If you’re running a small business, you know how overwhelming it can be to keep up with all the tasks that need to be done every day. That’s why automation using productivity tools is crucial for your business because it ensures everything is accomplished efficiently and effectively.
So, whether you’re looking to increase your team’s effectiveness or simply become more organized, our selection of time-saving resources will provide you with the right answers.
Productivity Tools to Boost Business Efficiency
#1 Trello
Trello is an online project management tool that helps small businesses organize and prioritize their tasks. It allows you to create boards, lists, and cards, which you can use to track progress and collaborate with team members. It also lets you integrate with other productivity tools such as Slack, Google Drive, and Dropbox for your business.
Benefits for Small Businesses
It makes you save time by creating lists, delegating work, and monitoring the task until its completion. Here are some other benefits:
- Automates processes and workflows
- Provides templates that can be modified to fit a variety of procedures (i.e., employee onboarding, meetings, daily tasks, etc.)
- Integrates tools such as Slack, Jira, GitHub, etc.
#2 Asana
Asana is another project management tool that lets you manage your tasks, projects, and teams. It offers a variety of features, including task assignments, deadlines, and progress tracking. You can integrate it with other productivity tools such as Slack, Google Drive, and Dropbox.
Benefits for Small Businesses
You can use it to increase transparency in employee tasks and efficiency, streamline processes, and simplify routines. Here are some added benefits:
- It has both a web and mobile app
- Gives insightful reports on project development — has a flexible workflow editor
- Works with popular programs like Microsoft Teams, Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce, Figma, Loom, etc.
#3 Buffer
Buffer is a social media management platform that provides affordable, intuitive marketing tools for small businesses. It lets you integrate with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, etc.
Benefits for Small Businesses
You can use the platform’s built-in posting, interaction, and social media tracking tools to grow your native user base. The capabilities of Buffer include the following:
- Plan and publish content across various social media platforms
- Composer feature allows you to craft a different message for each social network
- A drafting feature lets you save your post ideas and come back to them later
#4 Metric
Metric is a financial intelligence app that allows you to monitor important financial metrics such as revenue, expenses, profit, average order value (AOV), and customer acquisition cost (CAC) in real-time, giving you a clear and concise overview of your financial situation.
Benefits for Small Businesses
- Access to real-time financial data, which can help you identify trends and patterns in your finances
- Generate financial reports quickly and easily, without the need for complicated spreadsheets or manual data entry
- Track key performance metrics, such as revenue, profit margin, and cash flow
#5 Slack
An instant messaging app that lets you easily communicate with your team members. It offers a variety of features like real-time messaging, file sharing, and video calls. You can integrate it with other productivity tools such as Trello, Asana, and Google Drive.
Benefits for Small Businesses
Slack is great for remote-first companies because it makes continuous collaboration within their digital offices a breeze. The main advantages include:
- Creating channels that serve as centralized communication hubs for specific projects, topics, or departments
- Easy access to information, regardless of location, time zone, or function
- A great, flexible, and more organized substitute for email
#6 Canva
Canva is a visual content creation tool that requires little technical expertise or training to get started using. This platform allows professionals (who are not design experts) to quickly and easily produce high-quality graphics by using premade layouts, photos, and other visual assets.
Benefits for Small Businesses
- User-friendly, easy-to-use graphic design software
- Offers a wide range of templates, images, fonts, and design elements
- A time-saving tool that lets you create professional designs quickly and easily
#7 Jira
Jira, created by Atlassian, is a project management and bug-monitoring software that lets users build, delegate, and monitor projects. By dividing large projects into more manageable chunks, Jira users can better keep their teams ordered and in harmony with one another.
Benefits for Small Businesses
While the platform’s primary users are software developers, it can be put to use in any field thanks to its useful features for teamwork, communication, and project administration. Here are some added benefits:
- Breaks down projects into manageable chunks with the help of Scrum boards
- Creates plans that help keep everyone on the same page
- Highly customizable and can be adapted to the specific needs of each team
The Bottom Line
As a small business owner, your team’s efficiency is crucial for running your processes smoothly and without errors. However, due to limited resources, you may not have the option to expand your team.
In such a situation, automating certain operations can significantly enhance the overall productivity of your team. By leveraging productivity tools, you can streamline repetitive tasks, optimize workflows, and free up valuable time and resources for more important activities.