In the age of “smart” gadgets, the number of apps is growing every day. Among the myriad of apps, there are some that can make running a business much easier.
We also believe that the optimal price or the ability to use a certain version of a mobile app for business for free is a significant factor. Therefore in this article we focus on free or conditionally free apps.
An app – a time planner
One of the leaders in this area can safely be called Google Calendar. Schedule time for deliveries of goods, interviews, meetings with suppliers and partners – with Google-Calendar it’s all easy. The program is installed by default on many devices initially. Both Android and iOS are suitable for it to work correctly. The app is available for download on Google Play and AppStore.
About the benefits:
Ability to set the calendar view mode (by day, week and month).
Automatic synchronization with Gmail . If you make a reservation or book a hotel, the information is automatically duplicated in the calendar.
Ability to set reminders in the same view as the event.
Ability to set a goal for yourself (the planner will help you find free time to achieve it).
Familiar for users of Google services application interface.
Clouds for data storage
Cloud-based systems allow you to store information not on a desktop computer, but on a remote server. The data is accessible by password. With cloud storage, you can provide access to information at any time from any computer. And you don’t have to worry about data loss because there are backups.
Cloud storage is actually an archive, which allows you to access your company documents (invoices, contracts, certificates) from anywhere in the world. The only prerequisite will be Internet access.
Also Google had more than once been caught in a scandal connected with the indexing of the file storage by search engines. Now users are given the choice of indexing or banning it before uploading files. However, you still need to watch the settings carefully.
Legal support
Legal support will never be superfluous, especially for the entrepreneur. If you have a large company, you won’t have any problems with legal assistance, most likely you have a personal lawyer or even a whole legal department.
If you own a sole proprietorship or just a small business, such as one or two stores, instead of hiring a lawyer you can get by with installing an app with a database of laws and documents.
The Bank in your Pocket
Today, perhaps every self-respecting bank has a mobile application. The functionality of the app is virtually identical. All of them allow controlling finances, making account transactions, sending payment receipts, getting alerts of account changes, making tax payments, opening new accounts and so on. There are now more than 50 bank apps. Due to competition, they are evolving and adding new useful features for businesses.
Bulletin Board
Searching for premises, buying supplies, promoting your goods and services, recruiting staff – all this can be done on one platform. These sites are called bulletin boards.
Calls
Leader in the field of calls on the Internet is undoubtedly Skype. You can use it to communicate for free with subordinates, suppliers and partners even when you are abroad.
About the benefits:
Possibility to create group chats
Minimal traffic consumption when you make video calls.
Possibility to organize group meetings with a video call function.
Additional functions:
- Making calls and sending sms to mobile operators (for an additional fee). Note, however, that messengers and other applications have also introduced group calling features in recent years. Choose the ones that work for you and your employees.
Office in your phone
Another assistant for the entrepreneur is the Microsoft Office Mobile apps. You can use them to work on documents from anywhere, anytime. Work with Excel spreadsheets, Word text files, and even create Power point presentations-all of these functions are available on your gadget.
Document Scanner
A store owner deals with documents on a daily basis. Working with paper within the walls of the office is not a difficult task. But what if you are on the road and you urgently need to scan and send your documents to the recipient? A document scanner can help with this task.
Try a few of the applications described above, and you’ll feel how much easier doing business has become.
