One of the most asked question I get is which are the best tools to manage your systems and processes. It doesn’t matter which stage your business is in, it’s important to have the right tools in place to run your business well.
Just like we are all different business owners, each tool has its own pros and cons. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one size fits all. What you do and who you serve may dictate the tools that you choose to use in your business.
That being said, there are three types of tools that you need to make sure you have even when you are just getting started.
Virtual Office
Even if you are a new business owner, you need to have a virtual office. This is where you will store all of those important documents that help you run your business. Those will be documents around your branding, financial spreadsheets, metrics spreadsheets, and SOPs.
Having a virtual office will make it easier to find the documents you need to effectively and efficiently run your business. Check out my previous post to get more information on how to build your virtual office.
Project Management Tool
A project management tool is crucial to staying organized in your business. It will help you keep track of all the tasks that need to be done and who is responsible for their completion. It can also be a great place to store key dates, links, and information about your business and the services you offer.
For more information about the benefits of a project management tool and how to choose one, check out this post.
CRM (Client Relationship Management)
This is a tool that can help you with automating your client onboarding, invoicing, and services workflow. Utilizing a CRM to its fully capacity can save you huge amounts of time rather than doing everything manually.
Some businesses, rather than have a true CRM tool, are using their project management tool to track leads and new clients. While this may still work, they end up spending a lot of their time manually moving their clients through workflows and sending emails.
How To Choose The Best Tool For Your Business
Choosing the right tool for your business is important because you want to make sure it will help you be more efficient. There are so many out there, so how can choose the best tools to manage your systems and processes?
Research! Make a list of the features a tool absolutely has to have to be useful in your business. Look for tools that have those features and start there.
Seek out the people who are running businesses that are similar to yours. Ask them what they are using. If they don’t like it, ask them what features they would change.
The bottom line is that there are a lot of options out there. You most likely won’t find a tool that is a perfect fit. Keep in mind, though, that software is constantly changing and even if it doesn’t have a particular feature right now, it may in the near future.
If you do the research and find a tool you think may work, take the time to set it up correctly before you actually begin to use it. You will find that the time you put into doing the research and setting it up will pay you back in time later on.
