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Technology makes the world go round. You can no longer be in business without handing a good portion of your workload over to computers and enterprise software, both for the fact that modern technology makes your organisation better, faster and stronger, and because customers increasingly demand that you offer the convenience that these solutions bring.
Here we’ll be taking a broad look at enterprise software solutions – the areas of your business (no matter its size) to which enterprise management software applies, and the specific solutions that represent the best in class for each category.
But before we get into the nitty-gritty of software and tools, let’s first learn exactly what enterprise applications are and why you need them.
What is enterprise software?
Enterprise software, AKA enterprise application software or enterprise management software, is any digital technology used by a business or organisation to support and enhance strategic operations or initiatives.
Enterprise software is utilised by all modern organisations: small eCommerce retailers, giant multinationals, government agencies, charities and nonprofits. Common examples of enterprise software include customer relationship management (CRM) software, point of sale (POS) software, and marketing automation software.
The very best examples of enterprise software tend to have a few things in common, no matter what the tool is specifically designed to do. They are:
- Simple and intuitive to set up and use
- Capable of solving complex business issues and/or generating insights
- Scalable
- Cost-effective (at scale)
- Able to integrate with your current technology stack
The top 17 examples of enterprise software
Now that we know what we’re looking for in our enterprise software solutions, it’s time to search for tools that tick all the boxes above. Here are 17 of the most common areas in which enterprise software is deployed, and the very best solution within each.
1. Team communication software: Slack
Sure, email is as popular as ever, but it does have its limitations. During COVID offices were traded for homes, which highlighted the amount of informal and ad hoc communication that occurs in an in-person setting. Team communication software like Slack aims to create a similar environment, only virtual, with the ability to send direct messages, set up channels and groups, and do all of this in a perfectly private and secure way.
Key features:
- Endless integrations
- Project-friendly
- Automated reminders
- Awesomely customisable
2. Project management software: monday.com
Say goodbye to whiteboards and cork boards, and hello to project management tools. Offering a far simpler way to track and collaborate on projects, monday.com and other workflow management software offers a simple, visual and customisable way to track work, while granting access only to those who need it.
Key features:
- Intuitive user interface
- Smart workload management
- A wealth of automation
- Deep reporting and analytics
3. Web analytics: Google Analytics
The key to business success is an online success, and the key to online success is monitoring your performance and making adjustments based on the numbers. Google Analytics is the world’s most popular web analytics tool, offering deep and incredibly insightful information on the performance of your website. Because it’s a Google product, this tool also connects directly to Google’s advertising and publishing products, allowing you to quickly and easily turn insights into results.
Key features:
- Get to know your website visitors through Audience Reports
- Track visits, conversions and user activity
- Set and track your online goals
- Get analytics data through customised reports
4. Point of Sale system: Square POS
If you’re in the retail game, the importance of a simple and intuitive yet smart and capable point of sale system cannot be understated. It forms the hub of your store; the place where you process orders, accept payments, and depending on your tool, track stock and offer customer loyalty programs. As the household name in point of sale technology, Square POS offers all the above and more.
Key features:
- Add a synced online store, no coding required
- Social media selling made simple
- Manage your business from one place
- Super scalable – operate one POS or 10,000
5. Accounting software: Xero
If there’s one thing that digital technology is good at above all else, it’s crunching numbers, which is why the earliest use cases for digital technology-focused accounting and finance. This gave accounting software a head start, and in a tool like Xero, you get to enjoy decade upon decade of innovation.
Key features:
- Take care of everything from quotes to payroll
- Work across international currencies
- Simplify tax time
- 100% cloud-based and scalable
6. Invoicing software: Square Invoices
To get money into your business, you need to charge invoices out. The intricacies of how you do that will depend on your business: a retail shopfront will invoice differently to a B2B operation, which will invoice differently again to a professional services provider. But if you’re looking for a flexible and intuitive tool capable of doing all of the above and more, look no further than Square Invoices.
Key features:
- Create and send an invoice in seconds
- Accept payments 24/7
- Automate customer payment reminders
- Track invoices at a glance
7. Order management software: PartnerLinQ
An order management system is designed for order entry and processing. A tool commonly used by large retailers and other high-order quantity businesses, this software is used to keep track of customer orders, manage stock levels, control packing and delivery processes, and synchronise orders across channels (e.g. when a customer orders online and picks up in-store.) In helping to make sense of the complex world of supply chains, PartnerLinQ is the go-to order management tool for many businesses, particularly multinationals.
Key features:
- Able to be implemented rapidly
- Flexible and scalable
- Quickly identify transaction errors and their causes
- Job scheduling and reporting
8. Retail management software: Square for Retail
Retail businesses have a lot to keep track of, from ordering and managing stock to accepting, tracking and fulfilling customer orders, to making sales and offering loyalty rewards. The complexity of this task only increases when conducted across multiple stores… unless you use the right tools. Square for Retail makes life incredibly easy for large, multi-store retailers, by granting you a centralised view of your business, while also allowing each store to operate as the separate entity it is.
Key features:
- Multi-location inventory management
- The ability to sell both in-store and online
- Build customer relationships through loyalty programs
- Team, stock and finance management all in the one location
9. Shipping software: ShipStation
We’ve known for a while that consumers were slowly trading in-store shopping experiences for online, but the events of recent years have sped this change-up greatly. Even businesses with a single retail shopfront must now have some form of eCommerce option, which means that shipping has an ever more critical role to play. ShipStation aims to automate the shipping process as much as possible, giving retailers more time to focus on their customers.
Key features:
- Choose your preferred carrier from a wide selection
- Simplify and automate sending, tracking and returns
- Hundreds of integrations with all major online marketplaces (eBay, Amazon, etc.)
- Expert support when you need it
10. Payment processing: Square Payments
You’ve made a sale, and now you need to collect your money. But do you offer your customer’s preferred payment method? With Square Payments the answer is almost always yes, as this solution allows you to get paid in every way a modern customer could want, whether in-person through contactless or chip, online through a payment gateway, or over the phone via a virtual terminal. Easy to use and endlessly scalable, Square Payments ensures you get paid quickly, easily and securely.
Key features:
- Simple, transparent and cost-effective rates
- Get money in your account as soon as the next day
- Square takes care of payment disputes for you
- Account creation and verification takes minutes – no trips to the bank!
11. Keyword research tool/SEO tool: SEMrush
When was the last time you typed a complete URL into the address bar? You more likely get halfway through before letting Google find it for you. Search engines act as the gateway to the internet, and you need to play by their rules if you want to reach the top of the search engine results page (SERP). A tool like SEMrush can help you do just that, by suggesting the right keywords to target and telling you how to insert them into your site.
Key features:
- The ability to track and analyse your SEO performance
- Advice on the most effective keywords for your business
- See the estimated traffic that each keyword will drive to your site
- Track competitor performance
12. Issue tracking software: Jira
Technology doesn’t always run perfectly smoothly. There tend to be regular roadblocks to steer around and hurdles to jump over. The good news? A tool like Jira can log, track and ultimately solve these technical issues. A work management solution built for software teams, Jira makes tracking issues a breeze, making your team more aware of the problems and more capable of finding solutions. Between intuitive scrum boards, visual roadmaps and agile reporting, Jira brings real clarity to the issues that your organisation currently faces.
Key features:
- Check software code and deployment status at a glance
- A wealth of powerful automation saves time
- 100% scalable and secure
- Comes with 12 out-of-the-box reports
13. Cloud computing platform: AWS
Just as the hard drive replaced the floppy disk, the cloud is now replacing the hard drive (and even the CPU.) Cloud computing offers on-demand data storage and computing power to whoever needs it, while also lowering costs and increasing security, accessibility and functionality. While cloud-based tools don’t require the user to choose the specific cloud provider, businesses who want to place proprietary software in the cloud will need to find a cloud host. While Google, Microsoft, IBM and Oracle all offer great cloud products, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is seen by many as the leader in this burgeoning field.
Key features:
- Mobile-friendly access
- Custom database creation and management
- Economical, flexible and easy-to-use storage
- Maximum security for your data
14. Enterprise resource planning software: Microsoft Dynamics 365
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is designed to streamline and integrate organisational processes, such as manufacturing, procurement, distribution, HR and accounting, into a single, universal database. This makes managing and drawing insights from data simpler, and can ultimately make a business far more efficient, agile and productive. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is one of the more comprehensive ERP solutions and offers the added benefit of integrating seamlessly with your Office 365 suite.
Key features:
- Full integration with all Microsoft software
- Manage inventory, projects and finances at a glance
- Deep analytics, reporting and insight generation capabilities
- Doubles as a customer relationship management (CRM) platform
15. Human resources software: Breezy
Your people are your most important asset – sure, it’s a business cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason. Attracting, hiring and retaining the right people is absolutely critical to your ongoing success, so it’s reassuring to know that there are a wealth of clever HR tools that are ready to help you build and manage your team. One such solution is Breezy, an end-to-end recruiting tool that both helps you bring the most talented people in, and ensure they hang around.
Key features:
- Actionable insights on every facet of recruiting
- Automated sourcing of the best candidates
- Automated communications ensure candidates are kept in the loop
- Team collaboration functionality for a better employee experience
16. Creative management software: Trello
In reality, creative management software can be placed in the same category as project management software – much the same processes apply to every project, whether it’s a creative one or not. That said, some project management tools are more targeted at a creative audience than others, and one example can be seen in Trello – a project management tool that is popular in marketing and artistic circles.
Key features:
- A super simple card-based layout makes tracking projects a breeze
- Deep reporting on task assignments, timelines and productivity metrics
- No code automation
- The free version is surprisingly functional
17. Customer survey tool: SurveyMonkey
Did a customer enjoy their last experience with you? What do they think of your brand? What don’t you currently offer that they really want? Customer surveys can answer all these questions and more, driving your business forward with insights from those who matter most. And in SurveyMonkey, you have a fun, functional, freemium tool to get the answers you need from your clientele.
Key features:
- Fully customisable surveys delivered at scale
- Track and analyse responses to gain insights
- Get your NPS score and compare it with your competitors
- Conduct instant market research
What technological help could your business benefit from? From hardware to software, POS to online payments, loyalty to loans, Square has a complete suite of smart solutions that have been designed to grow your business now, no matter its size or shape.
If you’re ready to make the most of modern technology in your business, Square is ready to help!
