Five Apps For Entrepreneurs To Effectively Manage Their Businesses In this digital age, there are more tools than ever to help business owners streamline their internal processes from the comfort of their cell phone screens.
By May Rostom
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Whether you run a small startup, or you've had a business for years, you're probably always thinking of ways to enhance your internal, day-to-day processes- especially on the go. Luckily, in this digital age, there are more tools than ever to help business owners streamline their internal processes from the comfort of their cell phone screens. If you're looking to automate some of your core business processes (and save yourself time and money in the process), this guide is here to help. We've focused on five of the most useful applications for small to medium businesses that are either free, or offer excellent value for money- furthermore, premium features are often available as your business grows.
1. ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE - QUICKBOOKS One of the biggest names in the accounting world, Quickbooks helps you manage your business and provides a sense of your company's overall financial health. From tax accounting to payroll, profit analysis, creating invoices, tracking miles, managing expenses, and inventory management, QuickBooks does it all- depending on which version you're paying for. Additionally, whatever version you choose, you'll have access to the mobile QuickBooks app, which is one of the top-rated small business apps on the Apple App Store.
2. COMMUNICATION - SLACK Slack's user-friendly interface and private chatrooms, makes communicating with colleagues an easy task. The productivity app that is said to increase productivity by 32% (or so they say), helps you organize your team's conversations into separate private or public channels or send a direct message. You can also easily drag, drop and share images, PDFs and other files right in the chat. It automatically indexes and archives any message, notification or file, and there's no limit to how many users your business can add.
3. POS AND PAYMENTS - SQUARE This POS provider largely contributed to how businesses process credit card transactions. Using a small, portable card reader that attaches to a phone or another mobile device, allows you to take fast, convenient payments.
4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT: TRELLO This easy-to-use app helps you track your team's workflow, even when you're away from the office. The card-based system lets you easily create, assign, monitor, update, and complete different tasks- it's a great way to make sure everyone is as productive and efficient as possible. Plus, Trello integrates with other small business apps like Evernote, Slack, and more.
5. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT - SALESFORCE Whether you're looking to manage your customer relationships or implement a loyalty program or maintain customer profiles, Salesforce is the app to have. Being one of the biggest names in CRM platforms, used by small and big businesses alike, all over the world, the Salesforce platform allows you to track and manage customer profiles across departments, develop personalized marketing plans, respond to customer issues, and more. For loyalty programs, however, we suggest you check the Belly app. Belly helps design your points program based on what customers prefer, plus gain the added capabilities of email, social media marketing, and analytics software.
Related: Chat Commerce Platform Zbooni Enables Businesses To Sell Products Over Mobile Apps
