10 apps that will help improve your business
Technology is supposed to be there to make our lives easier and apps are a perfect example of this.
There are great apps out there that genuinely make life easier and saves us a lot of time (which is obviously great for businesses) but the question is, how can we separate the good from the bad when there are so many apps to chose from.
Sadly there is no way that we know of other than trial and error but hopefully we might be able to guide you in the direction of 10 great mobile apps that severely impact our business:
SwitchboardFREE (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Visit Website
SwitchboardFREE is the UK’s largest and fastest growing free call manager and the SwitchboardFREE app is a must have for anybody looking for great call management on the move. The iOS apps offers full control over the whole range of features on SwitchboardFREE and the Android app offers a more concise selection of features. Both apps are vital apps for improving your call management, especially when you’re out of the office. They both share a wide variety of SwitchboardFREE functionality including:
- An overview of activity on all of your SwitchboardFREE numbers
- Instant push notifications for missed calls and any alerts set up on your account
- Record custom greetings and other various recordings directly from the app
- View faxes received via Fax 2 Email
- Download and listen to Voicemails
- Much more…
Con-Flab (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Website
Con-Flab is a conference calling service that offers free conferences to all UK, International and even mobile users. With the ability to record all conferences and a variety of specialised functions within the conferences, this is a must have tool for any business. The app offers all of the same functionality that is available via the website including the ability to download and playback recordings of old conferences. Conference calling will save you time and money and there is no better app for maximising the power of a conference call than Con-Flab.
Evernote (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Website
Evernote is an app that is very popular in the Liquid11 offices. It is a free cloud based app that offers you the ability to collect all of your digital content in a single place and makes all of that content easily searchable across all of your devices. The software is really easy to use and it the apps are very stylish and always being updated. This is a really great app for managing all aspects of your life, including your professional life.
Some of the features (amongst a great many) that really impress us are:
- OCR Text recognition – All images uploaded to their servers are digitally analysed for recognisable text and then later that text will be searchable from within Evernote (very handy)
- The easy to use drag and drop interface for all files of every type
- The ability to share selected notes and notebooks with other Evernote users
Keynote (£6.99)
Keynote is an excellent app (even if you do have to pay for it) for creating presentations on the fly. It is Apple’s answer to Powerpoint and it offers some functionality beyond what you would normally find in a standard presentation software. That coupled with the fact that it is available on the cloud makes this an incredibly handy tool for creating presentations on the move. The range of extra features like templates, high quality animations and the ability to instantly turn tabular data into graphs make this a really strong if not essential app for making presentations. Pair it with an Apple TV and you really are laughing as it is just so simple to create high quality and interesting presentations that produce the wow factor.
Wunderlist (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Download Kindle Website
Whilst in the office we use Evernote for most of our daily organising, Wunderlist comes in a close second and if all your looking for is a list making app then you need look no further. Wunderlist is great for creating lists (hence the name) and with its new ability to create sub lists on each item as well as adding files to list items, this becomes a really great way to organise your business. They offer a pro and a normal free version but at the moment we are happy using the free version and that works out fine. We have different lists for each of our teams and they are shared in the office so everyone knows what everyone else is working on at any one time and what is left. It’s a really simple concept that has been executed exceedingly well.
Flipboard (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Download Blackberry Download Windows Phone Website
Flipboard is an app devoted to supplying you with the latest news from any industry via blogs or RSS feeds and then formatting that news in a unique and interesting way. It is a great way to view all of your normal blogs, news and other feeds in one place and in a way that is visually engaging and easy to use. It is free to use and once set up works on any device ever invented (pretty much) which means that no matter where you are or what you’re doing you can stay on top of your reading.
LinkedIn (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Website
Obviously everyone knows what LinkedIn is. It’s social media meets business and there really is no better way to network in your chosen field and connect with like minded business people all over the world. The apps offer an attractive, if somewhat confusing, interface for you to catch up on your LinkedIn news and is perfect for keeping up to date whilst on the move. For people who have made LinkedIn an integral part of their business then this app is a must.
Square Register (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Website
Turn any iOS or Android device into a till and even accept credit card payments with this amazing app. It is free to download and once you have signed up for an account they will even send you the card reader for free. You can customise your products and services for faster checkout and easy reporting in app. There is the ability to connect a printer to the app so that orders can be printed directly in the kitchen or bar. Send your customers digital receipts, track your sales history directly from the app and print daily summaries or custom sales reports. This really is a total point of sale solution and with a few optional extras you could kit your business out ready for use in no time. The only cost you will see for using this app is 2.75% taken from all card transactions but this number gets lower as you grow.
LogMeIn (FREE)
LogMeIn is one of the biggest names in remote access to your desktop. This app when paired with a computer will allow you to remotely login and control your computers from your iPad or android device. This is incredibly useful when away from home or the office and needing access to your computer. The service has recently started charging a small monthly amount for each computer connected to LogMeIn but the app remains free. This is app is great for people already familiar with the service and will find the extra mobility freeing. We find it really useful in the office for technical support whilst on the move.
DocuSign Ink (FREE)
Download iOS Download Android Website
With 48 million users (yes million) this product is quickly becoming a revolution. DocuSign provides a way to sign documents digitally so that you no longer have to wait for papers to be delivered or faxed and basically makes life much easier and more convenient. From the app you will gain the ability to sign documents whilst on the move so this app really is going to make life easier and more efficient. We often use this app when setting up agreements with our clients and when even banks and legal services use this product we feel safe that it is a great solution for your document signing needs.
Do you know any more great apps for business?
There you have our 10 favourite apps at the moment but if you know any other great apps for business that you think people should be aware of then please let us know in the comments below.