Making the Most of The Software That You Pay For
How to get both return on investment and the best functionality possible from paid tech subscriptions
When I first fell into the world of virtual support it was quite by accident and I was just jumping in to help someone I knew I had the skills to help. What I saw very quickly was that the best results came not just form outsourcing but also from establishing strong business systems with software that works well for that business’s needs. But how do you make the most of the software that you pay for in your business? After all; it is one thing to pay for software and another to ensure that you are getting the value from that spend.
Start with an audit.
The very very first thing that you need to do is make sure that you know EXACTLY what software you have subscribed to, what it costs, what it does, what value it adds to your business (e.g. “Mailerlite – provides an easy to use system with automations and marketing that makes it easy for me to send newsletters and digital products to my clients”) and a note if it has features that you might be have or be paying for elsewhere. Be sure to include the free software because this is key information to understanding your tech stack!
I’ve made this task really easy with a downloadable tool that you can use to do an overview audit on your tech stack. Find more details here.
Once you have a list of your software go through and highlight the core tools. These are the primary tools that you use a lot and/or that feel the most intuitive to you.
A Note on Working With Your Brain
No 2 businesses are going to have the EXACT same needs when it comes to software. But more than that, your brain is going to have a unique preference for what works and what doesn’t. So to build a strong tech stack you need to start by spotting your core tools and build around it. And by core tools I mean the tools that you already use a lot and that you feel comfortable working with. eg. If you are too afraid to open your email marketing system then it might not be a good core tech. Or if you starting using one project management tool but found the structure completely overwhelming then it also might not be a good fit.
Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it will be a good fit for your business needs or for your brain. Making the most of your tools is directly related to how confident you feel actually using them! We have all paid for a tool or course that we never used and it is not a great feeling. Avoid that be being aware of how you naturally interact with software, what feels good and how you best like format information.
Fully explore all the functions, integrations and applications
Often when you start using a software you will be most familiar with the primary functions that it offers. More often than not though these tools are far more intelligent than you might realise with a stack of additional tools floating in the background that might have been there all along or new features that might have been recently added. Sometimes this might be through inbuilt features, through apps or through additional integrations. A few examples for you to consider
- Mailerlite includes websites, landing pages, surveys and digital product delivery. It also integrates with ecommerce functions and many booking systems.
- Canva has a present and record mode plus a BUNCH of apps including pairing Google Drive, digital mockups, QR code generation and social media scheduling
- ClickUp has forms, time tracking, automations, documents, email integration, and a screen recording tool
- Jotform can create interactive and scorable surverys, conditional email sending, app building and pdf editing
These are just a few examples of popular software with functions beyond what many users are currently using. To make the most of the software that you pay for you want to dedicate a little bit of time to fully exploring the potential that your software has but make sure to focus on the core tools that you identified in past steps.
Check for Plugins
Check if your favourite tech tools have a web plugin. It opens up new doors when you can send a task to your project management tool from your email, pin images to Pinterest directly from a website, or when you can record instructions directly while in the task you need done
Ensure that the Software is Setup and Customised to your exact needs
Once the exploration is done and you understand more of the scope that your software can offer the most critical step to getting value from paid software is to ensure that it is set up specifically for your business needs. This might look like
- Customising branding, logos, footers and formatting to be cohesive with your brand
- Connecting key integrations such as booking tools, video conferencing, cloud storage, payment processors, social media accounts, email tools, project management tools, customer management tools or time trackers. This may be done directly or through third party tools
- Populate templates including emails, project outlines, invoices etc
- Customised space/folder structure to match the business
- Customise statuses and custom fields to match the business
- SOPs to share the processes within that tool
Depending on the tool you are using there may be more or less to do. Ultimately a well set up software should be easy to navigate, make sense and match your business in structure and branding.
What Next
You will know if you are making the most from the tools that you pay for by how well they support your business, how intuitive they feel for you, how you defined the ‘value’ that it serves and how interconnected that tool is with the rest of your tech ecosystem. Check the integrations tab regularly or watch for email updates from the developers. You can also check their internal knowledge tools and forums for tips and tricks to tweak your system.
Some tools however might take more expertise, time and customisation to create the tool that will serve you the best. For these tools you might find that the time lost on trying to set it up yourself is much better spent elsewhere and opt to invest in someone to set your tools up for you. If this is you please get in touch for some additional support. I offer coaching calls where we can work on edits quickly or for the ultimate hands-off experience enquire about my VIP Days.
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