What is business management software?

Content management relates to essential documents within a business. Content management systems exist to allow companies to more effectively and securely upload, access, retrieve, share and back up files and documentation. This may apply to any documents used within a business, from employee W2s to purchase orders, to contracts, and more.

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are organisational tools for tracking, recording and coordinating customer interactions, with the goal of streamlining services and improving customer value. Although many businesses rely heavily on CRM, in truth this kind of system is best suited to sales and marketing efforts; customer service management (CSM) picks up where CRM leaves off, providing a completely unified view of how customers are engaging with the enterprise as a whole.

Human resource (HR) management addresses processes and solutions relevant to company personnel and may also be used to manage contractors and third-party vendors. This form of business management includes employee scheduling and hour tracking, payroll and benefits administration.

Resource management is a broad category of business management software that includes HR management, along with asset management and inventory management. Along with employees, resource management also tracks and coordinates finances, technologies, raw materials and any other finite resources that may need to be scheduled, allocated, distributed and accounted for.

Marketing automation, lead generation, email marketing, social media management and marketing/sales analytics all fall into the category of marketing and sales management. This kind of software employs automation to nurture and track prospective customers through the sales pipeline, and to help sales teams locate and close new leads.

Although reporting and analytics are often included as essential parts of other business management solutions, this particular category is also worth mentioning individually. Reporting and analytics systems track vital metrics, incorporate important business intelligence to analyse data and present valuable insights using dashboards, and flag any potential problem areas that may arise.

Project management is used to coordinate, control and automate business workflows. Project management may incorporate automated notifications, time tracking and task assignments.

Business management software is designed to fulfil a broad spectrum of management tasks. As such, the possible benefits it brings to the table may be just as varied as its functionality. More generally speaking, however, business management software offers the following advantages:

Possibly the primary benefit of business management software is that it allows organisations to control a full range of business applications from a centralised hub. Instead of having to handle different controls, interfaces, passwords and vendors to address ongoing business needs, companies can enjoy a simplified management solution coordinated through a single system. Any updates made to the software or relevant data are reflected across all connected applications.

Business management doesn’t only bring together tools and solutions; it also brings together departments. Everyone involved has direct access to a single platform and a single source of data truth, facilitating improved communication and coordination on projects, strategies and results.

By implementing effective automation solutions across all connected applications, organisations may significantly reduce errors. This increased data accuracy not only helps prevent costly mistakes, but also gives businesses more trustworthy datasets on which to review performance, evaluate projects and build strategy.

Process automation allows companies to accomplish more, while applying fewer resources (such as money, time or employees). In other words, when built on effective automation technologies, business management software can be a reliable solution for businesses hoping to get more out of their investments.