Even though your business is small, it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily easy to run. Most business owners, even those that operate ecommerce businesses, will find that many tasks have to be done in the limited number of hours in the day. Even with employee help, you may find that keeping all the aspects of running a business organized and moving may be more difficult than you anticipated.
Most small businesses are also prudent about spending unnecessarily. If you are concerned about a large expenditure but need some tools and apps that will keep the many tasks you undertake on a daily basis uncluttered and streamlined, look at some these inexpensive solutions to common business issues.
E-check payment tools
Let’s talk money first. If you’re still writing and mailing paper checks, you may want to explore the many benefits of Deluxe echecks. Echecks are not an electric funds transfer (EFT). They are also not an automatic clearing house (ACH) or an online bill pay system. They are everything a paper check is, without the paper and with one huge difference that can mean a great deal to a harried and hassled business owner–they are delivered in seconds via email!
Going green has never looked so good! Think about the benefits, especially with regard to cost. No more paper check stock, no more postage, no more printing costs or mailing supplies, and no more worries about storing those tracking and delivery receipts! Your bill-paying process can be made faster and simpler with the use of echecks where you have the power to pay in seconds with nothing but the recipient’s email address. You can use your computer or mobile device to create, sign, and email payments, and with a system you can integrate with Quickbooks and other accounting systems. Gone are the days for double entry bookkeeping systems.  Echecks allow you a time-saving alternative to other payment methods, with a high-security platform and the ability to easily integrate it into your existing accounting processes.
Scheduling tools
If you’ve ever tried to coordinate a meeting, a conference call, or even set an appointment for a  business dinner or a customer visit, you will understand the aggravating and time-consuming nature of scheduling. Finding common dates and times can be one of the most frustrating issues a business owner must overcome to keep his team working efficiently and effectively, while concurrently meeting the needs of his consumers or clients. While Doodle is an effective tool that allows you to send out a quick poll with available date and time options, you may find that it is not as robust as some other options and requires a great deal of monitoring from you.
Acuity online scheduling acts like your personal assistant, but better. Clients, customers, even employees can view your real-time availability, select the date and time that works best for them for meetings or calls, and even make payments in advance using one of my payment platforms. Acuity also adjusts for time zones, makes canceling and rescheduling appointments a one-click affair, and sends reminders to keep the personal scheduling with your prompt. You can manage multiple locations and employees, show your clients only the calendars you want them to see, and allows you to collect wanted or needed information from those who want to meet with you.
Project management tools
If you’re in need of a project management tool, Wrike is one of the best available, regardless of which tier you choose to use. A free version allows you to have as many as five users and an unlimited number of contributors and it offers 2 CB of free data storage. With this version, you can share files, manage tasks, and monitor activities through a real-time feed. If yours is a new business, you may find that this free tool works just as well as some other more expensive options on the market.
Social Media management tools
Even if your business is small, social media management tools are useful because they help you avoid the tedious process of posting across platforms. Social media management can be a time-consuming proposition, especially if you find that your consumers utilize a range of platforms and are attending at different times of the day. While many businesses may opt for management tools, like HootSuite, that are free, many businesses, even smaller ones, will find that Agora Pulse serves their purposes better. It is a vigorous and powerful tool and carries good value for the money. It swiftly integrates Twitter, Facebook pages, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google+ and provides full reporting, scheduling, competitor analysis, and auto moderation tools. If you haven’t considered it as an option, you will find it can do the job and a whole lot more, especially if online media presence is important to your overall marketing strategy.
What are some social media tools you might need? Feel free to comment below.
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