If you are running a business, no matter the size, you will know the feeling of being pulled in different directions. In fact, it’s more so with small businesses, as there are less people to handle everything that needs done. Between the big projects that keep you up at night, and the tiny routine tasks that just become frustrating with time, there are so many things to keep track of it’s a wonder any business survives.
If you know this feeling, then you will be pleased to know that there is an answer. As the saying goes: “There’s an app for that”. It’s not just true of mobile apps. Software applications are flooding the internet with solutions to problems that, if they don’t make tasks easier, they outright automate them.
Read our guide to the best tools on the internet for helping a small business.
Wix
Every business needs a website. That’s right, even yours. A website is a customer’s first impression of a business, but it can be so much more. You will gain a lot of loyal customers if your website impresses them.
The easiest way to impress customers is with your graphics and content. If you are sharing professional and quality content, your customers will assume that your products are professional and high quality too. But make sure you keep it well maintained. At best a shoddy website can look unprofessional, at worst it looks like a scam. Make sure it’s without its glitches either. You don’t want anything to impede on the process between visiting the store and a sale.
The best way to really impress customers is by using whatever features are available to make their visit easier. For example, if you are a restaurant or café, include a booking forum on your website so that customers can quickly book a table, or if you sell products make sure every item is clear and easy to find.
Wix is the best choice for a professional-looking website. They offer loads of features, including digital marketing aids so that you can track the visitors to your site and see what they like.
Trello
If you are someone who likes to keep organized, or isn’t keeping organized enough, you need Trello. Trello is a project management platform that will help you to keep track of you and your entire team’s workload.
Use it every day to make sure that you get everything done and track progress or split up a big project into more manageable tasks.
Simply assign employees a card and add checklists as they need them. It will help you to assure that everything is split evenly and that everyone is pulling their weight.
NadaPayments
If your business sells items, you will know the irritated feeling of seeing your profits eaten up by credit card transaction fees. If you charge $100, you expect to get $100. You need NadaPayments.
NadaPayments is offering online credit card processing for small businesses with their online tool. It puts the option of a transaction fee onto your customers, and charges them instead of you. If they love your product enough, they can pay the transaction fee. If not, they’ve still got the option of using a debit card, cash, or check.
NadaPayments can be used in store, online and across devices and is 100% legally compliant. You can cancel any time you want and not see a single penny spend throughout the experience.
Blueprint Automation
So, your products are designed to perfection and ready to go, your customers are waiting. What have you forgot?
The packaging. One of the middle children of product sales. Not to worry. Blueprint Automation can handle the whole process with your control from your computer. Simply choose one of a dozen package shapes, add your graphics, choose your container and layout, and it’s ready to be shipped.
You can choose from one of a dozen package shapes, including pillow bags, ice cream tubs and even pizza trays. From there it’s simply a matter of choosing what container you want your items shipped in and how you want them arranged within the container. Then they are ready to be shipped.
Zendbox
And that’s where Zendbox comes in. The other forgotten middle child, Zendbox will allow you to keep an eye on your products while they are shipping.
While your chosen shipping company does their thing, Zendbox will be there, looking over their shoulder and reporting to your computer. Your items will be scanned at every step from warehouse to doorstep so that any problems that could arise get solved quickly.
With the online experience limiting a customer’s impression of a brand, shipping has become the most important element to keeping a customer happy. If an item comes late or not at all, your customer will remember it. You can avoid problems like that by working with Zendbox.
