I discovered by chance a new software platform that will be the center of most of small business owners.
You usually was trying to find out what kind of software or tools you should use to mange your products? track your expenses? manage payrolls? manage your warehouse? and more, and more.. and sure the biggest problem is how to put that in one direction and make all work the same way!!
Big question and I was very happy when I saw that with Apptivo!!
If you want, specially if you are already asking the previous questions, don't continue reading and go take a look, you'll never regret it.
If you still not convinced, I'll explain to you why I'm so excited talking about this even that I don't like making Ads but only because I'm finding it very attractive, and almost free.
This application is cloud based, so you have to be sure that all your employees will have Internet connection where they are supposed to work. And Apps are classified in categories:
Project Management
A project management tool that can manage tasks, milestones, team members. It's not very powerful as PM tools, but believe me, as a small business you'll enjoy it as simple and integrated with all other Apps.
Human Resources
HR needed tools as recruitment, candidates, payroll for employees and holidays dates. Pretty attractive for a small business with only one not so well experienced or even no HR-guy where not yet hired one so you have to do the job. Easy tools to keep track of everything.
Marketing
Tools for Ads, promotions, surveys. I would appreciate if that can include kind of social media marketing where you can automate your tweets or Facebook page. You can easy than spread the word about any promotion, reply to customer questions.
Sales
You can manage customers, contacts, sales reports and even more with many applications. It can be a way to attribute applications by department. as each profile will enable the App that he want to use, and disable the others.
Financials
Great tools are available, and same as all, integrated with others. You can find Apps about customers payments, supplier payments, employees expenses and invoices App.
Some Apps can belong to other categories as employee expenses that can be HR also.
Product management
You can manage your product list and details and check inventory.
Customer service
The cool thing that I found here is the RMA where shipped goods can be returned and an App will manage that. So no problem to keep your inventory correct and up to date.
Supply chain
Managing shipments and freight. And all is related to warehouse, customers and expenses.
Sourcing
Apps that works with suppliers, and manufacturers.
Website management
You can integrate it with wordpress. And also can be used with your website, domain or even Google checkout integration. Sounds great, and I'm eager to test this tools. (I think that it would be much more interesting if it can be with PayPal too).
Fundraising
Mainly about dealing with your investors and communicating documents with them.
Innovation management
Contains cool Apps about how to create and track new ideas internally, than getting patents and manage all.
Asset management
As it sounds, you need this App to manage your assets.
Employee services
You can find here Apps that manage payroll, vacations, employees evaluation and more Apps.
More
There some other payed services as eCommerce hosting, shipments and payment gateways.
After seeing those tools, I think that as I did and will do, don't look for tools that would help me or try to do mines with hundred bugs software.
What I noticed that the whole Apps would need speed enhancement, but it stills not bothering you if you are not running a big business as it saves you thousands of dollars! I would just hope that it would be little more optimized.
CAN WE FOCUS ON THIS FOR THE LONG RUN??
It's the real question I was asking from the beginning as no one want to put all his effort to use those tools to find out one day that it will stop to develop because some failures of the company building it!!!
And the reply is related to Apptivo itself if it's able to keep business running, and if its business model is going to succeed.. So you'll be sure of making the right choice.
Without looking for much details about it, I'm guessing.. If I'm using many of the free application with Apptivo and I would require an SMS gateway to notify customers of shipments for example? Would I buy a service from other than Apptivo? Same for web hosting and development, banking services, shipment and the list is long.. It's up to them to find out what value they can add so the customer is willing to pay for it rather than looking outside.
