Efficient systems are perhaps the biggest drivers of a successful business. Confusing processes. And ad-hoc structures are not your friends if you want to avoid wasted time and uneven service delivery.
Whether you’ve just opened your first start-up or you’re a highly experienced franchise owner with an entire network to manage, you can always, always be more efficient.
Here we’ll take a look at five apps that can help you properly systematise your business:
1) Slack (for communication)
Clear communication is perhaps the most critical thing for any business to get right. Even buying a franchise isn’t a golden ticket to successful communication. If anything, being part of a network makes finding the best ways to communicate even more important.
If you’re used to talking to some colleagues via email, others by any one of seventeen other apps – try Slack. It’s probably the most useful communication app for business.
You can have multiple channels to keep subjects separate. You can drag and drop files in from Dropbox and elsewhere. It also easily integrates with hundreds of other apps.
Seriously – try Slack.
2) Ontraport (for marketing)
If you’ve tried Hubspot or Infusionsoft and liked them – but maybe thought they were a little bit harder to use than they needed to be – Ontraport might be for you.
This app makes handling your marketing a breeze. Plus, you can easily integrate it with whatever online payment system you use.
The downside is that it costs more than most small business owners will want to pay. It’s also the sort of thing that you might get for free as a franchisee from some networks. That’s worth bearing in mind.
3) Xero or Saasu (for accounting)
These apps let you systematise your business’s accounting in the cloud. You’ll find that some people love one or the other for specific reasons. Which will be best for you will probably be a matter of personal taste.
Even if taking advantage of one of the many franchise opportunities on the market was your way to access some financial planning assistance or training, an app like this can be a serious help when you’re trying to systematise your business.
4) Google Calendar (for time planning)
A reliable time planner is key for most people on both a personal and professional level.
Google Calendar ticks pretty much all of the boxes you could want for this for zero investment.
You can also pick some other organiser apps to add even more functionality to it. You might try:
⚫ Asana
⚫ Calendly
⚫ Workflow Max
5) Google Docs and Dropbox (for pretty much everything)
These are both obvious contenders for must-have apps to systematise your business.
The usefulness of Dropbox for cloud storage really needs no explanation.
Google Docs provides you with heaps of functionality. All of your Word documents, spreadsheets and more can be:
1. Accessed by multiple users concurrently (in real-time, all over the world)
2. Synced immediately
3. Clearly commented on
On top of all of which, they’re both free. All you need to do is have someone who’s in charge of performing regular tidy-ups and a set system in place for how they’re to be used.
Apps to systematise your business
Business systematisation apps like these are a massive help to you when it comes to making the best use of your time.
But, as always, how successful your company will ultimately be will depend on the hard work of you and your team and the supportive, go-getting business culture you’ve built together. Global giant MBE are innovative when it comes to identifying technological changes and agile in adjusting to offer solutions.