The Best Free and Paid Services for Reaching Customers and Improving Operations

 Lucy Reed(Guest)     17-08-2022

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Technology enables companies to achieve things that business owners couldn't imagine a couple of decades ago. While that's obviously a positive thing, it also means the stakes are higher.

You can bet your competitors constantly look for new technology to add to their arsenal. And if your small business isn't taking advantage of the tools available, you'll eventually get left in the dust. Below, Invent High discusses free and paid tools and services to help your SMB take your financial management, customer satisfaction, online engagement, and operations to the next level.

Financial Management

These days, comprehensive financial management solutions (FMS) are not only for international organizations and large enterprises. Software as a service (SaaS) companies now provide affordable subscriptions for cloud-based and on-premise subscriptions.

QuickBooks Online is perhaps the best overall accounting system, as it provides real-time cash flow insights to help teams make intelligent decisions and operate more efficiently. It also provides immediate access to the most recent financial reports and makes bookkeeping a cinch. If you want to keep accurate records, manage taxes more effectively, and ensure your company and employees get paid on time, find a top-rated accounting solution.

Customer Satisfaction

If you don't keep your customers happy, your business isn't going to make it very far. Fortunately, many customer satisfaction tools are available to help you maintain healthy relationships with your customers and ultimately push your company towards growth.

You can use chatbots to answer common queries and connect customers with the appropriate resources. You can track customer behavior to see how your marketing campaigns are panning out and how long users are browsing your website. And you can integrate multiple systems to share customer data and help your team strategize your next steps.

The possibilities are endless. Here are some of the most popular free and paid customer-centric solutions:

• Zendesk
• Salesforce
• Tidio
• Totango
• Hively
• The Survey System
• ReviewSpreader
• Nicereply

Online Engagement

It's tough to grow a business without being actively engaged online. "Engagement" is a fancy marketing term that describes the level at which customers interact with your brand . And interaction is ultimately the goal of any marketing strategy. Consumers interact with your brand, purchase your product or service, and voilà — success!

Of course, as with any business area, you need the appropriate tools to reach your full potential and customer engagement. Look for free and paid solutions for social media management, content writing, website building, email marketing, branding, etc. If you have limited experience with online engagement and marketing, you might do well to hire professionals. But here are a few tools to consider in the meantime:

• Buffer
• Google Docs
• Grammarly
• Squarespace
• WordPress
• Mailchimp
• Sendinblue

Streamlined Operations

Streamlining your operations will positively impact every area of your organization and ultimately spur steady growth. All the tools mentioned above can help your team increase efficiency and develop more intelligent processes.

However, you'll also want to consider incorporating project management software (e.g., Basecamp, Asana, Trello, etc.) that helps your team stay on the same page, work more effectively together, and meet deadlines. Team chat apps like Slack and Flock can improve internal communication and help build rapport among team members. And if you're not using cloud-based collaboration and file-sharing tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Dropbox, Microsoft 365, etc.), now is the time to bring those on board.

Don't let your competitors one-up you on digital tools. Stay up to date on the most recent technologies, and equip your team to move your company in the right direction. There are free and paid versions of every type of tool out there; you just have to take the time to research and determine what your business needs.

Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about our digital solutions? Visit InventHigh.com today!