September 26, 2024

20+ Must-Have Small Business Tools To Boost Productivity

15+ Must-Have Small Business Tools To Boost Productivity

What's in this post?

If you are new to the business, running it on a small scale, you are perhaps already working to expand it and boost its productivity margin. However, for small-scale business owners, the time available to upscale productivity is limited and needs to be optimized as quickly as possible. Therefore, it’s wise and important to adopt some of the best productivity tools that can competently manage crucial business functions. For functions like product and brand promotion, attaining customer emails, administering the online business, etc. some tools can be really instrumental in accelerating your productivity. The trick is in identifying the right tools amidst the galaxy of options.

For those, who are confused about the type of tools, here is a classified list of tools that a small business usually needs - :

  • Accounting & Bookkeeping Tools
  • Sales & CRM Tools
  • Meeting and Productivity Tools
  • Marketing Tools
  • Customer Success Tools

To make it easier, we prepared a list of suggested small business productivity tools:

1. Hubspot CRM

Hubspot is a CRM solution, often called the flagbearer of proficient sales and marketing tools. With its commendable features that keep a track of every bit of customer interactions and provide a detailed overview of the sales channel anytime, Hubspot is often considered one of the best productivity tools that can accelerate the conversion rates.
With Hubspot CRM, you can

  • Track emails,
  • Send kickback mails,
  • Receive the analytical reports,
  • Organize lead capture forms,
  • Avail live chat features with the customers,
  • Set up sales meetings and

Most importantly, it offers free trial options for its products that make it dazzle in the crowd of other CRMs.

2. Slack

Slack is a cost-effective tool that uses its instant messaging feature to optimize business communication and networking processes within the team. It allows users to check the flow of emails back and forth with their peers in the organization.
Features that push Slack into this list are:

  • It provides multiple channels like voice calling, video conferencing, and screen sharing to optimize communication and its effectiveness
  • It does not charge anything to the teams of up to 10 members
  • It keeps the entire discussion of a meeting in a single chat, thereby preventing any sort of confusion or misinterpretations
  • It allows jotting down the minutes of the meetings and saving them automatically in Dropbox and Google Drive as attachments
  • Enlisting the important tasks in the to-do list of the task manager

In the virtual world, slack has all the potential to be regarded as your virtual HQ.

3. Appointo

If you need an application to schedule bookings on the website and manage appointments, Appointo is the best option. With some exceptional automated features, it can effectively boost your productivity by saving time and improving your service quality.
The advanced features of Appointo that make it stand out are -

  • Custom booking rules
  • Group appointments
  • 2-way calendar integrations
  • Marketing of services
  • Simplified calendar
  • export bookings
  • Automated zoom integration
  • Teams dashboard outside Shopify
  • Complete Shopify theme compatibility
  • Multiple-language assistance

4. Evernote

Evernote is a super-useful note-keeping app that organizes notes, tasks, scheduled appointments/meetings, all in one place. Links, images, voice notes, web page clippings can be attached to form a checklist or grid of notes.
Other enticing key features are-

  • Sync with the google calendar
  • Schedule notifications and reminders
  • Save the ad-free web pages and also highlight them
  • Makes business paperless
  • Reminds the deadlines on time

5. Buffer

With affordable internet and social media, on average, people spend approximately 2.5 hours every day on social media. Buffer knows how to make the best of this! Buffer is an exciting social media management tool that can easily take the social media engagements of your business to the next level.
The key features of the Buffer app include -

  • Manage Campaign performance in a few clicks
  • Collaborate with profiles on multiple platforms simultaneously
  • Pre- Schedule multiple posts together
  • Reports and analytics
  • Available in Mobile app and Buffer browser extension

6 Asana

Asana is a flexible, efficient, and easy-to-use task management tool that allows you to auto-assign tasks to available team members and keep a track of the same.  With Asana, you can view plans, discuss them and check progress all in a single platform. The impressive user interface and versatility contribute to the popularity of Asana in the market as a project management tool.
Also, the features that make it the star of the crowd are:

  • Descriptive & Customizable Dashboards.
  • Detailed Activity Feeds.
  • Individual Task Lists.
  • Assign Subtasks.
  • Fix priority for tasks.
  • Calendar customization.
  • Integration of Email Ids.
  • Notifications & Reminders.

With Asana you always stay on top of your team's work plans and progress.

7. PhotoAdKing

PhotoAdKing is your ultimate destination for hassle-free and creative graphic design. Unleash your imagination and transform your ideas into stunning visual masterpieces with our user-friendly online editor. Create a poster that captivates your audience, conveys your message effectively, and leaves a lasting impression. It's an outstanding design toolkit for your crafting like flyers, banners, and professional and informal document creation.

Features of PhotoAdKing that make eye-catching design tool:

  • Give you High-Quality Output
  • It is a user-friendly design toolkit
  • Facilitates collaborative design effortlessly making it a great tool for group projects or team-based design tasks

8. Canva

Canva could be an asset for your business and its growth. It's an outstanding designing tool with pre-formatted as well as customizable templates for all kinds of events like marketing flyers, social media banners, professional and informal letters, reports, presentations, and other documents. The fascinating layouts of Canva lead can bring in huge online engagement for your business and give a major boost to your marketing efforts.
Features that make Canva every user's favorite designing tool are:

  • Exceptionally User-friendly. No prior “Graphic Designer” experience required
  • Versatile Platform, available on Web and mobile apps.
  • Allows team collaboration on designs
  • Substantial Free features

For brand promotion, Canva can be used to create and design ID card mockups, logos, social media posts, charts, etc. for multiple social media platforms.

9. Grammarly

Grammarly is a simple and super-efficient online writing assistant which keenly evaluates your write-up to enhance its impact and amplify the tone of professionalism in it. This tool acts as a proofreader to maintain the eloquence of written business communications. Apart from rectifying the errors, Grammarly also provides AI-enabled suggestions to improve the quality of your writing, making it less wordy and more readable.
Features:

  • AI-enabled grammar and spelling check with explanation
  • Google Doc, browser, and MS word integration
  • Personal Dictionary
  • Secured and encrypted documents
  • Versatile availability, web, and mobile
  • One user per account

10. Formpay

Formpay is a cutting-edge payment solution designed to streamline and simplify your financial transactions. With a user-friendly interface and robust security measures, Formpay ensures a seamless and secure payment experience for both businesses and individuals. Key features of Formpay include:

Easy Integration: Effortlessly integrate Formpay with your existing eCommerce platforms, websites, or mobile apps for a smooth payment processing experience.

Multiple Payment Options: Accept a wide range of payment methods including credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and bank transfers, catering to diverse customer preferences.

Real-Time Transactions: Process payments instantly with real-time transaction updates, ensuring prompt and accurate financial management.

Advanced Security: Benefit from top-notch security features such as encryption, fraud detection, and PCI compliance to protect your sensitive financial information.

User-Friendly Dashboard: Manage all your transactions, generate reports, and monitor payment activities through a comprehensive and intuitive dashboard.

Customer Support: Access 24/7 customer support to resolve any queries or issues swiftly and efficiently.

Experience the convenience and reliability of Formpay – your ultimate partner in efficient and secure payment processing.

11. Toggl

Toggl is an extremely simple and easy-to-use time tracking tool that keeps track of everyday tasks that consume your time. This web and desktop tool allows you to have complete control over your time by providing useful insights on how and on what you spent it. If used well, Toggl can be helpful in optimizing workflow by identifying tasks or areas where time improvements can be made.
Features that make Toggl different are:

  • Invigilates the tasks performed
  • Keeps a record of the duration of the client meetings
  • Monitors the logged-in hours of team members.
  • Pomodoro timer; reminds the team members to take a break after each stretch of 25 minutes.
  • Notifies about the idle time

To conclude, Toggl caters to the role of a timekeeper.

12. OneTimeSecret

One time secret is a tool for sharing sensitive and confidential information simply and securely It was initially launched as a password sharing app but eventually, it became one of the most used channels for sharing several types of other sensitive information.
Features to look out for:

  • Shared for one-time viewing; self-destructive feature of the messages.
  • Non viewed secrets are retained for 7-14 days
  • Substantially long message size allowed for sharing
  • The code is available open-source on Github

With more than 50000 messages a month shared over the platform, Onetimesecret is a promiscuous option for sharing secret information.

13. Alfred app

Alfred is an acclaimed macOS-based productivity application that accelerates team efficiency wIth hotkeys, text expansion, predefined keywords, much more.  It is a free tool, much more than an application launcher with exceptional features. But, most of us do what we do, make a quick command- space, type what we want, enter, and go!
Alfred App has so much more to do, some of which we don’t even know!

  • Personalized search and pin the prioritized results on the Mac or web history
  • Quick access to contacts- search by name or even e-mail name
  • Deep integration with macOS.
  • Perform calculation on Alfred, without a calculator.
  • Save snippets for frequently used texts

14. Cleanshot

CleanShot X is one of the most flexible and easy-to-use tools for Mac that allows quick screen capturing, customization and sharing. It’s a tiny tool that makes customized screen capturing and sharing an easy-breezy task to do!
Features that make Cleanshot the best choice are:

  • Save, make copies and move screenshots and video recording into different folders
  • Annotation tools highlight important sections of the screenshots
  • Upload into Cloud storage and get a sharable link
  • Scroll Screenshot
  • Store in video and GIF formats
  • Copy texts from the screenshots

15. Loom

Loom is a savior for businesses with hybrid workplaces. It is one of the finest and fastest screencasting applications to record video content, designed to facilitate unhindered communications in the workplace.
The most appreciated features of Loom include:

  • Share pre-recorded video content
  • No watermarks
  • HD recording
  • Password-protected videos and restricted access feature
  • Embed videos into blogs or websites
  • Editing and duplicating the video clips

16. SE Ranking

SE Ranking is a powerful SEO platform for solving any SEO task, tracking your SEO progress, and making timely changes to your strategy based on actionable insights. The tool includes many valuable tools, including keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking, website audit, AI writing, competitor research, reporting tools, etc. SE Ranking allows you to manage all SEO and marketing data in one place easily.

Key Features of SE Ranking:

  • AI Text Generator built-in the Content Editor tool
  • Generate titles, meta descriptions, and FAQs with your target keywords
  • Provide AI insights on competing content
  • Analyze keywords from SE Ranking’s extensive databases 
  • Competitors’ analysis
  • Content audit
  • SERP analysis
  • SEO reports
  • Intuitive & user-friendly interface

17. LogoWiz

Logo Maker is a user-friendly logo designer tool that allows you to design logos effortlessly. It offers a vast library of pre-designed templates and icons to choose from. Users can also customize colors, fonts, and shapes to create a unique logo. Logo Maker’s intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionality make it accessible for both beginners and professionals.

Key Features that LogoWiz:

  • Easy-to-use user interface
  • Editable logo design
  • Extensive icon and font library
  • Fast and efficient results

18. Jotform Apps

Jotform Apps is a great free tool for businesses to create company apps to share with co-workers. You can add all company forms and important documents inside your app and access them from any device. Jotform's 600+ app templates make it easy for you to create your app and their many customization features allow you to craft your app to match your branding. Once you create your app, you can share it with a link or a QR code so it can be directly downloaded on any device.

Features that make Jotform Apps great for businesses:

  • Easily shareable and works on any device
  • Secure way to store sensitive documents
  • App integrations for boosted productivity
  • No coding is required to create an app
  • Forms allow you to collect feedback from customers easily
  • AI form generator to quickly create and customize forms

19. Apify

Ever wondered how you can get data from web to make more data-driven decisions? Thanks to web scraping - the process of automatically extracting data from websites. Apify provides over 1,500 ready-to-use scrapers and automation tools. Thanks to this wide range, you can scrape data from e-commerce and real estate websites, social media, marketing, and HR tools. You know exactly what to do, as the platform is very user-friendly and will get your data in a few minutes.

On Apify Store you can find actors that will help you to:

  • Automatically scrape and extract data from web and feed it to large language models such as ChatGPT. Try Website Content Crawler.
  • Extract data from socials such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn. With that you can get to know more about your competitors or automate your workflows.
  • Extract contact details from web using Contact Details Scraper or Google Maps, and export them in a structured way.
  • Match products across e-commerce channels with AI Product Matcher. Track their prices or do market research much more easily.

And what's the best part? You can start with a free plan and try out the first runs of Actors for free.

20. Logo Maker

It is an easy-to-use AI logo generator app that simplifies logo creation. Whether starting a new business or personal brand, this app is your solution. Enter your brand name, choose a style, and watch as it generates tailored logo options. With Logo Maker, customization is simple – adjust until it reflects your vision perfectly. No design skills are needed. Create your logo in minutes, saving time and money. Experience hassle-free logo design with Logo Maker today!

Features:

-Easy-to-use interface packed with customization tools.

-Tailored logo creation for businesses, projects, and personal use.

-Access to over 5000 professionally designed logo templates.

-One-tap download for convenience on the go.-Save and edit functionality for seamless revisions.

21. Narrato AI

Narrato is an AI platform that enables lightning-fast and streamlined content creation, planning, collaboration, and project and workflow management. Designed for SMB content teams, it eliminates the need for multiple disjointed tools like docs, drives, SEO tools, plagiarism checkers, instant messaging apps, and content calendar tools.

The standout feature of the platform is the AI Content Assistant, which comes with 100+ AI tools, like the AI blog generator, AI keyword generator, AI copywriter, AI social media post generator, and more. By bringing all these capabilities onto a single platform, Narrato enhances productivity and reduces the turnaround times of the content process.

Here's why it is a must-have productivity tool for small businesses:

  • Auto-generate ready-to-use blog + social media content with AI Content Genie
  • 100+ AI content creation templates for 10x faster content creation
  • AI-powered SEO tools to streamline content optimization
  • Custom AI templates
  • Bulk content generation support
  • Content calendar, style guides, and other content planning tools
  • Content publishing and scheduling support
  • On-platform messaging and @comments to streamline collaboration
  • Project and workflow management

22. Appypie

Appy Pie Design is your one-stop destination for hassle-free and creative graphic design, offering an intuitive ID card maker and a plethora of other features. Unleash your creativity and bring your visions to life with our user-friendly online editor.

Craft captivating visuals that convey your message with impact, whether it's a promotional poster, informative flyer, or professional document. With a range of features tailored to streamline your design process, Appy Pie Design is your go-to toolkit for all your creative endeavors.

Key Features of Appy Pie Design:

  1. High-Quality Output
  2. User-Friendly Interface
  3. Seamless Collaboration
  4. Extensive Template Library
  5. Customizable Designs
  6. Mobile Compatibility

23. Google Rank Check

Google Rank Check stands out as a powerful SEO tool designed to help businesses and individuals optimize their online presence. This intuitive software gives you a clear picture of how your website appears in search results by giving you real-time data about Google website rankings. Users may uncover important areas for improvement and maintain an advantage in the digital world with its tools for competition tracking and thorough keyword analysis. It makes tracking and improving your website's visibility easier.

Key Features of Google Rank Check:

  • Real-time Google website rankings
  • Competition tracking
  • Keyword analysis
  • Simple interface
  • Comprehensive reports
  • SERP feature tracking
  • Local SEO tracking
  • Keyword cannibalization detection
  • Landing page optimization
  • Mobile-friendly interface

24. Uniqode

Uniqode helps improve client collaboration and engagement easily. Trusted by brands like UNICEF, Settle, Coldwell Banker, and Emirates, Uniqode's QR Code generator lets you create custom QR Codes that connect the physical and digital worlds. These personalized QR Codes allow clients to access exclusive content, promotions, and offers with a simple scan, resulting in instant satisfaction and increased engagement.

The platform includes built-in analytics and integrates with Google Analytics, making it easy to track and monitor scan-related data and user behavior. Uniqode also connects with over 5000 CRMs and sales tools, including Zapier and Salesforce.

This secure QR Code generator is GDPR and SOC-2 Type II compliant, making it a very reliable and safe solution. It offers many features, including password protection and custom domains. Uniqode strengthens your connection with your audience and drives brand loyalty to new heights.

25. Visme

Visme is a versatile online platform designed to empower individuals and businesses to create engaging visual content. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, users can effortlessly design presentations, infographics, social media graphics, and more without any prior design experience. Visme offers a wide array of customizable templates, an extensive library of icons and images, and interactive features like animations and transitions. This makes it an ideal tool for educators, marketers, and professionals aiming to enhance their visual storytelling. By combining ease of use with powerful design capabilities, Visme.co enables users to communicate their ideas more effectively and creatively.

Key Features of Visme:

  • Drag-and-Drop Interface
  • Customizable Templates
  • Extensive Media Library
  • Interactive Elements
  • Data Visualization Tools
  • Collaboration Capabilities
  • Branding Options
  • Export Options
  • Cloud-Based
  • Security Features

26. Luzmo

Data is the backbone of modern business operations, but raw numbers can be overwhelming. Luzmo simplifies the process with a powerful data visualization and embedded business intelligence platform tailored for small companies. By transforming complex data into interactive charts and dashboards, Luzmo enables teams to quickly identify trends, track performance, and make informed decisions without needing extensive technical expertise.

Luzmo’s intuitive interface and customizable features make it easy to create and share visual reports, helping you keep stakeholders aligned and engaged. With integrations across popular tools, including Google Sheets and SQL databases, Luzmo ensures that your data is always accessible and up-to-date.

Whether you’re tracking sales metrics, monitoring project timelines, or analyzing customer behavior, Luzmo equips small businesses with the insights needed to stay competitive and efficient. Say goodbye to clunky spreadsheets and hello to a smarter, more visual way of managing your data.

Wrapping Up

Having the best set of productivity tools at your disposal can work wonders for the growth of your business. All the tools mentioned above are worth investing in, as they reap a lot but cost very little.
The following factors should be considered before choosing the software:

  • Cost
  • Robustness
  • Proficiency of use
  • Popularity
  • Accounting properties.

These softwares aid in the exponential growth of your business when utilized strategically.

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