Are you attempting to run your business blindfolded? You know the basics, but nevertheless, sales seem to be falling, customers are leaving for your competitors, you’re wasting money on ineffective marketing strategies and poor inventory management, your technology is outdated, and you’re struggling to adapt to a changing landscape.
So, you do what you can to remedy these problems. You do your research and craft marketing campaigns that you believe will be effective, you optimize your inventory, and you install new equipment. But still—while it works, it doesn’t work as well, or in the ways, you hoped.
Trial and error will only get you so far. If you want to take your business to the next level, then you need tools that give you a more comprehensive look at all aspects of it. With automation and detailed reports, you can glean unprecedented insight into what parts of your business work and which don’t—and more importantly, why. You can use this insight to make data-driven decisions. Here are a few software options that can help boost your business:
VendHQ
You’ve probably heard others recommend that you install an electronic point of sale system. Traditional cash registers are slow, bulky, and don’t do much other than accept payments and print receipts. Electronic point of sales software, however, needs minimal equipment—the essentials include a device (likely a tablet), a credit card swiper, a place to store cash, and a barcode scanner if necessary. The software works swiftly, verifying your identity and processing your payment method to get you out the door as quickly as possible. To make things even better, the system sent you an email receipt instead of a paper one.
VendHQ is a leader in the ePOS system industry. It allows you to accept a wide variety of payments—including contactless—and generates reports chronicling your sales history. For instance, where you convinced a particular product was flying off the shelves, but it’s not as popular as you thought? Then you know it’s time to prioritize the items that are best-sellers.
VendHQ includes inventory management capabilities, too. The system deducts a product from the database whenever a customer makes a purchase, so you always have real-time knowledge about what goods are currently available (which is excellent for your customer service). With these features, and the ability to connect multiple store locations, you’ll be able to streamline your operations and improve your cash flow.
GetResponse
Besides in-store resources, you will also benefit from tools that help you reach out to new customers and retain old ones. GetResponse is a software that enables you to execute effective and customized marketing campaigns.
You can generate leads with landing pages, compose and automate emails, and leverage ready-made funnels. Plus, GetResponse’s analytics features track conversions and ROI on your behalf, so you can understand what your customer’s preferences are and adjust your business strategy accordingly.
HubSpot
You’ve probably heard of HubSpot. It’s a powerful tool for marketing, sales, and managing customer relationships. It’s an array of resources all rolled into one platform—and the CRM aspect is free. With automation and analytics capabilities, you free up your time to spend on other facets of your business instead of tending to tedious tasks. Those tasks are essential, but the overall business process flows much smoother when technology can handle a few items on your to-do list.
Monday.com
It helps to take a step back and look at the big picture of your business. You can see that inventory management, your POS, and marketing need improvement—but what about workflow? Monday.com is a customizable software that gives you a broader look at everything your team has going on and how well everyone is accomplishing their tasks. Is there a bottleneck or block in your organization’s workflow that impedes its efficiency? With Monday.com, you and your staff have a useful tool for collaborating, assigning projects, managing budgets, and ensuring everything is moving along at a reasonable pace.
Buffer
Social media is an integral part of online marketing. Is it too much work switching between various social platforms, trying to produce compelling content while interacting with followers? Buffer can automate the tedious parts of executing a social media campaign so you have more time to be creative.
Similar to how you should not run your business blindfolded, you should not carry out a social media strategy without insight into what works and what doesn’t. Buffer’s analytics can tell you what your followers connect with most, which helps you convince them to become customers.
Do you want to boost your business to the next level? Then it will help to have tools that can guide you. Which software options do you think would be valuable for your business?
