Best apps to streamline your small business operations

Need support to keep your small business running smoothly? Here are 7 apps to help save you time, and maybe even money, as you move your business forward.

7 min read

Published 22 May, 2024

Key Takeaways

The right combination of apps can help you save time, increase efficiency and support business growth.
There’s an app for almost every area of your operations, designed to make it easier for small businesses to stay on top of it all.
The AGL app makes it easy to manage your energy and other services with AGL, even when on-the-go.

When you're running a small business, you're used to wearing many hats. From hiring employees to issuing invoices and dealing with landlords, there's a lot that needs to be done. But like many small business owners, you feel the pressure to be across it all.

Thankfully, there are some apps designed to make it easier to stay on top of it all. From project management and productivity to marketing and accounting, there’s an app for almost every area of your operations. And the right combination of apps can help you save time, increase efficiency and support business growth. In this article, we share 7 small business apps that could work for your business.

1. Slack

What is it for? Slack is a collaboration and messaging app designed for teams to communicate and share files and information.

How will it help me? With agile working now the norm, Slack allows seamless communication between your team members, whether working at home or in the office. You can organise conversations into dedicated channels based on topic and integrate with other apps like Zoom and Google Sheets.

How much does it cost? Slack has a free version available with limited features. Paid plans start at $8.75 USD per month for more features like unlimited app integrations, unlimited message archives and a workflow builder.

Other things to consider: The free version has limited functionality but there’s no risk at nil cost. You can also request a trial to see if it’s worth adding this subscription to your budget.

2. Zoom

What is it for? Zoom is a video conferencing and virtual meeting platform.

How will it help me? With Zoom, you can host high-quality video meetings and webinars. The app also enables screen sharing and recording capabilities to collaborate with remote teams and clients.

How much does it cost? You can start using Zoom on the free plan for meetings up to 40 minutes. The Pro plan starts at around $20 AUD per month to access longer meetings and more features.

Other things to consider: The free plan is restricted to 100 participants and has limited cloud storage. If you plan on hosting large online events or regularly recording meetings you may want to consider a paid plan.

3. Trello

What is it for? Trello is a visual project management and collaboration tool.

How will it help me? You can use Trello to help you and your team organise tasks, projects and ideas into cards on customisable boards. The visual boards allow for easy workflow allocation, including checklists, task deadlines and activity logs so everyone is on the same page.

How much does it cost? On the free plan, you can access a lot of Trello’s features to organise projects. Paid plans start at $5 USD per month.

Other things to consider: For more complex projects with dependencies, Trello might not be able to capture this information.

4. Calendly

What is it for? Calendly is an online appointment scheduling tool.

How will it help me? It syncs with your calendar to simplify scheduling meetings and events by sharing your availability. The app removes the endless back-and-forth emails to find a suitable meeting time, ultimately saving you time.

How much does it cost? There’s a free plan limited to one event type and paid plans start at $10 USD per month for unlimited event types.

Other things to consider: Users can only sync to one calendar at a time when using the free plan, so using the app for teams will require paying a monthly fee

5. Salesforce Essentials

What is it for? Salesforce Essentials is a CRM solution tailored for small businesses.

How will it help me? This app provides tools to help you build stronger customer relationships. It includes functions to track leads, manage customer data, forecast sales opportunities and automate processes.

How much does it cost? The simple ‘Starter Suite’ is $35 AUD per month, with a free 30-day trial available to try before you buy.

Other things to consider: Salesforce Essentials may require some implementation and training before your team can use it confidently.

6. Xero

What is it for? Xero is cloud-based accounting software for small businesses.

How will it help me? This app simplifies and automates invoicing, bank reconciliation, payroll, billing and bookkeeping. The Xero mobile app also allows your team to submit leave and expenses anywhere, anytime. It integrates with other apps like Stripe and Shopify, to streamline your payment processes.

How much does it cost? Xero has different plans to suit your business needs. The ‘Payroll-only’ plan costs $15 AUD per month for up to 4 employees. To use other features such as sending quotes and invoices, and automating super, other plans start at $32 AUD per month.

Other things to consider: The ‘Starter’ plan offers limited features and any additional apps or integrations will cost you extra.

7. AGL app

What is it for? The AGL app makes it easy to manage your energy and other services with AGL, even when on-the-go.

How will it help me? You can use the AGL app to quickly view your energy usage, check your bills, manage your accounts and get support when you need it. By staying on top of your energy, you can understand where it is going and identify ways to make operations more efficient. These insights can help you take steps toward running a more sustainable small business.

How much does it cost? Downloading and using the AGL app is free with any AGL plan.

Other things to consider: You need to have an existing AGL plan to use the AGL app. Already an AGL customer but haven’t used the app? Download the AGL app today.

The information in this article is current as at the date of publishing. For the most up to date information on each of these apps, please refer to their company websites.

For more insights and resources visit the AGL Discover Business page.

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