Tools for Your Startup
If you have or are starting your own start-up business, there are many different things to consider. How will you manage your finances or customer service? How will you communicate with your staff and your customers? We have found 7 of the best tools available to start-up business owners.
Desk.com
The creators of SalesForce have made another ingenious program for small and growing businesses in Desk.com. Desk.com offer a unique and comprehensive platform for customer service. Through their system it is possible to handle your company’s entire customer service department, from cradle to grave. For a nominal monthly fee your employees can have access to this user friendly interface. Why would you want all of your employees to have access? If your entire staff and address customer service issues this negates the need for hiring a dedicated customer service department. The program also offers you as the owner a wide range of tools to track your productivity and case management. Signing up for Desk.com does not take very long, and once you have started you can handle any and every customer service issue through your mobile device or PC.
Waveapps.com
No matter how popular or useful your start-up business is to the general public, you cannot be successful without the proper internal accounting system. Wave has the accounting tools you will need to track everything from your invoices to your payroll. This Cloud based software was built for businesses with fewer than 9 employees. This is not to say that larger companies cannot use Wave. They have however spent their focus on individuals like contractors and freelancers, small scale entrepreneurs. Wave has proven to be effective and user friendly, with over 2.5 million small business users throughout over 200 countries. If you are looking for an accounting software for your start-up, consider this, Wave is completely free to use.
A-Writer.com
For a start-up business that needs quality content writing, A-Writer is a great choice. They have a team of highly professional writers on staff that can do the research and provide the content your business needs. A-Writer offers three levels of quality; Standard, Premium, and Platinum. Dependent upon what type of content you need and how quickly, they have a very flexible pricing plan. For example, if you need a one page content piece for your site about business in the next seven days, A-Writer can supply you with a unique and fresh piece for only $20.99. This is a very useful alternative for start-up businesses that do not have the hours necessary to thoroughly research a topic before having to provide the content.
Dapulse.com
Dapulse is making a name for itself as the leader in project management software. Their concise yet comprehensive management boards offer every start-up the ability to track projects and communicate with staff easily and efficiently. For a small business this software can be available for as little as $20 per month. The Dapulse system offers the most seamless way to communicate and collaborate with your start-up staff to ensure that all of your projects are managed and completed according to your standards.
Optimizely.com
If your start-up business needs technical website development, Optimizely can and will make your life much easier. They offer test scheduling, image hosting, traffic allocation, and much more. They also have a custom editor for programs like Java and HTML. Their Starter level program is completely free to use and supplies many of the web based development tools your start-up will need. Optimizely is dedicated to making sure that your company is readily viewed by your customers in a mobile capacity.
Pipedrive.com
If the complication of tracking sales is your problem, Pipedrive is your solution. This sales reporting software is focused on helping small businesses not only track their current sales but also project what sales they should expect in the future. Their interface is very user friendly, and is accessible via your mobile device. Their basic plan, for businesses with less than 50 employees, is only $12 per month and includes a free thirty day trial.
Mailchimp.com
As stated on their homepage, Mailchimp wants to help you “send better email”. They offer a highly feasible email program that allows you to send smart, alluring, and appropriate emails to your customers. You have the option to monitor your analytics in regards to emails and subscribers. Track your start-up businesses performance in revenues through interactive graphs, and more. Their Entrepreneur level software will allow you to send twelve thousand emails to 2,000 subscribers for free.
With tools like these, you will be well on your way to growing and operating a successful start-up business. Regardless of the type of business you own, each of these tools can be used to ensure you stay above projections with the least amount of stress possible. When the daily running of your start-up is less of a hassle, you are able to enjoy your job that much more.