Best-business-management-software

27 Best Business Management Software In 2023

If you are just a newbie starting a new business or looking to efficiently run your already established business, having great software tools at your disposal can help you run your business operations smoothly like a well-oiled machine. 

In this article, we will discuss the most essential business management software solutions to effectively manage your business operations.

But before we move ahead, I would also like to point out that if you are just starting out, your time would be better spent on figuring out how to grow your business than spending time figuring out what software works better.

The thumb rule is before you try to automate anything with software, try to do it manually until you figure out the process and know what you need to automate.

Don’t run around straightly jumping into any software like a headless chicken.

Trust me, I have been there and wasted so much time that I could have rather spent on trying to find a product market fit. 

So if you are just starting out, don’t spend much time reading this or any other articles – just get an overview (so you know what solutions exist if things break), and only look for software for things you can’t do on MS Office or Google Workspace.

Cool then, now that we have set the context, let’s get started with top business management software!

1. Website-building Software

You can’t do business without setting up a shop, can you? It doesn’t have to be a brick & mortar store – it can be a website, a listing on an e-commerce platform, a profile on freelancing platforms, or even a social media page. Basically, a place where people can find your business.

We would only talk about the best software for building websites or business profiles, as other things are easy to figure out. 

1) Wix (for beginners)

Major features:

  • Multiple profession-wise templates, 
  • In-built SEO tools, live chat, blogging functionalities, e-commerce integration
  • Cheaper than Webflow
Wix - website builder for begginers

2) Webflow (for advanced use cases)

Major features:

  • Most advanced website-building software
  • Best for creating advanced interactions
  • More design freedom
  • 100% customizable

Also Read: Steps to improve website security

Webflow - website builder for Advance Use case

3) Refrens Profile

Major features: 

  • List your business, projects, services, testimonials, and everything your potential clients would need to know about your business
  • No coding knowledge is required, is free, and helps you get started in minutes
  • Access advanced tools like a lead management system, invoicing & accounting, payments, inventory & expense management, and networking

 (See Why Having a Refrens Profile is Better than Having a Website)

Refrens Profile Website Alternative for business management software

If you want to run an e-commerce business, Shopify would be the ideal option for you. It has a wide range of themes and templates that can help you quickly get started. It also has an in-built payments processing system and a strong app ecosystem which helps you quickly add features & functionalities to your e-commerce website. If you are just starting out, you can hire a Shopify Developer to help you build your e-commerce site. Moreover, when it comes to dealing with your logistics and shipping efficiently, one of the excel route planner is Upper that can seamlessly integrate with your Shopify store to smooth out the delivery operations.

2. Accounting & Invoicing Software

The way you manage your accounting & finance can make or break your business. Good accounting software helps you create quotations, invoices, and other accounting documents; manage and track your income & expenses; create reports & generate insights; calculate taxes & more.

Here are some of the best accounting software:

1) Refrens

Major features:

  • Create & share customized invoices, quotations, and more
  • Insights via Reports, track income, and expenses
  • Share your accounting documents easily on Email, WhatsApp, and any other channels
  • Track invoice views & send auto-reminders for invoice dues
  • Collect payments domestically and internationally
  • Automatically update your inventory when you create an invoice or an expense

Pricing: ₹3000- ₹10000 per year

Best for: Freelancers, agencies, and small businesses

Also Read: Industry-wise best billing software

2) Zoho Books

Major features:

  • Automatically calculate GST and generate reports
  • Follow-up payment using automatic alerts
  • Track expenses and record bills
  • Automatically fetch bank statements from the bank into your account
  • Manage more than one project, add tasks, and assign them to employees
  • Generate invoices based on on-task time or fix costs for any project
  • Stock tracking inventory features, sales orders, and purchase orders
  • Client Portal

Pricing:  ₹9000 – ₹96000 per year

Best for: Small to medium size businesses 

Zoho Books

3) Freshbooks

Major Features:

  • Invoicing, expense management, time tracking, project management
  • Send estimates and proposals with a Plus plan or higher
  • Collect payments, track sales tax, generate reports
  • Use log hours and automatically put them onto the invoice
  • Automatically check and balance to ensure compliance and accuracy
  • Get paid with credit cards and bank transfers
  • Set up recurring billing and client retainers

Pricing: ₹10000 – ₹39600 per year

Best for: small businesses

More to check out: Invoicing Software for Small Businesses

freshbooks

Running a restaurant or catering business? check our analysis of top restaurant billing software to make an informed choice>

Also read: Top 5 E-Invoicing Software

3. Lead Management Software

Once someone shows an interest in your product/service but hasn’t bought it, they become your lead. Managing leads efficiently can help you increase your lead conversion rate and grow your revenue. 

There is no lead management system that caters to every business’s needs. An LMS that works for one business, might not be the ideal choice for another business. For example, if you are a large enterprise, you can use an LMS like Salesforce; and if you are a freelancer, agency, or a small business Refrens would be a better choice for you.

Also Read: What is lead management?

1) Refrens

Major features:

  • Automate lead capture from your website, social media, and other platforms with web forms
  • Communicate with leads over WhatsApp and Email
  • Never miss a follow-up with auto-reminders
  • Get a salesmen-wise tracker and daily sales reports
  • Create quotations, send them over Email/WhatsApp, and track them
  • Convert quotations into invoices with a single click

Best for: Freelancers, agencies, and small businesses

2) Salesforce

Major features:

  • Automatically track emails, calls, and meetings
  • Manage pipelines & generate reports
  • Create email campaigns

Best for: Medium to large size businesses

Check out this article on how to generate more leads.

Have a travel agency? take a look at best billing & accounting software for travel agencies >

salesforce-lead-management-software

3) ActiveCampaign

Major features:

  • Manage priorities with lead scoring
  • Automatically send emails based on lead score
  • Get an overview of the sales pipeline and lead history

Best for: Small to medium size businesses

Top lead management software in 2023

ActiveCampaign Lead Management Software

4. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

CRM software helps businesses easily manage and track all the communication with their clients & leads and nurture customer relations.

1) Salesforce Sales Cloud

Major Features:

  • Pipeline and Forecast Management
  • Customizable reports and online dashboards
  • Automatically track emails, calls, and meetings
  • Create Email Campaigns

Best for:  Medium and Large size businesses

2) Monday.com

Major Features:

Best for: Small to Large size businesses

Monday.com Sales CRM

3) Hubspot

Major Features:

  • Contact deal and task management
  • Email tracking and engagement notifications
  • Email templates and scheduling
  • Document sharing, meeting scheduling, live chat

Best for: Small to Large size businesses

Hubspot-CRM

4) Desku.io

desku.io

Major Features:

  • Improved and accelerated automated customer support.
  • Offers a comprehensive suite of customer support tools, including a live chat, helpdesk, knowledge base, and chatbot module.
  • API-driven technology enables users to trigger bulk notifications instantly from the platform.
  • Offers customization options to meet the specific needs of the audience, allowing segmentation based on geography or personalized messages for individual recipients.

Best for: Freelancers and Small Business

5. Project Management Software

Project management software help businesses with project planning, scheduling, resource allocation, and change management. Here are some of the best project management software to consider from –

1) Asana

Major Features:

  • Visualize project data through the list, board, timeline, calendar, and workload views.
  • Time tracking tool to visualize time spent on tasks.
  • Customize fields, rules, and forms.

Also Read: Tips for juggling freelance projects

Asana Project Management Software

2) Jira

Major Features:

  • Create project issues and collect data through form by importing existing work.
  • Track KPIs for progress, priorities, and workloads.
  • Templates for finance, marketing, and legal teams.
  • Visualize project data through list, board, timeline, and calendar views. See how Asana compares with Jira so you can make a decision between the two
Jira Project Management Software

3) Airtable

Major Features:

  • Build an internal or external app with the Interface Designer.
  • Data integration from Google, Salesforce, and Jira to Airtable.
  • Visualize project data through the grid, Kanban, gallery, Gantt, and calendar views.
  • Custom automation with granular control over rule scripting.

Checkout: How to get better projects through networking

Airtable

6. Human Resource (HR) Management Software

HR software, including Recruiting CRM Software, helps you with employee onboarding, applicant tracking, managing payroll & benefits, storing employee data, etc. Here are some of the best HR management software to consider from –

1) Rippling

Major Features:

  • Onboarding/offboarding automation
  • Global payroll and attendance management
  • Job board integrations and application tracking
  • Learning & compliance management
Rippling HR Software

2) Gusto

Major Features:

  • Full-service payroll management
  • Automated calculations of the team’s hours, PTOs, and holidays
  • Track workforce & project costings, get custom reports
  • Manage applicant tracking, onboarding, and employee benefits
Gusto HR Software

3) BambooHR

Major Features:

  • Manage employee onboarding, offboarding, and applicant tracking
  • Employee records, workflow management, reporting & analytics
  • Performance management and employee well-being
BambooHR HR Management Software

4) GoHire

GoHire.io was founded in 2016 by a team of passionate entrepreneurs led by Chris Smith who saw the potential of using technology to make the hiring process more efficient and effective. The company’s mission is to use data and analytics to help businesses make better hiring decisions, and they have developed a platform that does just that.

GoHire.io’s platform helps businesses by providing them with access to data that they can use to make informed decisions about which candidates are the best fit for their open positions.

Top features:

  • Fast and simple job publishing across top sites and social platforms
  • smart search to find your candidates in seconds
  • Streamlined applications and messaging
  • Remove manual tasks with hiring automation
  • Schedule interviews in no time
  • Make informed hiring decisions driven by data
  • Candidate feedback and evaluations

5) factoHR

Major Features:

  • Effective recruitment with ATS
  • Centralized employee database management
  • Employee attendance with the ESS web portal and mobile application
  • Multiple modes of punch i.e. geo-fencing, selfie, and facial recognition
  • OKR for efficient employee performance management
  • Learning management system
  • Payroll integration with necessary internal and external systems
FactorHR

6) iSmartRecruit

In 2014, iSmartRecruit was founded by a passionate entrepreneur, Amit Ghodasara. He recognized the prospect of leveraging technology to enhance the efficiency and energy of the hiring process, and this platform helps HRs and recruiters. This platform is tailored specifically for managing and streamlining your end-to-end recruitment, assisting HR managers in their hiring processes. iSmartRecruit provides them with access to candidate data analysis, nurturing them to make informed decisions about which candidates are the best fit for their company.

Major Features:

  • AI-Powered Profile & Job Matching
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Highly customisable
  • Advance database search
  • Effective client/candidate relationship management
  • Customise Job Workflow Stages
  • Team collaboration

7. Inventory Management Software

If your business is dealing with physical products, the way you manage your inventory can make or break your business. Inventory management software helps you record, manage, and track inventory to improve operational efficiency.  

There is no single best inventory software for all businesses, as the features change according to the type of business you operate. For example, the way a manufacturer manages inventory will be drastically different from the way a wholesaler, small business owner, e-commerce seller, or other business manages their inventory.

1) Refrens 

Major features:

  • Automatically update your inventory whenever you create an invoice or record an expense
  • Save time while creating invoices, delivery challans, and other accounting documents by adding item details automatically
  • Easily manage & keep track of your inventory in one place.

Best for: Small businesses

2) Katana

Major features:

  • Real-time tracking of inventory across multiple locations & sales channels
  • Assign barcode numbers
  • Batch tracking for perishable and make-to-stock/order items.

Best for: Manufacturers

Katana Inventory Management Software

3) Zoho Inventory

Major features:

  • Real-time tracking 
  • Avoid stockouts with low inventory alerts
  • Accept back orders and automatically place orders for out-of-stock items
  • Create e-way bills, delivery challans, and other accounting documents

Best for: Medium to large size businesses

Zoho Inventory Management Software

4) Ordoro

Major features:

  • Sync orders, inventory, and shipping details with e-commerce platforms
  • Manage multiple shipping options and compare prices of different delivery services 
  • Manage dropshipping
Ordoro Inventory Management

Booking and Scheduling Software

1) Omnify

omnify

Omnify is a comprehensive booking and scheduling software designed to support service businesses and professionals in various industries, such as fitness, wellness, education, recreation, and more.

Here are a few of the Omnify features that make it popular. Have a look!

  • A Personalized Service Store for a faster and better way to sell.
  • Seamless Scheduling for clients to take care of their bookings and subscriptions.
  • Automated Emails to simplify communication with clients and staff.
  • Online Recurring Payments to get paid on time.
  • Zapier Integration- Integrate all the favorite tools you need
  • Advance Analytics – Stay ahead with smart insights
  • Online Waivers, Automated Waitlists, Membership Management & More!

Pricing- Starts at $0 (Free Forever Plan) to $499/mo (starts at), billed annually

Best For- Small businesses, Medium-size businesses, and Large Enterprises.

Recommended read: Best Billing Software For Retail Shops & Distributors>

Conclusion: Business Management Software

That’s it then! I know that there are many other software that I am missing here, but the point here was to figure out the ones that can help you manage your major day-to-day operations. 

Just one tip that I would like to share is that you should look for software that can help you replicate your existing process. What I mean here is don’t adopt software that will make you unnecessarily change your current process to forcibly fit into its workflow – unless it improves the efficiency of your operations.

P.S. if you have a large vendor base and want to streamline your expense management process, you should consider reading this UpGrad case study >

Also Read: How to hire a Shopify developer?