There are many small business software solutions that can help you manage your business as well as help yourself and your employees become more productive. You can use online software programs to extend your office beyond the boundaries of your workplace into one that is mobile and still a fully functional workplace. There are software programs that manage many business functions and ones that are for specific business types such as accounting or construction.

No matter what kind of business you have, there is a small business software solution to meet your business requirements. Consider these things about making the most of small business software programs so that you can increase productivity in your office:

1. Learn about management software for small business for specific kinds of business needs.

2. Try out demos of small business programs offered by providers of small business software to find the best programs for your business.

3. Create a mobile office with web-based small business software.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find small business programs to help manage specific business functions

If your business has certain functions that you manage on a day-to-day basis, there is a small business program to fit your needs. There are general programs for such areas as accounting and industry-specific ones that provide solutions for a many different kinds of businesses.

I recommend: Purchase Total Office Manager from Aptora to take care of all of the needs of a service repair company. Buy Business Plan Pro or one of the many other small business programs from PaloAltoSoftware. Look into the industry-specific software from ManageMore Business Software, which has a wide range of business software solutions that are bound to meet the needs of any business owner.

Use free small business application software programs demos to try out product features

Even though most small business software programs are reasonably priced, it would be expensive to buy a program and then find out that it doesn't work well with your particular needs. Thankfully, you can download free demos to see firsthand how it works, how easy it is to use, and how it integrates itself with your business so that you can purchase with confidence from a small business software provider.

I recommend: Try the free demo of accounting software from Peachtree by Sage to see how this product's features can help you manage all of your small business finance needs. Download free trials on any of the business website security products from Trend Micro.

Use online business software to create a mobile office

For businesses that extend beyond four walls, web-based software for small business needs is a great way to use mobile technology to do all of your business functions while you're on the road or at home but away from the office.

I recommend: Purchase the online business software programs from businessitonline to help you do functions such as keep track of cash flow, manage appointments and business contacts, as well as take care of things such as invoices, which can be stored online as well. ifModules offers a web-based high-volume email manager that sorts and organizes all business mail.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Set aside time for you and your staff to learn how to use a new small business software program so that everyone knows how to use all of its functions to its fullest.

Online Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – also called "on-demand software," "hosted software," or "Application Service Provider (ASP)" – is a solution that allows the small business to rent web-based software that is hosted at the provider's site. SaaS is great when your cash flow isn't, since you usually pay-as-you-go or on a subscription basis, and it's great for your IT issues, because your vendor handles those problems. SaaS applications run the gamut, so first decide how you're going to use SaaS to help your business.

The top three needs SaaS addresses in the small businesses are:

1. Accounting/Payroll/Human Resources (HR)
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
3. E-commerce solutions

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Standard and Customized SaaS

Most businesses have standard needs, including payroll, HR and CRM. SaaS takes care of these needs and allow you to focus on the more important business issues. If you need something customized, it's no problem for most providers.

I recommend: For CRM needs, visit the multi-award-winning Salesforce.com and their live performance data at Service System Status. RightNow offers Marketing, Service, Sales, Voice, and Analytic SaaS, plus tutorials, best practices, and more. Their clients hail from various industries: travel/hospitality, retail, education, finance, and high-tech.

SaaS for Payroll and HR

Most payroll and HR SaaS isn't just for time and attendance tracking, but also used for paid time off, employee benefits, regulatory compliance issues, and even late attendance problems.

I recommend: WebApps specializes in SaaS for time/labor applications, including project tracking, scheduling, and benefit accruals. Journyx collects data and connects with Paychex, QuikBooks, and other payroll apps. Try employee recruiting solution Taleo Business Edition free for 30 days.

Saving Money, Making Money

SaaS means more than just saving money and time – it means making money. SaaS offers small businesses the same efficiencies of large companies – so the little guys can truly compete in the marketplace, including in the world of e-commerce.

I recommend: Go to NetSuite for "One Integrated Business to Manage your Entire Business" through SaaS CRM, Accounting, and E-commerce solutions. Don't forget to check out NetSuite Small Business.

Find the Big Guys

Many SaaS providers offer the 'big guns,' including Linux and Microsoft. The bonus of SaaS? If there's a glitch in any software, it's the provider's problem – not yours! Make sure you inquire about their service provisions before signing.

I recommend: Go to Connectria for Linux, or click on the links to the left for Microsoft, Blackberry, and more applications. Connectria also offers a customizable service level agreement (SLA), and free account changes.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  How Fast: Can your SaaS provider get you up and running?
• •  How Easy: Look for a service that includes user-friendly help screens, training videos, and easy-to-maneuver help sections.
• •  How Secure: How secure is your company's data going to be with your SaaS provider? Ask for clarification. And keep in mind that SaaS is far more secure than the typical enterprise network.
• •  How Much: Find out how the software is priced, what the subscription price includes, and how usage time is calculated/billed. Remember that SaaS removes most, if not all, of what you would have spent on IT – time AND money.
• •  How Reliable: Make sure the provider have a live tech support person available by phone 24/7, or during your business's hours?

Running or starting a small business can be stressful because of the amount of work involved in taking care of things such as accounting, management and other business-related tasks. Thankfully, there are small business software programs that can help you do all of these things so that you can increase productivity while saving time and energy.

There are many kinds of small business software solutions. Here are some things about small business software basics that you should consider before you make a purchase:

1. Get pricing and product information about various software programs from a small business software provider.

2. Learn about management and financial small business software solutions.

3. Find out about web-based small business software and how it can be an asset to your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get product information about small business programs from providers of small business software

Since there are many kinds of small business application software programs available, a good thing to do before purchasing anything is to compare products and pricing information until you find the small business software solution that best fits the needs of your business.

I recommend: Compare small business management software programs at 2020software.com. This site gives product and pricing information for each featured product. You can even download free demos of most of the software featured. FileMaker is a business software provider that offers software for database management that is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

Find out about management software for small business needs and functions

There are many kinds of management software programs created specifically for small businesses. You can get software programs that help you with accounting and finances as well as ones for more specialized kinds of business like construction or human resources.

I recommend: Go to Envision SBS to learn about its small business software program, Business-in-a-Box. This software does everything from business planning and management to financing, accounting and other business functions. Mailware is a small business software program that makes running a mail order business easier by having everything you need, from processing orders to keeping track of sales.

Learn how online business software programs can help you manage your business

Online or web-based small business software programs are a great way to manage your business while you're at work or on the road. You can still do everything you'd do with any other small business program, such as managing cash flow and client information, except now you can do it from a mobile device.

I recommend: Go to NetSuite to check out its online business software that manages every aspect of your business from the Internet. You can do functions such as purchasing and vendor management as well plan marketing for your products. Qualiteam Software offers many online business solutions, from ecommerce software to programs that manage sales statistics.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most providers of small business software offer free demos of their products, which is a great way for you to learn about the various features of business software so that you can find the product that best fits the needs of your business.

With so many small businesses being created these days, software companies are developing more and more small business software. There is a wide variety of software available to small businesses to help keep track of clients, sales, employees, tax records and many other important information. When small business owners or employees are using these software, they may come across one or more terms that are used in software. Due to this, owners and employees will want to learn small business software key terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

CRM

CRM stands for customer relationship management. It's both a business strategy and software. The business strategy end helps small businesses decide how to handle customers, sales, service and marketing. CRM software helps your small business automate these components of your strategy.

I recommend: CRM.com provides a complete description of how CRM works as both a business strategy and software.

Enterprise resource planning

Enterprise resource planning, or ERP, is a way to combine all of a small business' data and information into one system. ERP systems normally have many components, including both hardware and software.

I recommend: Tech FAQ explains what ERP is and how it works.

Business software tool

Business Software Tool (BST) combines three components to help increase the productivity of small businesses. It includes CRM, email and finance software. By combining these three components into one system, your small business can simplify many of its tasks, including managing contacts, sending emails and taking care of bookkeeping and accounting activities.

I recommend: Addatron Software provides information on what a BST consists of.

E-commerce

E-commerce, or electronic commerce, is the using the Internet to buy and sell goods and services. It can be divided into several sections.

I recommend: Techtarget.com explains what e-commerce and its components are.

Point of sale

Point of sale, or POS, is the combination of hardware and software business use to complete transactions. It can be used to run purchases at the front counter of a store, as well as keep track of operations in the back office of a business.

I recommend: Pointofsale.com provides a broad definition of what point of sale is.

Freeware

Freeware is software that is available for free. The software is available for an unlimited amount of time. There may be some restrictions imposed by the software license, such as non-profit or non-commercial use.

I recommend: Dictionary.com provides a complete definition of what freeware is and how it works.