One thing that the pandemic has taught us is that we can use software programs for many purposes.
Every business today uses some sort of software to get things done. Some software programs are specially designed for small businesses, and the article covers 8 of those programs.
Loom
With over 21 million users, Loom makes it easy to make async videos. It lets managers and teams create videos and share links with new employees and clients.
This makes meetings and training easy as not everyone has time to come face to face or join live meetings.
For example, a video series can be created for new employees to help them understand the company’s culture and values. They can watch those videos in their own time.
Or a web-development company can make videos on using their platforms, and clients can access and watch those videos at any time.
There are multiple cases of Loom, making it perfect for small businesses to use.
Xero
The next on the list is Xero. Xero is an online accounting program to help businesses manage their finances.
It is offered in multiple countries, supporting region-specific features. Some of its benefits include invoicing, expense tracking, payroll, and tax preparation.
Xero has helped me track my taxes and manage my businesses. It can save lots of time you would spend on receipts, payrolls, and expenses.
Slack
The next one of the best programs for small businesses is Slack. Slack is a communication and collaboration program for teams. It offers a variety of features, including:
- Private messaging to team members
- Channels with specific team members working on projects
- File sharing
- Video conferencing
The best part of Slack is that it has a free plan that shows messages for up to 90 days.
The messages older than that are hidden but not deleted. The team can upgrade its plan and access full communication.
Slack has many great integrations that can help teams work faster. For example, the Google Docs integration lets you view and manage Google Docs documents without leaving Slack.
It also has a note feature to create notes for yourself and set reminders for upcoming tasks.
MailChimp
MailChimp is another program great for businesses, especially in the internet world. It’s an email marketing platform to create, send, and track email campaigns.
It lets you add signup forms on your company website for users to register for updates. It offers a variety of features, including a drag-and-drop email builder, pre-built templates, A/B testing, and analytics.
Setting it up requires professionals, but using it is easy. All you do is choose contacts, create campaigns, and send emails.
MailChimp has monthly and yearly plans, but a free plan is available to try the platform.
Notion
The sixth program is Notion. Notion is a note-taking app, but it is also used for databases, project management, and documentation. It lets you add blocks to build pages, and each block supports many options.
A business can create documents for clients and employees to read. Team members can work on projects together by sharing pages, and managers can keep track of their employees’ performance.
Notion has a bit of everything, making it possible to replace apps like Google Sheets, Trello, and Evernote.
The program is free for up to 10 users, but the company must pay to include more.
Its combined note-taking, database, and task management approach has lured millions of users using it today.
Toggl
Toggl is a freemium time tracking tool to track your time spent on each task. Team members can use it to see where their time is going.
It automatically keeps track of your time. All you have to do is click on the button.
If the computer is idle for more than five minutes, the app asks whether to count that time to skip it.
Every week it sends an email with the weekly data. Managers can check this data to improve their employees’ morale.
The app is free but has a few premium options that may help large businesses.
Dropbox
The second last program is Dropbox. Dropbox is for sharing files and folders with team members. For a business in the internet space, it can be used to share files with employees and clients.
For example, for a client, every project can be in a folder that can be shared with everyone involved. The folder can also be shared with the client to add new content.
This makes workflow smooth as people can work on projects on their own time.
Dropbox also supports editing documents. For example, you can edit a Word file right there. It also supports third-party apps. Opening an image shows apps like Canva to edit that image without leaving Dropbox.
The app gives 2 GB of free space to every user, but more can be purchased.
Google Calendar
The last on the list is Google Calendar. Google Calendar is a great online platform to create and share events.
Team members and clients can share those event links to join meetings. It also supports Google Meet to create video conference links and share them with all the parties involved.
Other than that, it supports productivity apps, such as Todoist, to create tasks and manage them on the go.
Google Calendar is free, but users get a few additional features in the Google Workspace plans.
Summary
Having the right tool can have a huge impact on a business. Some save time on taxes, and some save time on scheduling.
This is for the best software programs for small businesses article. I hope it helped. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.