Running a small business is no easy task: often each individual is fulfilling several roles all at the same time. Utilizing tools that can increase productivity as well as ease your congested workload can be worth their weight in gold. Here are some of the best examples of apps that can really help to smooth those activities involved in the day to day of an SME.
Todoist
This well-known app is well-known for a reason. It is simply one of the best time-management tools out there for both iPhone and Android. Allocate tasks, set deadlines and so much more with this highly practical and responsive tool. The visuals are worth the effort alone, succinctly providing updates as to where you are in various actives, as well as pinpointing what still needs to be done. The free tool is a great place to start, but there is also a premium version that offers added features.
Slack
Slack markets itself as a collaboration hub and that is certainly what it delivers as it brings together teams in organized, cloud-based chat rooms. It also has a host of social media integration tools too. Join the growing buzz around Slack by first checking out the free version.
Linguix
Linguix is an AI-powered writing tool that is available as an app or as an extension for Chrome or Firefox. As well as helping to correct grammatical, vocabulary and spelling mistakes in your writing across multiple platforms, it also provides a dictionary-style tool that allows you to click on words you discover across the web and then gain access to definitions and synonyms. This can be incredibly useful for ensuring smooth and clean marketing and business literature.
Where Linguix can also really add value for small businesses and start-ups, in particular, is through its template offerings, including fantastic templates for marketing, press releases, company bios, and blog posts.
A full list of the tools Linguix provides is available here.
Asana
Asana is a project management app that focuses small business teams on business objectives (both short- and long-term), deadlines and productivity. It integrates seamlessly within your activities to ensure those critical deadlines are always readily apparent and, therefore, met. Asana also excels as a task management tool, allowing the setting and management of tasks within the business. Furthermore, it integrates with a host of other popular apps, including Slack, so your project management and communication processes remain inline.
QuickBooks
This excellent accounting app allows small businesses to keep a handle on accumulating costs as well as all incomings. QuickBooks is now so ubiquitous that the chances are your external accountant already uses it, so integration is seamless. The app is easy to navigate, and the interface is extremely user-friendly. Among some of the best features is the ability to send invoices whenever required, and also link to the payments system you use, such as PayPal Here. It also offers inventory and purchasing tracking features, ensuring full control of costs and assets.
PayPal Here
If you receive direct payments from customers, the small card reader provided by PayPal Here can integrate with the previously mentioned QuickBooks, and it’s 2.7% swipe cost is lower than many rivals, including Square, which is also a hugely convenient payment app. With the ability to produce and disseminate invoices and receipts, this is a comprehensive app, as you would expect from a provider the size of PayPal. Just note that payments will go to your PayPal account, not directly into your business bank account.
HubSpot
When it comes to a fully integrated CRM, it’s hard to beat HubSpot, which in terms of integrations with existing apps, and the level of its customer service, truly excels. With HubSpot, you can ensure that all activities within your small business are joined up, truly ensuring productivity remains at its peak.
