From project management to communications, there are plenty of software options to help you run your small business. Updates and improvements are made often, so keeping up with small business technology trends is essential.
Businesses today can leverage modern software to enhance employee productivity while limiting the friction between team collaboration.
In this article, you’ll find everything business owners need to get started adopting tech into their business.
Here are 20 items of tech software every small business should have to improve efficiency and streamline their operations:
Communications
Dedicated communications software helps your team collaborate and avoid miscommunications. It also lets employees retain their privacy by keeping work-related conversation isolated to a single platform (and away from their personal devices).
FreeConferenceCall.com is an excellent option for free communication tools, offering everything from audio and video conferencing to screen sharing and whiteboarding.
VoIP
Keep your business’s voice-based communication organized and centralized using VoIP software. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol–it’s essentially telephone over the internet. Dedicated VoIP software expands that concept to include digital phones, portable softphones and more.
FreeConferenceCall.com offers a Virtual Phone that’s an affordable VoIP option for businesses of all sizes.
RingCentral offers voicemail-to-text and 100 toll-free minutes a month, but can be quite expensive.
Nextiva boasts unlimited US calling, free number porting and hold music.
1-VoIP lets you implement a virtual fax machine and digital call forwarding.
VPNS
Managing internet security is made simple with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN secures your company’s network, keeps your sensitive information protected and mitigates data loss.
NordVPN Teams offers robust trusted security and extensive servers to businesses and individual NordVPN customers.
Perimeter 81 offers three different business plans that let you scale your coverage to your needs. They provide secure access to networked systems through a software-defined perimeter and a strict no-logging policy.
CyberGhost is free, making it a great option for startups and businesses on a lean budget. They also offer upgrades to the paid version for Mac and Linux support.
B2C Emailing ClientsÂ
Business-to-consumer communications software helps you keep in touch with your clients as your business grows.
MailChimp offers automated email marketing and integration with tools like Zapier, Canva and WordPress.
Active Campaign offers simplified drag-and-drop template building, further customization options and a built-in customer relationship management (CRM) tool.
File SharingÂ
Remote file sharing makes your business operations streamlined and portable. With tiered options, your file sharing platform can simply move files or serve as a storage hub for your entire operation.
Google Drive automatically syncs across multiple devices. The client is browser-based while also allowing for offline editing options.
DropBox Business integrates with other apps like Salesforce, Office 365, and Trello.
Microsoft OneDrive is one of the most popular file-sharing services because it integrates seamlessly with Microsoft operating systems.
Word Processing
Word processing software allows users to draft emails, write memos and create text-based content.
ZohoDocs offers a cloud-based document storage system that integrates with their word processing software.
GoogleDocs through GSuites offers unlimited revision history and works offline through the Google Chrome browser.
Microsoft Word is the industry standard when it comes to word processing, finding its place among students, professionals, and individuals alike.
Project Management
Minimize miscommunication between deadlines and streamline your task delegation with a dedicated project management software.
Trello is flexible, functional, and free. Trello lets users manage projects using an intuitive card-based organization system. It also allows for upgrades for improved automation and security features.
Asana is a trusted work management resource among many professionals and offers app integration with MicrosoftTeams and Salesforce. For customization options, in-depth reporting features and more support, users can upgrade to one of the scaled plans.
Wrike is free for up to five users and comes with 2GB of free storage.
Accounting
Accounting software is essential for keeping track of your business’s cash flow. A reliable accounting software also prepares your accounting documents for tax purposes come the new year.
QuickBooks is the most commonly used accounting software, helping business owners keep track of everything from expenses to income. QuickBooks is the industry standard when it comes to accounting software.
FreshBooks is an alternative to QuickBooks that offers nearly the same functionality using a different interface. My freelancers and small business owners turn to FreshBooks for everything from keeping track of cash flow to creating invoices.
Consider where your operations are lagging and implement appropriate new software to streamline your processes. Bookmark this page as a resource for new technology when you’re ready to upgrade your business.
