16 must-have small business tools to increase sales

Small businesses need quick solutions to various functions that operate in their businesses. Here is a list of categories of small business tools we believe are essential for every small business to help streamline activities.

1. Customer relations management tools.
2. Project management tools.
3. Communication tools.
4. Accounting and finance tools.
5. E-commerce tools.
6. File storage and sharing tools.
7. Human resources tools.
8. Analytics tools.

Under each category, we have provided two small business tools that we believe are the best in the market. Considering the features and pricing, you can easily pick the small business tools that fit your brand needs and budget.

CRM tools are small business tools designed to help businesses manage their interactions with current and potential customers. These tools provide a centralized platform for tracking customer data, managing sales pipelines, and improving customer service.

The right CRM tool is the bedrock of any successful business. It enhances customer satisfaction, drives sales growth, and fosters long-term relationships.

Kommo is the world’s first messenger-based CRM, changing how businesses engage with customers through social media platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and other messenger-based platforms.

With its intuitive interface and straightforward setup process, Kommo is an easy-to-implement tool that improves customer interactions and communication strategies.

Kommo’s user-friendly design and sophisticated automation capabilities distinguish it from other CRM tools, making customer relations even easier.

• Lead segmentation: Each lead is special and usually falls into a specified category. Kommo allows you to segment your clients so that you can send targeted information to them via your social media platforms.
• Lead nurturing: Kommo manages to send your team members alerts, using the chatbot to reach potential clients, and tracking every interaction. This way, you never lose a client.
• Centralized database of information: Kommo provides a centralized database with all information on your customers. This saves you and your employees the time of digging through old chats and records to create a better experience for the client.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): Kommo uses the NPS metric to gauge your client’s satisfaction level, which helps your business improve in future interactions and the quality of services.

• Unified client lead profile: Kommo creates a lead profile for every client, which helps business owners see their conversations with their clients at a glance. This is perfect for small businesses because it consolidates chats from different social platforms into one place.
• Streamlined communication with team members: Beyond chatting with your clients, Kommo allows you to communicate with team members within the same platform. This makes it easy to see how other team members speak with a potential customer, which also helps your business maintain a unified brand voice.

• Connect all communication channels in one inbox: Kommo collects messages from all communication channels and places them in one inbox. This way, you do not have to juggle between different apps and risk missing a message.
• Get detailed analytics of conversions: Kommo generates in-depth analytics and reports to help small businesses gain insights and track performance metrics of all conversations. This, in turn, impacts your future growth strategy.
• Integrate social media apps and other workflow apps: Kommo easily integrates with all your popular social media platforms and other software platforms that help businesses grow. This enhances existing workflows and improves business productivity.

• Automated team report: Kommo gives you reports, not only on the sales process but also on your team’s performance. This helps you and your team members evaluate performance, track quotas and goals, and manage their progress on each project.
• Customizable sales pipelines: Use Kommo’s drag-and-drop features to get a bird-eye view of your sales process. This way, you can easily analyze what’s working or what’s not and make changes accordingly.

• Mobile accessibility: Kommo provides the opportunity to keep selling on the go while using the Kommo mobile app, available for iOS and Android. This way, you manage your business from anywhere, at any time.
• Chatbots: The Kommo chatbot, also known as a salesbot, provides 24/7 customer support and automates all conversations. This helps small businesses stay on top of their communication game, ensuring they never miss a new lead and can provide a speedy response.
• Automated task management: Kommo allows easy automation of daily tasks such as lead management, social media messaging, and email sending, allowing you and your team members to focus on strategic activities.
• Kommo AI: Speedy communication helps each customer feel satisfied. With Kommo AI, you ensure that all conversations are fast and efficient.

• Lead generation: Generating new leads helps your business grow. Kommo allows you to easily generate new leads through chats, calls, or emails, with all conversations properly tracked and managed.
• Targeted communication: Give each client a custom tag, which allows you to send personalized messages to specific clients and reduces the time spent on manual tasks.
• Kommo is an official meta partner: Kommo is an officially recognized Meta partner, making it a reliable and powerful provider for all social media platforms.

• Friendly and intuitive interface: Kommo’s interface is easy to use and navigate. Kommo’s chatbot requires no technical knowledge before building.
• 24/7 customer support with chatbots: Never go offline, as Kommo chatbots provide round-the-clock support, answering customer queries and capturing leads.

• User-friendly setup: Use the quick and simple setup process with extensive free support to get you started without hassle.
• Multi-channel communication: Kommo lets you interact with customers across various channels, including social media platforms, email, and calls, all within one app. This ensures a cohesive and responsive communication strategy.
• Customizable workflows: Kommo allows you to tailor your workflows to match your unique business needs and enhance efficiency and productivity.
• Scalable plans: Whether you are a small business or a growing enterprise, Kommo grows with you.
• Affordable pricing: Kommo’s pricing is among the most affordable small business tools. It offers great value for its price and is a great tool for businesses of all sizes.
• Free trial: You get a 14-day free trial to test all Kommo’s features so you can test it out before committing.

• Limited advanced features on the basic plan: Some advanced features require higher-tier plans.
• Learning curve for customization: The initial setup for custom integrations might be complex for beginners.

• Base plan: $15/user/month, ideal for small businesses, and covers all the essential features.
• Advanced plan: $25/user/month, provides more automation capabilities for growing teams.
• Enterprise plan: $45/user/month, access to advanced features and customization for large businesses.

Manychat is a user-friendly platform for creating chatbots and automating conversations on messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and SMS. It’s designed to help businesses enhance customer engagement through automated, interactive conversations that drive growth and streamline communication efforts.

• Social media automation: Use chatbots to automate conversations on various social media platforms.
• Lead generation: Attract and engage with customers where they are. You can also capture email addresses and phone numbers to add them to your database.
• AI assistant: Use the AI Assistant to build your first automation

• User-friendly: Provides an intuitive interface for users with no technical background.
• Comprehensive features: Provides various features to support many business needs, from customer support to marketing automation.
• Flow builder: You can easily create bots for your social media accounts.
• Free tier: You can have up to 1000 contacts for free.

• Price: The pricing looks cheaper at first glance but grows with the number of contacts chosen; it becomes expensive with larger audiences.
• Analytics: The analytics provided are insufficient to understand all business issues.
• Not an all-in-one platform: Only focusus on conversation automation and can’t be considered a fully-featured CRM provider.
• Limited advanced customization: Lacks advanced customization options with more complex platforms.
• Support: Manychat offers different support functions on Pro and Custom plans.

• Free: Get up to 1000 contacts for free with basic features.
• Pro plan: $15/month, but increases with the number of contacts.
• Premium plan: Custom.

Project management tools are small business tools for organizing tasks, managing resources, and ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget. Teams can collaborate effectively, keep track of progress, and streamline workflows. This helps small businesses enhance productivity and efficiency.

Asana is a robust project management tool designed to help small businesses coordinate tasks and projects effectively and ensure everyone stays on track.

• Task assignments and due dates: Assign tasks to team members with specific deadlines.
• Project timelines: Visualize project schedules and deadlines to ensure timely completion.
• Customizable workflows: Adapt workflows to suit your team’s needs and project requirements.
• Project templates: Use predefined templates to set up new projects quickly.
• Advanced reporting: Generate detailed reports on project progress and team performance.

• Comprehensive features: Offers a variety of project management tools.
• Flexible and customizable: Can be tailored to fit different project needs and workflows.

• Can be overwhelming for new users: The abundance of features might be daunting for beginners.
• Higher cost for premium features: Some essential features are locked behind higher-tier plans.

• Personal plan: Free for small teams.
• Starter plan: $10.99/user/month for growing team with automated workflows.
• Advanced plan: $24.99/user/month.

Trello is a small business project management tool that utilizes boards, lists, and cards to help teams organize tasks and projects intuitively.

• Boards, lists, and cards: Organize tasks visually for easy tracking and collaboration.
• Drag-and-drop functionality: Easily move tasks between different stages of completion.
• App integrations: Connect with tools like Slack, Google Drive, and more.
• Checklists and due dates: Add detailed checklists and set task deadlines.
• Collaboration tools: Comment on tasks, attach files, and tag team members.

• User-friendly interface: Easy to use, even for those not tech-savvy.
• Highly visual: Great for visualizing project progress and workflows.

• Limited features in the free plan: Some advanced features are only available in paid plans.
• Not ideal for complex projects: This may not be suitable for large or complex projects.

• Free plan: For individuals and simple organization for projects.
• Standard plan: $5/user/month for small teams to manage work.
• Premium plan: $10/user/month, includes boards, timelines, and calendar.
• Enterprise plan: $17/user/month, offers more security and controls.

Effective communication is the backbone of any successful business. Communication tools are small business tools that help facilitate seamless interaction between team members, clients, and stakeholders, ensuring everyone stays informed and maximizes collaborative efforts. These tools reduce the reliance on emails, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity.

Zoom is a leading video conferencing tool that provides high-quality video meetings, webinars, and screen-sharing capabilities. Small businesses can use Zoom to set up meetings with team members, clients, and partners alike.

• Video conferencing and webinars: Host high-definition video meetings and webinars.
• Screen sharing: Share your screen with participants for presentations and collaborations.
• Recording and transcription: Record meetings and webinars for future reference.
• Breakout rooms: You can split meetings into smaller groups for focused discussions.
• Virtual backgrounds: Use custom backgrounds to maintain a professional appearance.

• Quality audio: Reliable performance for professional meetings.
• Versatile features: Includes screen sharing, recording, and breakout rooms.

• Requires strong internet connection: You need good internet connectivity for optimal performance.

• Free plan available, 40 minutes with up to 100 participants.
• Pro plan: $13.32/month, 30 hours of meetings, and AI companion.
• Business plan: $18.32/month, up to 300 participants and unlimited whiteboards.
• Business Plus plan: Custom, increased cloud storage of up to 10gig.
• Enterprise plan: Custom, up to 1000 participants.

Using Kommo, you can easily connect your Zoom account to your CRM account to ensure every conversation happens within one platform. Watch how to integrate your Zoom account with Kommo 👇

Slack is a powerful communication tool that small businesses use to collaborate through channels, direct messages, and app integrations, reducing email clutter.

• Channels for team communication: Create specific channels for different teams or projects.
• Direct messages and group chats: Facilitate private or group conversations.
• App integrations: Integrate with tools like Google Drive, Trello, and more.
• File sharing: Easily share files within conversations.
• Searchable history: Quickly find past messages and files.

• Streamlines team communication: Reduces reliance on email and enhances real-time collaboration.
• Integration with multiple apps: Connects with various productivity tools.

• Can be distracting: The constant flow of messages can be overwhelming.
• Higher costs for large teams: The costs can add up for larger teams that need advanced features.

• Free: Limited features to test Slack with ease.
• Pro: $8.75/user/month, unlimited message history and integrations.
• Business+: $15/user/month, get data exports for all messages.
• Enterprise Grid: Custom pricing.

Proper financial management is essential to sustain the growth of any small business. These small business tools help businesses keep track of their finances, manage expenses, handle invoicing, and ensure compliance with tax regulations. They also help to simplify complex financial processes, helping businesses make informed decisions.

QuickBooks is an accounting software that simplifies bookkeeping, invoicing, and financial reporting for small businesses.

• Expense tracking: Monitor and categorize business expenses easily.
• Invoicing and payments: Create and send invoices and accept payments online.
• Financial reporting: Generate detailed financial reports for better business insights.
• Bank reconciliation: Automatically match transactions with bank statements.
• Tax preparation: Simplify tax filing with organized financial data.

• Comprehensive accounting features: Covers all essential accounting needs.
• User-friendly interface: Easy to navigate and use.

• Simple start: $9/month.
• Simple start: $9/month.
• Plus: $27/month.
• Advanced: $60/month.

FreshBooks is an accounting tool for service-based small businesses. It offers features like time tracking, billing, and client management.

• Time tracking: Track billable hours and integrate with invoices.
• Customizable invoices: Create professional-looking invoices with customizable templates.
• Expense and project management: Manage expenses and projects in one place.
• Online payments: Accept credit card and ACH payments directly from invoices.
• Recurring billing: Set up recurring invoices for regular clients.

• Intuitive design: Simple and easy-to-use interface.
• Excellent customer support: Highly rated customer support services.

• Lite start plan: $7.6/month.
• Plus plan: $13.2/month.
• Premium plan: $24/month.
• Select plan: Custom.

E-commerce tools are important for businesses that sell products or services online. These tools provide everything needed to set up and manage an online store, from inventory management to payment processing.

Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that allows businesses to set up an online store, manage inventory, and process payments. It is a small business tool that can be easily set up without requiring an IT-dedicated team, especially if you use Brizy for Shopify.

• Online store builder: Create a customizable online store with various themes.
• Payment processing: Accept payments through multiple payment gateways.
• Inventory management: Keep track of inventory levels and product variants.
• Abandoned cart recovery: Automatically send emails to recover abandoned carts.
• Analytics and reports: Track sales, traffic, and customer behavior with detailed reports.

• Easy to set up: User-friendly setup and interface.
• Comprehensive e-commerce features: Includes all necessary tools for online selling.

• Transaction fees: Additional fees unless you use Shopify Payments.

• Basic plan: $29/month.
• Shopify plan: $79/month.
• Advanced plan: $299/month.
• Plus plan: $2300/month.

WooCommerce is a customizable e-commerce platform built for WordPress, offering flexible solutions for online store management.

• Seamless integration with WordPress: Easily integrate with your existing WordPress site.
• Customizable store design: Use themes and plugins to customize your store.
• Multiple payment gateways: Accept payments through various payment gateways.
• Product management: Manage products, variants, and stock levels.
• Extensions and plugins: Extend functionality with a wide range of plugins.

• Highly customizable: Extensive options for customization.
• Cost-effective: Free core plugin with optional paid extensions.

• Requires technical knowledge: Some technical skills are needed for setup and customization.
• Performance issues: Can be slow with large product catalogs or insufficient hosting.

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin for starting an online business. However, you will incur costs to give your store features and customization capacities. The actual cost of launching your store may include the following:

• Hosting.
• Domain name.
• Marketing, SEO, and analytics app integrations (not necessary but very important).
• Security.
• Themes and templates.
• Necessary native extensions (Payment, Shipping, etc.).

Efficient file storage and sharing are crucial for maintaining organized records. These small business tools allow businesses to securely store documents, share files with team members and clients, and access important information from any device.

Google Drive is a cloud storage service that integrates with Google Workspace and offers secure file storage, sharing, and collaboration features.

• Cloud storage and file sharing: Store and share files securely in the cloud.
• Real-time collaboration: Collaborate on documents in real-time with team members.
• Integration with Google Workspace apps: Seamlessly integrate with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
• Version history: Access and restore previous versions of files.
• Offline access: Work on files offline and sync changes when connected.

• Integration with Google Workspace: Works well with other Google tools.
• User-friendly interface: Easy to use and navigate.

• Storage limits: The free plan has limited storage space.

• Business starter plan: $29/month.
• Business standard plan: $79/month.
• Business plus plan: $299/month.
• Enterprise plan: $2300/month.

Dropbox is a file synchronization and sharing tool that provides reliable cloud storage and easy file-sharing capabilities.

• File synchronization: Sync files across devices for easy access.
• Sharing and collaboration tools: Share files and collaborate with team members.
• Automatic backups: Automatically back up important files to the cloud.
• File requests: Request files from others, even if they don’t have a Dropbox account.
• Paper collaboration tool: Create and collaborate on documents and notes.

• Easy file sharing: Simple, efficient, and collaborative.
• Reliable syncing: Consistent and reliable file syncing across devices.

• Limited free storage: The free plan offers minimal storage space.
• Higher cost for more storage: This can become expensive for larger storage needs.

• Plus plan: $9.99/month.
• Essential plan: $16.85/month.
• Business plan: $15/user/month.
• Business Plus plan: $24/user/month.

Human resources tools are essential for managing employee information, payroll, benefits, and compliance. These small business tools help businesses streamline HR processes, improve employee satisfaction, and ensure compliance with labor laws.

Gusto is an HR tool that simplifies payroll, benefits administration, and employee onboarding, tailored for small businesses.

• Payroll processing: Manage payroll efficiently with automated calculations.
• Benefits administration: Offer and manage employee benefits easily.
• Employee onboarding tools: Streamline the onboarding process for new hires.
• Time tracking: Track employee hours and integrate with payroll.
• Compliance management: Ensure compliance with labor laws and taxes.

• Comprehensive HR features: Covers payroll, benefits, and compliance.
• User-friendly interface: Easy to set up and navigate.

• Higher cost for larger teams: Costs can increase with more employees.
• Limited customization: Some features may lack customization options.

• Simple plan: $40/month.
• Plus plan: $60/month.
• Premium plan: Custom.

BambooHR is an HR management software offering employee records, performance management, and time tracking features.

• Employee records management: Maintain comprehensive employee records in one place.
• Performance reviews: Conduct and track employee performance reviews.
• Time tracking and PTO management: Track employee hours and manage paid time off.
• Applicant tracking system: Manage recruitment and hiring processes.
• Employee self-service: Allow employees to update personal information and request time off.

• All-in-One HR solution: Comprehensive features for HR management.
• Great User experience: Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

• Expensive: Higher cost compared to other HR tools.
• Limited integrations: Fewer third-party integrations are available.

BambooHR is priced monthly per employee for companies with over 25 employees. Companies with 25 employees or less are charged a monthly flat rate.

Analytics tools help you understand business performance, customer behavior, and marketing effectiveness. These small business tools provide valuable insights through data collection, analysis, and reporting, helping businesses make informed decisions.

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that provides detailed insights into website traffic, user behavior, and marketing effectiveness.

• Website traffic tracking: Monitor the number of visitors and their behavior on your site.
• User behavior analysis: Understand how users interact with your website.
• Customizable reporting: Generate detailed reports tailored to your business needs.
• Conversion tracking: Measure the success of your marketing campaigns.
• Real-time data: View real-time data on website activity.

• Comprehensive insights: Provides detailed and actionable insights into website performance.
• Free tool: No cost to use the basic features.

• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration can be complicated.
• Steep learning curve: Requires time and effort to master all features.

Google Analytics is free to use

SEMrush is an all-in-one marketing toolkit that offers SEO tools, competitor analysis, and keyword research to enhance online visibility.

• SEO and keyword research: Identify and optimize for relevant keywords.
• Competitor analysis: Analyze competitors’ strategies and performance.
• Content marketing tools: Plan and manage content marketing campaigns.
• Backlink analysis: Monitor and analyze your backlink profile.
• Site audit: Identify and fix technical SEO issues on your website.

• Automatic tracking: Tracks time automatically without manual input.
• Productivity insights: Provides detailed insights into work habits.

• Expensive: Compared to other analytic tools, SEMrush can be pricey.
• Limited free features: Advanced features require a paid plan.

• Pro plan: $139.95/month.
• Guru plan: $249.95/month.
• Business plan: $499.95/month.

Take your small business to the next level by discovering the full range of Kommo’s functionalities. Learn how Kommo can boost your business revenue with improved customer relations management. Book a demo and try Kommo for free; no credit card is required.