7 Different Types of Software as a Service (SaaS) That Small Businesses Need

Have you noticed that businesses nowadays can’t seem to get enough of Software as a Service (SaaS)? There’s a good reason for that – they give access to powerful tools that are cost-effective, scalable, accessible from anywhere, and don’t require on-premises hardware or software.

If you’re running a small business there are lots of different types of SaaS that it can probably benefit from, and we’re going to go over some of the most important ones here:

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

These tools help track and manage customer interactions providing insights that can streamline sales pipelines and improve customer retention. Think of it as a way to cater to the needs of every customer individually.

2. Collaboration and communication

Nowadays there are lots of collaboration and communication SaaS that make it easy for teams to stay in touch and work together. It can encompass IM chats, video calls, file sharing, and basically any other tool that helps provide seamless communication.

3. Employee monitoring and time tracking

With a time tracking app such as Controlio you can take attendance and track work hours as well as employee activity. It will monitor app usage, browsing history, file transfers, communications, and pretty much all other types of employee activity to promote greater accountability.

The main reason Controlio and this type of SaaS is so popular is due to the fact that it can measure productivity and will let you track productivity trends. Typically it may also have other features that you can use to improve security, optimize workflows, and even promote employee wellbeing.

4. Accounting and finance

Want to be able to simplify bookkeeping, invoicing, expense tracking or calculate and submit your quarterly taxes? Accounting and finance SaaS solutions can do all that and will take on the role of an automated in-house accountant.

5. Productivity and office suite

Basically this is the digital equivalent of workplace essentials and encompasses things like document editing, spreadsheets, presentations, and email. Having them on the cloud makes a lot of sense as it will allow them to be accessible anywhere and constantly updated.

6. Marketing and content creation

SaaS tools to create marketing materials and promotional content have become increasingly popular. Most allow non-professionals to create professional-grade content and as such are often employed extensively by small businesses and startups.

7. Ecommerce and point-of-sale

Any small business looking to sell their products via the internet needs some sort of ecommerce or point-of-sale solution to set up shop and facilitate payment processing. Nowadays many are very user-friendly and include features such as inventory management and sales insights.

To put it simply, SaaS solutions can supply your small business with most of what it needs to operate while also providing flexibility and a ton of cost savings. Regardless of whether you’re planning a startup or already have a small business running – it would be a good idea to look into the tools that are available and see how they could help your business thrive.