4 Useful Apps To Help Small Businesses Grow In Today’s Market

With the advancement of digital technologies, even small businesses need to stay competitive. Therefore, they need to keep up with the emerging trends in sales and marketing and employee management and customer engagement.

Today, small business owners can use apps to attain growth and success, most especially during this trying time and even post-COVID-19 crises. By the end of this article, you’ll learn the different apps that can be used to help small businesses grow in today’s market.

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1. CRM Software

Customer relationship management (CRM) refers to a business management approach that involves potential and current customer interaction. It utilizes customers’ history of data analysis, improving customer-business relationships. The best CRM software focuses explicitly on customer retention to drive sales growth. Cloud-based CRM systems provide complete access and mobility to an ecosystem of customized apps.

A CRM system can help you in managing customer data. CRM apps facilitate team communication for better collaboration. Also, CRM apps deliver actionable insights and support sales management. For effective marketing, you can integrate your CRM software with social media. So, what are the features and benefits of CRM apps that can help small businesses:

• Automates Your Workflow: CRM apps make small business operations a lot easier. It enables you to customize rules so that you can automate your sales force, greatly helping your sales team.
• Boost Lead Generation: Whenever a potential client fills out your website contact, the CRM app automatically directs the information to the right department or your sales team. After this, your CRM software will automatically send a preset response, acknowledging the message. Without customer response, the CRM app will automatically send a follow-up message on a preset time, such as after 48 to 72 hours, to help attain a higher lead generation rate.
• Customize Add-ons: The best CRM software can be customized, including plugins, extensions, and other add-ons. Thus expanding your software capabilities, most especially when your business is expanding, making room for smoother business scaling.
• Third-party Synchronization and Integration: You can integrate third-party apps to help you run your small business. CRM apps can be run straight from Gmail, Outlook, or other email clients, eliminating switching between apps. You can also integrate and synchronize your CRM system with your accounting software and POS system, eliminating manual data entry. You can also sync and backup date with cloud backup data storage services.
• Marketing Tool: CRM software is an effective marketing tool that can help you build email lists automatically to launch your email marketing campaign.
• Customer Service: Using CRM software, small businesses can acquire and retain more customers by providing top-notch customer service. CRM apps can automatically log all website visits and track all communication points, from lead acquisition to sales histories and closed sales.

2. ERP Software

Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP for small businesses refers to a business management software that can help you attain your business needs. ERP app integrates all facets of your small business operation, including product development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing.

Small businesses should use an ERP system that’s compatible with varying business needs, target audiences, and competitive client profiles. Choosing the right ERP system will help empower your business to be more transparent, efficient, and more productive. Here are the latest ERP software trends for small businesses:

• Software as a Service (SaaS): It’s a web-based ERP software that is cost-effective so hiring full-IT staff is not required.
• Mobile App Option: By developing mobile user interfaces, business data and operations can be accessed and monitored remotely.
• Social Media Integration: ERP software now adds external social media apps in their packages to help with social media marketing.

3. Communication Apps

Communication apps are now in demand specifically, since businesses are shifting from office work to home-based work or work from home as part of the “new normal.” Because of the threat brought about by the transmission of coronavirus or COVID-19, small businesses can delegate tasks from other employees and work remotely at home.

Communication apps are important to stay connected seamlessly. Team members can send and receive files and other data via communication apps, as well as video conferences and even set up online appointments and meetings. Check out these popular communication apps used nowadays:

• Slack: It is one of the most sought communication apps for small businesses. It is interactive and straightforward, with plenty of useful collaboration features. Once you have figured out how to use Slack, you’ll observe improved productivity as the app streamlines team collaboration, such as creating multiple groups for your projects and departments and use the search tool to look for a document or conversation, eliminating digging bulk emails.
• HipChat: Collaborate with your team easily using instant messaging, file sharing, and group messaging. It’s an interactive communication online platform that can keep your team connected stress-free. This communication app offers free and paid options.

4. Productivity App

Productivity apps enable you to track completed tasks for the day, weekly, or monthly. The app collects productivity data, such as assigned, completed, and overdue tasks, creating one centralized area where everyone can get things done.

Small businesses can use the best features of productivity apps such as time management, tools for reminders, collaboration, and scheduling. Mobile productivity apps can benefit small businesses that meet the modern workforce’s requirements to avoid productivity hiccups. Here are some examples of productivity apps used by small businesses nowadays:

• Asana: It’s a productivity app and project management tool which can help your team stay focus on goals and hit deadlines. It can be integrated with Slack, G Suite, Microsoft Teams, and other workplace apps.
• Basecamp: It’s a productive, communication, and collaboration solution for small businesses. The features include a message board, a to-do list, a place to save files, a schedule, and a general team communication platform called the “campfire” chat.

Conclusion

Small businesses need ERP, CRM, communication, and productivity apps to grow. While these apps can be technical or overwhelming to learn, however, using them can help you automate manual tasks, assign and monitor projects, and communicate with your team seamlessly. These innovative solutions can make a big difference in making your small business thrive and stand out from the rest to attain business growth.

If you are interested in even more apps-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.

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