Every business wants to find the best software to fit their needs. Whether you’re an artist or a social media director, precision tools make your work more seamless and more engaging.
Currently, there are more email, CRM, and project management apps than you could ever demo on your own. Even your colleagues and fellow business associates will more than likely give recommendations for different tools they use. Finding the right tool is not as easy as finding a power drill. The search tends to be more subjective and exhausting, as every tool is not the best for everyone.
So how should today’s growing companies identify the best software stack for their business?
Analyze Needs
Never build or purchase something before you have a clear understanding of what you need it to do. Take a long, in-depth assessment of your current processes and workflows, and then consider which tools match them before overwhelming your team with a bunch of tools that seem trendy and chic, but are not effective. Focus on workflows–not features– because they are what you will need to work with daily. Features are just shiny buttons on a coat. This will make the difference between choosing the right tool now or having to search again in a year.
Research
First, find out what other companies similar to yours are using. What you will find will narrow the field and bring into focus the tools most relevant and objective to your team. According to Zapier, “over 70% of entrepreneurs base their infrastructure decisions on the advice of their peers in the startup community.” Picking the wrong tool can set your company back, so be patient and make sure your choice provides the most value over the longest period of time.
Be Ready to Invest $
You get what you pay for, literally. While you want to consider cost, you want to pay for value. If your primary goal is to focus on usability, integration capabilities, and effective tools that will support your team with streamlined workflows to meet their goals, open the coffers. The right software may not be cheap but when used appropriately, it can pay for itself over time.
Integrate It All
There’s absolutely no better way to squeeze all the juice out of your apps than to make them work together. The ability to automate tasks, minimize copy and paste tasks, and customize tools to your specifications is easy as pie when you connect them. You can also avoid the need for additional software if you’re savvy about this. The proficiency of getting your tools and processes smoothly integrated as fast as possible is very crucial to the growth of your business.
For today’s growing businesses, life can feel like a race against time. So don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues for their recommendations to speed up your selection time frame. And once you’ve found an app that works for you, tell others about it to help them simplify the software discovery process. At Wild Coffee Marketing, we have learned that Rival IQ and Agency Analytics work best for our team. To learn more about our processes and how we can help you streamline your business workflow, contact us today.
