5 Necessary Software Tools to Run Your Business Better
It doesn’t matter if you’re starting a new business, newly managing an existing one, or have been in the same position for years, it’s never a bad idea to re-evaluate your processes to make sure you’re running your business to the fullest extent. You know better than anybody how much work it takes to keep things in order, and since not all companies are run the same, it’s important to find a process that works for you. However, that doesn’t mean you have to do it on your own. Keeping your paperwork in order, monitoring your employee’s time and attendance, evaluating client needs, maintaining open communication, and measuring the success of your company on a global and personal scale, you’re probably willing to utilize as many tools as possible. That’s why today I’m going to go over the top 5 tools you should be using in order to run your company better.
1. Payroll Software
Regardless of your industry, finances are at the center of running your business. Payroll processing can be tricky, and errors or inaccuracies can snowball quickly into a mess that will bring productivity to a grinding halt. Having a payroll software that allows you to preview your payroll before you submit gives you the chance to review your deductions and catch any potential errors before they occur. Furthermore, many payroll software companies will file your taxes automatically for you. This will save you the time and hassle of having to do that yourself, while also ensuring any potential fees or penalties are absorbed by the processing company. Now keep in mind, not every business is suited for payroll processing. If you’re not sure whether you should be using a payroll software, processing in-house, or running payroll in some other manner, read our blog Finding the Best Payroll Process for Your Company. You’ll even find a quiz you can take that will tell you exactly what you need by answering just a few simple questions.
2. Analytics Software
With the digital age upon us, it’s rare to find a business that doesn’t have a website that generates leads, sells merchandise or creates awareness about their product or service. Unfortunately, simply having a website isn’t enough; you have to track the success of that website. Lucky for us, there are a number of free tools available to do this, the most popular of which being Google Analytics. Monitoring your website’s analytics is a great way to track visitor geography, traffic percentage per page, and the average duration of time is spent on each page. This information is typically presented to you in visual data graphs and charts, so you won’t have any difficulty interpreting the numbers and can quickly evaluate your analytics at a glance.
3. File Storage and Sharing
Staying organized is one of the most important ways to run a successful business. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure that you have access to all of your files and documents from any location at any time. Utilizing a tool like Dropbox that will let you store and share your files no matter their size can be really helpful. Any images, documents, and videos will all be stored in the cloud so you can access them or share them in an organized fashion.
4. Human Resource Management Software
There is a common misconception that HRM software is only worth utilizing if your company has a sizable employee count. However, there is a lot of value to be found with such software for any sized business, sometimes at no extra cost. You’ll find that many payroll software companies will offer additional HR features for free, such as Dominion’s Employee Self Service portal. This allows your employees to access important HR documents such as their W2s and even let them request time off, and the best part is that it’s included at no additional charge!
5. Customer Relationship Management Software
The final software you should highly consider using is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software. A CRM Software is used in order to track client information and manage business relationships and the data and information that is associated with them. Keeping track of all of this can get overwhelming without the assistance of a platform like SalesForce or HubSpot. Your sales team will be largely benefited from having a database to track every client or prospective client interaction, especially if you have more than one team member working with the same person. Depending on the needs of your company, you might not require a totally intricate CRM Software and can find a cheaper (or even free) platform that can get the job done. Before you start shopping around, consider your current limitations when it comes to your business relationships and what features you think would streamline your process best.
If you’re considering adding one of these products to your business plan, take a look at Dominion’s cloud-based payroll and HR software. We fit every size company at an affordable rate and would be happy to show you a personalized demo to show how our software can transform the way your business is run.