Top 10 Business Software to Increase Productivity

If you manage a lot of PDF documents in your business, the best software to help you do this is PDFelement for business. This program is designed to make the handling of PDF documents easy so you don't have to spend a lot of time on documents and can dedicate that time to some other task. It makes PDF document creation very easy and can also be used to make major edits including the ability to edit text and images within the document. It also comes with an OCR feature that allows you to edit scanned PDFs.

Pros:

• It is very easy to use and very quick
• Can be used to convert PDFs to a variety of other formats including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and even HTML
• It is ideal for adding signatures to PDFs as a way to authenticate the document
• You can also add a password to secure the document
• It can be deployed or customized due to specific business needs
• Edit PDF with word spell check feature, just like editing on Word processor

It is one of the most well-known accounting software in the business. it is very easy to use and even non-accounting professionals can comfortably use it.

Pros:

• It is easy to use
• Has great accounting features

Cons:

• At $250 it can be a bit expensive for a small business and there are cheaper options

Every business should backup files to an external hard drive as a backup plan in case all data is lost. The online backup service Mozy is one of the best to choose from since it automatically archives all your data on the internet

Pros:

• It is easy to use; just choose what you would like to backup
• It can also backup files in bulk
• Quite affordable at just $5 a month

Cons:

• You have no control over how the files are stored

Need a calendar that you can use for scheduling business tasks? Try Mozilla's Sunbird. It is straight forward and completely free to use. This business software shows day, week and month views and you can even publish your calendar on the web.

Pros:

• It is very easy to use
• Completely free

Cons:

• It lacks advanced features you may find on other scheduling apps

This is a great option if your business requires collaboration since it lets colleagues work together on the same tasks even if they are on different continents.

Pros:

• Collaboration on projects is in real time
• It gives you a whiteboard to upload documents and you can also share your desktop
• Allows for more than 20 participants for free

Cons:

• Some additional features come at a price

If your business needs a database management program, FileMaker Pro is a great option. It is much more intuitive than Access and offers additional features that include SQL data source support and easy web publishing.

Pros:

• It comes with prebuilt templates for ease of use
• It offers more options than Access

Cons:

• At $299, it can be out of reach for most small business especially those starting out

You are well aware of the advantages of email marketing and while there are many email marketing solutions available, Topica is one of the most functional. It can filter out spam messages that are sent through the service ensuring that you add authenticity to the emails you send. At $50 per month, it is affordable as compared to its other competitors.

Pros:

• It is ideal for email automation
• Comes with a spam filter

Cons:

• Lacks some of the advanced features you will find on other email marketing platforms

Every business needs a project management program and if you need one as well, you may want to consider using Basecamp. It makes building complicated project timelines, message boards and to-do lists easy while allowing users to easily share the project's progress.

Pros:

• It can track project time on per-member basis
• Creates detailed reports based on the job being done

Cons:

• It can be a little difficult to use especially for the beginner

This is a great task manager that helps you organize your notes, to-do lists and helps the brainstorming process by allowing you keep all your ideas in one place. it is a free open source application that is easy enough to use and easy to download and install.

Pros:

• It is completely free to use
• It comes with great features to help you organize ideas

Cons:

• It doesn't integrate well with third-party apps

If you are on a budget, Skype for Business is a great solution for your calling needs especially if you have to make international calls. At $9.99 a month for unlimited international plans, it may just be the answer to all your international calling problems. It is hugely affordable, not to mention that the software itself is free. It may not be helpful to you if you want to run a call center, but it is a great solution for increasing productivity and lowering the cost of your calls.

Pros:

• The software is free to download and use
• International calling plans are very affordable
• Skype is also very easy to use; both for you as a business owner and the clients you will be calling

Cons:

• It lacks some advanced features that can make it useful as a call-center or tech support tool
• As your business grows you may need to stop using it which can create all sorts of compatibility problems with your clients.