Most Important Software Programs for Every Type of Business

Having been a business owner for over 25 years, I've seen software programs comes and go. It doesn't matter whether you run a one man landscaping business from your garage, or a multi-location consulting firm from a pricey commercial office building.

There are five major areas of your business you need to address when it comes to managing daily business requirements:

1. Manage your contacts
2. Manage your finances
3. Manage your time and workload
4. Manage your information
5. Manage customer service

No one can afford to lose a customer, for any reason. Even Microsoft spends a fortune surveying customers for input as to their experience with the products and services. Any company who truly believes they can indeed afford to lose a customer will be in financial straits sooner than later.

It is vital to manage every aspect of a customer. Whether you provide services or products, your future success depends on how you keep and handle all this information. Amazon does it, Microsoft does it, and even drug stores (CVS for instance) do it (why do you think they give you those rewards cards?). You need to do it, too.

Customers: You need a good CRMS program (customer relationship management system). The program I have used for years is called Prophet. Prophet is an Outlook plug in that runs on top of Outlook. It is remarkably affordable at about $149 for one license, and businesses have a choice of a single user or enterprise license agreement. It allows you to mass email your customers (great for newsletters and updates), track expenses, make phone calls from the program, and track all events. You can print reports on any subject. Check out more details at www.Avidian.com. They also provide outstanding customer service and support!

For companies with large sales groups, you need something a bit more robust IF your sales people are located in different places. You need a web based system that allows you to check on account status and updates. Check out www.SalesForce.com. User friendly, superb service, and very affordable pricing per license.

Finances: Knowing where your money is going is critical. If you cannot access a daily snapshot of your cashflow, you are in serious trouble. You don't need to be an accountant to manage your cash flow. You just need a good program to help you walk through the details. I use QuickBooks. Give yourself a few days to set it up for the first time, and do take the time to watch the instructional videos and go through the quick set up user manual. This is similar to doing your taxes with perhaps Tax Cut '" you just answer easy questions and after a few clicks, you actually have a complete "set of books" that are acceptable for all IRS purposes. (And keeping your books this way will definitely give you some brownie points if you're ever audited. Using only Excel and a checkbook will hurt your chances of being taken seriously.) Check out www.QuickBooks.com for current pricing which is always under $200 and frequently on sale for about $159. You can download or buy a CD.

Time Management: Missing appointments and overbooking will put you out of business fast. If you are not using a full package of Outlook (not Outlook Express), start now. Online cloud systems such as Gmail have some nice features, but not nearly anything that a real business can rely. (Note to Android users: download the Google Outlook sync and you can still have all your appointments and reminders appear on your smart phone!) Outlook allows you to have all your emails from every program feed directly into one screen. (Not AOL though). The latest version of Outlook takes travel time into consideration when booking appointments- a valuable feature! Buy it from any electronics retailer, or online at Microsoft. Best Buy and CompUSA have the best pricing.

Information Management: You need a backup system in place that handles everything for you automatically. Your computer or your server will crash. It's just a matter of when. And it will never happen at a convenient time. You will lose everything! Before that happens sign up for Carbonite at www.Carbonite.com. It's $59 for a year. All your documents are backed up constantly! Even your emails in Outlook. If anything happens to your data, simply restore your files.

Customer Service: No matter how big or small you are, customers now consider customer service frequently when they buy anything. You need a definite program in place to handle these questions, and it must be a combination of email and phones. Check out some free live chat software that can be put on your website; these program can handle the live chat and track emails. For more robust coverage, buy a system that includes more functionality that would allow you to keep records of calls, resolution, times, and allow the information to be exported to your CRM system. Check out www.volusion.com. It's easy to install, easy to use, and very affordable.