As a business owner, you know just how important technology is in today’s environment. Those small mom and pop businesses that once could keep up with the bigger chains have fallen. Technology allows business owners to automate tasks and make it super simple to get stuff completed that used to take days to do. As a business owner, there are a few software programs you should definitely invest your money in.
The first type of software we’re going to talk about is work management software. Programs like ServiceMax provide an easy to read workflow program for all employees of your business. They can easily see which technicians are where, the type of service they’re doing, and so forth. These are things that typically had to be handled by a staff member or two. Now with the click of a button, you can easily see where your staff is at whenever you need to.
Accounting software is another one of those must-have programs. Bookkeeping used to be one of those tasks that every business owner would push to the backburner because it was so mundane to do. However, with great accounting software, you don’t have to worry about it. Rather, you can simply let your staff input the data from their calls and your system will automatically bill clients. This eliminates the guesswork out of invoicing clients and makes it easy for you to see where you stand financially at any given point in time.
You want to keep your customer’s information safe. However, you still want to have it available for those moments when you need specific information about them. The old way of doing things was to pull their file out of the cabinet and sift through the documents until you found what you were looking for. This could take minutes to hours, depending on the file size. Instead, you can use a customer management system. This works by allowing you to easily look up data from any of your customers. Whether it’s a phone number, contact name, or what their last service was about, you can get the data you need in a couple seconds instead of hours.
The next type of software you should be investing in for your business is communication software. This type of software is meant to help you and your employees connect on a usual basis. From updating schedules to alerting staff about a last-minute meeting, these are perfect for those who have a large staff. We all know that trying to talk to everyone takes time when you have to do it manually. When you have a communication software specifically designed for your staff, you can get in touch in a couple seconds and let everyone know that the copier machine in Floor Two isn’t working or that you’re having a surprise birthday party for Joe in accounting.
Keeping your business relevant in today’s market starts with having the software to get the job done. The above are some of the bare minimum software programs you should have. Realize that investing in your business now can help to improve your sales and enhance your business far into the future.
