For small businesses, apps are essential tools that help them maximize efficiency while keeping operational expenses low. Startups and small and midsized enterprises (SMEs) rely on big-brand popular apps for fundamental business functions because designing these programs in-house would cost them a fortune. Having proprietary software also increases the cost for maintenance, management, and training, not to mention the learning curve employees have to go through. Think of it as like shifting from a physical library to an e-library: sure, the pros and cons of ebooks vs. paperbooks are plenty, but at the end of the day, you’re going to want to leverage technology to keep everything as physically small and as digitally available as possible.

The good news is the web is full of apps for any business’s specific requirement. You just have to determine what you need. Here are some of the best small business apps startups and SMEs use for their important business processes. 

Wave 

A company’s accounting department takes care of recording cash flow into and out of the company. The bigger the company, the more money you need to monitor, the more complicated it becomes. Big companies hire an entire department for the job. For small businesses, one employee (or even the business owner) may act as a one-person accounting department. With Wave, this person can become efficient. 

Wave is an accounting software designed for small businesses. Despite having a simple platform that’s easy to use, it has all the trappings of a full-on accounting office. It allows you to generate accounting reports, autopay employee benefits, track sales and expenses, manage customer payments, monitor invoices, and scan receipts. It’s compatible with PC and Mac operating systems and has a mobile version for iOS and Android, which features mobile invoicing and receipt scanning. 

Skype 

It’s one of the most popular videoconferencing and communications apps, and for a good reason. Skype remains a no-frills teleconference program that addresses your basic conferencing and VoIP requirements. For companies that don’t need to meet with hundreds of people at a time, Skype’s 25-person videoconference capacity is perfect. 

Skype allows you to send videos and photos, share computer screens, send text messages, and make calls (subject to charges). 

Square 

In the ‘new normal’, cashless payment options aren’t just a trend: they have become a necessity. This is because it helps keep people safe by avoiding person-to-person contact. Apps like Square allow small businesses to implement cashless payment by using a portable card reader to scan a customer’s credit card and other virtual wallets. 

Square also has a point-of-sale system called Square Register, which helps businesses keep track of sales in brick-and-mortar locations. 

KanbanFlow 

The bane and boon of small businesses: it requires everyone to wear multiple hats. Sometimes, the content creator works as the project manager, and accounts and sales teams might have to pick up some HR duties.  ; 

To keep track of this, management apps like KanbanFlow allow people to organize, assign, and schedule tasks using a one-stop platform. The app uses the famous Japanese management practice of “Kanban,” a method of subdividing tasks into specific categories, helping people finish the tasks in order of importance.