The best software packages for small businesses

Starting a small business can be extremely daunting, with an ever-growing to-do list and a huge amount of planning required around every aspect, everyone needs some support from time to time. This support can come in varying forms, from your personal network of family and friends, to business mentors, online groups and in this case, software.

Below we share some of the most highly recommended software packages available to small businesses.

Productivity software for small businesses

When it comes to business productivity, whether you are a small business or a global enterprise, it is often a great idea to employ the use of an online productivity suite. Office 365 is one of the best productivity software packages available to small businesses and offers fantastic options to suite all requirements and budgets.

Office 365 allows you and your team to work from anywhere, with access to the same emails, files, and office programmes that you would have within a traditional office environment. The system is entirely cloud based which means you can instantly save files for someone else to access, and there is no risk of losing those files should you encounter issues with your device.

With Office 365 your team will always have access to the latest versions of Office with no additional fees and, without the added hassle of installing or updating the system on each team members machine.

When it comes to security, Microsoft's Office 365 has numerous built in systems to protect your small business. From email encryption and Advanced Threat Analytics to Data Loss Prevention and Mobile Device Management.

The software's pricing starts at just £3.80 per user per month with increasing functionality as you move into the slightly more expensive packages (£9.40 and £15.10 per user per month).

Communication software for small businesses

From Skype and Google Hangouts to Microsoft Teams and Zoom, there are a number of communication software packages for small businesses, available to suit all budgets and requirements.

If you are looking to select an every day business communication software to enable your team to work more cohesively, discuss issues and find resolutions within the click of a button, then Microsoft Teams, Slack or Skype could be the best option for you.

Each have their own merits and drawbacks but are fantastic instant team connectivity platforms. Microsoft Teams does come within some of the aforementioned Microsoft Office packages, so if you are considering this, then Teams is likely a great way to go. It is fully customizable, allows secure internal and external communications, video and call meetings with people with or without teams as well as numerous other functions.

Skype on the other hand has been a trusted communication tool for years, it allows cross platform collaboration and features numerous presenter controls such as blocking any individuals video, muting individual attendees and creating customizable permissions as well as having video capabilities and more.

When it comes to video software specifically, there are again, numerous viable options, however WebEx and Microsoft Teams again, appear to come out on top.

Accountancy software for small business

When it comes to software packages for small businesses, there are arguably none more important than your accounting software. Whether you decide to employ an accountant or not, having a comprehensive accounting software like QuickBooks is, in our opinion, a huge asset.

QuickBooks is an easy-to-use, customer-oriented software package for small businesses that allows users to manage taxes and income easily, as well as manage their clients more efficiently and streamline the process of bookkeeping.

The software is constantly evolving with the aim of supporting small businesses in everything from product innovation to tax management.

QuickBooks has a fantastic automated backup service, which acts to keep your financial data safe and secure, as well as being great value for money in comparison to some other options around.

Many of our clients use the software as a way to streamline our workload and keep all relevant information available to the team here should it be required.

We hope this summary has helped you in selecting the business support software most suited to your requirements. Should you require any additional support with your business accounts, bookkeeping, payroll or anything else, then please get in touch with a member of our team who will be more than happy to assist you.