Small business owners are no strangers to operating on a tight budget. Any small change you can make in terms of efficiency can turn into a huge advantage over your competitors. While there is no shortage of comprehensive online business solutions and services with all sorts of different features, they are often overkill for running small businesses. In this guide, we focus on five of the most useful apps for small and medium-sized businesses. They all offer a free tier or represent excellent value for money. Often other premium features become available as your business grows. When considering new applications, take some time to think about current business practices. For example, if you're currently using a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel to create expense reports, consider using Expensify instead. This automates the process for you by integrating with popular ride apps like Uber.
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(Image: © Kashoo)
1.Kashoo
A smart and affordable companion for SMBs Supports multiple accounting functions. Excellent technical support The mobile version is only for iOS. Kashoo has been in business since 2008 and is designed to be an ideal accounting solution for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other small business owners. The platform makes it easy to create invoices, audits, taxes, etc. The multi-currency billing feature is particularly valuable as it allows you to issue notes in any number of currencies. The current exchange rates are downloaded automatically. Kashoo supports connection to over 5,000 bank data sources out of the box. Users can accept credit card payments through Kashoo's own payment gateway. Square, Stripe, and BluePay are also supported. Subscribers can pay €19.95 a month or €199 a year. That equates to €16.65 (€12.66) a month. There's also a 14-day free trial and a money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied. The main dashboard shows all the relevant business data. Kashoo has also received accolades online for its unlimited phone, email, and chat support. The mobile app, which is unfortunately only available for iOS, offers similar features, such as creating invoices. Users can also track expenses by taking and uploading photos of receipts. Kashoo is constantly being updated, making it a modern platform, but the user interface has been criticized online for its complexity. The platform also does not support hourly billing, which requires users to create a custom invoice each time.
(Image: © Expensify)
2. expensify
Manage expense reports and count beans. Excellent free level Integrates with ride apps like Uber. Support Was Criticized Expensify is the brainchild of developer David Barrett, who, in Barrett's own words, wanted to create "fearless expense reports." One way Expensify uses is to integrate services like Uber and HotelTonight to record expenses on the go. These expenses can then be combined with other resources, allowing managers to review all trips and determine costs that can be reduced. Expensify offers a generous free tier that supports up to 5 free smart analytics per month, a free mobile app, and unlimited storage for receipts. The “Collect” tier only costs €4 (€5) per month per active user and allows for unlimited smart analytics, basic expense approval, as well as integration with QuickBooks and Xero. The "Control" level costs €7 (€9) per active user and includes all the features offered in the "Team" package, as well as advanced rules application, business card reconciliation, and integration to a management software. more powerful accounting like Sage. A free trial of premium features lets you decide if Expensify is right for your business. The platform is popular with small business owners due to its competitive pricing, but it takes time to master because there is little documentation online. Some users have also complained about how slowly chat support is required.
(Image: © Slack)
3. soft
Work together on projects with this essential collaboration tool. Free level available Integration with cloud services. Hard to master Slack is a handy cloud-based tool that keeps all your messages and files in one place. This application is available for all mobile devices and is also accessible through the website. Slack was originally created to be used as an online tool for the now-defunct Glitch game. It was officially launched in 2013 to help people collaborate online. The Slack channel system allows companies to assign tasks based on teams, clients, or however they need it. Employees can join discussions and leave them as they please, so they don't have deep conversations that don't concern them. It also has a convenient video feature where you can talk to your team members wherever they are. The Slack directory includes more than 1000 apps, including Dropbox and Google Drive. You can drag and drop files, images, and videos directly into Slack if needed. Screen sharing is also another useful feature built into the app. Slack has three levels, the first is free, but this can seem quite limited depending on the size of your team. The standard tier, which charges €8 (€6,08) per month, offers more features, like 10GB of storage for each team member and priority support. The Plus tier, which costs €12.50 a month, has 20GB of storage and 24/7 customer support for a four-hour response time. It has been criticized online for not being user friendly and the learning curve is steep.
(Image: © Microsoft)
4 Office 365
The ultimate desktop software platform. Universally Used Full of Features Online Backups There are many desktop software platforms out there, but despite fierce competition on price and features, Microsoft Office 365 remains the go-to package and essential purchase for small businesses. You may remember the time when Microsoft Office was the software you bought and installed on your PC. Although this is still possible, the most useful way is the web app version of Office 365 because it means everything works from the cloud and saves to the cloud. You can also use your mobile devices to connect and use it. Since it's web-based, this means you can use it on Mac and PC as well. Office 365 includes the 3 great office software applications you'll need: Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. OneDrive is also available for online backup and is worth using even if you're already using another cloud provider, like Google Drive or Drop Box. Keeping your data safe is essential and there is no harm in having multiple backup options. Then there are other software applications included in Office 365, such as Outlook (online version), and for computer use only, there is also Publisher and Access. Skype is also integrated, but you can still download and use it as a standalone product. As mentioned above, there are alternatives to Microsoft Office, but the fact is that they are not that good. Features tend to be much more limited and it can be difficult to convert your basic desktop files to other formats, which absolutely doesn't need the stress associated with managing your computer. own company. You can buy different editions. If you only need one pack for yourself, a personal edition will cost €6.99 ($5.99) a month, or a discount of €69.99 ($59.99). ) If you pay for an annual subscription. You can also buy a package that can accommodate up to 6 users to cover your office staff. The price is €9.99 (€7.99) per month, or a discount of €99.99 (€79.99) when paid annually.
(Image: © QuickBooks)