Business software is computer programs that are designed to help with the management and performance of a business which can increase productivity and accuracy. They can be used to perform a variety tasks, such as customer relationship management, project management, sales force automation and financial accounting. A variety of different business applications are available and each one is adapted to the specific needs of the industry that it is targeting.
For instance, a company which sells online products can benefit from the power of features like customer relationship management software, which allows greater transparency and builds trust with customers. This type of software can also provide key insight into the performance of a business, such as how well its marketing is performing or how effective its website is in getting potential customers to buy from it.
Business software is widely used and has played a major part in the growth of numerous businesses around the globe. The earliest business application software was developed for white-collar jobs using large mainframe computers used to automate tasks such as processing bank cheques and factory accounting. Later, word processors such as Word Perfect and Microsoft Word saw the decline of the IBM typewriter, and mathematical spreadsheet programs such as Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel became extremely popular with corporate consumers.
Certain business software is interactive. This means that users can manipulate data and see results immediately. Other business software runs in batch mode, which means that it can be programmed to run on a set schedule and produce reports without the intervention of a user. If a software issue occurs and a team is assigned with resolving the problem so that users can get back to their job. This is known as business software support.