From accounting to marketing, we walk you through the best business tools to help you succeed.
Wearing many hats in business can be overwhelming and is definitely not sustainable. Few people know this better than small to mid-sized business owners. Small businesses mean small teams, which are great until the work piles up and the tasks simply can’t get checked off.
That’s why inventive companies use tools and services that help small businesses get their everyday duties done efficiently.
“The right tools and software make business life easier,” said SMB Suite Chief Operations Officer Monty Milliner. “All businesses need to have front and back-end support and functionality. Being micro centric and working with SMB Suite allows businesses to work with one vendor and one product base to make things easy. Businesses should focus their time on what they do best – making their product or providing their service. They should let SMB Suite handle the front and back-end of running their business. One vendor with one integrated product helps small to medium-sized businesses succeed.”
We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite tools and services to help small businesses grow and succeed.
What are the Best Software and Tools for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses?
Accounting/Financial Reporting:
There are three levels of accounting software.
- The lowest level is starter software like QuickBooks and Sage 50cloud (formerly Peachtree). QuickBooks is great for starting companies because it’s easy and inexpensive. But it’s only scalable to a point. It doesn’t have the capacity to handle companies as they grow. Lower-level accounting software is also usually not GAAP accounting (General Accepted Accounting Practices).
- The mid-tier of accounting software is what small to mid-sized companies should focus on. This is the level where we move from “bookkeeping” to actual accounting, and these tools are GAAP accounting and require an accounting background to properly utilize. Tools include Microsoft GP, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, NetSuite. Sage Intacct and Acumatica. These tools are structured and rigid and more expensive than starter software. SMB Suite is happy to help businesses select the right tool for their needs.
- The high-level enterprise accounting software, for mega companies, includes Microsoft Dynamics 365 Enterprise, Oracle, and SAP.
Customer Service:
Small to mid-sized businesses want to find a good CRM (customer relationship management) for sales and marketing to keep track of prospects, follow ups, leads and for overall organization. It all starts with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales. As businesses grow and need additional services, they can add on Field Service, Customer Service, or Marketing. Comparable products would include Salesforce, SugarCRM, and Infor SalesLogix.
Human Resources:
Microsoft Dynamics ERP is software that allows companies of all sizes to manage their entire business organizations, including supply chain, procurement, human resources, financials and projects.
Another great choice for small- to medium-sized businesses is Microsoft Dynamics GP Human Resources & Payroll. This Human Resources Management Solution is easily customizable with strong analytics and easy integration of payroll and time.
Marketing:
Every small to mid-sized business needs to feel like it has an army of skilled professionals on its marketing team. The most affordable way to employ a marketing team is by outsourcing the work to a qualified agency. SMB Suite is proud to offer customized digital marketing services tailored to a business’s goals. Services include social media, email marketing, blogging, website content writing and maintenance, search engine optimization, pay-per-click campaigns, branding consulting and more.
Productivity:
When it comes to office productivity, the Microsoft stack of tools has businesses covered. The stack includes Microsoft 365, Office 365, Teams, SharePoint, OneNote and OneDrive, all designed to keep the team on schedule and organized.
Security/Data Protection:
No business should ignore the importance of protecting its data. Microsoft is a leader in backup/ recovery solutions, network monitoring, endpoint protection and device management. SMB Suite can assist with best practices to ensure your environment is protected.
Public Relations:
Check out Meltwater for its public relations solutions. Through this platform, businesses can track their share of voice, quantify their impact and connect with influencers.
Taxes:
Microsoft Dynamics ERP tightly couples with Avalara for tax solutions including sales, customer’s use tax and returns.
Team Communications:
Microsoft Teams is a robust communications platform that’s deep with features and integrates with Office 365. It includes chat, video meetings, file storage and application integration. It’s easy to use and keeps teams communicating effectively. Teams can be used internally only, or it can be extended to customers/vendors for cross enterprise collaboration. PSTN and PBX services can also be utilized.
Websites:
A business’s website is often its first impression on its potential customers. It needs to have high impact and functionality with measurable funnels and goals. SMB Suite assists businesses of all types with their website needs, providing beautiful and high-converting websites that are mobile responsive and specifically tailored to customer demographics and business goals. Learn more about SMB Suite website services.