SMALL BUSINESS SPECIAL .....7 software that can make SMBs more efficient

SMALL BUSINESS SPECIAL  7 software that can make SMBs more efficient





These business management tools can help your small business to save time, invoice professionally, manage projects, accounts and more

Setting up a small and medium busi ness (SMB) is not cakewalk, thanks to the exorbitant costs associated with modern software licenses. But there are functions that you can reasonably hand off to free software without too much difference, and there are some that can actually make your business more efficient. Whether you are a design studio or into construction, there's a software for you.

OFFICE SOFTWARE: Google Docs LibreOffice

Your choice of office suite depends on your specific requirements . If you require compatibility with Microsoft Word and Excel , LibreOffice is a good choice since its interface is similar to the paid-for packages.

Document collaboration is also an increasingly important requirement. It's certainly possible with LibreOffice, but you should lean more towards the multi-user world of Google's web apps -Docs and Sheets -for items that teams might need to work on simultaneously.

EMAIL SOFTWARE: Thunderbird

While Microsoft and Apple have their own options for managing email for free, neither has the advanced features of Thunderbird, a well-trodden email package from Firefox's parent company Mozilla. You may also choose to have all mail managed online through services like Gmail, which is useful if you have a distributed team.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE: Trello

Keeping tabs on what needs to be done, who's doing it, and what's being done at any given time is the central pillar of good project management. Trello uses the Kanban technique, originally created as part of Toyota's efficient just-in-time manufacturing process. Create your tasks, and as users move them into the different columns, you will know their status and who's taken charge.

ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE: Adminsoft Accounts

Adminsoft Accounts may be clunky to look at and somewhat tricky to get to grips with, but it offers a lot of functionality that can manage most aspects of your financial business. Made by a small business owner for other small business owners, it's independent and perfect for managing a growing customer base.

PAYROLL SOFTWARE: HMRC Basic PAYE Tools

The HMRC's Basic PAYE Tools package offers all the tools you'll need to pay proper taxes for your employees. It also includes calculators for sick and maternity pay, and issues advice when you are nearing critical dates for, say, expenses and benefits. The only thing it doesn't deal with is workplace pensions.

FREE FIREWALL: IPFire

IPFire covers a number of critical business roles. It is a firewall, a content filter, as well as an activity logger among other things. You can even use it as a VPN gateway for your business, allowing remote users to log in as if they were in your office.

INVOICING SOFTWARE: Wave Invoicing

Proper invoices are important. If you are demand ing payment you want to look professional, you want to be quick, and you want to make it as easy as possible for your payees to get you the funds. Wave accomplishes all of these tasks within a free, cross-platform app so simple that you can even issue invoices from your phone.

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