Member Article

Top 6 productivity apps for your business

Prior to the divisive summer budget, one of the main concerns of the business community was declining productivity. April this year saw the Financial Times, among many other publications, remarking on the worrying lack of output in the UK since 2007.

The conclusion drawn by the FT was that ‘Lawyers, accountants and management consultants lie at the heart of the UK’s productivity problem.’ One frustrating dilemma for many small businesses is that increasing office hours are not in direct proportion with rising output.

In an age of app obsession, there’s now an app for everything – including ones to increase you and your employees’ productivity in the office. But which are the ones you’re really missing out on?

1. Expensify

Logging expenses is always a bit of a chore. Whether it’s the person tracking their expenses or the person dealing with others on a daily basis, it’s laborious for everyone involved.

Expensify is an app that allows you to track expenses with ease. The process is simple: input the relevant information, take a photo of the receipt (or equivalent) and the app will file it until you need to send them off.

This handy app can also divide the expenses into as many reports as you need, which is perfect for contractors and freelancers.

2. Carrot

There are so many ‘to-do list’ apps, but Carrot’s unique, quirky and grumpy style makes it the fun one of the bunch. As she says: ‘The rules are simple: get stuff done.’

Full of snarky comments if you don’t tick off your to-dos (‘You don’t want to make me upset’), there are also rewards when you do (some include an ‘epic story’). Pull down on the menu to add a task, and swipe to the right of it when you’ve completed it to gain points.

3. DocuSign

Almost everything is digitalised – not exactly a new revelation. So it can be a hassle to print out a document, sign, scan and email it over. DocuSign takes out these issues, providing an easier alternative to document signing.

Simply upload the documents, add who needs to sign and place tags where those people should add their signature. There will be a link in the sent email, which diverts the recipient to the document and DocuSign tabs, which will need an electronic signature.

You are also able to check a document’s status, send reminders and store the documents securely online.

4. Nimble

Nimble is a Customer relationship management (CRM) app that effectively combines communication channels (Facebook, Twitter etc.) with nurtured relationships within one app.

The app allows you to monitor all the social channels simultaneously and identify people in your network who you should be communicating with. It also allows you to see team customer interactions and is considered the ‘first CRM that works wherever you’re engaging customers’.

5. Splashtop

Particularly useful if you find yourself out of the office or working from home at the last minute, Splashtop allows you to access important things from your Mac or PC via your android phone, tablet, iPad or iPhone.

The app also offers a variety of other features including file transfer, high-end security, grouping and multi-user access. The only downside is that it isn’t free, but at $60 (around £38) per year it is cheaper than its better known competitors LogMeIn and Teamviewer.

6. Thinglist

This app is used as more of a ‘memory jogger’ than another to-do list. Rather than having your notebook to hand, you can organise your thoughts and feelings of people, places and anything else in one place.

It’s created by the people behind Vimeo and Forrst for people who ‘don’t have the best memory’. This isn’t an app to be taken too seriously, but it’s playful, fun and simple to use.

By Rose Hill, online journalist for BusinessesForSale.com, the market-leading directory of business opportunities from Dynamis. Rose writes for all titles in the Dynamis stable including PropertySales.com and FranchiseSales.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BusinessesForSale .