Due to the limited number of employees, small businesses often fail to streamline their daily operations effectively. So, the average small business entrepreneur spends more time tackling daily tasks than focusing on strategic planning, long-term goals, and other tasks that can support business growth.
Luckily, we’ve created an impressive list of five essential apps for startups and small businesses to help run your company more efficiently.
Project Management Software
Having project management software is crucial to the successful management of multiple tasks and staying on top of your activities, appointments, and deadlines. Such software can be an invaluable logistical asset to your business operation. It can improve your ability to organize complex projects by breaking them down into task segments while allowing for a comprehensive overall view of the project.
In addition to improving organizational management, project management software can ensure you know how, why, and where your resources are being spent to complete a given project. Moreover, clients can track the project progress and have the assurance that the project is completed in a timely manner.
Project management software like Jira can support agile management and enables you to align your teams at scale, improve business operations, and deliver better business outcomes. Moreover, you can also choose to incorporate a Jira GitHub integration to sync your repositories and branches seamlessly. You can have two different teams working in together without interfering with each other’s autonomy. The workflow would be optimized and the teams can use a common data set to solve problems they specialize in.
E-Signature Software
E-signature software comes in handy when you need to sign contracts and agreements. It can help cut down on costs and reduce processing time. You simply upload the document, add in the email addresses of those who need to sign, and the recipients get the copy in their inbox.
The streamlined process will help you increase your close rate. Recipients are much more likely to sign when it takes only a few seconds to add a signature than the amount of time needed to print and hand-sign business documents minutes manually. Another essential benefit of e-signature software is that it saves employees time, freeing them to focus on other essential tasks.
The best e-signature software includes the option to assign due dates for signatures and send reminders to the involved parties. Also, it provides customizable templates, real-time tracking, top-notch security, and automation.
Proposal Software
Proposal management software automates creating and sending business proposals to prospects. The best software provides simple collaboration options and built-in management features that simplify the technical aspects of proposals. As a result, you and your sales team can focus on generating leads and landing sales.
Furthermore, proposal software makes it easy to personalize proposals for your clients and add a personal touch. This can open the doors to communication and increase the prospect’s chances of accepting your offer. Likewise, proposal templates make it easier for clients to say yes — they enjoy the convenience of reviewing and signing the proposal electronically, making them more likely to engage.
Last but not least, proposal management software provides invaluable data which you can use to improve sales performance and project future goals for the company.
Customer Relationship Management Software
Customer Relationship Management or CRM software provides a central repository that is crucial for improving relationships with existing and potential customers. Client management is one of the main advantages of CRM apps.
The best CRM software for small businesses and startups can help you organize and synchronize insightful data such as telephone numbers, emails, addresses, pain points, returns, and more. That way, everyone in the team can learn where the customer is in the sales cycle, review their purchasing history and buying patterns to improve the sales strategy.
Moreover, CRM software helps you enhance customer service, increase customer retention, streamline your sales process, and boost your sales rate. Lastly, it automates critical tasks, which bring about higher productivity and efficiency.
Accounting Software
Accounting software performs everything an accountant or a bookkeeper would but automates calculations and streamlines the process. It allows you to get organized and minimize errors. You can create, send, and record invoices and track income, expenses, and tax documentation in one place.
By using accountant software, you’ll be centralizing your business’s financial management, which would save you time and money in the long run. You’ll also have a clear picture of your company’s financial health with deeper insights into profits and losses, tax summaries, expenditures, and more.
Finally, the best online accounting software should be compliant, have regular backups, and use data encryption to ensure your data is never lost.
Final Thoughts
This list of must-have apps for startups and small businesses only scratches the surface. We outlined the five essential tools to boost productivity and positively affect your business operations. That being said, the size and maturity of your business, the industry in which you operate, and your budget will largely influence which apps you decide to invest in. So start slowly, try a few apps, see which ones work best for you, and then scale them up.