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3 Tools Your Service Business Needs to Be More Productive

Everyone can agree that owning a business is a lot of work.  Not only do you have to complete your client work, you also have to worry about all the administrative tasks that come along with owning a business as well.  With so much to think about, it is easy to get overwhelmed! Maybe you find yourself constantly working long hours to get everything done.  Or maybe you spend so much time on client work that you just neglect your own business.

Neither of these scenarios are pleasant and both can harm your business. By introducing some new tools into your business, you can begin to work more efficiently and be more productive with the time that you do have. Here are a few tools you need to start using right away in your business.

Bookkeeping Software – Gone are the days of handing a stack of receipts to your accountant and letting them figure out the financial state of your business.  If you are interested in growing your business, you need a good bookkeeping system. You should know where your business stands financially at all times. Accounting software will allow you to generate an up-to-date report of your business transactions and let you know where you are at with your business in a matter of seconds.  All you have to do is keep up on entering all your transactions.  If bookkeeping is not your area of expertise or you don’t have time to do it, outsource it.  You will still have access to all the reporting features and that can make a big difference in how you proceed with your business.

FreshBooks is a great option for bookkeeping.  For a small monthly fee you get an easy to use program, with many useful extras.  If you are a small business with a small number of clients, you can even get a free account that lets you invoice up to three clients.  FreshBooks also allows you to create professional invoices to send to your clients and includes an option for them to pay online through PayPal or another merchant account right from your invoice.  You can even set up recurring invoices to go out automatically.  Besides being an effective bookkeeping program, FreshBooks also has a time tracking feature.  You can record your time worked and easily generate an invoice which will detail all your charges for you.  Your clients will also be able to log in with their own account to see a breakdown of their tasks and the time you have spent on each.

Project Management System – A good project management system can be a lifesaver for your business.  A project management system allows you to keep track of all your current projects and schedule all the tasks you need to complete for each project. Using one will also allow you to assign tasks to your team members and collaborate with them and your clients in a secure online environment.  You will have everything you, your team members and your clients need in one place, saving everyone a lot of time.

One useful and easy to use project management system is ClientSpot.  It is inexpensive, easy to use and has plenty of great features.  With ClientSpot you can schedule all your tasks, assign tasks to other team members, and keep track of your client’s upcoming events.  You can also share information with your team members and clients through comments and documents and give your clients access to view the status of their tasks and see how much time you have spent on them.  ClientSpot even lets you track retainer hours so you never unintentionally go over your budgeted hours again!

Autoresponder Service – If you haven’t yet discovered the benefits of autoresponders in your business, now is the time to start!  They are a great automation tool for your business. Autoresponders are messages that are sent to a person automatically when they complete a particular action, such as signing up for a newsletter or purchasing a product.  You can set up autoresponders to stay connected to your prospects and customers with very little effort on your part.  One example of how to use autoresponders in your business is to set up a series of tips.  This allows you to share the same content with all your prospects and clients regardless of when they subscribe, and you only have to set it up once.  You can also use autoresponders to provide top-notch customer service by thanking your clients for their purchase and giving them further instructions or details.

My autoresponder service of choice is Kick Start Cart, due to the many different features it offers.  It is the same software as it’s parent company 1ShoppingCart.  Not only does Kick Start Cart offer a complete email marketing program, it also serves as an online shopping cart allowing you to sell your products and services on your website.  Another great feature of it is the ability to create an affiliate program.  With Kick Start Cart you can easily set up an affiliate program for your products and services and allow others to sell for you.

Running a business will always be a big commitment and require a lot of work, but your business doesn’t have to suffer as a result.  You just have to learn to work smarter, not harder, and there are plenty of tools to help  you do this.  Consider a wise investment in your business!