: reduce the duplication of effort by creating Qatalog Threads from a Slack chat.
Share Posts across Qatalog: broadcast Posts across multiple Teams and Projects, to keep everyone updated at once.
<h3>Hints and Tips</h3>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">💥 Tobias: Give feedback on Posts and Threads with emoji reactions.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">📂 Ekrem: Duplicate Projects under the top menu (<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/4SoGb9KmQwyB60VKAcpL" alt="dots-three-outline-vertical.png" width="16" height="16" style="width: 16px!important; height: 16px!important;">).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">🎯 Eniko: Press the follow (<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/V7Eyb5E5ReyMzA2BtoxW" alt="bell.png" width="14" height="14" style="width: 14px!important; height: 14px!important;">) button on a Project to get notified of important updates.</li>
</ol>

What's new on Qatalog: April 2022

&ldquo;Was it on Slack or Email? Or maybe it was Google Drive?&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;...or maybe they didn&rsquo;t actually share it with me?&rdquo;
In the new world of work, with remote teams collaborating online, this scenario will be all too familiar to many. Not only does it stop you from getting work done, it also makes it much harder for people to get context on what&rsquo;s going on across their organization.
Qatalog&rsquo;s recently upgraded Workplace Search feature is designed to help solve this problem, making it quick and simple to find the files and documents that you want, no matter where they&rsquo;re stored. Unified search has become particularly important for remote and distributed companies, helping to avoid constant interruptions to ask where files are, something which is critical for teams working across time zones who can&rsquo;t afford to wait until their colleagues start work six hours later.
The end result is that cross-functional work becomes more visible and accessible, while also ensuring that everyone can actually focus on getting their work done.
Qatalog makes all this possible by integrating with a host of applications, such as Google Drive, Asana, Microsoft Office, Gmail, Outlook, and connecting relevant work, in Qatalog, across teams. Despite all these integrations, which create thousands more potential matches, your search will still return relevant results every time, and at lightning speed.&nbsp;
So, how on earth does it work? I spoke to the Engineering team, to find out.
<h3>How do you make sure people get relevant search results, even with all of these integrations?</h3>
Large organizations often suffer from this problem, because they are working across lots of tools, creating tens of thousands of documents, and the keyword density for certain terms quickly becomes too high to yield useful results.&nbsp;
Our fundamental advantage is that we understand the structure of an organization and how each person relates to their work because that&rsquo;s inherent to the way Qatalog works. For example, Qatalog knows what team someone is in, what Projects they are working on, and who they are collaborating with regularly. All of this data forms our &lsquo;Workgraph&rsquo;, which allows us to make sure the results are as relevant as they can be.
<h3>Why doesn&rsquo;t all of this information slow it down? How is it still so fast?</h3>
The speed of search can become a potential problem when you have so much information. The short answer is that we use a cluster of virtual machines and services dedicated to search only, which improve speed and scalability. The search cluster reads data from Qatalog, which is in tabular form and indexes it in &lsquo;document&rsquo; form. This makes it much easier to calculate relevancy. It also means when there's a high load in the system, we instantly increase the number of servers, which ensures it&rsquo;s always super fast. And when this is combined with data from any API integration, it goes through our processing algorithm where we calculate the relevancy and reorder it again, before the results are shown to the customer. This all happens in about one second!&nbsp;
<h3>And why is this different from other search tool providers in the market?</h3>
Most search-only providers don&rsquo;t have the context that we have from Qatalog users&rsquo; Workgraph, meaning it&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/search-web-email-google-streaming-online-shopping-broken-2022-4" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">significantly harder for them to know what&rsquo;s relevant</a>. Often they will build on top of API search integrations for all the different tools and spit out results using the limited information they have. This typically results in a much slower search experience, with very little guarantee of getting useful results.&nbsp;
<h3>What else have you done to make it easier to find things quickly?</h3>
We&rsquo;ve added simple features like filtering to allow customers to drill down and get more granular results. For example, you can filter by person, by integration, or by date. So if you know a particular person shared a document with you, but you don&rsquo;t know where or when you can narrow it down much faster. In addition, you can also search by the &lsquo;type of work&rsquo;. So, if you know something was shared in a Post on Qatalog, you can filter by &lsquo;Posts&rsquo; and &lsquo;Person&rsquo;.
<h3>Are there systems in place to ensure security and privacy?</h3>
All of Qatalog has been designed with <a href="https://qatalog.com/resources/security/" rel="follow">security and privacy in mind</a>.&nbsp; The crucial thing to mention with Search is that we don&rsquo;t index data from the integrations, so we don&rsquo;t have customer data from all those different tools sitting on our server. This means you also don&rsquo;t have to worry about permissions and ownership either, because we just use permissions from the <a href="https://auth0.com/docs/secure/tokens/access-tokens">API tokens.</a> Instead, we enhance the results from the API with our own relevancy score. All of this lowers the security risk and means no maintenance of permissions and data syncs.&nbsp;
<div class="p-rich_text_section">If you would like to learn more about how Qatalog&rsquo;s Search works, take a look at the diagram below and check out <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/search/" rel="follow noopener">this page</a>. </div>
<div class="p-rich_text_section"></div>
<div class="p-rich_text_section">Alternatively, if you want to see Search in action, you can also <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow noopener">book a call</a> with the team. </div>
<div class="p-rich_text_section"><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/dJhlAfDhQL6VsDMTPuUF" alt="undefined"></div>
<div class="p-rich_text_section"></div>

Qatalog’s all-in-one, unified workplace Search gives you relevant results at lightning speed, helping teams to collaborate with context. Read how we did it.

How Qatalog built its unified Workplace Search

How Qatalog’s all-in-one Search gives you relevant results at lightning speed, helping teams to collaborate with context.

How we built our all-in-one Search

Varun and Kumaran are both Product Directors at Qatalog and joined after working together at Amazon. I had a chat with them to understand what Product Management is all about, the chaos at Amazon, how Qatalog can help people in their role, and what new features they&rsquo;re most excited about.&nbsp;
<h3>First of all, can you both tell me a little about your backgrounds and why you joined Qatalog?</h3>
Kumaran Venkatesan (KV):&nbsp; My background is in data science before I then moved into product management. I spent over six years at Amazon and by the time I left I was leading a Product, Science and Engineering team for Amazon Advertising. Tariq (CEO and founder of Qatalog) also worked at Amazon in London, and we kept in touch when he left to start Qatalog. We&rsquo;d all experienced the pain point Qatalog was solving for and the vision was compelling, so I took the leap.&nbsp;
Varun Krishnakumar (VK): I spent seven years at Amazon as a Principal Product Manager before joining Qatalog. I worked on the launch of PrimeNow, before focusing on AWS, where I led a team of Product Managers. Kumaran left to join Qatalog about 6 months before me, and told me all about it, before introducing me to Tariq. I was sold on the vision too, and I knew there was an opportunity to build something very meaningful.&nbsp;
<h3>What is the role of a Product Manager or Director, and what does that look like day to day for the two of you?</h3>
KV: Ultimately it&rsquo;s about making sure you are solving a customer problem. Our role is to focus on how to keep improving a product in line with what customers want, and coordinating that process with lots of different teams internally. That means lots of usability research and testing, looking at designs, and then getting it built. Then it starts again. It&rsquo;s a constant flywheel of research and continuous improvement.&nbsp;&nbsp;
VK: There&rsquo;s lots of prioritization involved too. We are constantly evaluating what to focus on, whether that&rsquo;s launching new features, or fixing any bugs. We have to make judgment calls on what works and what doesn&rsquo;t, and live with the scar tissue. In our retrospectives, when we look back and assess what we&rsquo;ve done, we have to take ownership of our decisions too, whether they result in success or failure.&nbsp;
<h3>Everyone at Qatalog uses it every day. Has it made your job as Product Directors easier?</h3>
KV: It might sound ridiculous, but it&rsquo;s hard to imagine working without Qatalog now. There are lots of useful features, but the visibility and access to stored knowledge across different teams and projects is probably the biggest reason for that. At Amazon it was chaos, even with their documentation culture, because everyone did things in different ways and, just because something was documented doesn&rsquo;t mean you could find it. That almost never happens now.
<h3>Why is visibility and access to knowledge so important?&nbsp;</h3>
VK: We work with people from design, engineering, and marketing everyday. Visibility of what&rsquo;s going on across an organization means you can ensure early collaboration and bring in the right stakeholders. It was common for different teams within Amazon to be working on projects tackling very similar problems, but we had no idea, meaning there was huge duplication of effort. If you can easily find the right people to talk to early in the process, you can massively reduce your development time.&nbsp;
Qatalog also means you end up building a rich database of projects that have been tried before. For a Product Manager, that is a goldmine. We can go and look at what was done previously and review all the learnings, because it&rsquo;s documented, clearly structured, and accessible. This allows us to make smarter and more informed decisions about new projects, and avoid making the same mistakes.&nbsp;
KV: I agree - the documentation aspect of Qatalog has been great. Even if it&rsquo;s things we have worked on ourselves, or ideas we ended up not progressing with, we refer back to why certain decisions were taken, using Threads. This was impossible at Amazon, as everyone had a different source of truth. Sometimes we&rsquo;d all be using the same document, but version control was a nightmare. Everyone was always pinging each other to ask for the latest versions.&nbsp;
<h3>But now you feel like you&rsquo;ve got a single source of truth with Qatalog?</h3>
KV: One hundred percent! Often we will be working on big feature launches that take a long time and are fairly complex, with lots of resources and artifacts throughout its lifecycle - and we use Qatalog <a href="https://qatalog.com/projects/">Projects</a> to centralize these resources. We use Pages to conceptualize the problem and solution, Timelines to break down project phases and expected completion dates, Tasks to assign work across people, Threads to have async discussions, and <a href="https://qatalog.com/goals/">Goals</a> to assess how successful it's been post launch.
It also provides a much better space for collaboration between teams, that would otherwise be done through email or Slack, meaning everyone knows where things are up to. Product Managers can often spend their life updating people, so this is invaluable.&nbsp;
<h3>What about integrations? Has that been useful?</h3>
VK: Very much so, for different reasons. One obvious example is the <a href="https://qatalog.com/search/">Search</a> feature. Being able to search for files across all the different tools we use saves everyone a lot of time. But for our role specifically, Qatalog also integrates with things like GitHub and having that built into our projects makes it really easy for me to keep track of what&rsquo;s moving and what&rsquo;s stalled.&nbsp;
<h3>To what extent is this more important for remote and distributed teams?</h3>
VK: Our engineering and design teams are fully distributed working across four continents, but our Product Management team is still pretty lean. Ordinarily this would be quite difficult, because you&rsquo;d need to keep everyone updated, even if they&rsquo;re working a very different schedule to you. But with Qatalog, everyone is able to bring themselves up to speed in their own time, because everything is accessible and decision making processes are visible. As Product Directors, this means we have more time to get things done, but it also means our team has more flexibility in terms of when they work, which they value enormously.&nbsp;
<h3>And finally, what new features are you most excited about?</h3>
VK: Automation of actions. Qatalog will start to automatically assign actions to people following certain triggers. For example, if you move from one team to another, it will automatically assign certain <a href="https://qatalog.com/workflows/">Workflows</a>.&nbsp;
KV: Tasks is going to get a big upgrade where we can start to attach different groups of tasks to the different phases of large projects. That will make it much easier to plan large and complex projects, for those who need to.&nbsp;

What do Project Managers do? Kumaran and Varun tell us about their work and how Qatalog can help others in this role.

Making the Product Management role easier | Qatalog

Product Directors, Varun and Kumaran, explain what Product Management is all about and how Qatalog can help people in their role.

‘It’s hard to imagine working without it’ — how Qatalog makes the Product Management role easier

<h3>What is an OKR?</h3>
The acronym OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results, and by definition, it is a data-driven, collaborative goal-setting framework. The Objectives &ndash; Business goals, team goals, or individual goals &ndash;&nbsp; are set first. Then they&rsquo;re broken down into actionable steps supported by desired metrics &ndash; these stepping stones are called &ldquo;Key Results''.
Objectives are ambitious, inspirational, and let&rsquo;s be honest, a little intimidating. Key results are smaller and more tangible. We&rsquo;ve probably met them before and know how to work towards them.&nbsp;
<h3>Got it. But how do I start?&nbsp;</h3>
We use the formula: OKR = [Objective] + [2-4 x Key Results]. You can head to our <a href="https://qatalog.com/templates/okr-examples/">OKR template page</a> for some inspiration on how to start filling in these blanks.&nbsp;
A good rule of thumb is that if your key results are actions, such as &ldquo;publish blog articles frequently&rdquo;, they&rsquo;re not going to work. Results, or outcomes, are never vague &mdash; you either accomplish them or you don't. Including targets, such as &ldquo;publish 2 blog articles every 10 days&rdquo; in your key results will set you in the right direction.&nbsp;
Like most work, OKRs are most effective when they are connected to the work of others. Transparency is key to collaboration and setting OKRs in an accessible way, fostering cross-department input will help you reach them.&nbsp;
OKRs only work if you regularly check in on them. Keeping an eye on them means you can coordinate priorities and catch problems as they are unfolding rather than come crunch time. We&rsquo;re also more motivated when we know what our work is driving towards or what higher purpose the results we are chasing serve. It&rsquo;s also easier to recognize if a team is due a well-deserved Kudos after achieving a key result.
Read more about <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/how-to-write-okrs/" rel="follow">how to set OKRs</a> or why they are <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/goal-setting-for-distributed-teams/">essential for distributed teams</a> in our dedicated blog posts.&nbsp;
<h3>So how can Qatalog help with OKRs?</h3>
Managing Goals can be a headache, especially when it&rsquo;s done in a spreadsheet. How do you know when it&rsquo;s updated? Who&rsquo;s meant to update it? What team is tracking what? Where is the spreadsheet saved? The headache goes on&hellip; And then, when considering switching to a goal-tracking tool, switching costs and set-up times need to be considered.
What's more, goal tracking tools often sit separately from the rest of your work and require upfront work to ensure every team uses the same structure for setting and tracking goals. Unlike other tools, Qatalog&rsquo;s Goal feature is a ready-to-use OKR framework that&rsquo;s structured, visible, and linked to other parts of work like People, Teams, and Projects. This makes it easy for everyone to stay on the same page and ensures consistency in measuring and tracking across teams.
<h3>Transfer your existing goals in minutes</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/eJ4956qGRgKYQhT1skMd" alt="Bespoke-headers-bulk create.png" width="619" height="395" />
Bulk adding your goals, like quarterly OKRs, into Qatalog is simple. You can add multiple goals using the Bulk Create feature, which provides an OKR framework where you can add numerous Objectives and Key Results, and assign them to different people and teams across your org. You can also control what updates you receive when a goal is updated, making it easier to stay aligned.
<h3>Learn more and keep up to date on everything Qatalog</h3>
For a detailed rundown of how to use Bulk Create check out our <a href="https://help.qatalog.com/hc/en-us/articles/4423986506765">help article</a>.
If you want more updates on all things Qatalog, you can <a href="https://qatalog.com/newsletter/">subscribe to our monthly newsletter</a> and keep up with our <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/">blog</a>. Or <a href="https://qatalog.chilipiper.com/book/oezejo" rel="follow">book a call</a> with our friendly team!

Want to effectively align on goals with your team? Tired of using spreadsheets? Learn how to plan and bulk-create OKRs using Qatalog.

Goal alignment and OKR planning | Qatalog

OKRs demystified and how bulk-adding your goals into Qatalog can save you time and uplevel your team collaboration.

Goal alignment and OKR planning made easy with Qatalog

As the quarter comes to a close it&rsquo;s a great time to reflect on what went well and what could have gone better. I like to spend this time going back through all the things we&rsquo;ve accomplished as a team and thinking about how we can go even bigger in the next quarter. Qatalog is a great place for reflection and planning, we use it internally to run our retros, close out quarterly goals, and plan the next quarter ahead.
<h3>What&rsquo;s new?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/rrRjQHXwQDq6WtX5dQ6l" alt="2.png" width="718" height="375" style="font-family: sans-serif;">
Create quarterly Goals in one go: use bulk create to upload multiple goals in one go with an easy-to-use OKR framework.
Coordinated Workflows: simplify alignment with Team Workflows, share Workflows externally to collaborate outside your org, and easily create a Task from a Workflow.
Improved Search: use Qatalog&rsquo;s Workspace Search to find items across your Microsoft suite like Teams, Sharepoint, and OneDrive. And Enterprise customers can now search across their emails &mdash; speak to our friendly team to <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">find out more</a>.
<h3>What&rsquo;s next?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/RvSZ3a4ARbim1gYGrqot" alt="10.png" width="720" height="348">
Tasks for Teams and Goals: set to-do lists across all parts of your work &mdash; create Tasks within your Team page or add Tasks that support your Goals.
Securely manage day-to-day work: use Pages within your Qatalog profile to capture things like meeting notes, 1-2-1 actions, and use Tasks within your profile to manage your to-do list.
Seamlessly measure Goals: auto-measure goals and task completion from your connected tools like Jira, Salesforce, or directly from Qatalog.
Speedy Workflows: save time and easily scale processes by duplicating another team&rsquo;s process, like new hire onboarding. Or use an existing Workflow template.
Guided Project setup: easily create new Projects from a guided setup, this makes it effortless for new joiners to get started on Qatalog and ensures a consistent structure for your projects across your org.
<h3>Hints and Tips</h3>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">👍&nbsp; Ajay: Give someone a virtual pat on the back, straight from a Post, using the Kudos button.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">📥&nbsp; Zoe: Use the quick preview button on your Homepage tiles to see recent activity like updates to a Google Doc.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">💡 Hidayt: Use the Org Chart view to easily visualize reporting lines &ndash; you can add or update your manager and direct reports in your Qatalog profile.</li>
</ol>

Check out our monthly product updates from Qatalog: quarterly goals, coordinated workflows, improved workplace search.

What's new on Qatalog: March 2022

Niani Tolbert is the CEO and founder of <a href="https://www.hireblacknow.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Hire Black Now,</a> which has built a network of 15,000 people to help black women get trained, hired, or promoted. She also happens to be a Qatalog customer. We had a chat with Niani about Hire Black&rsquo;s mission, the positive impact it's having, and how Qatalog is helping her scale the business.&nbsp;

<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/uMFbxQ2RoCJD7hPqj28U" alt="undefined" width="857" height="422" />

In your own words, can you tell me about Hire Black Now and what it has set out to do?
We are a company that is disrupting the recruitment industry by making jobs accessible to all. There are three pillars to recruiting, and all three are extremely biased against black people, and black women in particular. One is organic, the second is referrals, and the third is sourcing. We are trying to tackle all three of these, using a human first approach.&nbsp;
Why did you decide to start Hire Black Now? Was it something you always wanted to do?&nbsp;
Hire Black just started. I was a furloughed tech recruiter at the beginning of the pandemic and at the same time the George Floyd protests were happening. I wanted to advocate for the black community in my own way. On Juneteenth I set out to help 19 black women with their resumes, as lots of people were struggling to find work. In the end, more than 500 women got in touch, and I realized there was an opportunity to do something much bigger. From there it just took off.&nbsp;
How is Hire Black different from a normal recruitment agency?
We are not a recruitment agency. We consider ourselves to be super connectors, helping people to build connections, predominantly through our events and summits. The women we work with are highly capable and extremely skilled, they just don&rsquo;t have the access or the network. Our job is to help expand people&rsquo;s network of recruiters and hiring managers in our community.&nbsp;
These connections allow people to challenge what &lsquo;qualified&rsquo; means. In a fifteen minute conversation with a recruiter or a hiring manager, they might discover that someone actually is qualified for a certain role, even if they didn&rsquo;t go to a certain school, or take a certain career path. We help to facilitate those connections.&nbsp;
What kind of feedback do you get from the people you work with?
Lots of people are just amazed at the opportunities they have been able to land. Especially when they realize how underpaid they have been before. Some people have doubled their salaries and, while this makes me excited, it should never have happened in the first place, and it shows how far we still have to go.&nbsp;&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s next for Hire Black Now?
Right now we have about 15,000 people as part of our network, and we want to keep growing that over time. We have some exciting partnerships that we are in the process of launching, as well as some large career expos coming up. One day I would love to fill a whole stadium with programming and networking opportunities, or create a festival to empower people with their careers. But I want these to feel authentic where black people can be themselves.&nbsp;
How has the shift to remote work impacted the work you do?
I am a big believer in remote work generally, but it also supports diversity and inclusion. Some of the people we work with are looking after several generations of family members in their own home. With remote work, they can juggle these familial responsibilities in addition to their own work. It also means they aren&rsquo;t exposed to the microaggressions they might experience when relocating to a new city that&rsquo;s not as diverse, or in an office, which unfortunately are still far too common.&nbsp;&nbsp;
What made you start using Qatalog?
I first found Qatalog on Instagram, where it was described as a Work Hub that connected to all the other things we used, like Slack, Asana and Google Docs. Our team was growing quickly and we were constantly onboarding new people, which means we needed some structure to help make information accessible and streamline our processes. As soon as I saw that Instagram ad, I thought, &lsquo;this is what we need&rsquo;.&nbsp;
How do you use Qatalog day-to-day?
We use it for all sorts of things. All of our metrics are tracked using <a href="https://qatalog.com/goals/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Goals</a> in Qatalog to make sure we understand what our impact is. That includes things like marketing campaign metrics, such as click through rates, open rates, newsletter subscriber counts.&nbsp;
We also use it to document all of our standard operating procedures (SOPs). For example, if you were to look at our Content Team on Qatalog, they have resources that outline how we post a job ad at Hire Black. It has made key information much easier to find, and means people can get on with doing their job.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also proven really useful for onboarding our sponsors when we do our big events. Each sponsor has their own dedicated space with all the relevant information, meaning they have context on what to expect, and we can make sure they fill out all the forms we need.
What are some of the most useful features?&nbsp;
I really love the <a href="https://qatalog.com/workflows/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Workflows</a> feature and how easy it makes everything. Otherwise there is so much that people have to do. But Workflows automates most of the manual work and has been a massive time saver for everyone.&nbsp;
The Goals feature has also been a complete game changer. I love the fact that you can add comments to give more context, and the graph that shows your progress and whether you are on track. It&rsquo;s probably the feature we all use, because every single one the team has a target that we are working towards. Now the whole team has visibility on it, which has given us a real sense of momentum.&nbsp;

Find out how Hire Black Now is shaking up the recruitment industry and using Qatalog to help it scale.

Hire Black Now is disrupting the recruitment industry | Qatalog

Hire Black Now is disrupting the recruitment industry by making jobs accessible to all

Getting context on the who and what across different teams and departments is an age-old struggle that becomes even more pronounced when your team is distributed across different time zones and geographies. Employees are often forced to do a considerable amount of &ldquo;detective work&rdquo; to find the right team or person they need to collaborate with to execute their projects.
Visualize and contextualize reporting lines
Traditional Org Chart tools tried to solve this problem, but they sit separately from the rest of your work and aren&rsquo;t in context, making it difficult to understand the &ldquo;what&rdquo; and &ldquo;how.&rdquo; As a result, they often sit collecting dust on a slide deck or only get deployed for a brief time when annual performance reviews come around. They also haven&rsquo;t kept pace with the way modern organizations are structured, with very little flexibility to add custom teams to aid cross-team collaboration.
But we&rsquo;ve got your back. With Qatalog&rsquo;s latest feature, Org Charts, you get a complete view of your company directory, alongside up-to-date information on what teams or individuals are working on, such as key initiatives or quarterly goals. It makes it easy for your team to see who&rsquo;s who, get details on projects across teams, and avoid unnecessary duplication of work. It&rsquo;s simple to populate the Org chart &ndash;&ndash; admins can bulk update, or users can update their manager and direct reports directly in the Qatalog profile settings, or Enterprise customers can hook it up to their HR system across Azure, BambooHR, Okta, and Workday.
Sync directly with your HR system
To get set up with Org Charts, we offer a no-code option to sync your company&rsquo;s HR directory directly with Qatalog. The beauty of this is that your Org Chart will then connect seamlessly with all other elements of Qatalog&rsquo;s Work Hub, such as Goals, Projects, Announcements, and <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/automation/" rel="follow">Workflows</a>, to provide everyone an accurate and up-to-date view of how work is distributed across the organization. <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">Book a call</a> with one of our Work Hub advisors to find out more.
So how else can I use Org Charts?
Qatalog&rsquo;s Org Charts have a host of uses. Here are some that we&rsquo;ve found particularly useful.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Team updates: Teams get an instant view of who&rsquo;s who, what people are working on, and what goals are being tracked.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Build custom teams for short-term initiatives: For example, pull together Comms, Events, and Social teams to manage a conference keynote. Create a custom team to plan the project and goals directly in Qatalog.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Employee onboarding: Give new joiners a complete and transparent onboarding experience by letting them explore how different teams intersect, priority initiatives, key goals, and team processes, all within Qatalog.</li>
</ul>
Custom teams and squads
Our customers, particularly COOs, HR teams, and company leadership, have been crying out for the ability to create custom and hybrid teams that can co-exist within their org structure. Particularly those of you who employ special teams or squads for knowledge sharing and executing cross-team initiatives. For example, pulling together a temporary cross-functional team across Product, Marketing, and Sales to plan and execute a new product&rsquo;s go-to-market strategy.
Qatalog is giving scale-ups and distributed, agile teams the ability to create a structured Org Chart that connects to all parts of work without the long and expensive implementation times. It not only makes your team&rsquo;s life easier, but it also builds trust and belonging amongst employees as they get visibility and transparency into how things fit together. What&rsquo;s more, structuring your organization into custom teams gives you the agility to scale faster.
Learn more and keep up to date on everything Qatalog
Learn more about Org Charts <a href="https://help.qatalog.com/hc/en-us/articles/4443228351885-Org-Charts" rel="follow">here</a>.
Also, take a look at the <a href="https://qatalog.com/451-research/" rel="follow">latest report</a> on how Work Hubs have emerged to give modern teams better context, collaboration, and cohesion.

Visualize your company’s reporting structure with Org Charts.

Qatalog Org Charts, all from one place

Qatalog now let’s you see your Company’s Org Chart, all from one place

I love February because it&rsquo;s all about implementation and seeing your yearly plans start to take shape. We&rsquo;ve certainly been busy at Qatalog with a host of new updates that will help you centralize teamwork and scale your operations.
You&rsquo;ll see our new Org Charts feature, Pages for documentation, Kanban view for Tasks, and a better way to create Gantt charts for your projects. We thrive on feedback, so if you&rsquo;d like to share your feedback or see how other teams are getting the most out of Qatalog, <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call with us</a>, we&rsquo;re friendly!
Now onto the updates ...
<h3>What&rsquo;s new?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/PebTUnqVSp2l4AproePg" alt="product-blog-Feb-what'snew.png" width="798" height="354">
Org Charts: visualize your company&rsquo;s reporting structure with the Org Chart view in your Qatalog Directory. And Enterprise customers can connect it straight to their HR tool, <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call</a> with our customer team to find out more. Read our blog post to <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/org-charts-all-from-one-place/" rel="follow">find out why we launched Org Charts</a>.
Pages: add Pages, like design docs, to Projects, Teams, Goals, your profile, and the Company section, so everything is visible and centralized.
Organize Tasks: choose how you manage your tasks with the list view or Kanban board.
Project Timelines: create Gantt charts for your Projects with Timelines. Break down big projects into phases, set timeframes, and get progress notifications.
Discussions on Workflows: add comments to Workflows to clarify an input or start a discussion so that you and your team can collaborate efficiently on the inputs.
<h3>What&rsquo;s next?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/1m9TLwohQ2ahfhARX87H" alt="Feb blog-what's coming.png" width="799" height="421">
Centralized work summary: you&rsquo;ll be able to see how work fits together across Projects, Goals, and Teams, with related activity updates, intelligent suggestions, and key items to action.
Custom views: streamline how you view your work with custom filtering or lists. For example, create a view to only see Projects from your direct reports.
Streamlined Workflows: save time by using existing Workflow templates, create Team Workflows like daily stand-up updates, and share Workflows externally to collaborate outside your org, such as new vendor onboarding.
<h3>Hints and Tips</h3>
<ol>
<li>👍 Sarah: Give someone the credit they deserve with Kudos.</li>
<li>📥 Kameron: Use the Smart Feed to see updates from work you&rsquo;re following or your wider Org.</li>
<li>💡 Kaitlin: If you&rsquo;re unsure where to get started, use our examples for Projects and Workflows.</li>
<li>🔔 Amit: Choose which messages you receive and where you receive them.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.qatalog.com/settings/notifications/" rel="follow">Try it</a>.</li>
</ol>
Also, take a look at the <a href="https://qatalog.com/451-research/" rel="follow">latest report</a> on how Work Hubs have emerged to give modern teams better context, collaboration, and cohesion.

What's new on Qatalog: February 2022

How does everyone feel about new year&rsquo;s resolutions? I always love the idea of starting a new chapter with the new year, but I&rsquo;ve never been one to write them down.&nbsp;
I do have a few goals in mind, both professionally and personally, that I would love to accomplish within the year. For example, I&rsquo;d love to speak to as many customers as possible each week, to get feedback on how we can help you achieve your outcomes in 2022 with Qatalog. If you&rsquo;re up for a chat <a href="https://qatalog.com/demo/" rel="follow">book a call</a>. I&rsquo;m using Qatalog Goals to make these goals transparent across our entire org, and as usual, we&rsquo;re seeing many of our Qatalog customers start their year off by creating goals within their Work Hub.
With the new year also comes new product updates, so here are a few that we&rsquo;re excited to share with you.
<h3>What's new?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/HGfZvhdiThygHCSeTvYi" alt="Tasks-blog-compressed.png" width="655" height="468">
Tasks
Drive your projects forward by setting task lists, assigning them to your team, and keeping track of what&rsquo;s been completed.
Automate Workflow steps
Add fully automated steps to your processes like sending emails, Slack messages, or creating an Asana task.
Team Workflow assignments
Bulk assign Workflows to your entire team so that everyone stays in the loop. Simply add the team name as an assignee.
<h3>What's next?</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/Tev8dGYDRg2EKSlkZT2t" alt="Org-blog-compressed.png" width="651" height="439">
Org Charts
Visualize your company&rsquo;s reporting structure with the Org Chart view in your Qatalog Directory.
Import your 2022 goals into Qatalog
Getting started on Qatalog just got easier, simply upload your existing goals into Qatalog &ndash; no more managing goals in spreadsheets!
Custom filtering
Personalize how you view your team&rsquo;s projects, such as, by due date or project owner. And save these filters for next time.
Email search
Enterprise customers can find recent emails using <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/search/" rel="follow">Qatalog Search</a>, from one place.
<h3>Tips &amp; Tricks</h3>
Here are some favorite hacks from the Qatalog team!

<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/NCCyMyk8Re2x6dUWVl40" alt="jan-product-newsletter &mdash;&nbsp;In-email-ass..." width="521" height="271">
<ul>
<li>💾 Tom: Save your Posts as drafts and come back to them later.</li>
<li>📛 Marta: Name Workflow assignments to easily keep track of who&rsquo;s requested what.</li>
<li>🔎 Katie: Narrow down your search results with filters, for example, search only across Qatalog Projects or your connected tools like Google Drive.</li>
<li>🔔 Leo: Personalize your Qatalog notifications so you&rsquo;re in control of what you receive.</li>
</ul>

What’s new on Qatalog: January 2022

Hybrid work, remote work, new tools, four-day work weeks, asynchronous work, location-agnostic compensation &mdash; the world of work is a busy place these days. But it always has been. There have always been companies looking to redefine what work means to their employees through support and benefits, flexible working models, and better automation for internal workflows.&nbsp;
At Qatalog, we&rsquo;re building a work hub that helps companies shift to a new way of working. We&rsquo;re excited that 5,000 businesses (and counting) have adopted Qatalog since the middle of this year when <a href="https://www.producthunt.com/posts/qatalog">we launched to the #1 spot on Product Hunt</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Visibility in the new digital work space is critical</h2>
Our customers are all facing the same problem now that their people are increasingly <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/tool-exhaustion-doesnt-stop-with-zoom-fatigue/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">scattered across tools</a>, locations, time zones &mdash; this highly fragmented workspace makes it so hard to connect ideas and align teams. They&rsquo;re looking for an entirely new system to power company-wide operations in this modern world of work.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/78ZN0wJmTtWrL4RFpsXw" alt="undefined" width="653" height="322" />
Our Customer team has spoken to businesses of all sizes and shapes from different parts of the world. And in these calls, we hear a lot of similar pain points that have resulted from a <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/how-do-you-share-updates-with-your-team/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">lack of visibility</a> built into the center of the way we work. This isn&rsquo;t a singular organizational problem, but a larger issue with how we&rsquo;re used to working &mdash; that <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/putting-trust-back-into-teamwork/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">legacy working model</a> that just doesn&rsquo;t fit modern companies anymore.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve built our use cases to solve for these pain points and make work inextricably linked. By providing structure, visibility, and efficiency, we can help teams realize their full potential.&nbsp;
<h3>Goal-oriented organizations with fewer meetings</h3>
<a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/how-to-write-okrs/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">OKR tools are a great resource</a>, but also exist in their own silo that isn&rsquo;t necessarily connected to the business. How often do you have to call a meeting to get updates on where goals stand or dig around to see the projects actually supporting these goals? Or ping someone to understand where things stand, or figure out who owns certain initiatives?&nbsp;
These constant emails, Slack pings and meetings take us all away from our daily work. Meetings will never go away, but if everyone shows up with context about what they need to do to achieve goals, the discussion becomes much more focused. <a href="https://qatalog.com/templates/okr-examples/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">That&rsquo;s why our users love using Goals in Qatalog</a>&mdash; it gives them space and time to focus on what matters.&nbsp;
<h3>An alternative to the untended intranet&nbsp;</h3>
Businesses running on Qatalog also need a place to put must-reads like vacation and expense policies. They&rsquo;re fed up with intranets for this. Only 13% of employees say they use their companies intranet daily, and 57% of employees say they see no purpose in their companies intranet. It&rsquo;s a repository, but not connected directly to the work people are doing. They can quickly become <a href="https://qatalog.com/uses/work-hub-vs-intranet/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">untended gardens</a>. That&rsquo;s why our <a href="https://qatalog.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Company section</a> is proving particularly popular with our customers &mdash; it&rsquo;s a space for all those must-reads and leadership communications that&rsquo;s connected to your workflow.&nbsp;
<h3>A structured work hub or a messy wiki?&nbsp;</h3>
Some of our customers have invested in <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/qatalog-vs-company-wiki-notion-confluence/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">online wikis</a> to house information about companies and teams. They&rsquo;re frustrated about how messy this gets as companies scale, and it requires active management. Qatalog provides a clear structure for organizations so people can walk the &lsquo;virtual halls&rsquo; of a business to see what&rsquo;s going on.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IRqY-9jmOxU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>Scale like the best on Qatalog</h2>
There is a reason that tech giants like <a href="https://vimeo.com/456735890">Shopify</a>, Amazon, Google, and Stripe invest millions of dollars to create internal work hubs. They want their employees to have immediate visibility and access to the information needed, when they need it, with the right amount of context. We&rsquo;re doing the same, but providing that as purpose-built work hub that gives organizations
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A consistent and easy way to <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workflow-collaboration-external-partners/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">get visibility on the progress of other teams</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A central place that automatically documents progress so everyone has the information to make decisions.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A plug-and-play framework for scaling teams, so that setting <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/what-is-a-work-hub/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">internal structure</a> for goals, projects, and workflows don&rsquo;t become an afterthought.</li>
</ol>
We know there are thousands of great tools designed for different parts of an organization, and we don&rsquo;t want to change that. We want to democratize the information in each of these tools to provide a singular window into everything that is happening across the organization. There will always be silos in a scaling organization, and that isn&rsquo;t changing anytime soon. But we&rsquo;re excited about the power of centralizing those silos to give people what they need to be productive: trust, transparency, and time.

We’re excited that 5,000 businesses (and counting) have adopted Qatalog.

5,000 businesses choose a different way of working

Collaborating on projects when everyone is spread across different locations, timezones, and tools can be hard. Qatalog is simplifying this for our users with Projects to unify all the project ingredients in a single place.
This month we have a major upgrade to Projects by launching Tasks, a new feature that lets teams keep track of the most important items they need to get done. Teams can now collaborate on project execution by creating tasks to be done, setting due dates, assigning specific owners for each task, and tracking their status.&nbsp;
Users can also add sub-tasks, attachments to provide more context, and use comments for discussions and feedback. Sub-tasks come with a default list view, with in-line editing. With Kanban views for tasks coming in early 2022, teams can plan and execute their project sprints within a single view.
<h2>A single coordination point for projects</h2>
Feedback from project management leaders, operations managers, and all kinds of team players using Qatalog is that they want a central, trusted place to manage teamwork. Already, Projects centralize all your project ingredients in one place: goals, resources (like Figma files and Google Docs), people, timelines, and decisions are clear to everyone. There&rsquo;s value for users here in that it helps break down knowledge silos with a single coordination point and minimizes friction in teamwork.&nbsp;
Now, with the addition of Tasks, users have the ability to collaborate and track their project execution in one Work Hub. Teams can come together in a Project to share resources and ideas before the initiative has fully matured, then they can use Tasks to move into execution mode and make things happen! What&rsquo;s more, teams have visibility into the tasks for all their teammates, making it simpler to align on priorities and manage workstreams, reducing communication touchpoints to stay in sync.&nbsp;
For example, an operations team planning a company off-site on Qatalog can use Projects to execute tasks to secure a venue, get feedback on timing, save designs for swag, set goals for team workshops, clarify where they are in the process with Timelines, and communicate results to the organization with Posts, all within one Work Hub.&nbsp;
Related reading: <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workflow-collaboration-external-partners/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Qatalog Workflows now simplify collaboration with external partners</a>
<h2>Projects on Qatalog are context-first&nbsp;</h2>
Projects on Qatalog eliminate the pain point of losing context between ideas saved in wikis, ad-hoc conversations happening on messaging channels, and the execution happening in project management point solutions. All our functionalities work together to ensure your project management is not happening in isolation, but rather sits in context with all the other work happening and the people doing it.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/nA3UX27TQJ6TJRq3CMht" alt="undefined" width="348" height="235" />
This helps your team save time and cuts down on missed connections. When ideas are shared in one space and not scattered across various different places, teams are more likely to buzz with creativity rather than stumble through the dark just trying to join the dots!&nbsp;
Tasks will be live for all users by the end of the year. If you have feedback on Projects <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workflow-collaboration-external-partners/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">or any of our functionalities</a>, please <a href="mailto:kumaran@qatalog.com" rel="follow">let me know</a>.

Qatalog launches Tasks to simplify your project management experience and allow collaboration at every step.

Qatalog launches Tasks | Qatalog blog

Unify all your project ingredients in a single place.

Qatalog launches Tasks to simplify project management

Qatalog was built to connect your company in a central place. Our products are designed to bring visibility and automation to work happening within your organization, but what about the work that gets done with your company outside of its walls?
Our customers work with a wide range of external partners, from software vendors to freelancers and contractors. The feedback we hear from people using Qatalog is that they want a better way to automate routine work with these external partners. 
<h3>External partners in action</h3>
For example, design operations leads want to streamline the production of new marketing collateral with an agency, or people operations managers want to build repeatable processes for onboarding new joiners.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;ve updated our Workflow experience to enable users to delegate specific steps to external partners. Qatalog users can now have external partners outside of their Qatalog Work Hub fill out forms, request approvals, send emails, and trigger activities across apps like Asana, Slack, and Trello. 
This feature helps teams with a secure way to automate routine work with external partners, such as freelancers, contractors, agencies or new hires.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s say you&rsquo;re a design operations lead at a software company focussed on streamlining processes and creating visibility into design for different parts of your business. You can use a Workflow to create a clear process for building marketing assets with external contractors. Your Workflow can automate everything from creating the brief with a clear checklist, triggering tasks in Asana, collecting approvals, automatically updating the team about completion in Slack, and saving the assets in the right place in Google Drive. This minimizes friction and gives you and your team a clear sense of what stage specific projects are at.
Until now, only logged-in users in Qatalog were able to complete Workflow steps. Now, Qatalog is simplifying collaboration between businesses by enabling anyone to complete a step in a Workflow. Qatalog users can assign specific steps to external partners by simply selecting &ldquo;Assign to someone&rdquo; on the step they want to share externally, and entering the email address of the external partner. This person, or agency, will receive an email notification asking them to complete this step by clicking on a secure link.

More info on Qatalog Workflows can be found <a href="https://qatalog.com/product/automation/" rel="follow">here</a>. Detailed help documentation on Workflows can be found on the <a href="https://help.qatalog.com/hc/en-us/sections/4405634659853-Workflows">Qatalog help page</a>.&nbsp;

Qatalog Workflows now allow sharing with external partners. Streamline production with an agency, contractors, or freelancers.

Qatalog Workflows now simplify collaboration with external partners

Qatalog users can now have external partners outside of their Qatalog Work Hub fill out forms, request approvals, send emails, and trigger activities across apps like Asana, Slack, and Trello.

I&rsquo;ve always liked work in December. Projects are wrapping up and we start thinking about goals for the new year. At a startup, this can be especially fun because growth brings more opportunities to test and make ideas come to life.&nbsp;
Speaking of making ideas come to life &mdash; our product team is bringing you updates that ensure Qatalog is your favorite place to do work. In fact just this morning, we were chatting about an idea to automatically archive notifications for Projects created the previous year. Everyone likes a fresh start, why not make it easier?&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s a list of what we&rsquo;ve launched or updated in Qatalog in the past month:
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/ZwCfqVCUQliRjqHRNFtm" alt="undefined" width="585" height="305">
<h3>Comments for Posts</h3>
Important updates now have the additional context you and your team need, without the interruptions. Comments on posts come with the ability to hyperlink and add emojis as well &mdash; in case you needed to add more context to the update.&nbsp;
<h3>Okta SSO integration&nbsp;</h3>
Qatalog is your company&rsquo;s trusted place for teams to structure work, and now you can use your company&rsquo;s secure Okta instance to login and use Qatalog. Reach out to our customer team <a href="https://qatalog.com/contact/sales/">here</a> to discuss this new option for your team.&nbsp;
<h3>Collaborative Workflows</h3>
Share forms and checklists securely with external partners outside your Work Hub, add multiple assignees, and name assignments. <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workflow-collaboration-external-partners/" rel="follow">Learn more</a>.
<h3>Smart Feed</h3>
A personalized feed of important updates across Projects, Goals, Posts, and Threads.
<h3>Bulk invites&nbsp;</h3>
Add the rest of your team to Qatalog, simply hit &lsquo;Invite&rsquo;&nbsp;on the homepage and invite as many coworkers as you like, in one go!
<h2>What&rsquo;s next</h2>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/Mof3H6PQT6KJknBEDzna" alt="undefined" width="572" height="298" style="font-family: sans-serif;">
<h3>Tasks</h3>
Streamline your work by setting task lists for your projects. <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/refreshed-project-management-experience/" rel="follow">Learn more</a>.
<h3>Org charts and Directory sync</h3>
This feature is geared to enable organizations to grow scalably without loss in context or duplication of effort.&nbsp;
<h3>Custom filtering for Goals and Projects</h3>
Personalize how you view your team&rsquo;s goals and projects with custom filtering, like due dates or goal owner. And save these filters for next time.
<h3>Qatalog Share</h3>
As Qatalog expands its enterprise customer base, we're launching new tools to help users share work happening in Qatalog with third parties. That means it&rsquo;s easier for businesses to share progress on projects and goals with customers, freelancers, and contractors.
<h2>Tips &amp; Tricks</h2>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/qf4zgMh6RQuIjOEzZvwX" alt="undefined" width="572" height="298" style="font-family: sans-serif;">
Here are some favorite hacks from the Qatalog team!
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">⏳Kaitlin: Download results from Workflows you own, straight to a CSV file.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">🔗 Kumaran: Add a link to a Post or Thread by simply pasting the URL over a word, and it will automatically create a hyperlink!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">📌 Varun: Add frequently visited pages directly to your Homepage by hitting the &lsquo;Pin&rsquo; button on a Project, Goal, Team, etc.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">🗓 Isabelle: Instantly join a meeting from your Qatalog Homepage by adding a &lsquo;Next meeting&rsquo; card from Google Calendar.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Keep up to date on everything Qatalog</h2>
For more product news, check out what our team has to say about <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workflow-collaboration-external-partners/" rel="follow">our external partners update</a> and an <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/refreshed-project-management-experience/" rel="follow">upcoming feature</a>&nbsp;that we&rsquo;re super excited about.

I’ve always liked work in December. Projects are wrapping up and we start thinking about goals for the new year. At a startup, this can be e

What’s new on Qatalog: December 2021

Most businesses have one question that comes around frequently &mdash; inspiring growth, progress, and transformation. That question is: &ldquo;What&rsquo;s next?&rdquo;
Just like your team, Qatalog is still growing and learning what our customers want and need. We&rsquo;re frequently asking this question throughout our entire company, but especially within our <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/building-a-productive-product-team/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">product team</a> so we can build <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/what-is-a-work-hub/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">a work hub</a> that becomes the trusted place where your team shares and coordinates work.
This month, we released a collection of updates that will continue to help you build context around your workday. We&rsquo;ve enhanced some project features to structure timelines and due dates, added a cool new filtering ability, and introduced an integration that was highly requested from just about everyone.&nbsp;
<h2>Company Section</h2>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/bbBzwaV9SLuO7jLG03Ei" alt="undefined" width="836" height="436">
Know what&rsquo;s happening across your org, like company-wide processes, policies, and important updates. And includes pages &mdash; all must-reads, from you and others, in one place.
<h2>Project timelines</h2>
Projects take time. And <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/qatalog-vs-project-management-asana-trello-jira/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">different projects take varied amounts of time</a>, energy, bursts of creativity, dedicated sprints, and deliverables that all require unique deadlines. That's why we created timelines, or phases, and brought them into our projects feature. When you create a phase inside of a project, you can see how long it will take and visualize how it builds into the larger project. For each phase, Slack updates can be sent to the team &mdash; eliminating the time-suck of status updates.&nbsp;
Showcasing your work to your team is getting easier within Qatalog, and phases allow employees the opportunity to really shine a spotlight on the steps it takes to get a massive project completed. Plus, these updates work <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/building-a-cross-functional-hybrid-team/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">cross-functionally</a>, ensuring that your entire organization knows where credit is due.&nbsp;
<h2>Improvements in the integration world:</h2>
<h3>You wanted it, we got it</h3>
A Notion integration was by far our most requested integration by customers (and potential ones!). Notion works with Qatalog by allowing teams to connect their already existing project or organization boards and tickets. We support your team's Notion usage and add a coordination layer to ensure that any updates made in Notion are also made in Qatalog &mdash; making your whole team more connected. And who doesn't love a connected team?&nbsp;
<h3>Enhanced Slack experience</h3>
Now, you can connect Slack channels to your goals in addition to your posts and projects. This way, your team can stay in the loop with what you're accomplishing. No need to update them on goal completion or progress in a standup meeting when Qatalog can do that for you.
<h2>What&rsquo;s next 👀</h2>
<h3>Comments for posts</h3>
Coordinate better by adding comments to important updates, so you and your team get the additional context needed.
<h3>Custom filtering for goals and projects</h3>
There&rsquo;s <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/how-do-you-search-for-files-at-work/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">a lot of information in a work hub</a>. It&rsquo;s your digital office space that centralizes everything from projects to goals. So wouldn&rsquo;t it be great if you could filter those by due date, owner, or team? Now you can! You can also customize your filters and save them for next time in case you need to keep coming back to the same ones.
<h3>Example goals, workflows, and projects</h3>
Use our examples for inspiration on how to structure things like OKRs, updates, project briefs, etc.

This month, we released a collection of updates that will continue to help you build context around your workday.

What’s new on Qatalog: October 2021

A roundup of new features and capabilities our team has been working on.

I&rsquo;ve been a <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this">How I Built This</a> listener for years. Hearing founders talk about the stories behind their companies has always been inspiring to me. It humanizes the challenges of bringing a business to life, the varied perspectives of why people start a company in the first place, and all the complications, wins, and experiences it comes with.&nbsp;
I started thinking about what a How I Built This episode would look like featuring Qatalog. We&rsquo;re early in our journey and our story is ramping up. It might begin with Tariq mentioning this pain point that&rsquo;s followed him from Wise to Amazon, or maybe a funny anecdote that Guy Raz chuckles at before leading into another question.&nbsp;
At Qatalog, we&rsquo;re just getting started. So instead of focusing on how we&rsquo;re building this, I thought it would be fun to shine more light on why &mdash; featuring many of the people that make it happen. 
<h3>Kaitlin Ashley, Head of Program Management</h3>
Remember open book tests?&nbsp; I remember feeling pretty confident going into an open book test, and how could I not? I had everything I needed to find the right answers: I had the information (available whenever I wanted it), context (this section comes before this section in this chapter), and multiple, accessible guides to help me find what I was looking for quickly (table of contents, index, glossary, bibliography).
Now imagine you have to take an open book test, but you only have access to a few chapters. All the other chapters live with other people, some you&rsquo;ve met before, others you haven&rsquo;t, and most of these people are not in the same room as you. Good luck finding what chapters you&rsquo;re missing and who has them, because the table of contents has also been split out amongst other people, and they&rsquo;re busy doing their own tests. Oh yeah, and don&rsquo;t forget &mdash; the book keeps adding new chapters and updating old ones.
Sounds ridiculous, right?
That second scenario is the reality of modern work: we&rsquo;re all trying to do our best in an environment where access to the information, context, and guides we need to do our work effectively are difficult to find and branched across tens, hundreds, or thousands of people.
We believe we should no longer accept this frustrating, messy, and frankly, unacceptable status quo. That&rsquo;s why we built Qatalog: to provide the transparency, tools, and contextual collaboration teams need to not only locate and understand their company&rsquo;s histories, but also create better teams, products, and processes moving forward.
<h3>Matteo Tittarelli, Growth Ops Lead</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/YycDGMgjRpKdw9JpOzIm" alt="undefined" />
I&rsquo;m building Qatalog to make work more inclusive of people&rsquo;s unique talents. Since I&rsquo;ve started working, I&rsquo;ve learned how meetings and processes have become control measures designed to standardize how people should work. We&rsquo;re trading uniqueness &mdash;&nbsp;which drives creativity, innovation, and progress &mdash;&nbsp;with draining logistics and &ldquo;quality&rdquo; controls, which diminish people&rsquo;s personalities and trust in each other. COVID made this even more critical. I&rsquo;ve overheard my partner being called out in meetings just to be asked where a file is or how to access a tool, and I know she isn&rsquo;t the only one.&nbsp;
Modern work culture must be more inclusive of people&rsquo;s differences, whether that&rsquo;s using different tools, preferring more or fewer meetings, working during the day or at night, from the office or from the beach. Work in 2021 needs a renewed culture that revolves around flexibility, trust, and transparency. I&rsquo;m building Qatalog to foster this new culture, and help people shine through their unique, new way of working.
<h3>Lewis Clark, Head of Communications</h3>
Prior to Qatalog, I spent six years at Stripe where I saw first-hand the challenges of scale. Just over a hundred employees became 4,000+, thousands of users turned into millions, and billions of dollars in volume turned into hundreds of billions. Products would launch at a blistering pace, whole countries would light up in quick succession, and new teams would spin up out of nowhere. It became challenging to keep up and figure out how decisions were being made. While Stripe&rsquo;s <a href="https://stripe.com/blog/email-transparency" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">email transparency</a> and <a href="https://stripe.com/blog/stripe-home" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Stripe Home</a> gave some clarity into what was happening, it seemed incompatible with the mish-mash of tools in use, from Slack to Confluence to Jira. To put it simply, things became chaotic.&nbsp;
This first-hand experience with a business going through intense scaling challenges, coupled with a realization in the pandemic that work was going through a period of historic, structural change, made me think that there&rsquo;s an opportunity to build something new. That&rsquo;s how I got to Qatalog.
<h3>Tom Hillman, Head of Performance Marketing</h3>
As someone who&rsquo;s experienced the problems of working in a 2000+ person team at Wise during the early days of the pandemic, I recognize all the pain points Qatalog can solve. Since switching to a remote-first, distributed team at Qatalog and getting to use the product daily, I&rsquo;ve not only been able to avoid all the context switching pitfalls &mdash; it&rsquo;s actively shaped the way I work. I&rsquo;m no longer lost in Slack looking for important updates, or spending draining hours on Zoom for updates; I can share vital information with my team based around the world, and they&rsquo;ll see it and any connected projects or goals whenever they&rsquo;re ready.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m building Qatalog because I want other people to share the freedom and flexibility in this way of working, meaning the time I get back from searching for files or skipping between browser tabs can be spent on more important things, like pasta making, and dog walking. 
<h3>Leo Mendoza, Director of Engineering</h3>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/9Ip9uB0mThmum1lB83Xh" alt="undefined" width="595" height="313" />
I&rsquo;m building Qatalog so I can spend more time with my family. Building a world-class remote work hub means I can work from home and not worry about missing a status update in my inbox or looking at the wrong doc in our shared drives. I&rsquo;m building a platform that makes sure I&rsquo;ve got the most up-to-date spreadsheet, slide deck, or diagram in one place without ever needing to ask around. I often missed my daughter&rsquo;s bedtime for a &ldquo;quick&rdquo; 15 minute EOD check-in, which was never quick. Now, I&rsquo;m never conflicted between tuck-ins and check-ins and I want everyone to have the same work/life balance.
<h3>Marta Kutt, Operations Manager</h3>
I am looking forward to more companies using Qatalog and seeing the impact it can have. I really can&rsquo;t imagine working without it anymore &mdash; it makes my life in operations so much easier as often I have many projects and workflows happening at the same time. If only I had used it 5 years ago &mdash; all the valuable knowledge that we could have saved!&nbsp;
<a href="https://bit.ly/3rxK5LW" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/Aw2P8jrrRjeGl9mtvfxD" alt="undefined" /></a>

The people behind Qatalog, and why we're building a new infrastructure for modern work.

Why we built Qatalog | Qatalog blog

Why we're building a new infrastructure for modern work, from the people behind your work hub.

Why we built this

Every business and team have their own processes for different business functions.&nbsp;
However, whether or not these processes are effective and allow for cross-team collaboration is another question entirely.&nbsp;
Business prosses management tools like <a href="https://www.process.st/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Process Street</a>, <a href="https://tonkean.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Tonkean</a>, and <a href="https://kissflow.com/process-management/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Kissflow</a> have already helped to streamline complicated processes and automate many repetitive, time-consuming tasks. But many of these tools are a one-stop-shop for processes and cannot connect to where your work actually gets done.&nbsp;
<h2>What is business process management?</h2>
According to <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/business-process-management-bpm">Gartner,</a> business process management is a discipline that uses different techniques to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve, and optimize business processes. This can involve organization or automation and coordinates information to support the business strategy. BPM is usually aligned with tech or tools that assist with structure, documentation, and repeatability.&nbsp;
<h3>Employing a business process management software</h3>
With so many apps available to automate office work, it can be tempting to just keep adding new integrations. However, you could end up overseeing a Frankenstein&rsquo;s Monster of a workflow; unwieldy, unrefined, and often misunderstood.
If you want to keep the pitchforks at bay, there are a few things you need to know about the challenges of current workflow automation software &mdash; and how a Work Hub can ride to the rescue.
<h2>One solution: business workflow applications&nbsp;</h2>
While business workflow tools are great for increasing productivity and scaling internal processes, they can often fail to provide a key ingredient for truly prolific, streamlined workflows: context.&nbsp;
If things are happening in the background, and most of your team doesn&rsquo;t know how or why, your people can quickly become disconnected or disillusioned.&nbsp;
<h3>Disconnect between teams</h3>
Workflow automation apps are designed to &ldquo;democratize automation,&rdquo; but they&rsquo;re still mainly used by a small portion of teams (such as back-office ops, like legal or finance), which can result in silos.&nbsp;
Generally, closed processes limit the knowledge and information shared to just a portion of the company. Why? Because these apps sit out of context where teamwork and collaboration actually happens.
<h2>Pain point: processes are outside the context of tools, teams, and projects</h2>
<a href="https://www.process.st/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Process Street</a> has a simple interface that lets you create structured workflows &mdash; but you still need their Zapier integration to link these processes to the right productivity and collaboration tools (e.g. Trello, Asana, Google Sheets).
This might add further costs and complexity, as well as dependencies on third parties in order to make the most out of the tool.&nbsp;
Let's say you make the commitment, spend the extra time finding workarounds to link all the workflows to the right teams and projects, like creating a monster sheet that bookmarks all the workflows of the finance team &mdash; you&rsquo;ve just created more overhead than before, and added another tool on your company stack.
Wouldn&rsquo;t it be great to make an investment in something that eases complexity, give you the right context, and covers more use cases rather than just another tool?
<h2>A Work Hub vs. business process management software</h2>
Workflows should be a lightweight process that doesn&rsquo;t feel like work about work.&nbsp;
<a href="https://qatalog.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">With a work hub</a>, you can easily document, assign, and track the progress of processes from one place.&nbsp;
<h2>Benefits of a work hub</h2>
<h3>1. Find all your Workflows quickly &mdash; from one place</h3>
With a Work Hub, you don&rsquo;t need to switch to another tool to find and use your shared Workflows. <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/qatalog-vs-project-management-asana-trello-jira/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">All your company-wide and team-specific</a> processes and protocols are centralized into one, compelling and structured knowledge-base &mdash; and easily discoverable through a quick search, just like when you&rsquo;re on Google.
This enables substantial cost-savings on buying a dedicated workflow tool, while further streamlining the complexity of your company stack. When all your Workflows are in one place, it&rsquo;s easier for the whole team to be aligned on how things are done.
<h3>2. Collaborate with external partners&nbsp;</h3>
A Work Hub provides visibility and automation not only within your organization but also to the work happening outside of it.
Workflows provide teams with a secure way to <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workflow-collaboration-external-partners/" rel="follow">automate routine work with external partners</a> too, such as freelancers, contractors, agencies or new hires. Collaborating externally through Workflows is done by simply selecting &ldquo;Assign to someone&rdquo; on the step and entering the email address of the external partner.&nbsp;
<h3>3. Integrations</h3>
With a work hub, all the Workflows interact with your company wiki (Confluence, GitHub), project management (Asana, Trello, Jira), team messaging (Slack, emails), and documentation apps (Google Drive, Dropbox).
With these integrations, you can leverage automated notifications &mdash; <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/qatalog-vs-team-instant-messaging-apps-slack-teams/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">like posting on a channel, or sending an email</a> &mdash; embeds, and more, without the need for further authentications and integrations.
<h3>4. Put your Workflows into context&nbsp;</h3>
Work hubs are more than just a Workflow too. They are a full operational layer where Workflows interact with people, teams, and projects.
When everything is tightly linked with all the core entities of your organization, you know exactly which person or team owns which Workflow and which specific project it relates to.&nbsp;
This helpful context makes shared Workflows <a href="https://qatalog.com/blog/post/workplace-search-tools-vs-work-hub/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">more accessible and transparent</a> across every level of the organization, meaning more people can find them and use them.
When everyone knows where internal Workflows are, the consistency of processes increases, meaning everyone&rsquo;s on the same page on how things are done &mdash; saving time and focus for more creative endeavors.&nbsp;
Imagine workplace finance and legal ops managers aren&rsquo;t the only ones enforcing protocols, but where every level of the organization is aware and follows company-wide processes while building their own team-specific operations. This can really be a powerful way of increasing team alignment, productivity, and collaboration &mdash; especially in a hybrid work setting.
<h2>Why you need a Work Hub instead of a workflow automation software</h2>
<a href="https://qatalog.com/product/automation/" rel="follow noopener">Workflow automation</a> and business process management software certainly have their place, but when it comes to building consistent, scalable team operations that are adopted across the whole company, they might have some challenges.
As an alternative, a Work Hub lets you build sleek and simple processes without needing to connect a myriad of various apps with different permissions, update cycles, and support levels.&nbsp;
Instead, you get to introduce standardized protocols to really democratize shared processes across your organization, freeing time and energy for more creative endeavors. Because if there&rsquo;s one thing you shouldn&rsquo;t automate, it&rsquo;s creativity.

Business process management sofware should align your teams and provide visibility to cross-functional processes that impact your entire organization.

Work hub vs. Business process management tools | Qatalog

Every business and team have their own processes for different business functions.