Business management tools you can replace with QuickBooks

As a small business owner, you know all too well that effective business management means being able to get things done simply and quickly. However, it’s not so easy to achieve this when you have a never-ending to-do list demanding your attention. From warehouse management, handling invoices, generating pick lists and managing packing slips, to accounting and reporting, there’s simply not enough time in a day to get it all done on your own.

To solve this problem, you’ve likely looked into or already invested in some business management tools to help you. While business tools can be a useful resource for busy business owners, they can also create more work when different systems are needed for each. The key is to streamline as much as possible. With QuickBooks Commerce, a myriad of business operations can be managed within a single dashboard.

Learn more about how you can minimize the tools you need by using QuickBooks Commerce and how it can help you better manage your business.

• Systems to streamline
• Traditional ERP systems
• B2B wholesale systems
• E-commerce systems
• Sales reporting tools
• Order fulfillment and shipping solutions
• Accounting software
• CRM systems
• Benefits of streamlining your business into one system
• Get started and see the difference

Systems to streamline

The best business management software is one that can take the place of many. Here are just some of the business systems that can be consolidated using QuickBooks.

1. Traditional ERP systems

Whether you’re dealing with B2B wholesale e-commerce or  construction inventory management, you understand the importance of having a tight system in place to support inventory control. Typically, this is done by using enterprise resource planning (ERP system). However, QuickBooks Commerce is also designed for inventory management.

With this inventory control software, you get automatic stock level updates whenever sales and purchases are made. This allows you to manage inventory levels much more effectively, eliminating the need for manual data entry and the risk of working off outdated information. By automating these aspects of inventory management, you free up time for other business activities, such as planning product expansion, marketing, and customer service. With less of your focus on administrative task management, you’ll be able to put more of your energy into growth.

QuickBooks Commerce allows you to:

• Congregate information regarding inventory, sales, orders, fulfillment, and accounting—with integration of QuickBooks Online
• Manage inventory across multiple warehouses and e-commerce sites
• Add new products and descriptions across your sales platforms
• Keep stock levels updated for your products thanks to automation
• Organize your entire catalog using advanced custom filters

With QuickBooks Commerce, you can effectively manage all of the above aspects in one easy-to-use dashboard.

2. B2B wholesale systems

As a B2B wholesaler, you’ve likely encountered the challenges of managing multiple sales channels on your own, prompting you to look into a wholesale management system. If you manage a wholesale business or have a wholesale component to your business, you can use QuickBooks Commerce as a tailored B2B e-commerce platform.

Within QuickBooks Commerce, you can:

• Create a custom B2B storefront for customers
• Preset your wholesale pricing
• Set personalized price lists for each customer
• Import and update products
• Customize your storefront to match your branding

This makes it easy to keep everything on track and up-to-date so that you can manage all of your wholesale customers efficiently. Not only that, but it will improve your customer experience, allowing you to keep your sites up to date, keep products in stock, and fulfill orders more efficiently.

3. E-commerce systems

In addition to the inbuilt order management and fulfillment functionality, the business management tool can also be easily integrated with external e-commerce solutions like Shopify and WooCommerce. This means you can manage your entire sales cycle—from purchasing to fulfillment—using the one system.

With QuickBooks Commerce, you can update product listings and descriptions for multiple e-commerce channels at once, ensuring your sites are consistent. In addition, since all channels are managed within QuickBooks Commerce, you can keep track of total sales and make sure inventory changes are accounted for. This consolidation improves product and project management and makes it easier to ensure you have sufficient inventory and can keep customers happy.

4. Sales reporting tools

Sales reporting that tracks major key performance indicators (KPIs) is an essential tool for any e-commerce business. You need insights into sales activity, including what your customers are buying, what your bestsellers are, and when the most purchases are made. With this information, you’re able to make decisions such as:

• Which products to restock and which to discontinue
• When to push sales efforts
• Which channels to prioritize based on what platform the most sales are being made on

With the reports in QuickBooks Commerce, you can review accurate sales and inventory data in real time. Reporting functionality includes sales history and order reports by customer, product, channel, and location.

5. Order fulfillment and shipping solutions

Streamlining order fulfillment is important for improving efficiencies in this process and cutting down on fulfillment time. With QuickBooks Commerce, all orders from across your sales channels are processed, recorded, and managed in the same place. By having everything organized in one central location, you can make sure that orders don’t fall through the cracks.

When an order is placed, you’ll be notified, your inventory levels will be updated, and the first steps toward fulfillment will be taken. You can even set up notifications for your customers, which keep them in the loop about the status of their order. As you know, customers appreciate clear communication, especially when it comes to wholesale orders.

In QuickBooks Commerce, you can set shipping rates according to different shipping methods within various locations and include shipping rates in all sales orders. You can also integrate with order fulfillment solutions like ShipStation and Amazon and manage the entire fulfillment process from the dashboard.

6. Accounting software

QuickBooks Commerce can be seamlessly integrated with QuickBooks Online accounting software. With this simple integration, you can automate and streamline the financial aspects of your e-commerce business with one business management tool.

With accounting software integration, you’ll be able to:

• Seamlessly record sales, expenses, and customer data
• Account for inventory
• Automate invoicing
• Make sure that your finances are accurate at all times

With QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Commerce combined into one dashboard, you have all the information you need about your business at your fingertips.

7. CRM systems

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a critical component of any successful e-commerce business. That’s why many companies invest in a CRM software solution like Salesforce or HubSpot to help manage customer data. Generally, CRM software is a tool to help sales team members find new customers, keep current customers happy, and meet sales management goals.

QuickBooks Commerce automatically records sales orders and purchase history, so you can better understand user behavior and provide a personalized experience. Using the platform, you can see all order details made by every customer in your database, including when orders were created, when emails were sent, and when emails were opened. This allows you to provide optimal customer support and can be useful for your help desk if you have one.

While you can replace all of the business management tools above with QuickBooks Commerce, you may need other programs like Google Workspace, marketing automation tools, or email marketing. Plus, you can still benefit from using free tools like Slack and Dropbox. The point is, you can significantly reduce the number of programs you’re dealing with when you use a powerful business management software like QuickBooks Commerce.

Benefits of streamlining your business into one system

While you can use all of these tools independently, having one system to handle various key business processes can make small business management so much easier. Whether you’re an e-commerce startup or an established provider, you want to take advantage of whichever solution allows you to take as much off your plate as possible. With an all-in-one business management system like QuickBooks Commerce, you benefit in several key ways:

• Streamline workflows and business operations across the board for better resource management.
• Improve time management by not having to switch between multiple tools while working or having to re-enter the same information into multiple systems.
• Increase sales with more efficient sales channel management; you won’t need to share files or worry about outdated docs since everyone with permission can access the information in your dashboard.
• Reduce the need for document management with all your information kept up to date in the system.
• Get more control over how your business is run with improved order management, inventory tracking, and recordkeeping.
• Gain business intelligence and insights into key sales data, so you can make informed decisions that help grow your business.
• Ensure accuracy across all sales channels and business records.
• Improve customer service by having a more organized system in place.
• Potentially save money by paying for only one subscription instead of multiple.
• Take advantage of API (application programming interface) to make the system the best fit for your business.
• Use templates to improve data and process consistency.
• Improve team collaboration with easy access from anywhere that has a stable internet connection.

As you can see, finding one solution for all of these systems is about providing the functionality your business needs in the most convenient package. The great thing about QuickBooks’ suite of products is that there are plenty of ways to customize your business management solution to your needs. By adding on functionality such as time tracking, payroll, and human resources support, you can get the most value out of the system. QuickBooks Commerce could be just the solution your business needs to succeed.

Get started and see the difference

The sooner you bring all aspects of business management together, the better. Optimize your business with this powerful business management solution that allows you to manage your business from a single platform so that you can focus on growth. To start using QuickBooks Commerce and take advantage of its diverse capabilities, bundle it with your QuickBooks Online subscription today.