Wouldn’t it be great to find what software most businesses use so you could take advantage of those programs and save money? The good news is that there are a lot of surveys that do just this kind of research. There are a lot of marketing surveys, customer service surveys, sales surveys, and employee surveys that can be helpful for businesses – regardless of size or industry vertical.
These technologies are used on a day-to-day basis by top organizations all over the world which means they have proven results. Efficient and innovative, these software and apps help organizations get their work done faster, improve communication, and increase overall productivity and efficiency.
Trello
In 2011, a company called Fog Creek Software launched a prototype of a project management tool designed to solve high-level planning issues. Later named Trello, the software grew to over 500,000 users in just one year and 4.75 million by 2014. We chose it as the best project management software because it offers a free, flexible, and visual way to manage projects.
Trello uses Kanban-style boards for task and project tracking and makes it easy to manage both individual projects and ongoing workflows. Its simple and intuitive interface lets users create custom boards and lists with cards that can include images, files, links, checklists, due dates, and more.
Users can get started in seconds with a blank board or choose from hundreds of categorized templates created by other users that can be modified as needed. Trello offers integrations with Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, and dozens of other third-party platforms as well as mobile apps to streamline collaboration and workflows.
Trello offers a lot with its free plan including unlimited personal boards, lists, and cards. The free plan is limited to 10MB per file attachment, 10 team boards, and one third-party integration (Power-Up) per board. The Business Class plan comes with expanded features and a 14-day free trial:
Free Plan
- FREE
- Unlimited personal boards
- Unlimited cards
- Unlimited lists
- 10MB per file attachment
- 10 team boards
- One Power-Up per board
Business Class Plan
- $10 per user per month
- All Free Plan features
- 250MB per file attachment
- Unlimited team boards
- Unlimited Power-Ups
Slack
Slack was originally built as an internal communication tool for a game development company started by Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield in 2009. Launched publicly in 2013, it currently has over 12 million users in over 150 countries. We chose it as the best team communication software because it offers real-time messaging, feedback, and collaboration in a free, online platform.
Slack was developed to eliminate the inefficiencies and delays of email communication. The software lets users create channels that can be organized around a topic, team, project, or even a client. Channels can be public and open to all users of a Slack account or private and accessed by invitation only.
Besides communicating in real-time, Slack offers tons of integrations letting teams share files, create polls, schedule meetings, and connect to third-party project management, cloud storage, and productivity tools. The platform offers free, one-click voice and video calls and even lets users spin-off discussion threads to keep larger conversations focused and uncluttered.
One of Slack’s most useful features is its search function. No more sorting through emails or written notes hoping to find that one valuable piece of information. Slack lets users search for a conversation, mention, or user and share or bookmark it no matter how long ago it took place.
Businesses that only need a single workspace, one-on-one video calls, and only a few app integrations can get by with a free Slack account. The free account also limits searches to 10,000 messages:
Free Plan
- FREE
- Search up to 10,000 messages
- Up to 10 third-party app integrations
- One-to-one video and voice calls
- 5GB storage per workspace
Pro Plan
- About $7 per user per month
- Unlimited message search
- Unlimited third-party app integrations
- One-to-one video and voice calls
- Group video calls up to 15 people
- Screen sharing
- 10GB storage per user
- Guest accounts and shared channels
- 24/7 support
Business+ Plan
- About $12 per user per month
- All Pro Plan features
- 20GB storage per user
- User management
- 24/7 support with four-hour first response time
Oracle NetSuite
Best for small to large businesses.
Oracle NetSuite Pricing: You can get a quote for their pricing details. As per the online reviews, NetSuite license will cost you $999 per month and the access cost will be $99 per user. NetSuite provides a free product tour as well.
NetSuite is a cloud-based ERP solution provided by Oracle for ERP/Financials, CRM, and e-commerce. It provides a Cloud CRM solution that will give you the benefits of Marketing Automation, Sales Force Automation, and Customer Service Management.
For Global Business Management it has functionalities for Global ERP, Global Ecommerce, and Global services Resource Planning.
Features:
- For Global business management, it has international capabilities for indirect tax compliance, financial & accounting regulations, configurable tax engine, comprehensive currency management, audit & Compliance reporting, Payment processing, and comprehensive language management.
- It provides a cloud ERP solution with features of Production Management, Supply Chain Management, Order Management, Financial Management & Planning, and features for managing end-to-end inventory & inbound/outbound logistics in real-time.
- NetSuite will provide you Global business intelligence by allowing access to worldwide financial, business, and customer data.
Verdict: NetSuite is a cloud-based solution for CRM, e-commerce, and ERP/Financial. It will provide multiple levels of reporting and enterprise-wide KPIs that will be displayed on the dashboard in real-time.
Keap
Best for small to large businesses.
Keap Pricing: Keap offers a free trial of 14 days. There are three pricing plans, Lite ($40 per month), Pro ($80 per month), and Max ($100 per month).
Keap offers a single, integrated platform for CRM, marketing automation, sales automation, payments, etc. It offers the solution with three editions, Lite, Pro, and Max. Lite edition is suitable for solopreneurs and new businesses.
Pro edition is for growing businesses with custom needs and Max edition is for established businesses & teams with requirements for a robust CRM solution.
Features:
- Lite edition contains the core CRM capabilities with automation features. It also has email tools.
- Pro edition offers the functionalities for creating repeatable sales processes and marketing campaigns.
- Max edition contains the features of advanced marketing and sales automation, customizable campaigns, e-commerce, and analytics.
Verdict: All the capabilities of Keap help businesses getting organized, automating the follow-up, tracking deals, and close more leads. It helps with eliminating follow-up fallout.
Freshteam
Freshteam was developed in 2017 by Freshworks, a developer of communication, sales, and marketing tools since 2010. The software allows businesses to manage hiring, onboarding, time-off, and employee information. We chose it as the best hiring software because it helps small businesses hire new employees in an easy-to-use and affordable online platform.
Freshteam’s applicant tracking system (ATS) makes it easy for small businesses to post jobs, screen resumes, track applicants, and even send offer letters. Users get access to job description templates and can post positions on free job boards, including LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and Adzuna.
Freshteam helps users create custom workflows so they can track candidates from application, to interview, to hiring. The software can also automatically convert emails into applications and add senders as applicants. Finally, Freshteam lets users create a mobile-friendly career page and share job postings on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Once an employee is hired, Freshteam sends her all the paperwork she needs to sign electronically as well as employee handbooks, other internal documents, and a welcome letter. The software adds new employees to the business’s org chart, securely stores employee data, and can even manage employee time off.
Freshteam’s basic plan, called Sprout, is free for companies with fewer than 50 employees and lets users post up to three jobs. Every plan also comes with a 21-day free trial and 24/7 email and 24/5 phone support:
Sprout Plan
- FREE
- Three job postings
- Basic career site
- Recruitment team inbox
- Candidate application via email
- Employee directory
- Employee org chart
- Mobile apps (iOS and Android)
- Basic time-off management
Blossom Plan
- $50 per month per 50 users
- 10 job postings
- Customizable career site
- All Sprout Plan features
- Recruiting automations
- Custom interview scorecards and kits
- Custom hiring pipelines
- Interview scheduling with Google and Outlook Calendar
- Job board Integrations
- Time-off approval workflows
- Up to two holiday calendars
- Up to two time-off policies
Garden Plan
- $100 per month per 50 users
- Unlimited job postings
- Advanced career site
- All Blossom Plan features
- Social recruiting
- Offer management
- New hire onboarding
- Unlimited holiday calendars
- Sponsored job postings on Indeed
Google Workspace
Formerly Google Suite, Google Workplace is a collection of online office tools, including email, document creation and management, cloud storage, calendars, chat, video meetings, and more. We chose it as the best document management software because it offers secure, branded, cloud-based document creation, storage, collaboration, and sharing.
Google Workspace is a great option for small businesses that want to create an efficient, collaborative, cloud-based work environment without having to pay for expensive software or worrying about everyone having the same computer. Because every tool in the Google Workspace platform is a Google product, users can move seamlessly from app to app.
Businesses can start by creating a branded email address using Gmail, one of the most popular mail apps on the marketplace. Other tools include Google Calendars for team scheduling; Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with real-time collaboration; Google Drive for cloud storage; Google Chat for team messaging; and Google Meet for video meetings.
Aside from the integrations between each app, Google Workspace also lets users connect to hundreds of third-party platforms, including Zoom, DocuSign, Salesforce, Trello, Asana, and many more. Google Workspace add-ons only access the minimum required data needed to complete an action to ensure that each business’s information stays secure.
Although anyone can get access to all Google Workspace apps by signing up for a free Gmail account, Google Workspace paid plans allow businesses to create business email addresses, get more cloud storage, and increase security. Google also offers a 14-day free trial on any Google Workspace paid plan:
Free Plan
- FREE
- Personal email account
- One-on-one chat
- Personal calendar
- Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides
- 15 GB Google Drive cloud storage
Business Starter
- $6 per user per month
- Business email accounts
- All Free Plan features
- Google Chat and Google Meet
- Shared calendars
- 30 GB Google Drive cloud storage per user
- Admin controls
- 24/7 standard support
Business Standard
- $12 per user per month
- All Business Start Plan features
- 2 TB Google Drive cloud storage per user
- Cloud Search 1st party data
Business Plus
- $18 per user per month
- All Business Standard Plan features
- 5 TB Google Drive cloud storage per user
- Vault and advanced endpoint management
- eDiscovery and Retention Policies
Enterprise
- All Business Plus Plan features
- Customizable with no limit on storage
- Cloud Search 1st & 3rd party data
- Security Center
- Enhanced management and compliance tools
- 24/7 enhanced support
Conclusion:
As a tech-savvy entrepreneur or business person, you must be fully aware of the technological solutions offered in the market. To find out what software do most businesses use, one has to study the industry and the market scenario. Most of these solutions are available on the web or for mobile devices if you’re not able to access them from your computer.