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Best productivity & operations software and services
Productivity software and operations management tools help local businesses work efficiently and operate safely. Business productivity software is a must-have value-add that bundles easily with other products and services to round out a comprehensive solution offering.
What is productivity software?
Productivity software encompasses a variety of operations management tools that businesses use to stay organized, optimize output, track progress, prioritize tasks, collaborate, and generally run more efficiently. Productivity software like Google Workspace can often include suites of apps for word processing, spreadsheets, list-making, presentation tools, real-time collaboration, email management, and more.
It’s important to understand the range of tools and services that fall under the productivity and operations software umbrella. Business productivity software can be as simple as a basic text editor for taking notes, or as complex as a tool that creates workflows and automates tasks across several programs and applications. The range of solutions available means that there’s the right operations management software out there for businesses of every stripe.
For example, business productivity software can be grouped into the following types.
Project management
Software that helps teams plan, track, and manage projects, such as Trello, Asana, and Vendasta’s Task Manager.
Time management
Time-tracking tools and scheduling helpers for boosted efficiency, such as RescueTime, Toggl, and Focus@Will.
Communication and collaboration
Operations management software that helps teams, regardless of location or time zone, communicate and work better together, such as Slack, Google Voice, Microsoft Customer, and CrankWheel Screensharing.
Automation
Focus on meaningful, high-value work by automating repetitive tasks with operations software like Zapier and Automate.io.
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Suites of tools (or ecosystems) that work together to help businesses build better customer relationships by managing touchpoints with sales, marketing, and support, with examples such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, and the Vendasta platform.
Accounting and finance
Operations management tools for businesses looking to manage their finances and accounting processes in a streamlined, organized fashion, with examples such as QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Xero.
HR
Software for managing human resource functions, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and benefits administration, such as BambooHR, Zenefits, and Gusto.
Oftentimes, businesses need digital productivity tools from across several of these buckets to function properly. As the nature of work becomes more complex and hybridized, especially given the rising prevalence of remote-friendly environments, productivity software is an essential rather than a “nice to have”. Operations management tools are a core aspect of any comprehensive digital solution offering.
What features to look for in productivity software
Again, it’s important to reiterate that when considering how to offer the best productivity software to your clients, it will depend on the specific niche, needs, and pain points of the business. However, here is some more information on each feature we listed to help guide your decision-making process.
- Ease of use
The best productivity software can often come down to which tools are user-friendly, easy to navigate, and not completely over your clients’ heads. Operations software is designed to make life easier and more efficient for businesses, so they should be excited to use it – not intimidated by it. An intuitive, straightforward user interface saves time, boosts productivity, and doesn’t require your clients to go through an extensive process before getting started. - Customizability
No two people are the same, just like no two businesses are. The best productivity software will be customizable enough to cater to the preferences and workflows of a variety of clients. Flexible operations management software increases user adoption, which goes back to the fact that you want your clients to use productivity software enthusiastically!In addition to having more people onboard with the tools, flexibility also boosts productivity and happiness by empowering people with the option to work in a way that best suits them. - Integrations
It’s important to keep in mind, especially as you’re bundling operations management tools with other offerings, that the best productivity software can work with other solutions and platforms. It’s part of an efficiency arsenal that should ideally integrate with email providers, calendars, project management trackers, CRMs, and more.Take your clients and their tech stacks into consideration and prioritize business productivity software with sufficient integration capabilities. Tools that play nice with others streamline workflows and reduce the need for manual data entry. - Collaboration capabilities
In today’s digital, remote-friendly world, collaboration is the key to effective teamwork – and in the last few years, we’ve seen collaboration tools make leaps and bounds. The best productivity software should have collaboration features such as real-time editing, commenting, and sharing, and ideally be cloud-based and functional across multiple devices. Operations software, no matter what problem is being solved, should make it easier for people to work together effectively and efficiently. - Automation
The best productivity software will liberate teams to be more creative and focus on higher value work. How? Though automating repetitive, monotonous, or low-stakes tasks. Productivity often hinges upon having operations management software that has the ability to automate and streamline certain tasks to save time. As an added bonus, automation can also reduce the likelihood of small errors and oversights. - Mobile accessibility
We live in a world powered by mobile devices: It’s where business happens and where customers prefer to buy. And considering contemporary work environments are no longer as geographically bound, it has become essential (or simply preferable) to work on-the-go.The best productivity software should be accessible on mobile devices to accommodate clients who want to work from anywhere, at any time. - Customer support
Even the easiest, most user-friendly productivity software should be paired with the quality support. In fact, reliable customer support is what makes for the best productivity software and puts it a cut above the competition.Ideally, tools should come with some sort of support team or infrastructure that can help with technical issues, as well as provide some training and guidance. Besides putting clients’ minds at ease in case anything goes wrong or is confusing, it can really help users get the most out of their operations software. - Analytics
Productivity software should be data-driven and based on concrete insights, so the best productivity software includes necessary analytics and reporting features.Analytics features will provide your clients with insights into their usage, performance, and most importantly, their productivity. In turn, these features will help to identify areas of improvement and optimize workflows for boosted efficiency and better benchmarking. - Security
Safety and security is everything to your clients. Give them peace of mind with business productivity software that includes robust security features that prioritize data privacy and protection.The best productivity software is nothing without the proper digital security measures such as data encryption, multifactor authentication, access controls, and more as the digital landscape continues to change.
Drive increased recurring revenue through stickier relationships with your clients and create better product bundles.
Why is this productivity software so important?
Productivity software is important for a number of reasons that can be boiled down to the following three: it saves time by automating and organizing tasks, saves money by reducing scope creep, and scales teams and businesses by enabling better collaboration.
- Saves time
With business productivity software, repetitive tasks like social media posting, email marketing campaigns,and data entry can be automated. This frees up time for teams to focus their energy on more important tasks and core activities like client relationship-building, which ultimately leads to increased productivity and efficiency.What’s more, operations management software helps businesses organize tasks and workflows to make it easierto prioritize and complete tasks with ease.
- Saves money
Scope creep happens when the time and effort that goes into completing a project expands beyond the original scope. This common issue results in increased costs and delays. Operations management tools such as time trackers can help reduce scope creep with real-time insights into project progress and helping teams stay the course. Increased visibility also helps businesses avoid costly delays and stay within budget early on in a project.
- Scales teams
Collaboration is essential for effective teamwork, no matter the size of the team. Operations management software helps teams work together with more harmony and less friction. Operations software suites like Microsoft 356 can provide real-time editing, commenting, and sharing features to equip teams to work together seamlessly, even when they are in different locations. As businesses grow, productivity software can help scale operations to meet increased demand without sacrificing quality.
What is productivity software used for?
Productivity software is used to help individuals and teams of all sizes work more efficiently and effectively. Operations software for boosting productivity includes a variety of tools, suites, and apps that automate and streamline tasks, making it easier for people to focus on the work that really matters and is core to their business. Additionally, it increases the ease of collaboration for hybrid or remote teams.
For example, operations management software can include project management tools for time-tracking to reduce scope creep, as well as communication tools that remove any friction from collaborating and knowledge sharing. Additionally, productivity software includes time management tools that help employees prioritize effectively and manage their busy schedules.
By using business productivity software, businesses can focus on high value, relationship-building, creative work and reduce the time and effort that goes into completing routine tasks. Freed from monotony, teams can operate more strategically to greater success for a higher impact.
What are the benefits of productivity software
Productivity software comes with a host of benefits, including more streamlined processes, automating repetitive tasks to focus on more strategic work, and improved collaboration between team members, no matter their geographical location.
The best productivity software will help businesses reduce admin errors, save time, and increase the overall quality of their work. All this translates to increased client satisfaction, higher revenues, and greater success in the competitive industries.
However, the benefits don’t stop there. The local experts who resell business productivity software solutions to their clients also reap the rewards in three main ways
- Boost recurring revenue by bundling SaaS.
First, reselling productivity software can provide a steady stream of recurring revenue, as many operations management software solutions are subscription-based. Over time, after seeing incredible results, clients will adopt more of your solutions – meaning the revenue you generate month to month will only increase.Additionally, the best productivity software includes integration capabilities that make these tools the perfect complement to any bundled solution package. Every workplace relies on productivity and operations solutions—and that includes small businesses in the retail and service space. With Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both available to sell from Vendasta’s Marketplace, resellers have the ability to supply local businesses with their central productivity software.
Because Vendasta has found that increasing basket size from one to just three items results in an 80% increase in retention, bundling productivity products is an easy way to reach and retain more customers.
- Add more value to clients for increased retention.
Second, by reselling operations management tools, local experts are providing additional value to their clients by helping them improve their workflows, processes, and potentially scaling their teams and organizations.
These activities can lead to a boost in client loyalty and satisfaction, as well as the opportunity to benefit from additional business.
Reselling business productivity software can help local experts solve more problems for their clients, as well as build expertise in a specific area, such as digital marketing or project management. Either way, resellers stand to enhance their reputations and credibility, further positioning themselves as the go-to experts.
Fun fact: Since launching in the Vendasta Marketplace, both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 have seen an average monthly churn rate of less than 2%, a huge contribution to your overall retention.
Ultimately, by using and reselling operations software and productivity tools, digital marketing agencies and local experts can improve their operations, increase efficiency, and achieve greater success in their respective industries.
We’ve also found that partners selling essential productivity tools alongside their existing offering tend to boost the sales of their other products. It’s a perfect way to sell alongside products already in demand.
How to drive further productivity through operations management software?
Operations management software drives productivity for businesses by providing frictionless, cloud-based collaboration, streamlining processes, reducing errors, and increasing efficiency. Examples of driving further productivity for business might include automating invoicing and reporting, collaboration on content creation, monitoring social media engagement, and more.
Automating invoicing:
Digital marketing agencies and other businesses can use operations management software to automate processes such as invoicing and reporting. This ensures that both necessary functions are delivered on a consistent cadence. Automating these tasks also saves time and reduces errors by eliminating manual data entry. Some operations management tools offer integration with accounting software and CRM dashboards, further streamlining the invoicing and reporting process.
Collaborating on content creation:
Content is king (or queen), and creation is an essential aspect of many businesses. Operations software helps teams collaborate more effectively on this task, even if everyone is working remotely. For example, a team might use a content management system to establish a content calendar, delegate tasks to team members, and track progress. By centralizing the content creation process and providing real-time visibility into progress, teams using business productivity software can collaborate more effectively, reduce the risk of miscommunications or delays, and deliver higher-quality content.
Monitoring social media engagement:
The best productivity software will make life easier for social media managers by helping them (and businesses in general) monitor their performance across various platforms. For example, operations software can include social media management tools that track engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments, and more). Businesses then use these insights to refine and optimize their social strategies. By tracking performance in real time and adjusting their strategy accordingly, businesses can get a leg up in driving engagement that turns into more leads and sales.
Optimizing ad campaigns:
Advertising is a key aspect of many businesses, and operations management tools can optimize ad campaigns – which otherwise can be expensive and time-consuming. As an example, a team could use a marketing automation tool to track the performance of several ad campaigns at once. Afterwards, they can use this data to adjust targeting, messaging, or any creative aspects of the ad. By optimizing ad campaigns on an ongoing basis with productivity software, businesses can drive higher conversion rates, which leads to more revenue.
Providing training and support:
In conclusion, operations management software can drive further productivity by facilitating training and support to teams. For example, operations software like a project management tool can assign training tasks, track employee progress throughout the learning process, and provide ongoing feedback. By investing in training and support, businesses are prioritizing their greatest asset: Their people. The best productivity software can help teams stay up to date on the latest tools and techniques, driving further productivity and success.