In modern life, we use tech at least 20 times throughout the day. The multiple times you pick up your phone, text loved ones, check the news, upload something to Instagram, etc., make it very clear that tech is hard to live without.
So when it comes to your business, why would you want to operate in any other way? Tech tools make life easier, and they can certainly make work far less frustrating and a bit more enjoyable.
And as a small business owner, that’s exactly the kind of thing you need to stay on track, on budget, and looking to the future.Â
Being organized is key to smooth internal operations. Even at the small business level, you need that kind of stability in order to work towards your business goals. And tech is here to help you every step of the way.
As such, here are the kind of tech tools every small business should think about using.
What to Think About When Choosing Tech Tools
We know we’ve started this article by saying every small business should be using the tech tools below, but there is still nuance to this.
The types of tools are essential, for sure. But the actual software within the categories will differ.
Long story short, you need to be sure that the tools you’re interested in are both beneficial to you and budget-friendly.
As such, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind when choosing your tech tools:
Your daily frustrations
Don’t ever just pick a tool that sounds good! Think about the actual frustrations you’re dealing with, and if the features of the software actually address the issues you face on a daily basis.
Your ongoing needs
They might change, after all! And the program you use needs to be adaptable. So, when you go shopping for a bit of admin software that’ll automate problems out of your career, think about the future.
What you need now, and what you might need over the next 12 to 24 months, are two very different things. Think – what might change, and how? And what will always stay the same?
Your budget
And finally, can you afford the program? Most businesses will be able to secure discounts on their tech tools, what with long term customers always getting a guaranteed 10% to 20% cheaper price point.
But even then, can your budget cover the cost of your chosen tool no matter what?
3 Tech Tools Small Businesses Should Use
A lead finder
Lead finders make the process of tracking down and securing new clients a lot less time-consuming. And as a small business, the time involved in trying to find a bigger market is often simply too much.
And there’s some extra good news here too: no matter the business you’re running, there’s a lead finder app out there for you. Even local businesses with limited resources to go beyond the next 5 to 10 miles can use lead finders to help them grow.
Say you run a garbage removal and/or dumpster rental service. With the nature of a business like this, being both location based AND likely to struggle with regular repeat custom, it’s going to be hard to build a large customer base.
That’s where a handy dumpster rental leads app will help you scan the web for signals in seconds, and then collect together potential clients in an easy place. After that, you can get on with your outreach in only half the time.
A project management app
Every business has a project or two on the go. Research and development, conducting market research or creating marketing materials, tracking feedback after deploying a new product, etc. These are all common projects that require you to touch base on a daily basis.
And that’s difficult to do if you’re not giving yourself an outline for how things are progressing, or what still needs doing. You need to have a proper schedule and progress tracker to look over, rather than just try to keep it all in your head.
That’s where a project management app comes in useful! Everything you need to do, as far ahead as you can think, can be put into the app. You can then separate your tasks out into lists, add tags, as well as highlight and color code what’s being worked on and what stage things are at.
The cherry on top? Easily add deadlines per each item, to make sure the priority tasks are always what you see first.
A bookkeeping tool
We don’t need to tell you that accounting is frustrating. As a small business owner, you’re more than aware of the hours you sink into bookkeeping each month! And it never quite gets any easier, does it?
Records will always need to be kept, your budget will always need to be reviewed and revised, and your taxes will always need to be paid. Any cash you get paid, and any non-digital records, will all need to be tallied up and kept together too. It’s a pain!
But once again, some software can make the ordeal a bit easier on you. A bookkeeping tool that lets you take photos of receipts, invoices, and any other payment proof – so you can instantly upload offline records and keep them all in the same place – is the kind of tool you should always be working with.Â
Get Your Tech Suite Organized ASAP
As a small business, a tech suite you can rely on is key to working well in the long term. When you’re organized, and have a set of quality, reliable tools to keep things on the same straight line, you can focus on what really matters.
Eliminate busywork, save yourself time, and make it easy to perform the admin tasks that always give you a headache. From lead generation to marketing, to project management and record keeping, you can get and stay organized with the right kind of tech suite.