Business technology can help you save time and money so that your company can expand. Here are seven types of tools for business that you have to be aware of.
There are two main things that all business owners in the small-scale sector want more in terms of time, and cash. The latest tools for business can assist you in running your business more effectively and with less expense.
Task Management Tools
Email and Social Marketing
Social Media Scheduling Tools
Scheduling Meetings
Obtaining e-Signatures
Finding and Retaining Business Clients
Document Collaboration
We talked to small business director Lisa Shaughnessy, who specializes in helping small companies streamline their processes. She also trains entrepreneurs on the technique of following up to grow their client base. Lisa states, “There are so many alternatives for technology, tools and platforms to assist you in expanding your business. When you have a clear idea of what you’re looking to accomplish then take the time to determine the best solution for your business and you.”
In this piece, Lisa gave us seven kinds of tools for business that will help small-business owners cut down on time and expense.
1. Task Management Tools
Tools for managing tasks are a simple, cost-effective method for small-scale entrepreneurs to save the time as well as money. Any tool that lets you track the task electronically instead of manual, can be a major benefit for busy business owners that want to cut down on time spent communicating with their work as well as the work for their staff.
Online tools for task management such as Asana as well as Trello can assist you in staying on the top of your list of tasks projects, progress on your project, and calendars. It is possible to set up automated reminders and updates, to ensure that you don’t need to check every little detail manually. These can also be used as tools for collaboration, so that everyone on your team understands the status of work the last time, what’s great, and who was designated to do the work.
2. Email and Social Marketing
Nowadays, numerous every day “busy work” tasks can be automated, allowing the business owners can concentrate on more creative endeavors. The email marketing platforms (EMS) like Aweberand MailChimp enable you to keep your subscribers on the receiving end of any news regarding your business as well as important promotions and deals. Additionally is that a lot of EMS platforms can also send your newsletter via your social networks, which means you don’t have to create a post via your personal website.
3. Social Media Scheduling Tools
Small-scale business owners are aware of the significance of making use of the social networks to communicate with their potential customers and clients. However, using Facebook too much could cause time-wasting. Who hasn’t visited any social media site or application “for just a minute” but then come off an hour later, and go further down into the rabbit hole of social media?
Tools for scheduling social media like Buffer and HootSuite let you to plan posts to be published at the specified dates and times, and without having to set any foot on social media sites and avoiding the distraction. You can also create the posts for a month or week in advance, all in one go then use these scheduling systems to send out your promotional campaigns exactly when you need them, so that you can expand your business without having to spend too long on social media.
4. Scheduling Meetings
Meetings can be scheduled and require an endless email exchange back and forth to come up with the most mutually agreeable time. Scheduling tools such as Calendly and Acuity can assist in automatizing the process of scheduling meetings. You just need to send another person your contact information and they will select the time to meet.
5. Obtaining e-Signatures
If you require electronic signatures on contracts or agreements, HelloSign or DocuSign will be able to assist. You can upload your documents, write down the areas where signatures are required and then add the correct email address then the software will email the document for you! It’ll even notify people with reminders that the document isn’t signed by a specific time. There’s no more fumbling around to sign their names or hoping that the post office will be open to send a contract in a flash.
6. Finding and Retaining Business Clients
In order to both attract and keep customers, as well as finding hidden revenue sources and revenue sources, customer relationship Management (CRM) systems like Hubspot, SalesForce along with Insightlyare an invaluable resource. A CRM will help keep track of prospective as well as current and past clients from the very first time they come through your sales and marketing funnels. It also provides tools to maintain those relationships.
A CRM that is used consistently can assist you in making sound business decisions based on real information rather than making assumptions. You can track how many new customers you’ve added to your database in the course of a specific time. It is possible to view contacts based on particular data points like the region they resided in or what type of product they purchased. This way, you’ll know whom to send follow-up messages for referrals or for repeat business. This will make your marketing dollars go further.
7. Document Collaboration
If you have to work with other people files-sharing platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox are an absolute must. These online tools make sure that everyone works from the exact version of the identical document. This also stops everyone’s inbox from being clogged by different versions of the identical document.
You can collaborate together in real-time or log in at leisure to look at the work individuals have contributed. You can utilize it within your team or can even utilize these types of tools for clients and vendors to track what everyone is looking for and wants.
Let Growth Happen
There are many alternatives for tools, technology and platforms that can assist you in growing your business. Once you’ve decided the goals you’d like to accomplish then take the time to find the most effective options for your company and yourself. Each of these tools (and others similar to them) let you free your time and allow you to accomplish more work in less time. They can also reduce the need for more employees, helping to keep your overhead expenses to a minimum. That means you’ll have the cash and time you require to expand.
