Operations Manager key duties and responsibilities
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Top 10 best software tools for Operations Management
Fast-paced business environments require effective operations management to be successful. With the increasing complexity of business operations, companies need to ditch the spreadsheets in favor of operations management tools to help streamline, optimize, and automate their processes.From process automation to supply chain management, there is a wide range of operations management software solutions available to help operations managers improve their efficiency and business management processes.Here, we take a close look at the top 10 operations management solutions -- including noteworthy features, pricing, and customer ratings -- as well as an overview of the provider’s main services to enable you to select the right solution that will help you increase operational efficiency.
Best tools for process and workflow automation
1. Smartsheet
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Smartsheet is a cloud-based project management and
collaboration tool
that enables businesses to automate workflows and plan, track, and report on various projects in real-time.As well as robust workflow automation functionality, the platform offers a variety of features for business process management, including Gantt charts, calendars, and task lists, which can be customized to meet specific business needs.
Smartsheet noteworthy features
- Guided workflow templates
- Customized workflows
- Multiple automation triggers
- Task cards with custom fields, images, and color coding
How customers rate Smartsheet
- G2 rating: 4.4/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (as of May 2023)
Smartsheet pricing
- Free: This plan is free for up to one user and two editors.
- Pro: $7 per user/month when billed annually. Suitable for a maximum of 10 users with unlimited viewers.
- Business: $25 per user/month when billed annually. Suitable for a minimum of three users with unlimited viewers.
- Enterprise: Suitable for organizations that run processes at scale. Contact Smartsheet directly for a custom quote.
2. TravelPerk
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TravelPerk
is a business travel management platform that helps companies automate the business travel process, allowing for significant time and cost savings.The platform -- which is designed around the fact that
automated travel management is the future
-- empowers business travelers to have complete control over booking trips
, including accommodation and transportation arrangements. With the world’s largest travel inventory for flights
, accommodation
, rail
, and car rentals
, travelers can select the best travel options with ease.TravelPerk also enables streamlined trip approvals and expense reporting, automates
travel policy compliance
, and automatically approves travel itineraries to help businesses streamline processes and optimize workflows for multiple stakeholders.TravelPerk noteworthy features
- A VAT recovery solutionto help businesses save up to 25% on business travel expenses
- FlexiPerk, a flexible booking policy that enables users to cancel business trip arrangements up to two hours before departure with a guaranteed refund of 80%
- GreenPerk, a carbon offsetting program
- Real-time tracking and reporting on all corporate travelers
- Expense management automation via third-party integration with providers such as Pleo,Personio, andHiBob
- Android and iOS Mobile apps for on-the-go access
How customers rate TravelPerk
- G2 rating: 4.6/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.8/5 (as of May 2023)
TravelPerk pricing
TravelPerk offers four pricing plans, starting with a free tier. All plans have access to the 7* customer care support team with a 15-second response rate, and users can add an unlimited amount of travelers and administrators to the platform.Here’s an overview of TravelPerk’s pricing options:
- Starter: This plan is free with no monthly subscription fee. The first 5 bookings each month are free, with a 5% booking fee thereafter. This plan offers access to consolidated invoicing, unlimited cost centers, one policy and approval workflow, and travel restriction information and alerts.
- Premium: $99/month with a 3% booking fee. This plan offers savings of up to 25% with VAT-ready invoices and an automated user setup.
- Pro: $299/month with a 3% booking fee. This plan provides unlimited policy and approval workflows, unlimited budgets by cost center, custom reports and insights, and access to corporate rates.
- Enterprise: This tier is aimed at enterprise businesses that need a customized feature set. To find out more, get in touch with an expert.
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See how to save money by automating your booking process
Best tools for task and project management
1. Monday.com
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Monday.com is a cloud-based project management and team collaboration tool that provides a centralized platform for team communication, task management, and project tracking.
The platform’s customizable project boards enable users to create unique workflows and automations and manage tasks. Monday.com also offers Gantt charts, time tracking, and workload management.
To further optimize workflow and project management processes, Monday.com also integrates with Slack, Dropbox, and Trello.
Monday.com noteworthy features
- Pre-prepared workflow automation templates
- Multiple board visualizations
- Automated project and task approvals
- Document management
How customers rate Monday.com
- G2 rating: 4.7/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (as of May 2023)
Monday.com pricing
- Free: Forever free for up to two users.
- Basic: $24/month when billed annually, suitable for up to three users.
- Standard: $29/month when billed annually, suitable for up to three users. This plan includes extra features that the Basic plan does not offer.
- Pro: $48/month when billed annually, suitable for up to three users. This plan includes extra features that the Standard plan does not offer.
- Enterprise: Contact Monday.com directly for a custom quote.
2. Asana
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Asana is a collaboration and project management tool that helps teams organize, track, and manage their work. The centralized platform enables team communication, task management, and project tracking throughout the entire project lifecycle. With its customizable boards, users can create unique workflows, set up automations, and manage task dependencies with ease.
The platform enables users to manage projects with Gantt charts, timelines, checklists, and Kanban boards (ideal for product design teams) and integrates with Slack, Google Drive, and Trello for data exchange optimization between systems.
Asana noteworthy features
- Workspaces for individuals and teams to collaborate on projects and tasks
- Customized project dashboards
- Customizable templates and workflows
- Automated workflows
How customers rate Asana
- G2 rating: 4.3/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (as of May 2023)
Asana pricing
- Basic: Free forever. Collaborate with up to 15 team members.
- Premium: $10.99 per user/month when billed annually.
- Business: $24.99 per user/month when billed annually.
Best tools for customer support operations and success
1. Help Scout
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Help Scout is a customer service tool designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It provides a unified inbox for managing emails, chats, and customer requests, as well as automation, ticketing, and collaboration tools.
With reporting and analytics features, Help Scout enables businesses to track customer satisfaction and identify opportunities for improving the customer experience.
Help Scout noteworthy features
- Automated workflows
- Canned responses
- Customer onboarding
- Reporting for KPIs
How customers rate Help Scout
- G2 rating: 4.4/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (as of May 2023)
Help Scout pricing
- Standard: $20 per user/month when billed annually. Suitable for up to 25 users.
- Plus: $40 per user/month when billed annually with no maximum user count.
- Pro: $65 per user/month when billed annually. Suitable for larger teams.
2. ChurnZero
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ChurnZero is a customer success software that helps businesses reduce customer churn. It provides a range of features including automated engagement tools, customer segmentation, and a centralized space to store the steps of a customer’s success journey.
ChurnZero's reporting and analytics features enable businesses to gain insights into customer behavior and make data-driven decisions to improve customer satisfaction and retention.
ChurnZero noteworthy features
- Customer health scores
- Real-time alerts and notifications
- Behavior tracking
How customers rate ChurnZero
- G2 rating: 4.7/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (as of May 2023)
ChurnZero pricing
ChurnZero does not provide public pricing information. Contact ChurnZero directly for accurate pricing information.
Best tools for inventory tracking
1. Fishbowl Inventory
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Fishbowl Inventory is an inventory management and ERP (enterprise resource planning) tool designed for small to midsize businesses that offers inventory tracking, order management, and manufacturing and warehouse management.
The platform integrates with accounting, CRM (customer relationship management), shipping, e-commerce, and shopping cart tools, and comes with real-time data and reporting capabilities,
Fishbowl Inventory noteworthy features
- Multi-location management
- Auto purchasing
- Customized purchase order approval processes
How customers rate Fishbowl Inventory
- G2 rating: 4/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.2/5 (as of May 2023)
Fishbowl Inventory pricing
Fishbowl Inventory does not provide public pricing information. Contact Fishbowl Inventory directly for accurate pricing information.
2. Zoho Inventory
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Zoho Inventory is a cloud-based inventory management platform designed for small to midsize businesses to help optimize inventory, order management, and shipping processes.
The platform offers features such as barcode scanning, multi-channel selling, and warehouse management, as well as integrations with well-known e-commerce platforms and accounting software.
Zoho Inventory noteworthy features
- Centralized inventory
- Automatic reordering
- Barcode inventory management
How customers rate Zoho Inventory
- G2 rating: 4.3/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (as of May 2023)
Zoho Inventory pricing
- Free: Free for up to 50 orders per month and two users.
- Standard: $59 per organization/month when billed annually. Suitable for up to 1,500 orders per month and three users.
- Professional: $99 per organization/month when billed annually. Suitable for up to 7,500 orders per month and five users.
- Premium: $159 per organization/month when billed annually. Suitable for up to 15,000 orders per month and 10 users.
- Elite: $239 per organization/month when billed annually. Suitable for up to 25,000 orders per month and 15 users.
- Ultimate: $329 per organization/month when billed annually. This plan is suitable for up to 25,000 orders per month and also includes the Zoho Analytics module.
Best tools for supply chain, shipping, and logistics
1. SAP Supply Chain Management
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SAP Supply Chain Management is an ERP solution that enables businesses to manage and optimize their supply chain processes.
The platform offers features such as automated warehouse management, integrated business planning, and optimized global transportation management.
SAP Supply Chain Management noteworthy features
- Procurement and supplier management
- Predictive analytics
- Resource management
- Collaborative transportation management
How customers rate SAP Supply Chain Management
- G2 rating: SAP Supply Chain Management is not listed on G2.
- Capterra rating: SAP Supply Chain Management is not listed on Capterra.
SAP Supply Chain Management pricing
SAP Supply Chain Management does not provide public pricing information. Contact SAP Supply Chain Management directly for accurate pricing information.
2. Board
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Board is a supply chain planning tool that integrates strategy, finance, and operations to enable operations managers to gain full control of organizational performance.
The platform offers features such as demand planning, supply planning, predictive insights, the ability to link inventory strategies with business goals, and automated bid management to help businesses improve their supply chain efficiency, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction.
Board noteworthy features
- Single shared data repository
- Dynamic data model
- Allocation models
How customers rate Board
- G2 rating: 4.4/5 (as of May 2023)
- Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (as of May 2023)
Board pricing
Board does not provide public pricing information. Contact Board directly for accurate pricing information.
Who uses Operations Management software?
Operational management software is used by small businesses and enterprises across all industries to reduce the burden of time-consuming manual processes. It is commonly used by operations managers, supply chain managers, inventory managers, production managers, and other professionals involved in managing and optimizing business operations.
How can an Operations Management system help me in my day to day?
Operations management software helps streamline and automate the tracking of inventory levels, managing projects and tasks, optimizing customer support operations, and managing supply chains.By centralizing data and automating repetitive tasks, operations management software can save businesses time and reduce operational costs, allowing you to focus on more important and strategic activities.Operations management platforms also provide real-time data and analytics to aid decision-making, identify bottlenecks, and optimize workflows to improve productivity and profitability.
What features should I look for in Operations Management software?
When evaluating operations tools and apps, look for the following features:
- Process automation
- Supply chain management
- Inventory tracking
- Project management
- Workflow management
- Data analytics
- Real-time reporting
- Integrations with third-party tools
- User-friendly interface
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