If you’re the owner or manager of a small business, your day is probably filled with administrative tasks rather than sales-oriented ones. That’s because marketing, branding, and sales are much less important when you have fewer employees and less funding.
To that end, it makes sense to invest in software that streamlines your management processes and cuts down on the time you spend on administrative tasks.
There are many business management software options out there, each with its own set of features and one of the top business software comparison sites is wheelhouse.com. To help you narrow down your search, we’ve outlined some must-have features for any business management software solution.
Accounting and Budget Management
One of the most important features in business management software like Odoo is the ability to handle accounting tasks. This will allow you to consolidate your financial data and track your expenses to ensure that your company’s books are balanced.
This feature is especially important if you are going paperless, as you may want to look into an accounting solution that can import data from your bank accounts and credit card statements.
You should also make sure your business management software offers budgeting features so you can monitor your spending and forecast your revenues more accurately.
Project Management
If you’re frequently managing projects for clients, you’re going to need project management functionality. This will allow you to track time spent on projects, create task lists, assign project tasks to team members, and collect client feedback.
Project management functionality will also help you generate invoices for projects and track payments, which is important for cash flow management.
Inventory Management
If you’re running a business that involves physical products, you’ll want a business management software solution, such as Odoo, with impressive inventory management features. This will allow you to track your product inventory levels, generate reports, and generate sales orders.
If you sell products online, inventory management functionality will also allow you to automatically update your website’s stock levels as items are sold and purchased.
Marketing Automation
If you don’t have the resources or staff to handle lead generation and lead management, you’ll want to ensure your business management software includes marketing automation features. This will allow you to create email sequences (campaigns) triggered by certain user actions, such as clicking on a certain webpage or abandoning their shopping cart.
Point of Sale Service
If you’re running a business that experiences high volumes of cash transactions, like a retail store or restaurant, you’ll want a business management software solution with the point of sale (POS) functionality.
POS features will allow you to accept customer payments using cash, credit cards, or other payment methods. Depending on your business model, you’ll want a POS system that integrates with your accounting software to track sales and manage cash flow.
CRM Features
Many business management software providers have added CRM functionality in recent years, which means you can use the platform for sales, marketing, and lead management. This will allow you to track customer interactions, create contact records, and assign tasks to employees.
Make sure your chosen software is easy to integrate with other software you use, such as your email marketing platform and accounting software.
Summing It Up
Whether you’re just starting and need a solution to manage your team, projects, and finances, or you’ve been in business for years and are looking to replace your aging software, business management software can help you accomplish a lot with little effort.
If you’re looking to upgrade your existing business management software or invest in new software for the first time, be sure to consider the features listed above.
