Each month, the cloud experts at Outbox Systems come in close contact with hundreds of cloud tools. Without fail, there are always a few that really stand out. We’ve decided that these above-and-beyond tools deserve a little extra recognition.

Here are the Outbox Systems Top 5 Cloud Tools of December 2014:

Cirrus Insights

Cirrus Insights is a tool that integrates Salesforce and Gmail, and it. is. AWESOME! With the Cirrus Insights tool, a Salesforce pane is added to the right of your gmail inbox that displays all contact information, any activities that are ongoing with the contact, allows you to use Salesforce email templates in your gmail, syncs with your google calendar, and allows you to create and update opportunities and cases without leaving your inbox. Track in real time who has opened your emails, and save emails to Salesforce with a quick click. Using Cirrus Insights makes Salesforce and Gmail feel like they were always meant to be together. It’s gushingly romantic.

WalkMe

WalkMe is the ultimate cloud tool for training, and can be used with any application that is run on a web browser. It’s super easy to include in your program – just include a small snippet of code – and responds to any layout changes on your site, and to any device it may be accessed on. WalkMe has enormous implications for every part of your business. It can cut training times for your employees, help customers train themselves instead of using up all your customer service resources, increase sales team productivity, increase free-to-paid conversions, and help your users do what they want to do, instead of worrying about how to do it. WalkMe walkthroughs are easy to create using a browser extension, and can be personalized for each user, including if they are a new user and what language they speak. WalkMe is the perfect tool for turning a complex and high-powered piece of software into an easy-to-use program your customers can’t live without.

Rootstock

Rootstock is a cloud tool that is built on the Salesforce1 platform and targets Manufacturers and Distributors. It effectively turns the Salesforce CRM into an efficient Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. The cool thing about Rootstock is that, once you’ve configured everything properly, you almost just watch as it runs your business for you. It can automatically convert customer quotations into orders, contacts suppliers when needed, creates detailed instructions for what needs to be manufactured, and tracks the use of materials for each creation. It’s also completely scalable with your business, with an ability to split processes to match the divisions in your business. For manufacturers and distributors, there’s no better system.

Xactly

Xactly is an incredible tool for managing and implementing effective employee incentive programs. Rather than managing employee incentives in a spreadsheet, prone to mistakes and hard to keep up-to-date, Xactly allows real-time, visible, and automated reporting that allows all employees to see how productive they are, and whether they are approaching an incentive benchmark. This transparency has proven to motivate employees and increase overall productivity. When using Xactly, there’s no question as to how an employee is producing, whether they deserve incentives, or when incentives will be paid. It’s the perfect tool to make your incentive programs so easy that you hardly even need to think about it.

DocuSign

DocuSign provides an accessible, secure, and legally enforceable alternative to paper contracts. That means any form that needs to be signed can be – digitally, anytime, and from anywhere in the world. One of the obvious uses is for closing business deals, allowing all decision-makers to sign without the physical document being present. But there are a TON of other uses, especially in your own organization. Fill out  new hire paperwork, process invoices or sales orders, finalize non-disclosure agreements, manage employee paid time off, and even keep minutes in your executive meetings. DocuSign, is fast, super easy, and will make your company much more productive.