20th century customer service consisted of packed call centers, phones ringing off the hook, and large, convoluted databases of information to manage a never-ending stream of support requests. Cloud computing, and the introduction of powerful, business-specific software solutions, has changed that. There are hundreds of systems out there for handling contact management (CRM), project management, [...]
Everyone knows that marketing matters. What they don’t know is that given the right tools, marketing isn’t expensive, time consuming, or difficult. That’s great news for small business owners strapped on cash and time. Here’s our list of 5 easy to use, well tested, and free online tools that help manage small business marketing. Give [...]
We’ve been hunting for quality cloud based accounting software for a long time. To date, the options just haven’t been appealing – Quickbooks Online feels dated, Netsuite is expensive, Freshbooks and Freeagent are limiting, and Wave, Saasu and others just aren’t there yet. What’s the cloud loving accountant to do? The hunt is over. We’re [...]
*Update: Jason Fried, founder of 37Signals, has informed us that their API will be rolled out soon. Stay tuned folks! Basecamp, the gorilla of web-based project management software, has had a makeover. Originally launched in 2004, the project management giant has rolled out massive updates to their bestselling software, including a sexy new user interface, [...]
Over a year ago we spoke with Jon Ferrara, CEO at Nimble, the up-and-coming CRM and sales platform for small teams. Nimble wasn’t much to look at back then, but a year is a long time in the world of software – long enough to gain 30,000 users, 2,800 companies, and a host of new [...]
Financial management for small businesses is changing rapidly, with multiple systems helping businesses manage accounts in ways never before possible. Many people are familiar with Mint.com: InDinero is the new kid on the block that is looking to do the same thing, but for SMB. As is our obsession with all new pieces of online [...]
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a confusing space. On the one hand, there’s been explosive growth of powerful cloud-based CRMs, especially for small businesses. That’s awesome. On the other hand, most CRMs you see are crap: they’re either overly complex, overly simple, or just plain annoying to use. Sorting the wheat from the chaff [...]
Online accounting for small businesses is a messy space. There are dozens of competitors with significantly different feature sets and price points, often targeting different subsets of accounting without offering a complete package (“just invoicing” or “just expenses”). In an industry dominated by Quickbooks, it’s hard to know which solution(s) to choose. This week we’re [...]
Maybe it was just a targeted AdWords blitz, but we’ve recently seen more and more buzz surrounding Nutshell, a lead management tool aimed at small and mid sized businesses. Having launched our new review process last week, we’ve been eager for some fresh meat and, well, the self-described “Next CRM” seemed a perfect target. Here [...]
As regular readers know, we review dozens of SaaS applications every month. Our intent? Finding the best the web has to offer, particularly for small to medium sized businesses. It’s our job to find the real gems, the applications and services that make business better. Hence today’s announcement: “VM Approved,” an award we’re handing [...]
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