Business owners and managers always are game to try new tricks to increase productivity, manage employees and expenses more efficiently and interact better with clients and customers.
Desktop computers have all but replaced paper for business management, and now, mobile applications are getting their turn.
Statistics suggest the trend has nowhere to go but up: About 57 percent of the United States’ 320 million people are expected to use smartphones this year.
With hundreds of business-friendly apps available, and more being introduced all the time, it can be daunting to determine which actually prevent headaches — and which can create them. Here are a few apps of note:
MIGHTYMEETING
Basic service is free
MightyMeeting made a splash when it debuted in 2010, and it remains on top business app lists from CNN and Business News Daily.
The app allows users to share presentations with people via the Web, Android and iOS devices anywhere there’s a connection or signal, meaning presentations can be given to multiple remote viewers simultaneously. In addition, participants can present images of their own, and the group can use an interactive whiteboard to share notes, sketches and so forth.
Thousands of companies, schools and research organizations use it.
GENIUS SCAN
Basic service is free
or
SCANNER PRO
$2.99
There are a number of apps that turn smartphones and tablets into document scanners, but these two have scored well with ITWorld and Macworld for image quality and usability features.
A good scanner app allows users to save scanned documents in color, grayscale or black and white, then share it or place it in a storage cloud. The ability to use keywords or tag documents is a plus.
SHOWPAD
Base service $25 per user
A winner in the international Tabby Awards app contest, Showpad allows managers to equip sales staff with up-to-date price lists, marketing and promotional handouts, product sheets and presentations to help them prepare for sales meetings and use their smartphones and tablets to close deals.
The app also is designed to increase efficiency by reducing time sales staffers spend looking for materials. Another helpful function: Showpad can be used to generate analytics reports to gauge the effectiveness of sales materials.
EVERNOTE
Basic service is free
With Evernote, users can save and organize notes, memos, images and more, and find them easily thanks to an effective search function.
Evernote gets good reviews because of its flexibility, which allows users to adapt it to a huge array of tasks. In addition to its Web app, it’s offered for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
DROPBOX
Basic service is free
The go-to solution for syncing files across multiple devices since its release in 2008, Dropbox is a cloud-based backup service that allows users to store, share, download and access large files no matter what computer or device they have on hand.
With basic 2GB service still free and the ability to scale up, this app is perfect for small-business owners with designs on growing.
CAMCARD
Varies
Say goodbye to bulky business cards and permanently retire your Rolodex with CamCard’s business-card reader. It’s a significant time-saver, as its 100 million users can attest.
Scan, manage and exchange business cards using a smartphone or tablet, then sync contacts through all of your devices
NUTCACHE
Free
Aimed at small-business owners and freelancers, Nutcache makes it easier for managers and self-employed operators to bill clients, manage expenses and keep track of hours spent on projects. The app even lets you create and customize professional invoices and estimates with your company’s logo.
XPENSETRACKER
$4.99
Designed as an all-inclusive tool to document, store and report expenses, XpenseTracker can be used to record and store receipts, keep track of mileage using your phone’s built-in GPS, and generate reports in PDF or CSV formats.