As a business owner, your life is pretty complicated. From government regulations to staffing decisions, every waking minute is thinking about your company in the here-and-now and how you want it to look in the future. If you’re looking for something, anything, that can lighten some of the load, read on for these five tools that are about to make your life easier.
INVEST IN VOIP
Your small business may be running off your cell phone, or even a landline. Not only is it time to cut the cord, but it’s also time to move your voice technology to the internet. Using a VoIP service means you keep your business line separate from your personal life, you can identify your business, so caller ID always shows the call coming from your business even if you’re relaxing at a condo in Mexico.
VoIP is scalable so as you add more employees it’s easy to add lines and trunk codes. Consider the ease of hiring a customer service representative. Even if you’re still running your business out of your dining room, you can hire someone to take on CSR responsibilities from their home and your customers will never know you aren’t together in a shop.
You’ll also be able to integrate your VoIP with your customer relationship management software, meaning it’s easy to track your supplier and customer calls along with any issues or potential leads. Information that will pop as soon as your VoIP line rings.
UTILIZE CLOUD STORAGE
Whether you use a free option or a pay system, utilize the power of cloud computing. Just like the benefit of VoIP for employees in different locations, cloud storage means that employees can access and save files no matter where they are located. Cloud storage means you aren’t paying for a lot of extra physical storage space at your location, along with all the security measures required for that, from special fire equipment to safety from theft. Make sure whatever cloud provider you use has safety protocols to prevent theft and breaches.
TRACK TIME
Find an online time tracking tool. The fact is that even if you’re your only employee, at some point you will be hiring people to do the jobs you are doing now. In order to figure out how much time it takes to do each task, you need to track your time. Look for software that can grow with you and offers integration with a payroll system and project time reporting. If your employees can use it even from their phone you can save on providing more tech tools. Look at options like OnTheClock or QuickBooks Time which integrates with business staple accounting software QuickBooks that also integrates with HubSpot.
MANAGE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
You know you need a social media presence, but posting, responding, and combing other posts for mentions of your business and products could potentially require a whole team. So when you’re a one-person operation small business solutions that provide social media management are a lifesaver. Find a product that will work across social media platforms, from Facebook and Instagram to TikTok and YouTube. These products can time your posts for maximum impact, monitor your mentions by other users, and help you leverage your employees to spread the word about your products.
MANAGE YOUR EMAILS
Mailchimp is the original and probably best-known email marketing tool but there are a lot of options out there now. No matter which option you choose, having a tool that helps you reach your customers regularly is imperative because marketing emails still have the best ROI of any marketing. Look for a tool that offers a marketing calendar, analytics, and personalization. New tools to the market include retargeting the audience and behavioral-based automation.
Good technology investments can save you money on office and computing space, keep your team in communication no matter their locations, and allow you to operate a complex marketing campaign with minimal help. With a little research, you’ll be able to find the best tools to let you focus on the rest of your business.
