Breaking Down Your Day with SMB Software

Is your small business making the most of available software solutions? For busy business owners, there isn’t always enough time in the day. By using the right software, you can save yourself one of the most valuable resources: time. From managing appointments to sales and marketing to customer relationships, small business software can help you break down and take on your day more efficiently. Here’s how.

Make Moves in the Morning
We all have morning routines. A shower, breakfast and maybe a trip to the gym are common ways to start the day. In business, we have separate routines to start the day. Some of us read the newspaper or emails, others tune into social media accounts for updates, and others log in to the RSS feeds and check their calendar for the day. RSS readers can deliver blog updates, podcasts and videos right to your inbox. Awasu, Omea Reader, RSS Bandit and SharpReader are all platforms where you can aggregate your favorite blogs and sites to get only the content you’re interested in in your inbox.

Calendar management software, or planning and scheduling software, such as iCalendar and the Google Calendar are a must for busy business owners. You can mentally prepare for your day by taking a look at what’s ahead and planning out the day’s priorities. The best calendar management systems will help you plan meetings, set up to-do lists and remind you of upcoming project and task deadlines. Stay on top of your schedule with a simple calendar management software.

Breeze Through Lunch
It’s common; there’s a mid-day slump. Whether it’s right around lunch or just about 2:30 pm when you hit that hump, the right software can help you power through lunch and breeze through the afternoon. Sales and CRM software geared towards small businesses is no longer just an idea. There are a number of solutions available perfect for your business. Business.com can help you connect with CRM and sales software providers as they share the how, what and why of this type of software. The best CRM solution will vary from business to business, but features to consider include:

• Employee scheduling
• Account management
• Social network integration
• Contact interaction tracking
• Sales opportunity tracking

Marketing automation has been the talk of the town for some time now. An email service provider that sends triggered emails or automatically shares your newest blog posts can save you from the time-consuming effort of doing these things manually. Software such as Zoomerang can help you perform market research, while email providers like Constant Contact maintain campaigns. For your social media needs, consider programs such as WildFire from Google and Sprout Social to manage accounts, create campaigns and track feedback all on a single platform.

Putting Work on Pause
A small business owner’s day is never done and it often seems there isn’t enough time to complete the tasks at hand. The right software system can help you close up shop each day so you can hit the ground running the following morning. The right accounting and payroll software can make a world of difference. In a recent Resource Nation blog post, Megan Webb-Morgan provides tips on choosing the right payroll software including:

• Employee management and payroll capabilities. You’ll want access to payroll history including sick and paid time off that has been used, salary history, and proper tax information.
• Data security features. Protect your business and your employees with accounting software that encrypts sensitive information.
• Ease of use and compatibility. Unless your payroll and accounting software are one in the same, these two must easily integrate.

As a small business owner, your time is valuable. The right software can help you save while you boost your efficiency and business’s bottom line. With so many low-cost solutions geared towards small businesses available, it’s becoming tougher to find an excuse for not making the most of what’s available.