When you first started your business, you probably managed very well with basic Excel spreadsheets and even pen and paper for keeping records and planning ahead. But as your business grows, you may benefit from dedicated software, developed with businesses like yours in mind.
In this blog, we look at the importance of having the right software when you’re scaling up your business, and consider some areas you could automate to make your business run more efficiently.
Why is it important to have the right business software?
When your business gets beyond a certain size, low-tech solutions can be inefficient. By investing time and money in the right business software, you’ll make savings in the long run. You won’t be taken away from your core business to balance the books or rummage for a customer’s contact details – your software can take care of that for you.
Finance and accounting software for scale-up businesses
Accountancy apps like Xero and Quickbooks are a great solution for the day to day running of your business. They are quick and easy to use, and connect to your business bank account. They allow you to:
- keep up with invoices and expenses
- pay bills
- claim expenses
- accept payments
- track projects
- manage payroll
- complete bank reconciliation
- manage your inventory
Many of the Get Ahead regional directors use Xero and Quickbooks. They find the apps make finance really clear, while reminders help them stay on top of invoicing and reconciliation. You will probably need an accountant as well to guide you through financial reporting and tax, but having an accounting app is a great way to stay on top of your regular admin.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software for scale-up businesses
As your client base grows, it can become harder to keep track of who’s who and what they need from you. Is that the new client or the one with the repeat order? Do you deal with them directly or are they a conduit to a larger project? And where did you put their phone number?!
Many start-ups use an Excel spreadsheet to record client information. However, as your business scales up, you’ll need something with greater functionality, and which is secure and reliable too. A CRM system like Hubspot is a great solution.
Social media scheduling software for scale-up businesses
Social media is free marketing for businesses. If you’re not marketing your business through social media, you really should be.
However, social media can be very time consuming. For example, you might go onto Facebook to post to your business page, get distracted and lose an hour of your working day. Don’t worry – we’ve all done it! Fortunately, there is a solution. Social media scheduling means you can plan all your posts for a week or even a month, and then let them roll out one by one without you having to log in during working hours. Our social media experts use platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer to deliver regular, on-brand posts for Get Ahead’s clients.
You will still need to keep on top of comments and testimonials, but at least you can rely on consistent social media to shout about your business online.
Get Ahead supports scale-up businesses
The team at Get Ahead use various pieces of software to keep businesses running smoothly, and we are always delighted to share our experience with clients. New software can take time to get used to, but we feel it’s well worth the investment. Our team of virtual experts can guide you through the new challenges and even set the software up for you – all you’ll see is a more efficient way of working.
To find out more, visit our services page or speak to your local regional director.
