One of the most common questions asked when it comes to business software is, “What is most used software in the world?”. Famous business analysts like Gartner and RaptIQ have conducted research into this topic and their findings are similar to most common answers found on the internet.
Here we explain the common types of business software and also provide examples to them.
There are many different types of business software. Deciding which one is best for your business is not always easy and will often depend on:
- the size of your business
- the particular needs of your business
- the tasks that need to be automated
Common types of business software
Common types of software used in business are:
- word processing programs
- accounts software
- billing software
- payroll software
- database software
- asset management software
- desktop publishing programs
These usually come as bespoke products or off-the-shelf software.
Pros and cons of bespoke software
It is possible to build bespoke software specifically for your business. You can either:
- Write the software yourself. If you run a small business, writing the software yourself is unlikely to be cost-effective as you need to have significant expertise and lots of time.
- Have the software written by an external supplier. With specialist help, you should get the exact functionality you need. However, the price is likely to be high, and you will be tied to that supplier for future support.
Producing any bespoke software can take a long time and your staff should be able to input in the development process. For most small businesses, bespoke software may not be the best choice.
Pros and cons of packaged, off-the-shelf software
Packaged software is standardised and generally low priced in comparison to bespoke software. The functionality may not be exactly what you need, but it could make sense to change your business practices to suit the software rather than having software specially written.
The high volume of sales of such software usually means that you will be able to get support and training from a number of different sources.
Standard software packages are usually the best choice for small businesses. In some cases, you can modify the software to meet your requirements if it doesn’t include all the functions you need.
Find more tips to help you choose software for your business.
Keep in mind that you will typically need a licence to use commercial software. Read about the different types of software licences for business.
Microsoft Windows
While not strictly a computer program (it’s what is known as an operating system), Windows is likely to be the face that greets you every day as you turn on your PC. Without it, many wouldn’t be able to access all of the programs that we need – so it is worthy of a place on our list.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
When we talking about computer programs we use every day, your instant thoughts may have been of Facebook, Twitter or Google. However, these are all examples of websites and without a web browser, you wouldn’t be able to see them. While Firefox and Google Chrome have gained popularity over the years, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is still the market leader.
Microsoft Office and Outlook
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and even Publisher; how would we get anything done without them? Add Outlook on top of that and you have the complete Microsoft Office Suite. While you may not produce many documents or spreadsheets at home, in education and especially in the workplace, these programs are ubiquitous.
McAfee Antivirus
To keep your computer safe from rogue viruses that abound on the internet, you need an antivirus on your PC. One of the most popular is the McAfee Antivirus program which operates in the background – so you use it every day without even knowing it. It appears on our list over other antivirus software due to their recent link up with many NHS trusts.
Adobe PDF
The PDF is the one thing that can bring all of these programs together. Adobe’s PDF is viewable on all computers. PDFs are also easily distributed across the internet. Since 2007 it has been possible to create PDFs from Microsoft Office. The PDF remains the most popular way to distribute files via email and Adobe has recently announced two security updates which make PDFs the friend of the virus checker. It goes without saying that here at Iceni we are great fans of many computer programs but that we especially love the PDF!
Sample Softwares
ProofHub
ProofHub is a powerful business management software and platform that combines all the features you might need to take care of your business. You can streamline your processes, store and share files, share feedback under one roof with ProofHub. Its mobile app can be used by both Android and iOS users on the go.
Top features:
- Effective project and task management
- Gantt charts to keep your projects on track
- Dynamic reports to get clear insights
- Time tracking to track time spent on tasks
Start managing your teams and projects efficiently with ProofHub!
Flodesk
Flodesk is a fast-growing email marketing service for small businesses. Their focus is on design, enabling small business owners to create beautiful emails and showcase their brand. Flodesk offers workflows that allow users to automate lead magnet delivery, welcome sequences, and more with an easy-to-use visual builder.
Key features:
- Fixed price of $38 per month, regardless of list size
- Unlimited subscribers & unlimited email sends
- Drag-and-drop email builder with layout blocks
- Create email signup forms, even without a website
- Create automated email sequences
StudioCloud
StudioCloud has made a name for itself as a reliable business management platform and company management system in much less time. It is a one-stop solution for your business needs that contains all the features you need to manage your business anytime, anywhere. Go check this business tool to organize and simplify your life.
Top features:
- Manage clients, partners, and vendors at one place
- Create and send professional invoices
- Send automated, personalized, text and email reminders
- Have clients review and sign contracts online
- Easily customize the look and feel of your software
Timely
Knowing how your business spends time is elementary, whether you bill for it or not. Timely streamlines the whole time tracking process by recording everything your team works on automatically. It dramatically reduces time management overhead, while improving reporting and invoicing accuracy.
Top features:
- Automatic time tracking
- Real-time project dashboards
- Sophisticated, client-friendly reporting
- Hourly rates, capacity and overtime
Zoho One
Zoho One is a wholesome business management software and company management system that has everything you need to run your business on the operating system for your business with impressive 40 business apps. You just need to connect multiple apps so that different teams can work together productively.
Top features:
- Manage almost every aspect of your business in one system
- Fosters collaboration with online document storage and sharing
- Automate personalized business workflows
Read on: Zoho Alternatives – 13 Tools Your Team Will Love
Scoro
Scoro is an all-in-one business management software designed to bring your teams, projects, sales, and reports together at a centralized place. With Scoro you can manage work more efficiently and be organized in every aspect of your business.
Top features:
- Plan and track work with unlimited projects
- Manage quotes, contacts, and invoices seamlessly
- Track time and bill for completed work accurately
- Manage your entire business within a single solution
iBE.net
As a business management software/ company management system, iBE.net is an appropriate choice for mid-sized companies as it offers expense tracking, invoice reports, CRM support along with an easy integration of project details. It is extensively used in consulting, marketing, management, and other technical industries. It is like your entire business within your palm of hands.
Top features:
- Customize your own dashboards
- Use pre-delivered reports
- Generate invoices in seconds
- Visualize, analyze, and organize your data with valuable insights
Odoo
Odoo is an all-in-one business management software that offers a range of business applications which forms a complete suite of enterprise management applications. It covers CRM, eCommerce, accounting, inventory, sales, and project management. Odoo apps are perfectly integrated with each other, allowing you to fully automate your business processes.
Top features:
- Unique framework with strong technical foundations
- Take a quick look at your business with dashboards
- Real-time communication makes way for better collaboration
Netsuite
Netsuite is a unified business management suite being used by more than 40,000 large, mid-sized, and small fast-growing businesses. It provides various tools for ERP, Financials, CRM, HR, eCommerce. It offers comprehensive functionality with industry-specific support for a broad range of industries means NetSuite works the way your business works.
Top features:
- Cloud-based, mobile-enabled, and social
- Easily accessible reports and key performance indicators
- Highly flexible and customizable
- Effective resource management, project accounting, timesheet and expense management
Timecamp
Timecamp is a one-solution-fits-all business management solution that comes with a time tracker with computer activities, productivity monitoring, attendance tracking, integrations and more. The software tracks time automatically so you don’t have to worry about spending hours on figuring out how to do it. TimeCamp offers you an intuitive interface to get your team on board effortlessly.
Top features:
- Create and send invoices based on time tracked per project and customer
- Seamless integrations with project management, accounting, help desk software and more
- Simple and intuitive interface
- assign the time entries to the right project, monitor employees’ internet usage and generate detailed reports
- Desktop and mobile app available for many platforms and devices
Bitrix24
If you are looking for a software that offers a complete suite of management, collaboration, and communication tools, then Bitrix24 could be the ideal choice for your business. It is a complete business management software that takes care of your tasks and projects to document management along with real-time communication tools from video conferencing to group chat.
Top features:
- An internal social network lets you collaborate easier, faster and more efficiently
- Get instant feedback, share ideas, create workgroups and engage your employees
- online multi-user editing and custom document approval workflows
- Sell more with Bitrix24’s CRM and sales team management
- It works on your iPhone, iPad or Android too
Apptivo
Apptivo delivers a wide array of functionalities in customer relationship management (CRM). It also helps your business to grow with project management, invoicing, and timesheet capabilities. If your business process has some specific needs, it can be easily customized.
Top features:
- Track the complete sales process from anywhere with the online CRM software
- Collaborate on tasks, manage timesheets, and log expense reports
- Powerful ticketing system to deliver stellar customer support
- Billing system to send and receive online payments from anywhere
- Supply chain management with vendor tracking, purchasing, and inventory
HoneyBook
HoneyBook is an all-in-one business management platform and company management system. From first contact to booking your ideal client, HoneyBook makes it easy for you to capture leads, manage projects, automate workflows, send contracts and invoices, and get paid.
Top features:
- Mobile app so you can manage your business on the go
- Proposals and invoices optimized to get you booked
- Contracts your clients can sign in seconds
- Easy and intuitive workflows
- Design forward client experience
Atlassian JIRA
JIRA is a workflow mapping and project planning software that is designed to help software development teams of all sizes and industries. Kanban boards, burnout charts, project reporting tools, etc are some of the popular capabilities of this tool that support teams at various stages of the development lifecycle. Also, it integrates with various developer tools and is available as a cloud-based or on-premise solution.
Top features:
- Roadmaps that are connected to real work
- Visualizing work in progress
- Bugs and defect management
- Polished user experience
- Customizable dashboards and wallboards
Also Read: 23 Best Jira- Alternatives for Agile Project Management
Trello
Trello is a web-based project management application that is designed to fit every unique need and work styles. From sales and marketing to HR and software development, Trello helps teams to customize its functionality to meet their specific project management needs. And with more than 100+ integrations (including tools like Google Drive, Slack, Jira and more), Trello makes it easier for teams to get their ideas to action in seconds.
Top features:
- Easy organization with tags, labels, and categories
- Drag and drop functionality
- Mobile functionality to access boards on the go
- Quick overview on front and back of cards
- Texts and visuals fit any screen size
Also Read: Top 17 Trello Alternatives: List of Project Management & Kanban Software
Favro
Favro is an all-in-one project planning and collaboration software that is designed to help teams stay on the same page. The features and functionalities of this software solution scale across any business or team. So, whether you’re a team of developers, marketers, or executives, Favro works for all. It improves flexibility and visibility across projects by bringing teams in one place.
Top features:
- Multiple view boards
- Department collections
- Time reporting
- Time sheets
- Estimation fields
Connecteam
Connecteam is a leading business management software solution, designed for deskless teams and Enterprise companies. Taking care of your business operations has never been easier with robust features that can be managed while on the go and at any time. From time tracking to job scheduling, automated checklists and forms, one-on-one or group chat, surveys, digital training and onboarding, efficient task management, and so much more is available on a sleek and easy to use interface.
Top features:
- GPS empowered time tracking
- Efficient timesheet management and payroll processing
- Real-time and detailed reports
- Streamlined communication and better engagement
- Simple and intuitive job scheduling – from planning to distribution
- Better transparency and accountability with on the go task management
Todo.vu
Whether you are a consultant, freelancer, or small agency needing to track work across multiple projects, Todo.vu could be the right fit for your needs. It is a simple company management software that focuses on getting things done. It brings all your customer management and project management in one place with a beautiful and neat interface.
Top features:
- Intuitive user interface
- Focused communication and real-time updates
- Built-in time tracking and billing
- Sync tasks with any calendar
Conclusion
When you think of a business, what comes to mind? A brick and mortar location? Employees? Customers? Business software is basically the vehicle that allows a company to function efficiently. These key pieces of software make it possible for a company to do almost anything from order processing, inventory management, payroll support, customer relationship management (CRM) and more. Business software also makes it possible for a company to grow into new markets and expand its reach into new customers. The reason why businesses choose to utilize business software is because it provides increased efficiency and productivity for the management team and the employees. Although there are many different types of business software available on the market today, we’re going to focus on some of the most used programs by companies large and small