With literally tens of thousands of business software solutions on the market, it can feel impossible to choose what’s right for your business. You want to automate routine tasks and make your team members more successful without overwhelming them with trainings or maxing out your budget. To boost productivity without breaking the bank or driving your employees crazy, it’s all about being selective. Here are some of the key tools to adopt without introducing extra fluff.
1. CRMs and Sales Software
Sales software and CRMs are designed to help businesses nurture and grow ongoing relationships with clients and customers. They help associates keep track of client contact information, and often hold records of all interactions, like calls, texts, and emails. These programs can also automate basic tasks, like sending follow-up emails — or at least sending the agent a reminder. The point is to make it virtually impossible to let a customer get left behind.
While generalized CRMs have been around for a while, many businesses are now turning to industry-specific sales software instead. These dedicated tools— such as healthcare trackers, manufacturing CRMs, and automotive sales software — are designed to be highly specialized. Many newer programs feature AI tools trained on detailed data sets, to manage specific queries and problems. For example, they might have in-depth “knowledge” of auto parts or human anatomy.
2. Project Management Tools
If you’ve ever worked on any kind of remote or asynchronous team, you’ve almost certainly used project management tools. Without them, the modern, global, work-anywhere office culture might not even be possible. Project management tools let team leaders assign tasks to their team members and get regular updates on the status of each deliverable. They’re also a place to share important files, messages, and other necessary components for completing each project.
Where project management tools shine is in their ability to help teams break large projects up into smaller, more manageable chunks. There’s often a tickbox for each team member to click once they’ve completed each piece of the larger puzzle. This reduces or eliminates the need for managers and supervisors to reach out and ask each employee for a progress update. When they don’t have to wait for answers, international teams can work much more efficiently together.
3. Messaging Apps
Apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, Discord, and even WhatsApp can be a lifesaver for productivity. Where connecting with another employee used to take multiple phone calls, voicemails, and (missed) emails, messaging tools make communication instantaneous. Similarly to project management tools, messaging apps make it easier for global teams to work asynchronously. Employees don’t need to wait to reach out during “appropriate” office hours.
Instead, with a messaging app, the message is waiting whenever the receiving employee logs in and gets to work. Teams can send each other text messages, voice notes, images, files, and many other types of media. Most apps allow teams, departments, branches, or the whole company to communicate in larger group chats. The majority also now offer additional functionality like live audio and video meetings, all from right within the messaging app interface.
4. Artificial Intelligence Programs
Artificial intelligence is showing up within other software programs, as well as in their own standalone solutions. AI tools can do anything from chatting with customers and scheduling appointments to creating video ads and analyzing financial documents. In fact, the list of use cases for AI is so long, it’s almost not worth getting into. There are thousands of new tools being developed each day for just about any business purpose you can possibly imagine.
There are some downsides to this. For one, AI is still largely unregulated, and the potential consequences of misuse are unknown. For another, AI is prone to plagiarism, as well as various types of errors, which can lead to problems. In one case, an airline’s AI tool lied to a customer about a discount and was held legally responsible for the error. Companies should give careful consideration to how and when they decide to implement AI.
5. Accessibility Tools
In a job market where employers often lament the lack of quality candidates, accessibility software can open up a whole new hiring pool. If businesses create the proper support system, candidates who have disabilities could be viable options to fill open positions.
As one example, many companies hold frequent uncaptioned video meetings, which can pose a challenge for hard-of-hearing and international employees. They may not account for blind, dyslexic, and other folks who use screen readers.
To enable a team to be the most productive it can be, leaders need to think about empowering, rather than inhibiting, all team members. That usually starts with using an accessibility evaluation tool or bringing in an external consultant to find opportunities for improvement. From there, managers and companies can look for more accessible software solutions or inclusive add-ons. When in doubt, it’s best to ask team members what they think would make a difference.
The Bare Necessities
It can be tempting to add an app, subscription, or software tool for every function your business manages. However, when it comes to productivity, simplicity is often a far more powerful strategy for success. In U.S. Navy terms, “Keep It Simple, Stupid” — don’t add more software just to add more software. Be selective about what your team can actually benefit from, and introduce new programs and features slowly, as new needs arise.