Beneficial Tools for Startups

The startup environment is packed to the brim with business owners and employees full of excitement and creativity surrounding the next big product or service to hit the market. While the companies that make it big give off the illusion of glamour and high profitability, rarely are early stage startups in the same easy-going boat. A substantial amount of sweat equity, heart and soul is put in to creating a startup that has the ability to affect individual consumers or other businesses in positive, beneficial way for an extended period of time. Countless hours are put in, all on a shoe-string budget, and at times it is exhausting to keep up the good fight.

Fortunately, a variety of tools such as Asset Bank are available to help ease the burdens associated with startup operations, no matter the industry or size of the organisation. Let’s take a look at the most beneficial tools for startups in terms of communication and collaboration, accounting and finance, organisation, and customer engagement and service.

Communication and Collaboration Tools

For any company, communication among various departments, teams and management is a key factor in achieving organisational goals. The ability to collaborate on strategic initiatives is also paramount to success, no matter the intended outcome. Technology-based tools provide a suitable medium for communicating effectively and encouraging collaboration across an entire organisation. Some of the most popular tools available include Asana, for task management and work-flow tracking, Yammer, for internal group discussions and idea generation, and TeamBox for project management.

Accounting and Finance Programs

A startup’s primary goal to generate profits may seem simple in theory, especially when the product or service being offered is appealing to a large group of individual or business consumers. However, in practice, the financial reporting and accounting maintenance required to keep a startup in line with regulations can be a challenge for even the most business-savvy owners or employees. Financial management tools like this platform can help reduce the time and cost burden associated with tracking wages earned and salaries paid, while accounting software like FreshBooks or Xero offer cost-effective ways to manage the most crucial aspect of business management.

Organisation Platforms

The startup environment can reach a chaotic state when the right organisational tools are not set in motion from the beginning. File management applications like Dropbox and Google Drive are smart, affordable ways to manage the countless documents needed to keep a startup running in an efficient, organised manner. Similarly, Evernote can be beneficial in organising tasks that need to be completed or ideas that should be vetted, and Stormboard can be used to brainstorm for meetings or presentations across an entire organisation in a single location.

Customer Engagement and Service Tools

Startups are not worth much without satisfied customers, and so the tools used to manage customer engagement and service are increasingly important. Client relationship manager programs, or CRMs, like Zoho and Salesforce helpful to startups in managing pertinent customer information, like lead source, lifetime value and contact information. Marketing to current and prospective customers is made far easier with tools like MailChimp or Batchbook that help in the creation of e-mail or other drip campaigns. HootSuite and Buffer similarly assist on the front lines of social media marketing efforts. Platforms like ZenDesk can be used to track and manage customer inquiries and help tickets in a timely manner, keeping customers informed and, more importantly, happy.

While not exhaustive, the list of tools mentioned here are a great start in keeping any startup on the right path. Maintaining internal communication and collaboration through strategic tools is necessary for achieving company goals, and the use of intuitive accounting and financial management software is a must for all startups. Keeping a high level of organisation throughout all departments and teams within a startup business is also a key component to success, as is the ability to effectively reach current or potential customers and clients. Integrating some or all of these tools will help in creating a startup that has a positive effect on employees, customers and the owner(s) equally.

What would your top tip be to someone who is looking to start up their own business?
*This is a collaborative post.