Make the best use of apps for (small) business - a guide for (small) business owners
It’s a digital world. Nowadays, we have apps to make life easier and the same is true for apps for (small) business. But, it’s easy to get lost in the myriad of software and (small) business apps out there. To save you and other (small) business owners some time, we’ve collated a list of a few of our most loved tools/ best (small) business apps and their features to boost your productivity, communication, documentation, finance, sales, marketing, and HR.
Productivity apps
- TSheets - Perfect for businesses with remote/shift-based employees. You can track time on any device to streamline your payroll, send accurate invoices, and build employee schedules. TSheets integrates with numerous accounts software so you can update your payroll, automatically.
- Asana - So much more than a to-do list, Asana helps the (small) business owner plan and structure your work in the way that’s best for you. Lists, time maps, full-blown projects. Set your priorities and deadlines for you and your team, assigning task cards that allow space for all the important details. Follow projects and tasks through every stage to ensure you’re always smashing them.
- Trello - Help your whole team stay on the ball using Trello. Compose briefs with comments, attachments, due dates, and more. Keep on everybody on track and up-to-date with Trello’s cross-device syncing.
- Todoist - Todoist lets you keep track of all your to-dos in one place, so you can make sure everything gets done and enjoy more peace of mind along the way. Get tasks out of your head and onto your to-do list anytime, anywhere, on any device – even offline.
- Kanban Flow - Kanban Flow is project management software that not only helps you organize your team but also supports your project’s execution. With added features such as Pomodoro timers to improve productivity and analytic reporting that helps you identify your team’s successes and areas to improve upon.
- RescueTime - Ever wondered exactly what you spend your day doing? RescueTime tracks the time you spend on applications and websites each day, so you can get an accurate picture of where your time is going. Stay on track by setting alerts so you know when you’ve been working on one project too long and block websites that present unnecessary distractions.
Communication
- Zoom - Whether you’re hosting a meeting, conference call, or webinar, Zoom is great for video calling. It’s as simple as sharing the link with whoever’s jumping on, and you’re set. Screen share, record or simply chat!
- Skype - Skype’s great for video and voice calls, one-on-one, or for groups. With clever features like live subtitles, whiteboard modes, and screen sharing, Skype will help you say exactly what you need to.
- Slack - Self-proclaimed as a ‘collaboration hub for work’, Slack is a quick, easy messaging service that will bring your team together. Create specialized ‘channels’ you can create chatrooms dedicated to any team, project, or purpose. With handy integrations, file upload features, and chat systems your team will benefit from this one, right @channel?
- Fuze - Fuze powers your business’ conversations through a secure and reliable platform through voice, video, or messaging. Work anywhere, anytime, on any device, and unite your team, wherever they are.
Documents
- G Suite - Whether it’s your mail, calendar, spreadsheet, presentation deck, or written document, G-suite makes your experience quick and simple. Invite your peers to collaborate on your work and carry your suite around in your pocket with their mobile apps. Plus, discover the often forgotten extras: Drive, Forms, App Maker, Sites, Keep, Jamboard, and more.
- Microsoft Office - Ah, the traditional Office package! The programs we know and love plus a few that are sometimes forgotten: Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, and Sharepoint. The Office package is a complete toolkit to fuel your business.
- Evernote - If you’ve ever looked through your notes and been taken aback by your scattered and seemingly meaningless notes - Evernote might be one for you. Keep track of everything from your large-scale projects to random thoughts. Set deadlines to stay on track. Be creative - capture your ideas however you feel best, with notes, voice, or pictures.
- Dropbox - Forget spending hours trawling through files, keep them in one location, so nothing gets lost or overlooked. Dropbox allows for easy sharing, backed with tons of security features, so you know your files are safe and sound.
- DocuSign - For everyone going #paperless (or just forgets their pen) we recommend Docusign. Docusign allows you to take electronic signatures. Sign agreements from almost anywhere, quickly.
- Scanbot - Not quite #paperless yet? Scanbot is a mobile document scanner. Contracts, receipts, business cards, whiteboards, flip charts notes, newspaper articles, etc, scan them in so they’re safe and ready to share.
Finance
- Futrli Platform - (Coming soon) Harness the power of your finance. Futrli Platform takes the data your business creates every day and, using machine learning, translates it into a simple, prioritized to-do list. We’ll keep you up-to-date on what you’re business is doing and where it’s heading, to keep you aiming high. Sign up for our preview list here.
- Xero - Make accounting easy. Automate your bank transaction imports, reconciliation, payments, and more. Get paid faster with mobile invoicing, automatic reminders, and online payments.
- Quickbooks - Similar to Xero, Quickbooks is there to make your accounting easier. Complete self-assessments, run payroll, track your mileage, and automatically categorize your expenses.
- ReceiptBank - One thing you definitely don’t want taking up your time is expenses. It’s a nuisance. Receipt Bank lets you instantly capture your receipts with your phone. With handy features for currency conversions and expense reports - a true blessing.
Sales
- Paypal - Accept swift payments online or in-person with a Paypal business account. Make and receive payments safely, with advanced fraud screening, and Seller Protection. Paypal is trusted by customers all over the world and can help instill trust, provide familiar customer service and reliability in your business.
- ServiceM8 - Smart job management for trades and services. Keep your paperwork in your pocket. Manage jobs and staff, quote & invoice on site, capture signatures, take notes, complete PDF forms, accept credit card payments, and sync with your accounting package. So basically, all a tradesman could need.
- Tradify - A complete workflow tool to help you make the most of your day. Make quick work of quotes, invoices, and all the work in between. Enjoy real-time job scheduling and keep your team in the loop.
- InvoiceSherpa - Automate your invoicing. Sync with your accounting software, schedule invoices, and invite your clients to your own portal to make their payments. InvoiceSherpa will automatically send out late payment reminders, auto-collect from your customers, and deposit the payment straight into your bank account.
- Salesforce - A cloud-based CRM for your sales and marketing teams. Automate repetitive tasks, integrate your existing tools and harness advanced analytics to up your game. Create marketing campaigns to build strong client relationships and win new prospects.
- Pipedrive - Visual pipeline management. Start sending and receiving emails within Pipedrive to streamline your workflow. Work with detailed sales analytics to improve your performance. Plus, start your day off right, with your priorities laid out in front of you.
Marketing
- Mailchimp - The bright yellow, monkey mascot all-in-one marketing platform. Emails, digital ads, landing pages, social media, posts cards, and sign-up forms. Doing it all on one platform allows your campaign to be fully integrated and grab your clients and prospects from every
- Vivial - Custom marketing solutions especially for small businesses. Vivial makes bespoke plans for your website, social media, SEO, and digital and print ads. Plus, you’ll be able to keep an eye on how your marketing package is performing with their analytics portal.
- Hootsuite- Marketing your business can take up a lot of your time, but you can save some by scheduling your content and quickly optimize your performance with all your analytics in one place. Upload to your social media channels and your WordPress blog, in a few clicks.
- Buffer - Simple social media management. Plan out your social media calendar and schedule your posts in advance. Keep an eye on your post’s performance with in-depth analytics.
HR
- HiBob - Keep track of your team, on one simple platform - one of the great small business management apps. For you, get all of your team’s information in one place, easy to access and never to be lost. For your team, share important documents, keep track of birthdays, work anniversaries, and authorize holidays (we also like the fun facts: 85% of our team like ice cream).
- Tanda - All-in-one team management software. Onboard your team, and capture their information straight away. Keep track of your team’s hours, track attendance, and integrate your payroll program.
- BreatheHR - HR software built specifically for small-medium businesses. BreatheHR provides comprehensive reporting and a place to store all the information you and your team need. Approve holiday, store important info, manage appraisals and give praise, all in one place.