Modern businesses can hardly call themselves modern businesses if they don’t have the right software. A lot of business owners swear by Microsoft Office suites, which works out well for many of them. But there are at least a couple of problems if you’re only going to use Microsoft Office. The first is that Microsoft Office suites are expensive – you can get most of the same functionalities from the likes of OpenOffice and Google Drive for free. The second is that you might find yourself surprisingly limited if you’re not willing to look into other software solutions!

We’re going to take a look at some of the best software solutions for many different aspects of office-based businesses.

Accounting

Don’t just assume that an accountant is going to do just fine with pencils, a calculator, and maybe a copy of Microsoft Excel! This isn’t really the most efficient way to go about the job. If you’re interested in improving efficiency for accountants, then you might want to take a look at the software that Intuit offers. QuickBooks is one of the most popular software solutions in this area of business, though some feel that there are better and cheaper solutions. Still, a free trial of QuickBooks is certainly worth investigating if you want to make your accountant’s job a little easier!

Human resources

You have an HR department, right? Sure, not every business needs one, but as soon as you start to go from a very small business to a small-to-medium-sized business, you might want to rethink your approach. Ellis Whittam provide assistance for those looking to set up such departments. On the software side, BrightHR is one of the more popular names in the field right now. The right software makes it so much easier for employees and HR workers to keep track of communications and requests. Employees can access the software in order to book days off or check how much annual leave they have remaining.

Project management

Without the right management, projects can turn into a confusing mess very quickly. Even projects that seem fairly simple at first can turn into a chaotic jumble of crossed wires and missed deadlines. Making sure everyone is on the same page, with project and task visibility at a high priority, is what you should be aiming for here. There are some free web-based solutions that you should consider; Trello is a user-friendly project management platform that is popular with both businesses and individuals.

Analytics

Without analytics, you’re not going to have a great idea of just how potent your web presence is. And, as I’m sure you’ve heard from other sources, a good web presence is essential for businesses that wish to grow their consumer base. Google Analytics is the first name that most people will suggest and, to be honest, there’s little reason for us to suggest that you should look to another solution! Love it or hate it, Google can be instrumental to the success on your website and social media platforms, so using their solutions is usually the most reliable way of improving and tracking your presence.