You do a lot as a business owner, but even the most diligent person can’t run a business all alone. That’s where the helping hand offered by small business management software comes in. Use our guide to help you make an informed decision on what software suite is right for your business.
How Do I Choose Small Business Management Software?
The reason so many businesses are adapting small business management software suites is this technology gives you all the tools you need to effectively run your business all in one place. This can help you reduce costs and increase productivity, benefiting your bottom line. Business software can also help make your company’s team be more cohesive by assisting with collaboration between employees and departments.
Using the right business software tools can also help you reduce your operating costs to increase your profits. Some of the functions that this software can achieve would take additional employees or entire departments to handle otherwise. Using software to accomplish those goals instead gives you the capabilities you need at a fraction of the cost.
Features to Look for in Your Software Suite
Every business’ needs are different, but there are some features that some business management software offers that just about every business could benefit from.
Scheduling Software
Workforce management is an essential part of your business’s day-to-day operations. You need to have the employees you need on hand without hurting your profits by overstaffing. Managing your schedules manually can create a massive headache that will distract you from the important business decisions that you need to make.
Save yourself unnecessary trouble by using software with workforce management features that handle your scheduling with convenience and accuracy. Scheduling automation software will give you one less thing to worry about. You can also find software that supports scheduling across multiple locations if your business takes place in more than one office.
Inventory Control
Knowing how much of every you have on hand at any given time is critical to making the right decisions for your business. Missing out on sales because you don’t have the stock to meet demands or an order falling through because you don’t have the items needed to fulfill it hurts your business and makes customers more likely to choose competitors.
Instead of manually tracking your inventory, make the process easier and more effective by using software with inventory management capability. You’ll know exactly what product and material you have on hand at any given time so that you know what adjustments need to be made.
Lead Management
Every business needs to constantly strive to reach new customers in order to continue growing. However, identifying opportunities for a sale and correctly positioning a product can be difficult work. Anyone who has attempted random cold calls to sell a product can tell you how unresponsive customers can be to a sales attempt if the right approach isn’t implemented.
Business management software can help give your sales the boost they need. By automatically analyzing data of your customer base and patterns of your previous sales, the software can recommend likely leads for sales. This includes both potential new customers as well as existing customers that could benefit from a secondary product or service that your business offers.
Customer Relationship Management
When you provide a product or service, your relationship with your customer doesn’t end at the time of purchase. You need to continue supporting the customer’s experience, including helping them troubleshoot any issues that might arise after their purchase.
Having the right customer relationship management tools will help you deliver a more rewarding experience. Your support agents will be able to see information on past interactions with a customer so that they can provide an experience tailored to each customer’s situation. You can also automate processes like email reminders and follow-ups to give your workforce one less task to complete and to give your customers a consistent experience.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Software
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to finding a small business management software solution that works for your company’s unique needs. Keep these factors in mind when you’re deciding which software is the best fit for your company:
Accessibility
Even the best business software is no good if you and your team aren’t able to use it. Look for a software suite that has intuitive, easy-to-use features to avoid requiring extensive training for how to use the software, as well as readily available customer support in case you do run into an issue.
You should also consider if the software you’re choosing is compatible with the devices and operating systems your business makes use of.
Scalability
The demands on any business will fluctuate over time. Ideally, you’ll want to continue expanding and growing your customer base, so you’ll need software that is ready to grow with your business. In certain industries, demand will also fluctuate depending on the time of the year. You’ll want to find a software solution that is flexible enough to change to suit the current situation that your business is in.
Pricing
As with any decision you make for your business, price is an important consideration to take into account when choosing what business software to use. Finding a competitively-priced package can help you avoid unnecessary expenses that will impact your profitability. You may also want to seek out short-term contract options so that you can try out the software without a long-term commitment.
The software package that we offer will help you tell your business’ unique story in a way that resonates with the audiences you’re trying to reach. We’ll give you the tools you need to get your business thriving like never before. Discover more at Anthem Software now and get your business on the cutting edge!
