Most small businesses don’t have the luxury of an in-house IT support team – so how do you easily access and maintain up to date business software? This is where SaaS (Software as a Service) can be a small business savior. It is essentially a one stop shop for the latest business tools to get you up and running – with minimal time, cost or technical knowledge required!
We’ve been working with small and medium sized businesses for over a decade, so understand the limitations they have for both budget and time. With the monthly subscriptions of cloud based software (as opposed to expensive one-off licenses) you can try out new technologies without needing to upgrade devices or reinstall software.
To help you get started fast, here is our selection of must-have SaaS (Software as a Solution) products:
Capsule CRM
This CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool has a great free option if you only need 1-2 users. Capsule CRM helps you manage your sales pipeline visually, from lead through the various stages to conversion to a customer.
- Tags allow you to filter leads/prospects/customers
- Customizable Sales Pipeline tracks potential value of leads through to won jobs
- Mobile App available so you can check and update customers’ details while out and about
- Easily integrates with a range of popular business and marketing applications e.g. Zendesk Chat, Xero and Mailchimp to bring customer contacts into one place
- Email support five days a week and detailed support portal
- Pro Tip: Set up Xero integration so you can see the value of your customers
Xero
Founded in Wellington, in 2006, Xero is cloud based accounting software. It’s a good user-friendly option for those with limited business knowledge.
- No free version but 30 day free trial available (watch out for a price increase on 18 March 2020)
- Pricey but excellent at what it does particularly contact and supplier management, bank reconciliation, accounts payable
- From 18 March 2020 Hubdoc included for free (Hubdoc consolidates statements and bills in one online location)
- Integrates with your preferred payment provider so people can pay your invoices directly
- Pro Tip: Add a Thank you note to the bottom of your invoices to make your customers feel appreciated.
Mailchimp
This popular email marketing service also includes some useful CRM features. Intuitive and easy to use, it makes building email marketing campaigns simple, regardless of your technical skill level.
- Free version available (but there are limitations such as you need to use their logo in the footer)
- Real time analytics and reporting show you how your marketing campaigns are performing (it’s very satisfying to see open and click stats the moment after you hit send!)
- Drag and Drop layout builder including pre-made templates to make your emails responsive
- Integrates with many website platforms, but unfortunately, no longer directly syncs with Shopify
- Pro Tip: Add an Optin form to your website with a valuable freebie giveaway to encourage new sign ups.
Kajabi
Kajabi is a marketing and sales platform for providers of online courses. It’s a bit pricey but the streamlined, off the shelf functionality is perfect for less technically savvy business owners.
- Easy to use, all in one solution that includes website hosting, ecommerce, site builder, email marketing and contact management
- Simple drag and drop page builder
- Student login area so students can view the courses that they are enrolled in
- Build customer communities
- Integrates with Stripe and Paypal
- Allows for one-off or recurring subscriptions
- Integrates with Zoom for webinar and conferencing
- New mobile app
- Pro Tip: Take the time to create valuable give away content to leverage Kajabi’s built in ‘Pipelines’ and nurture new leads.
Rev
This time saving platform adds closed captions to your video content to appeal to a wider audience. 80% of videos are viewed with sound off (because they are being viewed in public environments or in bed!) – so transcripts and subtitles are crucial to improve viewer experience.
- Large pool of in-house and freelance workers to provide quick turnaround usually within 24 hours
- Simple pricing – $1 per video minute and foreign subtitles available too.