Technology is a small businesses best friend- it’s thanks to the innovation of modern tech and progress in the online world that enables most small business owners to do what they do. Without the internet, social media, online shopping and being able to source just about anything online, running your own business would be a lot more difficult.
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Regardless of what your company does and what you sell, having the right tools will ensure you keep up with your competition, remain fast, effective and keep costs down so it’s vital you do your research. Here are some of the available softwares and tech that you might be missing out on.
Accounting Software
Keeping good accounts is vital when you’re running a business. Whether you’re doing your own tax return or hiring an accountant, you’ll need efficient records to make things quick and accurate so invest in accounting software. Old methods of accounting like Excel, or worse, paper records can slow everything down and be more prone to mistakes.
Legal Software
As a small business there are many legal issues you’ll need to consider to protect yourself, particularly as you’re unlikely to have the funds to cover expensive lawyers and court visits if things go wrong. If you use good legal software you can do things like create contracts and forms, anything from a social media marketing contract to a legally binding contract with a customer. It enables you to use things like e-signatures, making dealing with all contracts much easier and cheaper too since you’re not having to consult a lawyer every time.
Customer Relationship Management Software
CRM software enables you to give a personalised experience and feel for your customers, as though you’re greeting them as individuals. This is brilliant for brand loyalty, and helps people feel as though they’re a respected customer. This software keeps all information in one place, including their name, date of birth, products they have purchased, reviews they’ve given, products on their wishlist and more.
You can send birthday discount vouchers on their birthday, you can recommend items they might like based on their favourites and specifically market products towards them, leading to further sales.
A Live Chat Feature
Live chat is an excellent feature for business. Customers can have answers quickly without picking up the phone or waiting around for a reply email. Depending on how frequently the live chat is being used, you could answer it yourself during your working hours. Or you could hire freelancers and have them answer the live chat remotely.
Either way, it can make your business look more trustworthy and reliable, and can help you to secure an order from a customer who was previously unsure.
As a business owner, it’s essential that you remain up to date with modern tech if you want to be cost savvy and efficient. While some technology and software can be expensive, it’s almost always worth the cost if it saves you time and effort- since this in turn saves you money.