Tools can make or break a project, so it’s important to choose wisely. But finding the right business tools can be tricky. There are hundreds of options out there, and most of them aren’t well suited for small businesses.
That’s why we’ve done the research for you. This blog will cover some of the best online business tools that are designed with small businesses in mind.
Table of Contents
Best Online Business Tools
Let’s take a look at each online business tool.
#1 Acquire – Customer Support
Acquire is a conversational customer support platform that helps businesses bring all of their digital interaction channels into one single dashboard. Customer profiles put web browsing, purchase, and conversation history, plus other important details, right at your fingertips so you can resolve issues quickly and efficiently.
Acquire also provides self-service tools that free your team up to focus on the more complex real-time customer conversations.
Acquire features:
- Conversational AI chatbots
- Real-time live chat
- Video chat with customers
- Secure two-way cobrowsing
- Self-service knowledge base
- Collaborative shared inbox for support teams
This software suite makes it easy to create high-touch, personalized experiences customers love while also streamlining workflows for your service team. All of these tools connect seamlessly together to create a single, unified view of the customer.
How much does Acquire cost?
Acquire’s pricing is based on team sizes, usage, agent seats, and more.
#2 ClickUp – Work Productivity
ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform that offers a range of powerful features to help scale your growing business. It is a completely customizable work management solution designed for teams of all sizes and across different industries.
Their platform offers 15+ interactive views to visualize your project timelines. Dashboards bring all of your work together in a high-level overview, enabling you to track progress from any area in your Workspace and use resources effectively. Take advantage of ClickUp’s Docs (similar to Google Docs) to collaborate with team members on ideas, bugs, notes, and more.
Choose from over 50 widget variations to instantly pull data for any activity to gather, display, or share, and embed other apps to your Dashboards with a simple link or code.
ClickUp features:
- Plan, track and manage tasks
- Real-time team chat
- Create and organize goals
- Gantt, calendar, board, mind map views
- Collaborative online whiteboards
- Customizable dashboards
- 24/7, highly-rated client support
ClickUp’s unique organizational hierarchy allows you to easily break down any project into manageable tasks, while subtasks and nested checklists allow you to track anything from multi-step workflows to simple to-do’s.
How much does ClickUp cost?
With the Free Forever Plan, users can add unlimited members, tasks, and get 1,000 MB of storage, and access more advanced features with paid plans starting at $5.
#3 HubSpot – CRM
HubSpot is an inbound marketing, sales, and service software. It contains a suite of business tools plus a free plan CRM software that gives business owners a complete management tool for sales and marketing. They’ve been deemed one of the top small business tools to get your company up and running with everything you’ll need to succeed.
HubSpot CRM features:
- Detailed view of contacts and companies
- Track calls or email communication
- Create custom lists and target accounts
- Assign contacts to your team to follow up
- Use your contacts in email marketing campaigns
- Track contact progress through your sales funnel
- Convert contacts into customers
- Automatically log sales and marketing interactions
- Website builder (CMS Hub)
With a scalable and upgradable platform, HubSpot enables businesses of all sizes to work collaboratively while customizing their approach to sales or marketing.
How much does HubSpot cost?
HubSpot’s CRM is one of the best marketing tools out there and is 100% free.
#4 2Checkout – Payment Processing
2Checkout (now Verifone) is an online payment processing platform built around growing your business. By reducing the back-end complications that contemporary digital commerce entails, 2Checkout’s monetization platform enables businesses to swiftly grow worldwide and maximize recurring income streams across channels.
2Checkout features:
- Global payments
- Digital & B2B commerce
- Subscription billing
- Reporting and analytics
- Tax & financial services
- Risk management & compliance
- Partner sales
Whether you’re looking to expand internationally, increase conversion rates, or operate a subscription-based business, 2Checkout can help you navigate the intricacies of global digital commerce. 2Checkout’s payment processing platform easily integrates with dozens of top-rated ecommerce shopping carts.
How much does 2Checkout cost?
2Checkout’s pricing tiers are based on individual sales when using their platform.
#5 Automate.io – Workflow Automation
Automate.io is a no-code, easy to use drag and drop workflow automation platform. Automate.io was created with a single goal in mind: to deliver the power of workflow automation to non-technical people in order to boost productivity and growth throughout your organization’s teams.
Automate.io features:
- No code workflow builder
- Drag & drop interface
- Pre-built automation templates
- Multi-step workflows
- Advanced controls, logic, and formatting
- Shared folders
- Rest API connectors
- More than 200 application integrations
This online business tool gives small companies the same capability as enterprise organizations at a lower cost, allowing you to automate repetitive operations once and for all.
How much does Automate.io cost?
Automate.io’s pricing can fit businesses of all shapes and sizes. The free version allows a single person to perform 300 actions with five bots. But the business version allows more than 100,000 monthly actions, 200 bots, up to 10 team members, all for $159/mo.
essential tools for online business
10 Essential Tools to Start Your Online Business
There are a ton of tools out there to make your life easier as an online entrepreneur. Some of these items will be more helpful than others, so we’ve narrowed it down to the 10 most essential must-haves for starting an online business. This list includes everything from software and hardware to tools that you can use in your day-to-day operations.
1. Computer or Laptop
Having a computer or laptop is essential for online businesses because you need to be able to access the internet and your business files from anywhere. A laptop also gives you the flexibility to work from any location, which is great for entrepreneurs who are always on the go.
Also, you’ll need a reliable computer to run useful software for various business tasks such as email marketing, word processing, blogging, website building, and more.
Chance are you already have one so that’s something you don’t have to spend on.
2. Internet Connection
Having a reliable internet connection is essential for online businesses because it allows employees to connect with clients and customers. It also allows employees to access important files and documents. In addition, a reliable internet connection allows businesses to stay connected with their customers and clients.
Depending on the quality of your internet connection, you may need to have multiple subscriptions from different service providers to make sure that you are always connected.
3. Smartphone
Smartphones are great for running a business because they allow you to stay connected to the internet and your customers no matter where you are. You can use your smartphone to take pictures of your products, answer customer questions, and even process payments.
If you’re starting an online business, it’s important to have a high-quality camera so that you can capture great images and videos of your products and services. Customers will be more likely to trust your business if you have professional-looking photos and videos.
A higher-end smartphone can be enough to produce high-quality images and videos.
4. Design Software
Whether it’s Photoshop, Illustrator or Canva, using a program for your marketing promotions can be helpful. Canva is a graphic design software that is very user-friendly and versatile. You can use it to create professional-looking graphics for your website, social media accounts, and marketing materials. In addition, Canva offers a wide range of templates and tools that make it easy for beginners to get started.
Many entrepreneurs don’t have the budget to purchase expensive graphic design software. Fortunately, there are a number of free options available online. Some of the most popular free graphics design software programs include Canva, GIMP, Inkscape, and Scribus.
5. Website
WordPress is an excellent platform for creating a business website because it is user-friendly and versatile. You can use WordPress to create a website that looks professional and meets your specific needs. WordPress also offers a wide range of plugins and themes that make it easy for beginners to get started.
6. Google’s Business Suite
Google’s Business Suite is an extremely helpful tool for business owners. It allows you to manage your email, calendar, and contacts in one place. This makes it much easier to stay organized and efficient. In addition, the Business Suite also includes a number of other helpful tools such as Google Docs and Sheets.
7. Accounting Tools
Accounting software is an essential tool for businesses because it allows entrepreneurs to keep track of their finances. This software makes it easy to create invoices, track payments, and generate reports.
8. Email Marketing Software
Email marketing software is important for online businesses because it helps entrepreneurs to stay connected with their customers and clients. This software allows you to send out emails promoting your products or services, and it also allows you to track the results of your email campaigns so that you can see what’s working and what’s not. Additionally, email marketing software can help you to create beautiful email newsletters that will capture the attention of your readers.
9. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
CRM software helps businesses to manage their customer relationships. This software allows entrepreneurs to track the contact information of their customers, as well as the interactions that they have with them. In addition, CRM software can help businesses to generate reports on their sales and marketing efforts. This information can be used to improve future marketing campaigns and sales strategies.
10. Social Media Management Tool
Social media management tools help you manage your social media accounts more efficiently. Some of the features that you should look for in a social media management software program include:
– Scheduling posts- Analyzing metrics- Responding to comments and messages- Tracking brand mentions-Creating reports
The best social media management software programs also offer team collaboration tools so that you can work with other employees on your social media accounts.
It’s also important to find a software program that is compatible with the devices and platforms that you use.
Tools allow you to focus on more important aspects of your business such as business development, operations, people management, and eventually, expansion. The more time you save doing repetitive tasks, the more time you have growing your enterprise.
Conclusion
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