Streamline your operations, boost customer satisfaction and stay ahead of the curve with these essential SaaS tools that have been approved by MI retailers. — By Kimberly Kapela 5 SAAS TOOLS TO INSTALL — NOW
JACKRABBIT What Is It: A software designed for class management, including music schools, to maintain and streamline operations. It offers features like online registration, student enrollment, billing and com- munication tools to help music schools run efficiently. How It’s Helpful: Jackrabbit helps music educators and retailers streamline administrative tasks and im- prove organization for music class programs, whether small private studios or large multi-location schools. It sets up recurring music lessons, assigns instructors and manages room availability. Jackrabbit maintains detailed records for students, including contact info, attendance and skill level. Why Retailers Love It: “Jackrabbit helps us retailers build stronger relationships with customers by providing tools made for managing customer interactions,” said Adam Daut, owner of Mad Music in Chandler, Arizona. More Info: jackrabbitclass.com
GUSTO What Is It: A platform that provides payroll, benefits and HR management solutions for small-to-medium- sized businesses. How It’s Helpful: Gusto can simplify admin tasks by automating payroll for both full-time staff and part- time instructors, as well as managing benefits for employees. This allows retailers to focus more on their core business activities, such as sales and customer service, while maintaining smooth running back-office operations. HR tools include features for onboard- ing new employees, managing time-off requests and maintaining employee records. Why Retailers Love It: “We have begun to use Gusto in the last two years for our payroll and HR solutions,” Fischer of Dave’s Guitar said. “It works great and has a robust suite of options for fairly reasonable pric- ing. With four stores across the state, we needed to shift to a direct deposit system, but finding one that has reasonable pricing, was easy to use and would allow us to manage benefits, employee bonuses and HR solutions. Gusto has been a great solution. Their support is great. They file the majority of tax forms for the company. For small-to-medium-sized com- panies that don’t have dedicated HR people, Gusto is a great option.” More Info: gusto.com
SHIPSTATION What Is It: A cloud-based shipping and order fulfillment platform.
How It’s Helpful: Music retailers often sell across multiple channels, and ShipStation’s centralized order management helps them keep track of it all. ShipStation pulls orders from all these platforms into a single dashboard, so retailers don’t have to bounce between systems. It gives access to deeply discounted rates with major carriers like UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL — helping music stores save money on shipping gear. Why Retailers Love It: “It consolidates orders into a streamlined workflow that allows you to price shop rates, apply presets to shipments for quick shipping, and streamlines the international shipping process,” said Tylor Fischer, general manager of Dave’s Guitar in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. “It’s an excellent all-in-one solution for shipping.” More Info: shipstation.com
38 I MUSIC INC. I JULY 2025
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