As a small business owner, you know you need to use digital tools to help you run your business. The ultimate goal is to help free up your time so you can focus on growing your business, not day-to-day operations. If you want to propel your business forward and increase your revenue and growth, check out these websites and software tools:
Slack
Many small businesses struggle with communication because they don't have the proper processes in place. If you find that each department seems to have some disconnect in communication, you might want to make it a little easier to talk to each other. Slack promotes better communication by acting as a messaging system for your company. You can set it up by department so that each employee has constant access to each other as well as their managers.
This tool can be especially useful for remote employees or collaborative efforts, when multiple departments need to work together to complete a project.
Zoom
As a busy business owner, you won't be able to see everyone you need to see every day, especially if you have to spend your time building relationships outside the office. When you need to set up meetings with your employees, partners or anyone else, you can use a tool like Zoom. Instead of going to a physical location to talk to someone, you can have a face-to-face digital meeting, which can free up your time and keep you productive.
Gmail
Of course, every business and its employees need to have email. Gmail is the most popular email platform because it's easy to use, and your employees probably already have personal Gmail accounts that they've been using for years.
Trello
Project management can be difficult for everyone in the workplace, especially if you're not organized. If you need to keep track of who is working on what projects, you can use a project management tool like Trello. This tool can also allow your employees to see which tasks are a priority, so they can easily drill down into a list, making them more productive.
Google Drive
There's no longer a need to store files on your computer and risk losing them. With a shared Google Drive, all of your employees can keep their work in one place so it doesn't get lost. If someone accidentally deletes a file, you have 30 days to get it back, but you can also invest in cloud-based backup solutions that will store those files if you're worried about losing data.
Google Drive allows all of your employees to collaborate with tools like Google Docs, Presentation and Spreadsheets.
TimeDoctor
Increasingly important as more and more people start working remotely, time management solutions allow you to track employee productivity. Not only that, but you'll be able to easily see what projects employees are spending their time on. This can be important for companies that need to track their spending on projects so they know how much to bill a client each month or to make sure they don't go over budget.
TimeDoctor allows you to monitor your employees as often or as little as you like. It offers a screen capture option of your employees' computer, which can be useful if you pay them by the hour and want to make sure they are doing their job without having to monitor them.
Indeed
When it comes to recruiting the right candidates for your company, there's no easier website to navigate than Indeed. You don't need to be an HR professional to find the best employees.
The features Indeed offers go far beyond posting jobs and communicating with candidates. According to ShareAble for Hires, "In the event that a job seeker clicks on your job posting, candidates can be directed directly to your company page, which is a great place to spread more about your company culture and mission statement - a message that can sometimes be overlooked or difficult to communicate for small businesses."
Calendly
You and your employees are busy, which means you sometimes need to schedule meetings in advance. Calendly allows people to schedule meetings based on your availability, so you don't have to exchange emails to determine the best time to meet.
You can also place a link to your Calendly calendar in your email signature so clients and partners can easily find a way to contact you when you're busy.
Buffer
If you're investing in social media marketing, you'll definitely want to streamline all of your processes, especially if you manage multiple accounts. Buffer allows you to manage all of your social media accounts and ads in one place, without having to switch between pages on your desktop. With its scheduling tool, you can easily schedule posts for all your business pages and even send the schedule to clients or partners for approval.
Campaign tracking
Email marketing can help you stay in touch with your valuable customers, so it's important that you choose a platform that can do everything you need, from setting up automations and sequences to designing your own email blasts without the need for a designer and coder. Campaign Monitor can do all this and more, while tracking the success of each of your campaigns.
WordPress
Every business needs a website, and WordPress can help you create one with themes that require no coding knowledge. All you have to do is add your text and images, as well as anything else you deem important, and your website is done!
Intuit ProSeries
Tax software can help you manage everything in-house. With the right tool, you can manage all your expenses, as well as quarterly and annual taxes. This software can help you save thousands of dollars a year by finding deductions you didn't even know about.
Final thoughts
Your small business doesn't need to be hindered by the fact that you have fewer employees than your competitors. Instead, you can use the tools mentioned in this article to help you grow your business, promote better communication among your employees, communicate with your customers and market your business.