Running a successful small business requires having the right tools and software solutions. But how do you choose the best ones? The key is to figure out what kind of software or combination of tools would best suit the nature of your work and your business.
The first step is to understand the specific needs of individual teams. Once you know what your employees need, you’ll be able to choose tools that improve collaboration and communication, boost performance, and productivity, and foster growth.
The goal is to work smarter, not harder so that you can achieve the best results. With that in mind, here are 6 software solutions and tools that are extremely effective for small businesses.
1. Task Management Tools
If you’re just starting a business, you’re probably doing everything yourself, so there’s no trouble remembering who’s in charge of what. However, once your business starts growing and you hire employees, you’ll need a tool that allows you to keep an eye on assigned tasks.
Sure, you can simply call or write an email to check whether the task is done or not, but that could take some time. Task management software solutions enables you to track the progress of each end every task assigned to your team members in real-time, making sure that everyone knows exactly what they have to do and that all deadlines are met.
2. Communication Tools
Of course, checking whether a task is done or not isn’t enough. You’ll probably have follow-up questions or edits to propose. Many people today work remotely so going from office to office to see how things are going isn’t really possible, right?
Related: 7 Amazing Communication Tools You Can Use With Clients
Team chat apps are a perfect solution when you need an answer right away. Instead of digging for your employee’s phone number, you can simply add them to your group chat and reach them anytime, no matter where they’re located in the world.
Tools like Slack double as file-sharing services, making sure your team members have all the documents and resources they need to get the job done. Forget about emails – they can take long to get to the recipient’s inbox and can easily get lost, especially if the inbox is full. With file-sharing tools, collaboration and communication with employees become easy and efficient.
Related: Chatbox 101: Understanding the Revolutionary Technology Behind the Conversational Revolution
3. CLM Software
Businesses of all sizes face the need to juggle multiple contracts at a time, with each contract being at a different stage of the contract lifecycle.
Contract lifecycle management software is used to manage every aspect of a contract for its compliance, performance, and other factors, and through every stage of its lifecycle, from execution to expiration or renewal. CLM helps businesses ensure compliance with regulations, reduce risks, improve productivity, stay organized, and maximize a contract’s value.
4. Email Software
Emails remain one of the most effective forms of communication and marketing. According to Oberlo, global email users amounted to 3.8 billion people in 2019, and this figure is expected to reach 4.3 billion by 2023. That’s 50% of the world’s population, which includes your potential customers.
Taking these stats into consideration, it makes sense to market your products or services via email. And for this, you will need an effective email tool. The best email software solutions include automation tools that allow you to A/B test variations of your emails to optimize them for maximum conversions, send content to your target audience to build client relationships or make them return to your store, etc.
5. Knowledge Base Software
A knowledge base gives your customers the opportunity to solve their issues without your help. You get to answer any questions before they even have to ask! A well-designed knowledge base can significantly reduce the number of calls your customers have to make in order to find answers to their problems. Give them more free time, and you will have more satisfied customers who are loyal to your brand, willing to spend more on your products, and more likely to recommend you to family and friends.
One of the most effective methods of building a knowledge base is to use open-source software. When you have an open source knowledge base, you’re in complete control – you can choose your own web hosting, expand your knowledge base with more functions and features, change and improve your knowledge base design however you like, etc.
6. Mobile Marketing Tools
Thanks to technological advancements, you can now reach customers even if they don’t go to physical stores. Research has shown that the average person spends more than 5 hours a day on their mobile phone. This means that the best way to reach your customers is through mobile marketing.
However, starting a successful mobile marketing strategy isn’t easy. There’s a lot that goes into it. You are required to master different tactics and juggle multiple marketing channels at the same time. That’s why smart business owners use tools to help them.
The internet has provided a number of applications and tools and applications like Facebook Mobile Ads, SEMRush, and Buffer, to help you execute your marketing plan to its full potential, which in return, will spike up your traffic and number of customers.
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Final Thoughts
If you want to keep your efficiency up and allow yourself to focus on the tasks most important to your small business, you need to implement the best tools available.
There are many business-oriented tools, software, and platforms on the market, which makes it difficult to tell which are the best. This list will save you the hassle of a tedious search and help you choose the right tools for your small business.
