Thanks to today’s diverse market of business management software tools, business owners have a range of options to work with. A business management software is essential for the management of daily core duties.
Different tools for businesses can be categorized under varying sections such as task and project management, accounting, customer service, file-sharing or management, e-commerce, communication, and content management solutions.
Companies take advantage of the different tools for businesses to optimize productivity, improve flexibility and streamline their business processes. Below are 15 essential business tools you should consider for your company.
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Productivity Business Tools
Managing distractions, especially when working remotely, is one of the most challenging parts of owning a business. When working at the office, talkative colleagues and constant phone notifications may be your only concern. However, if you are working from home, you will have numerous other distractions, including a sink full of dishes, a comfortable couch, and a pile of laundry to do.
Use the below tools to boost your productivity and reduce distractions.
1. Freedom
The Freedom application helps you block digital distractions such as website alerts so that you pay full attention to the task at hand. It’s challenging to meet deadlines when you constantly check your social media accounts or focus on website analytics. That’s because these tasks may pull you away from your concentration zone every once in a while.
Freedom is one of the best apps to boost productivity because it will block distractions on numerous devices. Thus, you won’t have to keep scrolling through your laptop or pick your phone to block the distractions out. However, remember to inform your workmates that you will be in a distraction-free zone to avoid conflict about why you aren’t picking up their calls.
2. Calendar
Calendly is an essential tool that all businesses should consider for their marketing department. That’s because it helps you eliminate the distractions associated with bookings and scheduling meetings for work. The Calendly application allows you to set up appointments from your device’s existing calendar and block out days and times when you will be busy.
If a client or a colleague wants to set up a meeting, they will not need to send an email. They can look at the application to see what time works best for your schedule. This helps you avoid the back and forth of checking which time is best for the meeting, saving you plenty of time.
Calendly is also a must-have tool because of its buffers. A user can create buffer times in between appointments and meetings.
Such buffers may include breaks for stretching, time to walk to the next office, and even set up barriers for last-minute arrangements. This added tool prevents individuals from scheduling meetings with only an hour’s notice.
3. Noisli
Noisli is a must-have business tool because it allows you to block out distractions, wind down after an overwhelming task, and increase your focus when working. However, Noisli is not the typical white noise generator.
It allows you to mix your preferred sounds to create a seamless working environment where you can be the most productive. It can be pretty distracting if you work in a household where your roommates or children are running around doing their things. Ensure you use Noisli to help you get into your productive zone and focus on your job more easily.
4. Pushbullet
Do you switch from one device to the other throughout your day? If you switch from your smartphone or iPad to your computer, you will be setting yourself up for an unproductive day full of transitional distractions.
Bouncing around from one device to the other makes it challenging to get back to the project you were working on. To make things easier and less distracting, you need a tool that can connect all your devices into one. Pushbullet is the best application for this.
You can see incoming text messages from your laptop, view your tablet’s notification from your phone and instantly share files and links without sending them to yourself first. These are among the many benefits you stand to enjoy when you use Pushbullet when working with multiple devices.
5. 1Password
A safe and secure password is essential for the safety of your business’s online processes. Your password needs to be unique for every account to avoid cybersecurity incidents. However, it’s difficult to remember all your passwords, and writing them down on your computer or notebook is not a safe option either.
1Password is an online business tool that can help you safely store your password where no one can access them except you. When you need to log in to any account, all you require is one master password to access all your other saved passwords on 1Password.
Productivity Tools for Business’s Project Management
Effective management of any project requires a distributed and focused team. It’s essential to foster communication and ensure all your team members are on the same page to meet deadlines and stay updated.
Use the below project management tools to ensure your team’s productivity.
6. Scoro Software
The Scoro software is a must-have all-in-one business management tool. It’s designed to help teams streamline workflows and handle routine tasks. This allows the team to focus on other essential aspects of the business, such as pleasing their clients.
Using Scoro will allow you to manage your team, create and share invoices, and manage your time wisely. The application has a team dashboard feature where you can check ongoing projects at a glance. This includes budget updates, profits, and project steps.
With easy access to all this information, your team can stay on track, avoid going above budget and remain informed about any new updates on your current projects.
7. Betterteam
Hiring and onboarding can be a tiresome and time-consuming process. It takes effort and time to post vacancies on different job boards and sort out the unqualified candidates. Even conducting interviews can leave your HR team exhausted.
On average a company may take up to 36 days to fill a vacant position. Thus, making this process simpler can be a significant relief for your HR department and the onboarding team.
Betterteam is a business software that helps in the first stages of the hiring process. It will help you post vacancies and open positions. In just a matter of minutes, you can post your positions on over a hundred popular job websites.
This will save you time and energy that you would otherwise use to post the jobs manually. Betterteam also gives you access to thousands of highly qualified candidates and more exposure. The value of using different business tools is to be able to cast a wider net to get what you are looking for.
8. GoCo
GoCo is a platform that integrates payroll, HR management, and employee benefits into an easy-to-use software. The platform allows you to keep all your employees’ data well organized in one place. Additionally, GoCo also ensures that your business processes comply with your state and federal laws.
It can also sync with your payroll system to ensure that all your regulation and compliance concerns are addressed. The tool also allows your employees to request time off and apply for benefits quickly. This eliminates the time wasted during back-and-forth emailing.
Finance and Accounting Software
Finance and accounting software tools streamline your business’s accounting and bookkeeping. This allows you to focus on other essential aspects of running your business. It also saves your accounting team time and effort they would otherwise use doing some of the tasks manually.
Below are essential accounting software tools you should consider for your business.
9. QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks makes it easier for businesses to manage all their accounting needs no matter the company’s size. The software allows you to easily track your business expenses, create and share forms such as invoices, price quotes, and accounting reports. It also helps you better understand where your cash flow stands.
QuickBooks Online has a user-friendly dashboard that presents everything you need in your accounting in a simplified way for easier understanding. You can start a free 30-day trial of the app to examine if it meets your business’s accounting and bookkeeping needs.
10. Wave
Wave is also another easy-to-use accounting software that can help you track your expenses, and create and send invoices from your mobile devices or desktop. You can also create and share recurring bills and scan receipts and invoices from wherever you are.
The Wave application was specifically designed for small business owners with an easy-to-navigate dashboard. It is also free to use and offers business owners the flexibility and optimization they need to run their accounting departments.
Marketing Software Tools
Marketing tools ensure that your business’s marketing efforts are streamlined and optimized. Different companies use direct mail, market research, and advertising tools to boost their sales and increase revenue.
Below is an essential marketing tool to consider for your business.
11. Sitecore
Sitecore is a must-have dynamic marketing tool that offers content editors valuable tools to carry out their duties. One of the most popular marketing tools in Sitecore is Workflow. A workflow is an easy-to-use tool that helps you ensure that all content created by the editors is approved before posting on your site.
To use Workflow, you must set it up on your site first. Check out this article to better understand the steps to take when creating a workflow in Sitecore.
Time Management Applications
Are you constantly juggling deliverables, deadlines, and resources? If you are, there is a higher chance of you benefiting from time management applications. Below are the best time management tools to help you meet your deadlines and optimize your time.
12. RescueTime
Did you know that an average employee wastes 94 minutes every day on social media and doing other non-work-related tasks?
RescueTime tracks the amount of time you spend on websites and applications all day so that you can have a perfect view of how you spent your time all day. The application runs in the background of your computer or mobile devices. It will set periodic alerts to allow you to know how much time you spent on a specific activity and block any websites that could disrupt you.
It gives you a detailed report of how many minutes you spent scrolling through social media or reading your emails. This allows you to know precisely where you waste your time and come up with ways to reduce time wastage and improve productivity. When you are on vacation, you can pause RescueTime whenever you want.
The application also allows you to set personal goals on the maximum or minimum time you would like to spend on an activity. For example, you can set 30 minutes to go through your social media and 2 hours to read and respond to emails. This helps you productively manage your time.
13. Toggl
Toggl is a simple application that tracks your time and helps you get things done. This is an ideal application for freelancers and teams working on specific projects. Google will track and display your time utilization data in an easy-to-understand format.
Another significant advantage of using Toggl is its Button browser extension that allows you to track over 80 online tools.
Project Management Applications
Project management tools help you keep track of the project your team is working on. It also makes it easier to communicate with your team and update them on any changes. Below are two essential project management tools you should consider.
14. Monday
Monday is a tool that improves communication and organizes all tasks for your current project. All you need to do is create a project and add a task to the project. You can also add other steps to the functions.
Whenever a team member completes a step on the task, its status is updated for all team members to see. Monday also allows you to create knowledge bases where you can store essential documents and other files related to the specific project.
15. nTask
nTask is a must-have business tool for individuals and small businesses. It is a project management tool that offers users the ability to collaborate with other team members on project-related tasks. Plan your project on nTask, ensure you add a clear description, set the proper budget, assign resources and create different tasks for varying categories.
nTask also makes it easier for project managers to view the progress of the tasks using interactive Gantt charts. This also helps you make an informed decision about the project’s future and how to move forward.
Are You Ready to Utilize Tools for Businesses?
There is no doubt that different tools for businesses help in boosting productivity and saving time. These tools also make your life easier as a business leader.
Ensure you use the above-listed tools to optimize your business’s core functions. From creating and sharing invoices to saving time, you can have it all if you know the right software tools to use.
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