The Top 10 Must-Have Tools for Successful Business Operations

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Running a business can be a challenge, regardless of how much experience and knowledge you do have. There are several tools you can make use of in order to improve the business operations.

Whether it’s project management to communication tools or customer relationship software, there’s a lot of choice and opportunity to take advantage of.

With that being said, here are the top 10 must-have tools for successful business operations this year.

1. Asana for project management

Asana has long been a great platform when it comes to project management. For small businesses, it’s a worthwhile tool for use when tracking tasks, deadlines, as well as team performance.

Tools lke Asana help by offering a user-friendly platform that all employees can use to help organize themselves, assign responsibilities and monitor the progress of all tasks assigned.

It’s a collaborative tool, but when it comes to managing a team or a particular project, Asana offers a lot of helpful features to keep your project on track. Asana, in particular, is known for fostering collaboration, having extensive integration features, and providing exceptional user experience. 

2. Quickbooks for accounting software

Managing the finances of a business is certainly something that you want to get right. For small business owners especially, it can be a make-or-break situation. Therefore, it’s worth exploring what accounting software is available in order to make it more manageable.

There are some very popular accounting software options out there, the most popular being Quickbooks. This is a versatile accounting software used by small to medium businesses, as well as individual traders and freelancers.

The platform is helpful in tracking expenses, managing payroll, and sending invoices. It can even be useful when preparing for future tax returns. Tools like this one can help to save time and resources and reduce the risk of errors that lead to a loss of profit.

With QuickBooks, you can automate a lot of tasks, making the financial department a more efficient and well-oiled machine.

3. Microsoft Teams for communication

Communication is essential when it comes to running successful business operations and a business in general, for that matter. It’s crucial for keeping everyone on the same page and ensuring every staff member feels like they’re listened to by their peers.

Microsoft Teams is a go-to when it comes to keeping up with communications across the business. The benefit of Microsoft Teams specifically is that it can be used across various departments to keep everyone looped in and communicating at all times.

Whether they’re in the office or they’re dialing in remotely, this platform is a highly effective way to talk to one another. As well as just back-and-forth chat, you’ve got file sharing and video conferencing available, making it appealable to all businesses.

4. CRM for customer relationship building

Customer relationship building is definitely important and a big part of contributing to your business growth. CRM tools prove time and time again to be useful for developing relationships with your customers, whether it’s nurturing them from leads to paying customers or enticing them back again.

CRM platforms like Hubspot are helpful for managing customer data, automating follow-ups, and tracking interactions between your employees and customers alike. A CRM enables you to gather valuable insights into customer behavior so that it can be tailored to meet your needs.

5. Hootsuite for marketing automation

Hootsuite is great when it comes to marketing because for anyone who works in marketing, it can be an all-consuming job. There are endless things to think about, consider, and tinker around with in order to perfect the best marketing campaign possible.

Platforms like Hootsuite can lighten the load when it comes to taking on the marketing needs of your business. Marketing automation, like many other parts of the business that can be automated, is highly appreciated by employees.

From email campaigns to social media management, a platform like Hootsuite is definitely worth investing in.

6. Fleet management software for drivers

Fleet management for any business with drivers on the road is something that takes up a lot of time. However, thanks to technology, having access to fleet management software has made managing these fleets much easier.

Fleet telematics data is helpful in optimizing fleet management performance. It’s a great way of helping improve overall business operations when it comes to your drivers.

Data is a crucial asset for many businesses to make use of when it comes to understanding what improvements can be made to your fleet’s operations on the road. Making them more productive and cost-efficient is key.

7. Google Drive for file storage 

File storage continues to be important to maintain, and when it comes to modern-day needs, digital storage is far superior to in-person storage. Businesses simply don’t have the space in-person, and some don’t even have a physical office space to utilize anyway.

Storing and sharing files securely is imperative for any business, which is why Google Drive proves to be a great option for those who need to share and store files safely.

Of course, there are other options, but Google Drive is helpful due to the influence and dominance that Google has on the internet in general. Linking up to Google Drive makes the management of your files a lot easier, especially when sharing them across the internet. 

8. RescueTime for time management

Time management is important, and it’s something that you want to be mindful of as you navigate running a business.

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Not everyone has the ability to be 100% productive all of the time and procrastination can definitely creep into the picture on a daily basis. That’s why you should be making use of tools like RescueTime to help track where you spend your time and identify areas for improvement.

This is something that can be utilized by all staff members, particularly those who find themselves struggling to balance workloads or get easily distracted when attempting to work.

Productivity is a vital asset to businesses and making use of time management software is something that’s very much invaluable. Tools like RescueTime are helping businesses and individuals alike, to manage their time better.

Knowing where time is being spent not just individually but as a workforce can help to make better decisions on where hires might need to be made. It can also be useful to find the areas of concern that need addressing quickly to better productivity.

9. McAfee for cybersecurity

With the rise of cyberattacks ever present, protecting your business is more importan than ever before. Tools like McAfee are just one of many that are being used to protect businesses and individuals on the internet.

Whether that’s malware, phishing or other effective attacks on vulnerable individuals, having a protective tool like McAfee is worth it’s weight in gold. With firewall software like this one, it helps to protect your data and those who are responsible for protecting it within the workforce.

There are also some great features worth utilizing via these firewall platforms that will further help protect your business from harm.

10. Paypal for payment processing

Payment processing is something that’s essential when it comes to achieving smooth business operations. Not everyone pays the same way as they used to, which is why it pays to be versatile.

PayPal and other payment processing platforms are great for providing secure ways of sending and receiving payments. It’s also something that can make it easier for businesses across the globe to transact payments across seas with ease.

PayPal is one of those platforms that provided detailed transaction reports too, which help to keep track of income.

If you’re looking to provide more success for your business operations this year, then use these tips.