The current digital environment is app-focused, with people spending more than 90% of their mobile time using apps. This explains the rise of projected mobile apps’ revenue to $581.9 billion through app stores and in-app adverts. That said, mobile apps have changed the face of businesses, becoming prevalent and more powerful. Most importantly, they can significantly help run your business smoothly, be it improving daily operations, organizing ideas, and other benefits. Below are some of the best apps to boost your business.
Best Cloud Computing Apps
Running a startup business might be hands-on but requires stringent delegation of tasks to talented employees, including project managers, copywriters, designers, and others. Without the right management tools, you can easily miscommunicate and plunge your business into losses. The following business mobile apps can help share files, organize ideas, and stay up to date.
- Google Workspace
Formerly known as G Suite, the mobile app allows startups to port files from tablets, smartphones, and PCs. The free app standard package comes with a maximum online storage of 30GB, with options for users to upgrade to unlimited storage space. Users can create docs, presentations, drawings, spreadsheets, and more. Google Workspace eliminates the need to use multiple apps to accomplish several business functions.
- ShipStation
Startups that buy and sell products online will highly benefit from ShipStation. This powerful mobile app provides time-saving e-commerce solutions that streamline your shipping needs. The cloud-based app is easy to use and enables users to process online orders, receive alerts, and print shipping labels. It is also an efficient shipment mobile tracking app. ShipStation integrates with most e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify and WooCommerce.
- SurveyMonkey
As the name suggests, SurveyMonkey is among the important market analytics business apps. With the app, you don’t have to guess what customers want. Instead, you can create surveys that measure user engagement and draw anonymous customer feedback about your website, products, and pricing. The best thing about this app is that you can roll out surveys even with the app’s free version. However, you can subscribe to advanced paid packages for additional features.
The Best Communication Apps
Communication is an important aspect of any business. Without proper communication, collaboration between various teams, departments, and customers becomes a challenge. Fortunately, with advancing technology, startups can leverage various tools to improve their communication. They include:
- Pushover
The tool sends push notifications to smartphones and organizes notifications in your device to a common space. Users can send up to 7500 messages monthly and receive unlimited notifications on iOS and Android devices for free. Popular gambling applications often use such platforms to send push notifications about casino bonuses and other discounts.
- Slack
Slack is an instant communication platform that can be used to organize your team or department’s conversations. You can send direct messages or group conversations into private or public channels. The platform also makes it easy to share files, PDFs, and other documents in the chat. It indexes and archives messages, notifications, and files automatically and has no limit to the number of users you can add.
- Skype
Skype is probably one of the communication apps that grew in popularity during the Coronavirus pandemic. For a long, the tool has remained on the videoconferencing throne, providing effective and reliable services. You can use it to voice or video call anyone globally, allowing up to 25 people on the call. You can also share files, images, videos, computer screens, and more. It is an app that improves collaboration between teams and departments.
Best Tools for Financial Matters
Proper management of finances is crucial for startups, especially with the limited availability of financial resources. Therefore, you should adopt tools that help track business expenditures, income, and other miscellaneous costs. Consider the following tools:
- Toggle
With a determined hourly rate, you should keep track of your working hours. This is where Toggle comes in. The app is a great mobile and desktop tracking tool. It is free for teams of up to 5 people, easy to use, and provides detailed reports.
- Vantage
Establishing a startup often comes with tax and financial challenges. Fortunately, some apps can help entrepreneurs brave enough to balance their books. With vantage, the tool brings together all your business’s financial information, making it easy to analyze your financial health. Expenses, invoicing, and other accounting tools are available. If you are afraid of working on this on your own, you can save time and stress by hiring specialized accountants.
Staying Productive
Productivity directly determines the revenue of your startup. You can boost productivity with some tools.
- Thingthing Keyboard
Thingthing app makes multitasking on your smart devices easy. Like any other communication app, you can attach photos, documents and check the calendar while chatting or writing an email without necessarily switching apps. It transforms your keyboard with shortcuts that eliminate the need to switch between different phone services.
Acquiring Clients
Getting clients is an important aspect of running your business. Without clients, startups cannot make revenue and grow. As such, you need apps to increase your chances of landing clients.
- HubSpot
Investing in a robust customer relationship management tool is important for monitoring your clients. HubSpot provides custom views, pulls contact details from trusted sources, and integrates with your email accounts for automated correspondence.
Bonus Beneficial Startup Apps
While the apps mentioned above can get you started, consider the following bonus apps for increased chances of success:
- FreshBooks – FreshBooks is a cloud accounting app that makes invoicing quick and simple. With the tool, you can create personalized invoices or set automatic billing. Businesses can also track expenses for an eye-opening accounting. The tool can be accessed from all devices and easily converts estimates into invoices.
- Periscope – The Periscope app initially enabled users to explore the world through another person’s eyes. From the business perspective, it makes it easy for users to connect with prospects and potential clients from other parts of the world.
- Mention – Mention monitors and tracks social media posts and web content and informs you through email anytime your brand name is mentioned. A free version is available for startups with up to 250 mentions monthly, while premium upgrades are the best for established businesses.
- Wunderlist – The tool is the ultimate platform for creating your to-do lists. From the platform, you can share lists across several devices, set deadlines, reminders, take notes, and collaborate easily. You can use the tool for free, with a pro upgrade at a small fee.
- Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator – As a startup, you should understand your finances if you want to make revenue. Using this tool can help in estimating perfect rates to charge your clients.
- Fuze – Fuze provides uninterrupted video conferencing for online meetings from all devices and operating systems. The tool has high-definition video and clear audio. Downloading and setting up the tool is easy.
Bottom Line
If you are growing your startup business, you should find ways of getting things done faster and better. The above-mentioned tools and apps can help your small business succeed. You should also explore other favorite apps, such as Expensify, Dropbox, MailChimp, and Polaris Office, for improved efficiency and business growth.
For experienced entrepreneurs, what other beneficial apps have not been mentioned in the list? Share your suggestions below.
