Discover tools that can help grow your business from infancy to even greater heights than you imagined.
Being a small business owner comes with its challenges. However, the right tools for your small business can help you get business done swiftly and easily. While it might seem like there may never be enough hours in the day to get work done, certain processes like getting a modern website or project management tool can make all the difference.
So, if you find yourself getting easily exhausted and overwhelmed, have a look at these digital tools that can take your business to the next level.
What is the most useful business tool?
Your business's niche or specialty would determine the most useful business tool for you. For instance, an online store would benefit best from an e-commerce website.
1. A Project Management
Having a custom website is a good idea, but the right project management tool will help you keep on track with your tasks and deadlines. With a small business project management tool, you can track all your activities digitally along with deadlines and appointments in a seamless manner.
Instead of the tediousness of handling things manually, this tool can create automatic reminders for your events and even send them to other team members. A great tool for this is Trello.
Pros
Trello is mobile-friendly and user-friendly with a clear pricing structure. Using lists, cards, and boards, can easily keep your business in order.
Cons
This tool has a 10MB file upload limit for basic members. This means you run data backup risks if you exceed the limit.
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
While a great logo design and branding are all hallmarks of a good business, they would not mean a thing if customer relationship is poor. This is why you need a Customer Relationship Management tool, otherwise known as CRM, to manage this aspect of your business.
A CRM tool for small businesses can help with digital marketing and the engagement of your customers. The right software will help you measure, manage and track all of your campaigns and customer relationships. Giving you hints on who to engage with next, how clients are responding to your messages, and more. A great tool for this is HubSpot.
Pros
It can help keep your business at the top of your customer’s minds by monitoring them closely and analysing their demands. It also provides great customer support.
Cons
Limited video capabilities in emails.
3. Email Outreach
Even businesses with a top website need email marketing. And, with the right system, you can reach your subscribers easily, keeping them up to date on the latest events, offers, and opportunities in your business.
The right tool will also give you the option to create and automatically share email newsletters to your social networks. Our favorite go-to email marketing tool is MailChimp.
Pros
A leading platform in the industry, MailChimp provides detailed campaign analytics and metrics. It also has targeted user segmentation among other advantages.
Cons
It becomes costlier as your audience grows. Some emails also end up in the spam or trash folder where customers fail to see them.
4. Internal Communication
While projects such as marketing and website development can help you reach your customers, this might be futile if you have poor internal communication. As the world moves more toward automated systems, businesses would need to keep up, and taking advantage of certain tools can keep poor collaboration at bay.
Instead of slow emails and telephone calls, you can adopt more digital communication that allows for instant file sharing and chatting. Many small business owners opt for Microsoft Office 365 to fulfill this function.
Pros
This tool is straightforward and user-friendly with easy setup for meetings and the ability to see each other’s calendars. It’s easy to install and manage with an organized interface.
Cons
User data is not automatically backed up and without a third-party solution, there is the risk of experiencing downtimes and file corruption or loss.
5. Online Accounting System
Accounting is very important for a small business because if you cannot stay on top of your money, the business cannot grow. Great accounting software will automate all the tasks of an accountant, keeping track of expenses, invoices, income, and profits. It would also generate the reports needed for tax returns.
A great tool for this activity is QuickBooks Online.
Pros
It is easy to integrate with other applications. It is also intuitive and user-friendly.
Cons
It lacks certain advanced functionalities and has limited inventory management.
While there is an unlimited amount of required tools for your small business, these five can give you the start that you need. Getting affordable web design or even a mobile website can help as well, but with these tools, you will be able to manage and run your business properly while engaging your customers and staying on top of your accounting. Automate your way to small business success.