As Software as a Service (SaaS) takes over the business tech world today, we’re presented with more options for managing workplace productivity, from project management software to sales enablement tools. But with so many options on the market, it can be challenging to know what types of technology will be most beneficial for our particular business needs.
In order to make the most of the available tools and increase profits, you’ll need a few key types of software. Here are 3 investments you company should make to keep up with the competition.
Managing People
One type of software your company will benefit from is workforce management software. This software supplements the role of an office manager, making it easier for this person to clear vacation requests, check staffing levels and hours, and share vital information among relevant parties.
Workforce management software is all about internal efficiency and may also be integrated into project management software, depending on your field. Workforce management can also help your company cut costs if it discovers overstaffing issues or inefficiency issues.
Managing Proposals
If you want to manage sales more effectively, developing individualized project configurations and offering rapid price quotes, your business needs configure-price-quote (CPQ) software. CPQ software can help you build sales proposals from scratch and meet quotas more easily. Since as many as 34% of sales reps missed their quotas last years, CPQ software is more important than ever. Your company can’t afford that kind of shortfall two years in a row.
Managing Customers
How’s your relationship with customers? Whether you have a complex web of social media programs and campaigns that continually re-engage and seek feedback from your customers or you’re still trying to find ways to interact with your client base, customer relationship management (CRM) software can help you.
CRM software can handle your email blasts, run analytic programs that tell you what campaigns are working with tags that organize and help you manage that data, and put you on the trail of new leads that can increase customer engagement or expand your audience. You can’t keep a full suite of social media programs working in sync at the level necessary for success without supporting software. Investing in CRM can transform social media management from stressful to successful.
Building Your Software Support
Not sure which companies to trust for these new software solutions? There are a few ways to approach this concern. If you already have vendor relationships, it makes sense to seek out compatible programs that integrate easily with your current systems.
On the other hand, if you’re using outdated technology or a wide assortment of disorganized systems, you might test out the free trial periods available from many SaaS companies, whilst looking to see how companies like Fortinet can provide you with advanced cloud security features to ensure that your SaaS application provides visibility, compliance and data security (to name a few) to keep your network as safe as possible. With some experimentation you’ll find the array of services that work best for your business.
