Best Software for Small Business – A Must SMB Software for Collaboration, Productivity and Finance

Having the right tools for your small business when you need it most can make you focus on what is the most important for your business – making a profit.

For a smaller business trying to reduce IT costs and retain customers, there are various small business software solutions that are here to increase your business performance through better team collaboration, invoicing, inventory tracking, accounting and others.

SMB software is easy and intuitive to use. In addition, many applications for small businesses integrate with other programs in Windows or MacOS you already use, so it can help you be more productive. All these applications are mobile-friendly, performing very well on your mobile devices like smartphone or tablet.

In the list below, you will find the best software for small business to support everyday operations, so feel free to explore the possibilities.

1.      Best Collaboration Software – Microsoft Teams

As a part of the Microsoft 365 family, Microsoft Teams is a business communication platform that allows you to work efficiently from anywhere. It is a standalone product, although some of its features will require you to download Office 365.

Microsoft Teams seamlessly integrates with all your Office 365 productivity software applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive.

It offers:

• Unlimited chat messages and search.
• Online meeting and video calling, with a duration of up to 60 minutes per call, with up to 100 people that can join a meeting.
• A lot of open Microsoft Edge/Google Chrome web browser tabs.
• 10 GB of team file storage + 2 GB per person of personal storage.
• File sharing through chat.
• Members can set up channels that are topics of conversation that allow them to communicate without the use of email or texting.
• Multiple background apps and several conversations.

2.      Best Accounting Software – QuickBooks

QuickBooks software is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers on-premises accounting applications together with the cloud-based versions that accept payments, payroll functions and manage and pay bills.

This software provides a very user-friendly interface, with regular tasks such as creating invoices and getting cash flow reports performed in seconds with only a few clicks. After you set up your account, the software prompts you with basic tasks to get started. It is straightforward to customize invoices, allowing you to decide what information to include in the header and footer.

The dashboards and real-time reports help you control your cash flow and see where the money is going. In addition, it offers almost all the accounting services a business needs, ranging from handling the accounts receivable or payable to Fixed Asset Management.

A big bonus is that the software alerts you when it is time to reorder inventory. Then, when it arrives, QuickBooks converts the purchase order into a bill.

3.      Best Tax Software – TurboTax

TurboTax is a software package for the preparation of American income tax returns. With its intuitive design, experience, and a variety of support options, this tax software for small businesses is in many ways the standard for the DIY tax-prep industry.

Its interface is like a chat with a tax preparer, with the option to skip around if you need to. The banner that runs along the side keeps track of where you stand in the process and flags areas you still need to complete.

It offers tips and explainers throughout the process by embedded links, with help buttons that connect you to the searchable knowledge base, on-screen help, and more.

One handy feature is that you can switch from other providers through importing electronic PDFs of tax returns from other programs such as Liberty Tax, H&R Block, TaxAct, Credit Carma, and TaxSlayer.

The human help option is also available. TurboTax Live is a one-to-one interview with a tax specialist before you file, together with unlimited live tax advice throughout the year at additional cost.

Versions available:

• Free – for standard and simple tax returns only.
• Live basic – like the free version, but with on-demand video tax pro help.
• Deluxe – allows you to itemize and claim several other tax deductions and credits (except Schedules D and E).
• Premier- the version with added Schedules D, E, and K-1s.
• Self-employed – gets you everything in the Premier version, but with added handling both business income and expenses on a Schedule C.

4.      Best Invoicing Software – Invoice 360

This software has an intuitive design so easy to use, so you do not need to guess or figure out how it is implemented. You are ready to create your invoices once you install the software in only 3 simple steps. You can also print and share PDF invoices, quotes, and estimates.

After the downloading, you can see a tightly packed interface, displaying the different parts of the invoice that could be customized, a list for storing both customers and items, comments, and an entire invoice section.

Adding the customer or inventory items is pretty simple. First, you need to specify the name, address, and contact info for the customers and the name, description, units, price, and type of the transaction for the inventory. Once you are satisfied with how everything looks, you can print directly from the app or export it out to a PDF file for emailing.

It is possible to create your own template if you do not want to use an existing template that comes with the app. For example, to perform payments or edit an invoice, simply look up a previous invoice in the Invoice History Screen.

Bottom line, if your business works with a wide range of invoices, Invoice 360 is a great solution.

5.      Best Storage Software – Dropbox

A great way to keep your work file backed up and accessible from anywhere is certainly using Dropbox. It is a pioneer among cloud storage and syncing services, offering an anywhere-access option.

The basic, free account offers up to 2GB of space, but it also offers 2 account levels for businesses. To start using Dropbox, you need to install it on every device you plan to use.

You simply need to put files in the Dropbox folder, and your job is done. Like most other file-syncing and storage services, Dropbox will automatically sync your files on every device you have it installed.

If you need software for business file storage, but your computer does not have much internal storage, be sure that with Dropbox, you can easily access and use your files.

6.      Best Social Media Marketing Software – Hootsuite

If you own a small business, SMB software for social media marketing is Hootsuite. You probably do not need a mega social listening platform, so this easy-to-use software should be enough.

Hootsuite helps businesses use social media to launch marketing campaigns and identify and grow their audience. The key feature is distributing targeted messages across multiple social media networks such as Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linked In, and YouTube.

It also can track the number of followers on each of your social networks and monitor which post is generating the most clicks. When your business starts to grow, you have 3 premium plans available: Professional, Team, and Business.

7.      Best Project Management Software – Trello

The top small business software for project management is Trello, simply because it offers a flexible and visual way to manage projects. It is designed to solve high-level planning issues, and it is one of the most intuitive Kanban apps you will find on the market.

Kanban apps allow you to track your work visually, especially as it moves through different stages. Its interface is based on boards, lists, and cards. For example, individual Trello cards can be filled with information or to-do lists. Then you can file it on different boards you have already created.

It is possible to add attachments to cards, and you can allow other Trello users on your team to access those cards by sharing the board. You can also assign tasks to the team members, complete with due dates and reminder messages. Finally, when the project is completed, you can either archive or delete it.

8.      Best Scheduling Software – Calendly

When it comes to the must have software for small business, Calendly is undoubtedly on our list. It is a digital calendar that allows you to accelerate sales, improve service quality, and save you time, making finding meeting times easy.

The main principle is simple – after you create an account, you need to connect your Calendly account with your calendar platform (Google Calendar, Office 365, Outlook Calendar, or iCal). Then you need to define the duration of the meetings for people to choose and share the link that brings people to your Calendly page.

A client, a colleague, or a customer will not see everything; they will only be able to book the meeting with you. It is possible to create different event types, embed availability on the website, and even collect payments.

Using Calendly is like having your own social secretary, together with a complete time management solution that is also a point of sale.

9.      Best Inventory Software – Zoho Inventory

This inventory control software is an excellent start up business software that will increase sales, manage orders, track every item, and check stock level.

It enables you to optimize your inventory and order management with multi-channel selling, shipping integrations, and robust inventory control.

You can integrate it with online sales channels like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, together with shopping carts like Shopify and many more. Moreover, it automatically updates your inventory quantities across all your selling channels. Hence, everything is in perfect sync in this cloud-based inventory management common business software.

10.      Best CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Software – Act!

This cloud-based technology allows you to access business and data 24/7 from anywhere, making it easy to stay engaged with clients. Its easy setup greatly simplifies the experience for newcomers to CRM. The dashboard is highly intuitive, fully customizable, so you can adapt it to meet your specific business needs.

This particular software will turn your leads into sales, making your day planned for you – it tells you who to call, when, and what to say. In addition, it allows your business to grow by combining marketing automation and sales pipeline management into a single platform.