The rise in cloud computing and mobile internet solutions means that very soon even less new startups and businesses will be using desktop computers to run their companies. Mobile computing just makes sense because business becomes easier and smoother than ever before and the appearance of the app is part of this revolution. Here’s a few that can streamline any business, however large or small.
You can get a pallet load of business cards free from some printing companies these days and it’s not surprising with apps like Bump around. Bump your smart phone suggestively (or not) against that of a fellow business-doer and hey presto their virtual card is transferred to your phone. This makes losing really important contact details a lot harder than ever before and reduces clutter no end.
There’s nothing like the site of a man or woman carrying a clipboard around to get people running into shops they’d not normally be seen dead in. Formmobi discretely turns your phone into a mobile clipboard which allows you to collect data on the go. Without the clipboard and mass panic it can induce. It’s a neat, simple solution for those who need to collect information and get it back to base quickly.
Tripit is a perfectly formed little app to make business travel so much easier. If business travel means a trip on the bus this is probably not necessary. However, for those trips where train connections and flight times need to be in one easy to find place then Tripit is perfect. It even gives you information on the prevailing weather conditions (not much use in the UK at the moment but apparently some locations have more of that “not rain” stuff). Maps are also available in the app, which makes getting there a realistic possibility.
MyBizTracker by Intuit, a leading accounting and bookkeeping software supplier, is an app that helps you get ahead of the game with that all important cash. You can record a full range of financial details; income and expenses, snap pictures of your favourite receipts (or just all of them), and check your balance for an up-to-date picture of your financial position. There’s an easy search function built in to help quickly find any info you’ve entered. The app also features a very useful impending deadline function that will remind you of important anniversaries including the self-assessment date and lets you know when you approach the VAT registration threshold.
I’ve nothing against post it notes, apart from the fact that they get in the way of my screen. Evernnote provides the perfect solution. A “what it says on the can” sort of solution, it allows you to record voice memos, grab and clip information from the internet and make notes to remind you of important events, be they work or play related. It’s a surprisingly simple concept that makes a surprisingly big difference.
From getting around, to remembering where you going and finding the money to pay for it, apps are making the world a simpler place for small and large businesses. The app from Intuit is a particularly handy one, offering a simple and easy to use solution to monitoring cash flow and recording expenses. Apps like Bump and Evernote are also doing their bit to save a few trees as well as important details that can easily be lost. As those computers disappear from desks around the country, these apps are helping to put the mobile into business like never before. All we need now is an app that alerts us when it’s going to “not rain”.
