Free Tools Every Small Business Should Use
Starting up and successfully running a small business can be an expensive task. This makes it even more crucial to choose the best software for your business to help you grow. While many of these are scalable, here’s a list of top free tools you should use to get started.
Customer Relationship Management
Apptivo CRM offers a free starter plan for up to three users that are designed to ease you into the complicated world of customer data. You’ll get detailed reporting, 500 MB of data, and project management features such as milestone tracking and project template besides connectivity to your CRM for free helpdesk, finance management, and procurement tools.
Document Scanning
Scannable, a new app by Evernote, can quickly scan stacks of business cards, notes from a meeting, and documents by using nothing more than your smartphone camera. You can check multiple documents in one session and create individual notes, which is excellent for receipts and business card organization. It also connects to LinkedIn for added networking.
E-Commerce Software
If you have products to sell but don’t have too much money to design a complex online shopping site, try X-Cart. The free version gives you advanced features that include newsletters, social-commerce sharing, and a site builder to help you customize themes. While you will need some technical know-how to get started, you will enjoy free core upgrades and extensions if you can manage them.
Document Management
If you have a light workload, Zoho Docs is an ideal document management solution. Besides plug-ins to the rest of Zoho’s software ecosystem, the free docs plan is open to 25 users and includes 5 GB storage per user. You also get unlimited file and folder sharing, desktop sync, editing tools, user management, version history, and syncing with Dropbox. Now that’s cool!
Email Marketing
If you need to send fewer than 12,000 email messages per month to fewer than 2,000 subscribers, try MailChimp’s Forever Free plan. This steal of a deal lets you use built-in signup forms to grow your subscribers from across the web, use the drag-and-drop designer and email templates to craft the perfect message, and all for zero dollars spent.
