6 tech tools you should invest in before the EOFY

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, Ben Pfisterer, Country Manager at small business payments platform, Square, suggests investing in the right tech solutions could see your business grow.

“Putting the right technology in place is critical to streamlining your business processes and providing a better experience for your employees and clients. Having software that helps you work more efficiently also means you’re left with more time to focus on value and growth,” says Ben.

Here are 6 tech tools you should be investing in this year:

E-invoicing tools

Businesses that are enabled to send invoices on the spot, as soon as the work is complete, save valuable time after hours. According to research from Square, e-invoicing tools and apps can get you paid up to 80 percent faster when compared to traditional processes (such as calculating and formatting an invoice in Excel). Online invoicing tools can help you send unlimited e-invoices straight from your phone, and your clients can then select to pay you quickly and securely online with the click of a button.

Contactless card and mobile payments reader

The data is undeniable — cash-only businesses won’t cut it for much longer. Australians only carry $55 in their wallets on average, and they top up their funds at an ATM less than once a week. It’s now 2018 and almost everyone has contactless cards, which means you need a point of sale that can accept them instantly wherever you are. When looking at contactless solutions, make sure you get one that also accepts mobile payments (like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay). Mobile payments are the fastest, most convenient and secure way to pay — and they don’t have to cost you a bundle to set up.

Business intelligence and analytics tools

Smart tradies will heavily rely on data and analytics to make important decisions about everything, from marketing strategies to staffing, when it comes to growing their business. Adopting great analytics tools that can integrate with your payment transaction data will help with valuable insights: things like historical payment reports, your busiest times of the day or year, and how many new or returning clients you’re working with.

Integrated accounting software

Streamlining your front-of-house operations is important for servicing your clients more efficiently, but getting the back end sorted will help you save time and run your business smarter. Integrating your point of sale with cloud-based accounting software means your transaction data flows seamlessly between platforms, reducing the need for manual data entry and improving accuracy.

Employee management software

Keeping track of your staff and their schedules on a paper calendar is needlessly messy and complicated. Get employee management software that lets you manage schedules, track time and set permissions straight from your mobile device, making everyone’s lives easier. Some employee management features also enable you to manage multiple employees across different locations, so that you can see who is doing each job and when they’re getting paid for it.

Mobile-optimised website

These days, no one has patience for a website that’s not optimised for mobile. If yours doesn’t work seamlessly on all devices, it’s likely you’re losing potential clients. It should be as simple as possible for them to browse your services, request a quote or appointment, and find your contact details on their mobile devices.