How Business Automation Could Make Your Team More Productive: Top Software Solutions

You don’t have to do every little thing on your own. Digital technology has solved many problems faced by small business owners. Let it solve yours!

Business process automation (BPA), also known as business automation or digital transformation, is the technology-enabled automation of complex business processes. As a small business owner, manager, or entrepreneur, one of your biggest challenges is to inspire people to give their best at work.

There’s a delicate balance between getting things done and enjoying work. If you find this sweet spot, everyone in your team will be happy, productive, and efficient.

Making your teams more productive with business automation

Leading employees and making them more productive is an art of business automation. Of course, there’s no silver bullet that brands you as “The Best Manager Ever”, but there are many actionable things you can do to make sure that everyone on your team is sailing towards the right shore.

Here are some of them:

A) Be genuine

Believe it or not, people can sense if you’re faking it. If you constantly wear a mask at work, we guarantee that you and your employees will not enjoy it. Not being yourself degrades trust. So, lead without compromising your beliefs and values. There is no replacement for authenticity.

B) Be transparent and open for feedback

Managers are not really open to admitting their mistake. But if you want to create a company culture where everyone is honest and transparent, you must be willing to take the reins. This starts with the CEO. Don’t be consumed by the idea that you have to be always right. It takes a lot of courage to admit a mistake and your employees will appreciate you for it.

C) Empower your employees with the best technology

Do more with less time. Employees often spend a lot of time doing trivial tasks that can be automated with technology. Not only it’s time-consuming, manually doing things are expensive in the long run. Not to mention the difficulties you’ll encounter when it’s time to scale up your business.

Of users who try team collaboration tools, an average of 68% adopt

Below are some software solutions you can use to improve your team’s productivity.

Top software solutions for distributed teams and SMEs

Managing a business can be daunting. It’s easy to get caught up with time-consuming tasks which do not significantly affect your company’s bottom line.

Here are some software solutions to keep you right on track on what matters most.

#1. Software solutions for team communication

Team communication is key to staying productive.

[-] Slack

Where Work Happens When your team needs to kick off a project, hire a new employee, deploy some code, review a sales contract, finalize next year's budget, measure an A/B test, plan your next office opening, and more, Slack has you covered.
Where Work Happens. When your team needs to kick off a project, hire a new employee, deploy some code, review a sales contract, finalize next year’s budget, measure an A/B test, plan your next office opening, and more, Slack has you covered.

If you have not heard about Slack, you’re probably living under a rock. This is the tech industry’s favourite communication software. Thanks to its many features like real-time communication and collaboration. With Slack, team members can share files directly with each other. Not to mention the range of project management integrations that come with it!

[-] Calendly

Calendly helps you schedule meetings without the back-and-forth emails
Calendly helps you schedule meetings without the back-and-forth emails

Think of Calendly as your virtual secretary. With this app, you can easily asses all team member calendars to see who’s available when at a glance.

#2. Software solutions for enterprise management

Enterprise management software is an all-in-one solution for your management needs. And nothing beats Google’s GSuite in this category.

[-] GSuite

Get Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Meet and more for business.
Get Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Meet and more for business.

With GSuite you can set up a customized email client (Gmail) using your own domain, manage files (Google Drive and Docs), share calendars, track website analytics, and launch ad campaigns.

#3. Software solutions for project management

One of the biggest pain points of small businesses and distributed teams is figuring out how your team can work together. This is especially true if you are working with remote teams. Here are some tools to help you manage projects more efficiently:

[-] Asana

Make more time for the work that matters most Asana is the work management platform teams use to stay focused on the goals, projects, and daily tasks that grow business.
Make more time for the work that matters most
Asana is the work management platform teams use to stay focused on the goals, projects, and daily tasks that grow business.

This project management app makes it easy to create private tasks and manage projects using its beautiful user interface.

[-] Trello

Trello lets you work more collaboratively and get more done. Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible and rewarding way.
Trello lets you work more collaboratively and get more done. Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible and rewarding way.

This is another software solution for managing projects. It is highly customizable and user-friendly.

[-] JIRA

The #1 software development tool used by agile teams
The #1 software development tool used by agile teams.

This project management software is built for software developers. It allows managers to plan, track, and release great software without missing a beat.

[-] Basecamp

All growing businesses run into the same fundamental problems. Hair on fire, buried under email, stuff everywhere. The good news? Basecamp solves them. Try Basecamp free for 30 days:
All growing businesses run into the same fundamental problems. Hair on fire, buried under email, stuff everywhere. The good news? Basecamp solves them.

This app is built for enterprises. It boasts client-facing tools and a built-in group chat among a host of other useful features.

#4. Software solutions for human resources

Despite the critical role the human resources play, they’re usually overlooked. Here are some HR software designed to make the lives of your HR people better.

[-] CakeHR

We created CakeHR to solve your HR challenges and let you focus on building business
We created CakeHR to solve your HR challenges and let you focus on building business

This app helps HR professional streamline their processes — from onboarding new hires, keeping tabs of time-off requests, managing business expenses, scheduling shifts, and tracking over time.

CakeHR also integrates with apps that you already use like GSuite, Slack, and Zapier. You know what’s even better? CakeHR works in mobile! Transferring the simplicity and self-service of a great web application to your smartphone. Now, your employees can request time offs, schedule shifts, and manage expenses on the go.
The CakeHR app also features powerful analytics to help you make informed decisions, draw insights and study trends. With the app, you can look at a glanceyou’re your employees grow in number over time as well as employee turnover data. You can also create custom reports based on your business’ needs.

[-] GoodHire

Employee Background Checks You Can Feel Good About Employment screening that's built for trust, safety and fairness.
Employee Background Checks You Can Feel Good About. Employment screening that’s built for trust, safety and fairness.

This is the app to go if you want to make background checks, employment verifications, and reference checks for your candidates. GoodHire also does pre-hire skill tests, education verifications, drug screenings, credit checks, and other complex processes in less than 24 hours. And once you’ve found the right hire, partner with CakeHR to automate your onboarding process.

#5. Software solutions for customer relationship management (CRM)

What’s the point of having a streamlined business if you don’t know how to build and maintain meaningful relationships with your customers? Here are some apps that can help you do it right:

[-] Zoho CRM

Sales CRM software that helps you sell smarter, better, faster. Reach out to prospects at the right moment and engage them across every channel. Zoho CRM software helps businesses of all sizes close more deals the smarter way.
Sales CRM software that helps you sell smarter, better, faster. Reach out to prospects at the right moment and engage them across every channel. Zoho CRM software helps businesses of all sizes close more deals the smarter way by business automation.

One of the most popular customer relationship management software out there. Zoho CRM helps you engage with your customers on social media, emails, and other platforms.

[-] Zendesk

The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk Our customer service and engagement products are powerful and flexible, and scale to meet the needs of any business.
The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk. Our customer service and engagement products are powerful and flexible, and scale to meet the needs of any business.

This app helps businesses manage and track inbound customer communications easily and produce streamline responses for a 5-star customer service. Zendesk easily integrates with your website as well.

[-] Salesforce

Try our out-of-the-box CRM built for small business growth. Get Salesforce Essentials, our all-in-one sales and service solution
Try our out-of-the-box CRM built for small business growth. Get Salesforce Essentials, our all-in-one sales and service solution.

This highly customizable app helps your business build meaningful relationships with customers across various departments. They also provide power reporting tools so you can see how your business is doing at a glance.

[-] Intercom

A new and better way to acquire, engage and retain customers Modern products for sales, marketing and support to connect with customers and grow faster. Free 14-day trial Easy setup Cancel any time
A new and better way to acquire, engage and retain customers. Modern products for sales, marketing and support to connect with customers and grow faster.

This tool is built for web-based businesses. Intercom, as its name suggests, lets you set up live chat and tutorials for your customers — making it easy for you to communicate, interact, and engage with them.

#6. Software solutions for managing finances

So, you finally got your processes right and your customers happy. Now it’s time to organize the books with these powerful apps:

[-] Quickbooks

Smarter business tools for the world’s hardest workers Track expenses, customise invoices, run reports and more, all from one place. QuickBooks
Smarter business tools for the world’s hardest workers. Track expenses, customise invoices, run reports
and more, all from one place. QuickBooks.

One of the most popular finance management software out there, Quickbooks lets you track finances, pay employees, and invoice customers without missing a deadline.

[-] Freshbooks

All-In-One Small Business Invoicing and Accounting Solution The all-new FreshBooks is accounting software that makes running your small business easy, fast and secure. Spend less time on accounting and more time doing the work you love.
All-In-One Small Business Invoicing and Accounting Solution. The all-new FreshBooks is accounting software that makes running your small business easy, fast and secure. Spend less time on accounting and more time doing the work you love.

Aside from invoicing features, this app can also track hours spent on projects and offers your clients multiple ways to securely pay their dues.

#7. Software solutions for social media management

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram — social media is a key part of businesses automation nowadays.  Building your brand in these channels is not a walk in the park. So, here are some apps to help you out:

[-] Hootsuite

Manage all your social media in one place From finding prospects to serving customers, Hootsuite helps you do more with your social media.
Manage all your social media in one place. From finding prospects to serving customers, Hootsuite helps you do more with your social media.

This is probably the most popular social media management software in the market. Hootsuite allows you to manage all your social media accounts in one place and track the progress of each one.

[-] SproutSocial

Real people Real brands Real connection Sprout Social’s social media management software and solutions help you find, form and deepen real connections with the people who love your brand.
Sprout Social’s social media management software and solutions help you find, form and deepen real connections with the people who love your brand.

This amazing app helps you build your brand from scratch. With SproutSocial, you can manage your social media accounts along with powerful analytics to see how well you are doing. They also help you identify topics that your customers love.

[-] Buffer

Save time managing social media for your business Buffer makes it easy for businesses and marketing teams to schedule posts, analyze performance, and manage all their accounts in one place
Save time managing social media for your business. Buffer makes it easy for businesses and marketing teams to schedule posts, analyze performance, and manage all their accounts in one place.

This app is designed to help you optimize your social media channels. It helps you save time generating content and engaging with potential customers.

#8. Software solutions for business operations

Keeping tabs of day to day business operations is not easy. Here are two tools to help you keep everything together:

[-] Geckoboard

Achieve more together, whatever your business A TV dashboard ensures your metrics are front of mind for everyone, focusing teams on what matters now to move the company in the right direction.
Achieve more together, whatever your business. A TV dashboard ensures your metrics are front of mind for everyone, focusing teams on what matters now to move the company in the right direction.

This app is built on the merits of transparency. Geckoboard allows you to share business data with employees to keep them within the loop. Studies show that employees are more engaged when managers are transparent about how the business is doing.

[-] Blendo

Your Cloud Data To Your Data Warehouse in Minutes Access your cloud data from sales, marketing, support, or accounting, to accelerate data-driven insights and grow faster.
Your Cloud Data. To Your Data Warehouse in Minutes. Access your cloud data from sales, marketing, support, or accounting, to accelerate data-driven insights and grow faster.

This software solution tracks every moving part of your business — from HR and product development to marketing and customer support. Blendo makes sure you are not slacking in any place. Its powerful analytics gives you a bird’s eye view on how your business is doing so you can make improvements right away.

Conclusion

It’s hard to run a small business. As the owner or manager, you face countless hours handling seemingly endless tasks. Staying focused, productive, sane, and organized can be a challenge. Fortunately, we live in a digital age where the technology to simplify our lives is up for grabs.

You don’t have to do every little thing on your own. Try these business automation apps today and see the difference!

Norberts.

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There is a subtle difference between a good and a great HR management software. Know how we deliver nothing but “Great” by starting your 14-day free trial at CakeHR!

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HR management software app system CakeHR human resources
HR management software app system CakeHR human resources
Written By

Norberts Erts

HR Degen and Product Marketing Manager at Sage. Former Co-founder of HR software company CakeHR (acquired by The Sage Group plc in 2019). Keep a sharp eye on HR, marketing, business, finance, science, technology, and the connections between them.