Starting a small business can be overwhelming. Anyone familiar with running or owning a small business is well aware of the numerous obstacles and challenges encountered on the path to prosperity and expansion.
Thankfully, the progression of technology has led to the development of various software applications designed to simplify business operations and reduce the workload.
Selecting the most suitable small business tools can significantly enhance your team’s productivity and efficiency.
However, pinpointing that small business software is not easy. In this blog, we explore a selection of tools that have become essential companions for small business owners on their journey to success.
Top small business tools to help you boost your productivity
Owners of small businesses frequently operate with limited resources, a situation aggravated by rising inflation.
Priorities such as enhancing marketing efforts, streamlining task management, or growing your team remain essential, but in times of financial constraint, it may be necessary to try to achieve more with fewer resources.
Following is a list of some of the best software for small businesses that we’ve found.
1. BoldDesk for customer service management
BoldDesk is an excellent customer service software package, providing a comprehensive solution tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.
With its user-friendly interface, small businesses can effortlessly manage customer inquiries, resolve issues, and create an optimized customer experience.
Top features
- Robust ticket routing system
- Knowledge base software
- Integrations
- Reports and analytics
- Automation
- Team collaboration features
- Customizable, expandable, intuitive interface
- Artificial intelligence tools
- Multichannel support
- Custom fields
- Automated workflows
- Custom SLA integration
- Scalability
As entrepreneurs navigate the difficulties of building and growing their ventures, BoldDesk provides the support, small business tools, and insights needed to offer their customers excellent interactions.
Whether you’re looking to organize your customer support service or make informed decisions based on data, BoldDesk can help small businesses thrive.
Schedule a live demo to explore the ways in which BoldDesk can improve your small business’s operations. Start a free trial to experience the wide array of features available.
If you have any questions about the product or how it works, feel free to contact the BoldDesk support team for assistance.
Pricing
BoldDesk presents three pricing categories for its customers to choose from, depending on which features you need to access:
- Starter: $10 for 3 agents/month
- Growth: $20 per agent/month
- Enterprise: $40 per agent/month
Get a discount for paying yearly instead of monthly. See our pricing page for current deals and additional discounts.
Free trial duration: 15 days
2. Zapier for automating workflows
Zapier is an automation software for small businesses that allows various online applications to communicate and share data with each other.
It operates on the principle of Zaps, which refers to automated workflows created to perform specific tasks when triggered by a predefined event.
With a vast collection of supported apps, Zapier empowers small enterprises to automate repetitive tasks and integrate their favorite tools without the need for complex coding.
Top features
- Customizable workflows
- Business process automation
- Real-time data syncing
Pricing
- Starter: $19.99 per month
- Professional: $49 per month
- Team: $69 per month
Free plan: Available
3. Google Analytics for analyzing customer website behavior
For small business owners who manage a website or engage in content marketing, utilizing Google Analytics is a good idea.
This is one of the complimentary small business tools that assists in monitoring the performance of your website, applications, and marketing campaigns.
With Google Analytics, you gain insights that can help you create a detailed profile of your audience, including their origins and preferences, allowing you to alter your content to meet their interests.
Google Analytics offers a wealth of valuable metrics that can be instrumental for small businesses in refining their online presence, understanding customer behavior, and optimizing marketing strategies.
By leveraging this tool, small enterprises can make data-driven decisions that contribute to their overall success in the digital landscape.
Top features
- Website performance metrics
- Traffic sources
- Content performance
- Customer journey mapping
Pricing
- Free for small businesses.
- Advanced features require a paid subscription.
4. Mailmodo- Email marketing software
Mailmodo aids businesses in constructing and expanding their email automation framework through an intuitive visual builder featuring drag-and-drop workflows for automating time-based drip series.
Simplifying the process, they offer an easy way to ensure responsiveness across various devices and include an in-built open rate suggestions feature to rectify errors before sending emails.
Moreover, Mailmodo’s AMP technology presents a myriad of interactive elements, including calendars, forms, surveys, live ratings, reviews, polls, and widgets, allowing users to gamify emails directly within the message.
This minimizes redirections and enhances engagement, offering a seamless experience for both senders and recipients.
Top features
- Interactive emails
- Seamless Shopify integration
- Advance email automation
- A/B testing
- Triggered campaigns
Pricing
- Lite: $ 39 per month
- Pro: $ 79 per month
- Max: $ 159 per month
Free plan: A 21-day free trial is available.
5. Canva for graphic design
Securing the services of an expert graphic designer can be a significant investment, which may not be immediately feasible for your budget.
Canva, with its user-friendly platform and design capabilities, is a budget-friendly alternative software for small businesses looking to elevate their brand presence.
It enables individuals to arrange visuals, text, and other elements via a drag-and-drop interface, suitable for crafting designs for both digital and printed media.
Canva offers an array of ready-to-use templates for social media banners, promotional flyers, various events, and a multitude of documents such as presentations, letters, and reports.
Canva is a design playground that allows small businesses to design professional and visually appealing content.
Top features
- Logo maker
- Versatile design templates
- Business card maker
- PDF editor
Pricing
- Canva Pro: $6.49 per month/1 user
- Canva for Teams: $12.99 per month/5 users
Free plan: Available
6. Asana for project management
Asana, a project management and collaboration tool, is a valuable asset for small businesses seeking efficiency and organization in their day-to-day operations.
Its features promote collaboration, organization, and efficiency, making it an asset for those looking to enhance project management and streamline workflows.
The small business management software allows for the creation of recurring tasks, the delegation of these tasks to team members, and the monitoring of their advancement through a single, tailored dashboard.
Top features
- Time tracking
- Document sharing and storage
- Goal management
- Resource scheduling
Pricing
- Starter: $10.99 per user/month
- Advanced: $24.99 per user/month
Free plan: Available
7. HubSpot for customer relationship management (CRM)
HubSpot CRM stands out as an exceptional small business management software aiming to nurture and expand their customer relationships.
This cloud-hosted platform delivers a suite of tools designed to streamline the organization of communications and monitoring of engagement with customers.
With its intuitive interface and an array of features designed to enhance customer relationship management, HubSpot CRM should be a consideration for small businesses.
Top features
- Contact and company management
- Customer database
- Lead capture and tracking
- Performance metrics
Pricing
- Starter: $30 per month
Free plan: Available
8. Google Docs for document collaboration
Google Docs is a prominent option for small business applications. As a free, web-based platform, it facilitates document collaboration among colleagues and associates.
This document collaboration platform offers a myriad of benefits, with a user-friendly interface, real-time collaboration features, and seamless integration.
Top features
- Document templates
- Document creation
- Real-time editing and feedback
- Easy sharing and permissions
Pricing
- Business standard: $12 per user/month
Free plan: Available
9. Trello for task management
Every small business owner understands that maintaining order and staying ahead of tasks is a daily struggle that must be conquered.
Relying solely on basic calendars or to-do lists, or even attempting to memorize all responsibilities, is nearly futile.
Trello, a versatile project management tool, is good for organization, particularly when managing a team that includes remote workers.
The structure of this small business management software is intuitive, featuring cards, lists, and boards that provide an array of organizational possibilities tailored to the unique requirements of a business.
Top features
- Engaging interface
- Collaborative workspace
- Customizable workflows
- Task automation
Pricing
- Standard: $5 per month
- Premium: $10 per month
- Enterprise: $17.50 per month
Free plan: Available
10. Thunderbird for managing business emails
Should you find yourself uninterested in Google’s complimentary small business tools and instead favoring having your email client and correspondence saved directly on your device, consider Thunderbird.
Thunderbird is a reliable and feature-rich solution that meets the communication needs of small businesses and contributes to enhanced productivity and collaboration.
This cost-free, integrated small business software offers email, task management, calendar functionality, and team messaging, with a user experience that bears some similarity to the classic Microsoft Outlook.
Top features
- Address book
- Attachment reminder
- Multiple emails
- Collaborative features
Pricing
- Free
11. IFTTT for managing integrations
IFTTT is an acronym for “If This, Then That,” and it operates on the principle of creating automated workflows, known as applets, that trigger predefined actions based on specific conditions.
This small business software connects various apps, devices, and online services to create seamless automation, eliminating repetitive tasks and saving time for small business owners.
The flexibility and adaptability of IFTTT make it a valuable asset for small businesses looking to simplify operations without breaking the bank.
Top features
- Data security
- App integration
- Prebuilt connectors
- Integration management
Pricing
- IFTTT Pro: $2.50 per month
- IFTTT Pro+: $10.83 per month
Free plan: Available
12. Hootsuite for social media management
For higher budgets, Hootsuite is one of the best software for small businesses for managing social media activities, allowing you to enhance your social media strategy.
This small business software enables users to plan and post content, interact with their audience, and evaluate their social media performance from a unified dashboard.
The platform enables the attachment of images and videos and supports simultaneous posting across multiple channels.
It ensures that your business remains active online even during off hours and helps maintain a steady flow of content from your company as you focus on other tasks.
Top features
- Social media scheduling
- Team collaboration
- Social media analytics
- Social media listening
Pricing
- Professional: $99 per month
- Team: $249 per month
- Enterprise: Contact vendor for pricing
13. Dropbox for collaboration
Dropbox provides an online platform for storing files in the cloud, enabling you to synchronize them across different devices.
This small business software simplifies the process of sharing files among multiple devices and servers, which is particularly beneficial for teams operating remotely.
It is also convenient for distributing sizeable files such as images and graphic designs, advantageous for marketing teams or external consultants you might engage.
By fostering collaboration, ensuring data accessibility, and providing robust security measures, Dropbox helps small businesses thrive.
Top features
- Anywhere, anytime access
- Backup and recovery
- Integration capabilities
- Enhanced security
Pricing
- Basic: Free
- Plus: $9.99 per user/month
- Essentials: $18 per user/month
- Business: $20 per user/month
- Business plus: $26 per user/month
14. Connecteam for team collaboration
Connecteam’s business solution provides software for employee clocking, scheduling, payroll, and task management.
This small business software designed to streamline the management of your business and workforce.
By integrating essential features into one platform, Connecteam lets small business owners focus on growing their business.
Furthermore, all data is securely housed within Connecteam’s robust cloud database.
Top features
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms and checklists
- Employee scheduling
- Task management
Pricing
- Basic: $29 per month
- Advanced: $49 per month
- Expert: $99 per month
Free plan: Available
15. Wave for financial management
Wave is accounting software tailored for entrepreneurs, offering an array of features such as invoice, payment, and payroll management and receipt tracking.
This software for small businesses alleviates the burden of manual bookkeeping by monitoring your expenditures, managing invoice distribution, producing financial summaries, and reconciling your books.
One of Wave’s standout capabilities is the extensive customization options for invoices, allowing users to infuse their brand identity fully and leverage functionalities like recurring billing and autopay systems.
Top features
- Payroll management
- Payment processing
- Invoice creation
- Payment tracking
Pricing
- Features vary in price.
Free features: Available
16. Stampli for processing vendor invoices
As your business grows, so will the number of invoices you need to process. Manual accounts payable processes aren’t easily scalable, meaning you can fall behind on paying suppliers as the number of invoices grows.
Stampli’s AI-powered accounts payable automation streamlines invoice processing workflows by learning your workflows and automating tedious tasks like invoice data entry and approvals.
With industry-leading customer service and no-code integration with accounting systems and ERP, Stampli can help you get ahead of your invoices so you can focus on your business.
Top features
- Invoice data capture and coding
- Customized approval routing
- Seamless ERP integration
- Centralized communications
Pricing
- By quote
Free trial: Available
Benefits of using small business tools
Small business tools enhance can efficiency, productivity, and overall success for entrepreneurs.
Here are some key benefits of incorporating the best software for small businesses in your operations:
Enhanced productivity
Productivity tools like project management software and time-tracking apps help businesses keep projects on schedule and ensure that team members are working efficiently.
This kind of small business software provides a clear overview of tasks and deadlines, making it easier to manage workloads and prioritize tasks.
Improved efficiency
Automation features in small business tools streamline repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their work.
Project management tools help organize tasks and deadlines, reducing time spent on coordination and improving overall workflow.
Competitive edge
Software for small businesses empower companies to compete with larger counterparts by providing access to sophisticated technologies and functionalities at an affordable cost.
Staying technologically competitive enhances a business’s ability to attract customers, partners, and investors.
Streamlining operations
Small business tools are designed to automate and simplify various business processes, which can save time and reduce the likelihood of errors.
Improving customer relations
CRM systems are invaluable for managing interactions with customers.
They help businesses track customer information, sales opportunities, and service issues, leading to better customer service and increased customer satisfaction.
Cost saving
Investing in quality software can lead to significant cost savings over time for small businesses.
By automating tasks and enhancing efficiency, businesses can keep labor costs low.
Collaboration
Many small business tools offer collaboration features that enable team members to work well together, regardless of location.
Businesses with remote employees or multiple locations particularly find this beneficial.
Scalability
As a business grows, its needs change. Small business tools are often scalable, meaning they can grow with the business.
This scalability ensures that businesses don’t have to switch tools as they expand, providing continuity and stability.
Why choose BoldDesk for small business customer support?
For small businesses, every customer interaction is a chance to build success. Choosing the right customer support solution is paramount as you grow.
BoldDesk is a standout choice, offering a comprehensive and tailored approach to take care of the unique needs of small businesses.
Following are some of the reasons BoldDesk is the ideal small business software partner to elevate your customer support:
- User-friendly interface: BoldDesk boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface, ensuring that small business owners and their teams can quickly adapt and utilize its powerful features without a steep learning curve. The simplicity of navigation allows for efficient customer query resolution, making it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes.
- Robust ticketing system: The heart of any customer support platform is its ticketing system, and BoldDesk excels in this regard. The ticketing system organizes and prioritizes customer inquiries, streamlining the support process. Automated ticket assignment and tracking features ensure that no customer concern goes unnoticed, leading to timely and effective resolutions.
- Scalability: As small businesses grow, their customer support needs evolve. BoldDesk is designed to scale with the business, accommodating increased customer interactions and team expansion.
- Affordability: BoldDesk recognizes the budget constraints of small businesses and offers an affordable yet feature-rich solution. Small businesses can enjoy the benefits of a robust customer support platform without going broke. BoldDesk’s pricing structure is transparent, allowing businesses to plan and scale without unexpected financial burdens.
- Efficient knowledge base management: Empower both customers and support agents with a comprehensive knowledge base. BoldDesk enables businesses to create and manage a repository of articles, FAQs, and guides, reducing the volume of questions employees need to answer individually. A well-maintained knowledge base contributes to faster query resolutions, freeing up support agents to focus on more complex issues.
- Customization: Recognizing that each small business has its own set of requirements, BoldDesk allows for extensive customization. Tailor the software tool to align with your specific support processes, ensuring a personalized and effective customer service approach.
- Robust reporting and analytics: BoldDesk lets small businesses use robust reporting and analytics tools. Gain insights into customer interactions, ticket resolution times, and overall performance. Armed with these insights, you can make informed decisions, identify areas for improvement, and continually improve your customer support strategy.
Utilize small business tools to elevate your business
Effective management of a small business hinges on the utilization of the right tools for your unique tasks.
Whether it’s streamlining project management, managing finances, or boosting team collaboration, the small business tools mentioned in this post are worth considering for small businesses striving for growth and sustainability.
By embracing these small business tools, entrepreneurs can navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and ultimately, pave the way for lasting success.
