When we talk about smartphone and tablets usage in business, we often think of big corporations and how they are utilizing such devices. These devices clearly have a lot to offer for daily operations of big companies, but at the same time, they can be great tools for small businesses and their owners.
The versatility of these devices especially tablets allows small business owners to complete many important tasks like project planning, expense tracking, invoice generating, document management and others all from a single hand-held device.
The app stores are crowded with apps that can help entrepreneurs launch, run and grow just about any business. There are plenty of well-known business apps that get a lot of media coverage in mainstream and tech news like Square’s mobile payment system, Google Drive and Slack.
However, there are many great business apps that don’t get a lot of publicity but can considerably help entrepreneurs and their small businesses. Whether you are a small business owner or an employee, these 5 apps that you probably never heard of will help you work or run your business more effectively and efficiently.
PDF to Word Converter with OCR
In most cases, small business owners are buried with all kind of electronic documentation. Most of those documents are in PDF so it would be next to impossible to edit or reuse them. This is where PDF to Word Converter comes in really handy. The app lets you convert any PDF into an editable MS Word file with great accuracy and quality. It also supports cloud services like iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive which means that you can convert files directly from the cloud. The recent update brought a document scanner feature to the app which means you are now able to scan and convert documents directly from your device.
Price: Free
Basecamp
It is a very popular and well-known project-management app, but somehow it manages to stay under the shadows of other more popular ones. One of the reasons many small business owners use it lays in its ease of use. The interface is intuitive and the app is streamlined to be easily understandable to everyone. You can effortlessly invite new collaborators, attach and share files, chat within different projects and track the progress of any employee or project. There is even an option to create workflow calendars so everyone could be on track and on the same page as you are. The app lacks some more advanced features, but if your project is straightforward and you don’t want to spend much time learning new systems, the app would be the perfect pick for you.
Price: Free
Streak
If you rely on Gmail or Google apps in your company, Streak would be a great addition to your arsenal. It is a CRM that seamlessly integrates both with Gmail and your Google apps. By using the app you are able to organize customers not by contacts, but by where you are in your business relationship. For example, you could search for customers you sent only the first pitch or you could search for customers with who you are finalizing your deal. All client emails can be viewed within the app and a newsfeed will keep all your employees updated on the client statuses and everything else that is going on. Base service is free, but the app has some paid options as well.
Price: Free
FreshBooks
If your small business doesn’t need an advanced and high-powered corporate accounting solution then FreshBooks is for you. It represents an easy-to-use option that offers a lot of functionalities that more powerful solutions have. Everything is accessible on the go which means that you can log receipts, send invoices, track hours and more, right from your mobile device. The app is very visual and intuitive and it can integrate with other apps and services like Basecamp, Google Apps, PayPal and more.
Price: Free
Wunderlist
Say goodbye to the old to-do list apps your smartphone came along with and say hello to Wunderlist. It is an easy to use task manager that helps you get your work done in the most organized way. You can easily create new lists and add them to existing folders, collaborate with other people, write notes, add anything from the web straight to the app, comment on lists and much more. You can even set reminders and due dates to make sure that you will never forget important things. The app automatically syncs between your phone, computer or tablet, so you can access your lists wherever you are.
Price: Free
If you are feeling a lot of pressure and think that your business is causing you to feel like that, don’t worry, there are plenty of apps that can make your life easier. We mentioned a few of our favorites, but with a little research, you can find the rest of them. Until then, we encourage you to try out the apps from the article, you won’t regret.
