You want to start a business? Say no more, but do know that you will need the right software to make the business a lot easier to manage. Which software? Well, it is good that you asked, but the answer will not be as simple as you would like it to be. It almost makes you wish something like a new customer promo code existed for that, too? Well, tough luck – it doesn’t. But here are a couple of things which you should know about obtaining the software necessary for your business, and the first thing is, it should be open source, because open source software is free and safe. Here are the types of software you will most likely need.
CMS – Content Management System
Every business needs one, especially if you have a website. Why? Because why would you have an entire site written from scratch for you unless you are a government agency? Having everything designed and written from zero cost a lot of time and money. Using CMSs, you can shorten the necessary work by a lot. WordPress is the go to solution for many, but Joomla is also a great alternative.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce systems need a working platform which supports payments and credit cards, or even cryptocurrencies, if you want to add those. There are plenty of open source ecommerce platforms which you can install on your site. OpenCart is the first one which comes to mind. It can do everything, from supporting multiple carts, users, devices and payment methods. WooCommerce is great if you are using WordPress, for seamless integration. Depending on the CMS, you could use different ecommerce platforms.
Email Clients
Email clients, who uses those?! Well, every business does, as opening your browser is not the most efficient way of organizing thousands of emails a business might receive on a weekly basis. Thunderbird comes to mind, because it is the one and only client you should consider. All jokes aside, since it is developed by the Mozilla Foundation, the same people behind Firefox, the browser, it is one of the best open source email clients you could ask for.
CRM – Customer Relationship Management
When customers are in question, you should always have their best interests in mind. This is where CRMs come into play. One of the best ones you could download is SuiteCRM, which is arguably one of the most popular CRM suites, which is also open source. On the other hand, you can also try openCRX, which is oriented towards developers and tries not to get in their way, while also being aimed at larger businesses, as well as smaller ones.
Customer Service
When you get emails, tickets and reports, you want them all stored and nicely organized into various categories. This is where Customer Service software comes into play. osTicket is something you should consider, as well as Mantis Bug Tracker. These programs could help you organize your support and customer service, making it an easier task for everyone.
These are the tools you might need for your next business venture. All of these make working online an easier task, and best of all, all of it is free and open source.
