When running a small business, your focus tends to be on the front end: Marketing, advertising, and doing everything you can to achieve sales. But once you've made those sales, you need to make sure that the operations of your business run smoothly, or you won't be able to hang onto your customers for very long. Of course, you don't want to spend too much on business operations, because your budget is limited! That's why we've put together this list of brilliant, affordable tools for business operations. They don't cost an arm and a leg, and many of them offer free trials and discounts, so you can try them out before you take the plunge.

1. The best affordable tools for
improving business operations

2. There are problems that can
slow down your business operations,
When you’re running a business...

3. There are problems that can
slow down your business operations,
lowering your overall productivity…
When you’re running a business...

4. There are problems that can
slow down your business operations,
lowering your overall productivity…
and your monthly turnover.
When you’re running a business...

5. When you’re running a business...
Problems like…

6. ● Things getting forgotten…
When you’re running a business...
Problems like…

7. ● Things getting forgotten…
● lost in your inbox…
When you’re running a business...
Problems like…

8. ● Things getting forgotten…
● lost in your inbox…
● and eventually done late and out of order.
When you’re running a business...
Problems like…

9. You have tried…
● working longer hours in order to get things done
in an orderly fashion…
● taking lots of notes as you progress
through the work day…

10. But how do you increase productivity?
Using online tools for business operations
The better way:

11. Using online tools for business operations
(software and apps that manage the operations of your
business, streamlining processes and freeing up time)
The better way:
But how do you increase productivity?

12. That's where these tools come in.
Take a look at our list of life-saving business
operations tools, and choose one (or many!) that
will work for you.

13. We've divided this list up into six different categories:
Tools for processing orders
● processing orders
● internal operations
● communication
Tools for:
● customer relations
● registrations and sign-ups
● finances
These are links!

14. 1/3
Tools for processing orders
The 'Manufacturing process' taskflow
manages the tasks from:
a client placing an order online,
through manufacturing,
up to receipt of final payment
and delivery/collection.

15. Tools for processing orders
Your customers are shopping
online, in person, on mobile devices
and with social media.
Shopify is everything you need to sell anywhere.
Reach them all with one platform.
2/3

16. Tools for processing orders
from receiving repair orders…
to accessing and ordering parts needed…
Tools for internal operations
The 'Bike repairs' taskflow helps to manage a repair workshop:
and finally billing the customer
when the repair has been completed.
3/3

17. Tools for internal operations
The 'Procurement' taskflow
manages the internal flow of tasks of
a basic procurement process.
This covers placing a request,
authorizing the order,
placing it with the supplier,
and following up on the status of the order.
1/6

18. Tools for internal operations
The 'Extended procurement' taskflow assists with
the process in a busier company.
This is useful when requests need
to be reviewed by managers,
or when multiple quotes are
needed before ordering.
2/6

19. Tools for internal operations
Harvest is a time-tracking tool
that allows you to monitor yourself
and your business ops,
helping you to pinpoint where you need to
improve in order to speed things up, freeing up
time to focus on new customers.
3/6

20. Tools for internal operations
● approve or deny leave requests
● keep an eye on when employees' will return to work
● cancel the leave if necessary.
4/6
The 'Request for leave' taskflow helps you to
keep track of your employees' leave applications:

21. Tools for internal operations
Grasshopper is a phone system that
allows you to run your business from
your mobile phone…
Instead of from a landline.
This is very useful for people whose
business operations take them away
from the office fairly often.
5/6

22. Tools for internal operations
The 'IT support' taskflow manages the process of:
● making a request for support
● assigning an IT technician to resolve the issue
● tracking the progress
● and closing the issue.
6/6
Tools for communication

23. With SparkPost you can use a single
platform to send both your bulk and
transactional email messages.
1/6
Transactional email services send one email to one recipient,
usually triggered by the recipient's action or inaction.
Tools for communication

24. Use Mandrill to send personalized,
one-to-one e-commerce emails, and
automated transactional emails.
Tools for communication
2/6
Mandrill is simple, powerful
transactional emailing from the same
people that brought you Mailchimp.

25. Tools for communication
Slack is a brilliant messaging tool for
internal communication which makes
working lives simpler, more pleasant,
and more productive.
3/6
When integrated with Kotive, it’s another alternative to transactional emailing.

26. Tools for communication
Clickatell makes it easy for you to connect, interact
and transact with your customers on their mobile
phones, no matter where they're located.
Integrating with Kotive turns their SMS services
into transactional notifications.
4/6

27. Tools for communication
Twilio enables web developers to integrate phone
calls, text messages and IP voice communications
into their web, mobile and traditional phone
applications.
Integrating with Kotive turns their SMS services
into transactional notifications.
5/6

28. Tools for communication
Tools for customer relations
GoToMeeting allows staff to gather online for
meetings, instead of in person, saving travel time
and expenses.6/6
These online meetings aren’t restricted to staff alone -
you can use GoToMeeting with your customers, too.

29. Tools for customer relations
The 'Customer satisfaction evaluation'
taskflow helps you to:
1/3
Solicit clients' feedback on your products and services,
then review the feedback
and escalate issues that need urgent attention.

30. Tools for customer relations
Keep all of your contacts in the same place, from
customers to leads and vendors, and manage your
CRM tasks with a calendar and full history of your
customers, using Capsule.2/3

31. Tools for customer relations
Close.io is a CRM that automatically
logs your calls as you make them
and your emails as you send them.
3/3
Tools for registrations and sign-ups

32. Tools for registrations and sign-ups
The 'Workshop registration' taskflow assists in:
● receiving and confirming new registrations
● making sure that all payments are received
1/5

33. Tools for registrations and sign-ups
‘Volunteer management’ is a tool for NPOs and
other companies who use volunteers.
● Receive new volunteer applications
● approve or deny them
● assign them to team-leaders
2/5

34. Tools for registrations and sign-ups
The 'Crowdsourcing translation' taskflow assists you
with managing volunteer translators:
● providing them with online training3/5
● testing their skills in translation
● evaluating whether or not their
skills are up to scratch

35. Tools for registrations and sign-ups
Mailchimp helps marketers
to send bulk emails to customers.
It manages subscriber lists,
builds email campaigns
and generates campaign reports.
4/5

36. Tools for registrations and sign-ups
Tools for finances
The 'New membership' taskflow is designed to:
assist you with approving or denying new
members to join your club,
and adding the approved members
to your mailing list.
5/5

37. The 'Billing for gardening service' taskflow
● generates and sends bills as soon as
a job has been completed
● managers can track payments easily
● a payment reminder is sent
to the client if necessary
1/6
Tools for finances

38. DocRaptor allows .pdf and .xlsx files to
be generated from html templates.
By using DocRaptor within a business operations
taskflow in Kotive, you can automatically create quotes
and invoices from templates.
Tools for finances
2/6

39. Freshbooks has everything you might need
to make your business’s accounting easy.
● Create invoices and capture expenses,
● Time-track your billable hours
● Collect payments online
Tools for finances
3/6

40. Use shoeboxed to turn receipts into data.
Tools for finances
4/6
Create expense reports
Track mileage
Scan & organize receipts and
business cards

41. Tools for finances
The 'Claim expenses' taskflow:
● manages all employees' submissions
● reviews expense claims as they're incurred
● avoids a month-end rush
5/6

42. Tools for finances
Freeagent is accounting software for freelancers
and small businesses.
They do the heavy lifting, you do the fun stuff!6/6
What have we missed?

43. We looked at six kinds of tools:
● processing orders
● internal operations
● communication
Tools for:
● customer relations
● registrations and sign-ups
● finances
Did we miss any of your favorite tools?
Let us know by commenting on our blog!