5 Surprising Uses For A Spreadsheet For Business

More than half a billion people use Excel. Of course, Microsoft’s spreadsheet software isn’t the only game in town. Google Sheets, Apple’s Numbers, and many more go toe-to-toe with Excel.

You’re familiar with spreadsheets as tools for keeping the books or doing up budgets. Did you know they can do a lot more?

These five uses for a spreadsheet for business might surprise you. They’ll also show you why spreadsheet software is so popular around the world.

1. Create A Mailing List

Many businesses need a way to keep track of their customers. You don’t need to invest in an expensive CRM platform if you have spreadsheet software.

You can use Excel for business to create a database of your customers. Simply record their details, and then use the spreadsheet’s functions to sort. You could choose to mail something to everyone with the last name “Smith” or to everyone in a certain city.

Some spreadsheet software will also let you mail merge. That means you can print shipping labels and more, all from the spreadsheet itself.

One of the best aspects of using spreadsheet software this way is the complete control over what you log. You also have control over how you log it. It’s a simple and customizable solution for your business.

2. Use Excel With C# And .NET

You may not think of Excel as having much use for programmers and developers. There are times when your team may want or need to use an Excel file.

Unfortunately, Excel files can be tricky to work within C# programs. That’s because Excel uses another programming language.

There are quite a few different ways around this, such as using Microsoft’s own Interop set up. You can also find an excellent C# Excel library. Some of these libraries will let you work with spreadsheets without needing Interop or even Excel itself.

Excel spreadsheets can then be used to power your programs. This might mean you can pull in your mailing list or customer database. You may also be able to use the data contained in the spreadsheet for powering other functions.

3. Use A Spreadsheet For Business To Track Hours

You may have used a spreadsheet to create a personal timetable or agenda. Spreadsheets for business can be used this way in business too. You could craft your next meeting agenda or a weekly shift schedule in Excel.

You can also use spreadsheets to keep track of the hours your team is working. There’s no need for a fancy app to get accurate timesheets.

Simply set up a template in Excel, and then ask the team to keep track of their hours. You can have people log their start time upon arrival and “clock out” when they leave.

You can usually port this data to your payroll platform with ease. That means payroll is easier and more accurate too!

Better yet, you can create a completely customized template. If you need to track hours on particular projects or breaks, you can create a sheet that reflects your needs.

4. Get On Top Of Project Management With A Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets are excellent for tracking time, which also means they’re great options for project management.

You can use Excel or another spreadsheet program to craft a project management template. In turn, you can keep better track of the status of each and every project.

You may choose to use a checklist or to-do list format. A more visual format, like a Gantt chart, can also be useful.

You can then use the spreadsheet to assign tasks and even keep track of where your project might be getting stuck or held up.

Since this data is also in Excel, you can use it to conduct some analysis. You may be able to see total time on the project, as well as task breakdown. What’s taking your team the longest?

You may even be able to compare different projects. This can give you a sense of how long, on average, your team takes on a certain task or a type of project. It may even give insight into which team members are the most productive, and who needs a little more help.

5. Data Analysis And Reporting

From the discussion above, you may have guessed that Excel spreadsheets can be powerful tools for data analysis.

Your project management statistics will all be recorded within the program. You can compile insights about each project, each task, and projects on the whole.

This is also true of pretty much anything else you can use Excel for. Want to know which of your team members is the most productive? Compare their time-tracking log to their recorded hours on various tasks in projects.

What about insights from your customer mailing list? Spreadsheet software can help you discover how many of your customers live in a specific area, how many are in a particular age group, or how often people place orders.

If you use Excel to keep track of inventory, you may be able to get insights about what’s selling and what’s not.

Excel also features some powerful visualizations, which can help make data easier to understand. The program’s reporting capabilities make it even easier to present your findings to your higher-ups. In turn, you’ll have a more convincing presentation on your hands, as well as the insights to make better business decisions.

The Right Technology Advice Keeps You Growing

Many people think a spreadsheet for business is limited to keeping the books. With luck, these five surprising uses have opened your eyes.

There are so many other uses for spreadsheets in your business. Some of them are time-saving, some of them save money, and all of them are powerful.

Looking for more tips on other powerful technology tools for your business? You’re in the right place! Check-in often for all the latest tips and tricks to keep your business on the cutting edge.