4 Essential Pieces of Business Software You Didn’t Know You Needed
The list of software products available to business owners is seemingly endless. Some are relatively straightforward, such as accounting or human resources platforms, while others offer solutions to problems your business may not have. Which of these high-tech tools do you actually need? Cut through the clutter and focus on the following four types of business software, each with the potential to add true value to your company.
Cloud Access Security Broker
Many aspects of your business integrate with the cloud. Now consider how much trust that requires you to put in the companies and services that make up the cloud and interact with those critical pieces of your business every day.
A cloud access security broker works as a gatekeeper between you and the many applications, infrastructures, and workloads run on the public cloud. It essentially allows you to defend your virtual borders, enforcing data security and other compliance standards, protecting you from internal and external threats, and providing critical visibility into user activity.
Managed Service Provider
Every business depends on technology. That point is never clearer than when something goes wrong with your network or IT infrastructure. Managed service provider (MSP) software keeps those systems running smoothly, proactively resolving issues and alerting you to potential problems before they become critical.
Think of this software as an alternative to an internal IT department. The provider you work with takes care of training, compliance, and advancing technologies, while your employees focus on innovating for your core business.
Customer Service
In the age of social media, one unhappy customer can broadcast his or her feelings to a massive audience, turning a simple misunderstanding into a big public relations problem. Customer service software allows you to easily identify which issues are driving customers to reach out and how they are most likely to contact you. From this point, you can make smart choices that benefit both your customers and your bottom line.
For example, by creating a self-service portal with answers to common questions, you’ll cut down on the number of contacts you receive and make life easier for your customers. You’ll leave them feeling good about their experiences with your company.
Customer Relations Management
Many customer relations management platforms include customer service components, but the goal of CRM software is to take your business’s customer engagement to a new level. These tools collect detailed information about your customers and help you leverage that information to drive repeat business and convert new prospects.
Your marketing team can extract data on specific customer segments to build a highly targeted campaign. Your sales team can identify the most promising leads for a particular product based on their purchase histories. Your customer service team can tell you when a critical issue began and which customers have been affected. CRM software gives everyone in your business access to your most current and valuable customer information.
When making decisions about business software, always go back to your company’s core needs. Think not only about where you are today, but also how you plan to grow your business in the coming years. Choose software that does double duty, helping you reach your short-term goals and helping you see a clear path toward where you want to go in the future.
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