Software and applications are available by the truckload and all of them can help you improve your business in significant ways. Whether it’s increasing productivity or making your job a bit easier, there are lots of applications, software, and hardware that you should be using.
Here we list the top four items you should be using to further your career.
Printers Aren’t Just For Documents
When we think of printers, we often think of paper printers for document creation and scanning. Fortunately for us, printer technology has gone above and beyond your typical document. HP 3D scanners are becoming a common business tool and aren’t just limited to architects.
If you are in car manufacturing, using a 3D scanner to “build” an engine can step up your game in big ways. It can allow you to find design flaws and create new types of engines long before you even create the engine for use. If you are a jewelry designer, you can draw your design with the scanner so that you can see if the design will work flawlessly with your tools. Even folks in the medical field are using 3D scanners to rebuild DNA and various organs to study them closely when samples aren’t available.
Organization Is Your Best Friend
Manufacturing is often a fast-paced environment that relies on organization to garner the most productivity in a specific amount of time. 5S is a tool that relies on the five S’s for the best organization possible:
- Sort – eliminate what is not needed
- Set In Order – organize what is left
- Shine – clean and inspect the work area
- Standardize – create standards for the work area, tools, and production
- Sustain – applying the standards
With 5S in place, many manufacturers find a smoother work day and higher productivity.
Accounting Software is a Must
Like it or not, your business relies on accounting. Larger companies and corporations have dedicated teams of accountants to take care of the books. Manufacturers often use the popular SAP system for bookkeeping and accounting since it’s tied to production and inventory. Smaller businesses rely on other tools that are geared to their needs, which is often on a smaller scale.
Whether you are a one-person show or a small business with just a handful of employees, accounting software will make keeping your books easier than if you stuck with spreadsheets for tracking. Things to look for are:
- User-friendly interface
- Connectivity to business bank accounts
- Connectivity to business credit card accounts
- Ability to create invoices
- Ability to accept online payments
- Ability to generate appropriate reports for annual audits and tax reporting
- 24/7 customer service online or over the phone
- Payroll processing (if needed)
- Inventory tracking
Of course, there may be other things that you need your accounting software to do and we are sure you can find the right software to meet your needs.
Call Center Software
Software designed for high levels of phone calls are a godsend to the call center or customer service department that handles a lot of calls in the day. The right system for your business means:
- Filtering to the correct departments or operators
- Quicker response times
- Less frustrated customers
- On-screen information to cut down call times
Not only do customers want a friendly and helpful voice on the phone, they don’t want to spend a long time on hold and even longer to get a solution. These systems are perfect to help you improve your service and increase productivity.
Software and applications are going to be customized for certain industries so don’t be afraid to ask around about what others are using in your field. They may be your competition but we can certainly learn good business practices from one another.