The better approach is to have as few software tools in the business as possible – ideally this means one application that runs end-to-end through the business and integrates tightly with your accounting system.
Software as a Service –SaaS – is everywhere. Even the smallest businesses are leveraging SaaS to run their operations. However, selecting the right software tools is still a challenge for many businesses – especially smaller ones.
When it comes to solutions to run your business, the SaaS market gives you more choice than ever before. So how do you find the right one for your business? A good first step is to understand some critical philosophical differences in approach the different tools take.
Business software generally takes one of two approaches:
- Software that handles ONE specific area of the business only.
- Software that aims to handle the whole business process from end to end.
One for each
These applications, like CapsuleCRM, Pipedrive – lead and opportunity tracking, Basecamp – project management, Asana – task and project management, and Harvest – time tracking, are fantastic tools. But, they have a massive drawback; they generally handle only one area of the business. And this approach to business software that is fundamentally flawed. Let me explain.
A couple of years ago we were running our creative agency, 96black. We were a ‘tech-savvy’ business and implemented the best tool for each area – CRM, project management, accounting, time tracking etc. The individual tools each did their job well. But we still had a massive problem; they didn’t talk to each other.
That meant every time we won a deal, we had to setup the project in our project management software, leaving behind critical information about the client that was captured in our CRM tool. We also had to set it up in our time tracking tool and our accounting system. We then had increased costs from having to pay for all these different apps and increased time overhead from having to train staff on multiple tools.
Basically, the very tools that were meant to give us efficiencies, were costing us big time and we still had inefficient and poor processes.
And it gets worse.
By far the biggest problem with this approach though, was the lack of visibility and control it gave us. We had no idea what was going on in the business as a whole – no one area to go to to see how the business was performing. To get this, we still had to use spreadsheets so we could get control and visibility over what was going on in the business.
All-in-one: a better approach
We kept thinking to ourselves; There must be a better way.
We’ve talked to hundreds of businesses and the ones using multiple software tools to run their business are all experiencing the same issues. We’re convinced that the better approach is to have as few software tools in the business as possible – ideally this means one application that runs end-to-end through the business and integrates tightly with your accounting system.
By spanning seamlessly across the business, one software solution increases efficiencies by taking with it all the information gathered at each step of the way with no double handling of data and no losing track. This in turn reduces admin, training requirements and costs.
Vitally, it also means that the software is able to provide critical information to business owners about how the business is performing – it’s this visibility that is essential for effective decision making.
Tristan Marris, Co-Founder, Roll
