Technology has undoubtedly improved our way of life including the way of doing business. From record-keeping, and financial assessment, to communication, big businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can safely rely on digital tools for daily work activities. This has made doing business comparably easier than some decades ago.
As a small business owner, you cannot afford to lag behind in this technological revolution if you want to stay competitive. Luckily, there are both free and paid versions of most of the business software we will talk about in this piece. For a start, you can sign up for the free versions, and later purchase premium versions if you love them. Here are some software you may need to improve the various departments of your business.
Administrative Tools
You should stop the manual ways of discharging administrative duties like record keeping, emailing, client correspondence, setting appointments, file management, financial management, and bookkeeping, among others. With the right tools, SMEs can organize all work activities in one place to ensure work efficiency.
Google Workspace provides an environment for collaboration and productivity, where you can send emails using Gmail, plan schedules with Calender, store documents with Drive, and use Meet for video meetings, etc. You can also use Sheet for data entry and accounting works while Docs take care of your content writing.
Microsoft 365 business by Microsoft has similar features as the Workspace. It gives you access to all app on the Microsoft suite and more. There is a desktop and mobile version, which you can use everywhere.
Accounting
Accounting software improves your bookkeeping activities. You are able to track your expenses and invoicing, and other financial duties without stress. Small business owners can choose from any of these accounting tools QuickBooks, Xero, and Freshbooks according to their needs.
QuickBooks
QuickBooks is a business and financial management tool for accounting duties and is ideal for small businesses. You can use it for inventory, invoicing, tax filing, payroll and payment processing, and other financial managerial duties.
Xero
This cloud-based accounting software is suitable for SMEs seeking to improve accounting duties. With it, you can manage your finances from everywhere including invoicing, bookkeeping, tracking expenses, and inventory, and could be connected to your bank.
Data Protection Tools
As a small business, you may be collecting data from clients to enhance communication and service delivery. It, therefore, behooves you to protect your data from falling into wrong hands. At some point, you may need data wipe software to clear your drives, especially when discarding your computers. To protect your data from cyber-attacks, malware, and ransomware, and also detect malicious codes, small businesses can make use of the various antivirus software or adopt other data security solutions.
Communication
Business thrives on effective communication with clients and suppliers. If nothing else, the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us we can organize conferences, and business meetings virtually. You can take advantage of video conferencing apps like:
Zoom: Zoom played an essential role during the peak of the pandemic when restrictions didn’t allow conferences and travel. With Zoom video conferencing, you can communicate with business partners, clients, and virtual workers in real-time. You can use the app for both video and audio calls with options like free and paid plans.
Skype, Slack, and Whereby have similar features like Zoom, and you can choose any for your next business meeting. Alternatively, you can use these audio chat and messaging apps like Discord, Flock, Chatwork, to achieve the same purpose.
Marketing Tools
Marketing has moved from the traditional space to a more sophisticated digital space. Your ability to use digital marketing tools to reach new and prospective customers is therefore critical for the survival of small businesses. Some marketing tools provide SEO, and social media needs aside from mapping customers’ activities, needs, and reactions. Marketing tools you can use include;
HubSpot marketing: Takes charge of different marketing, sales, and customer service needs. The easy-to-use tool also uses CRM software with analytic features. HubSpot can monitor your ads, email and social media marketing. It also has modules for blog management and lead generation. HubSpot helps the marketing and sales department to collaborate as activities are managed on one platform.
Vene dash: Monitor the performance and effectiveness of your various campaigns using vene dash. It allows you to track the number of website clicks, conversion rate, and revenue. Vene dash also has a billing and invoicing mechanism for payments.
You can as well learn how a digital marketing agency can help grow your business to consider hiring a marketing company.
Social Media
Social media platforms have become one of the effective marketing tools for small businesses. Businesses can set up pages on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, and Pinterest to reach millions of people. These platforms also offer paid ads to reach specific targets. Such ads allow products and services to reach a large public and create leads and sales.
