How a Smartphone (and Some Great Apps) Can Help Your Business

Virtually everyone owns a smartphone, which we use for an ever-growing array of tasks and entertainment. But smartphones are also extremely useful in the business realm. CEOs and business owners are discovering just how useful, when they download apps that significantly streamline key tasks and open up communications with employees and customers alike.

Here are some tips on leveraging the incredible power of phones and apps to assist with leadership and other business-related responsibilities.

Keep Professional and Personal Use Separate

It’s a pitfall everyone experiences at one point or another—issues that arise when a phone is used for different (and sometimes competing) purposes. Such issues range from information and security concerns, as well as potential challenges related to privacy. These issues can be avoided if you scrupulously keep professional and personal use separate. Send personal messages, make personal calls and search the Web on your personal phone. Maintain a strict policy of using your second phone for work only.

Explore Coverage Capabilities

Your phone must have the necessary coverage for use in business. As you explore different mobile phone plans, check coverage maps to ensure the phone will not only work in your region, but anywhere else you may be traveling to in the near future.

Want additional insight? Download Productivity Hacks for Business Owners 

Voice Quality Plays a Key Role in Communications

No business leader can afford to rely upon a phone with poor voice quality. Otherwise, the lack of voice quality can make “phone calls and conferences near impossible, which causes several problems for all sides,” notes Small Businesses Do It Better. Be sure to purchase “a high-quality speaker phone so there’s plenty of clarity during phone calls.”

Another valuable smartphone feature is a high-pixel camera, so users can easily review documents, watch videos, and engage in a fruitful way with others on Zoom and similar conference sites.

Look for the Best and Most Relevant Apps

It’s a smart move to download the best and most relevant apps for your business. Generally speaking, basics like Gmail and Office 365 are good places to start. There are also valuable virtual assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Echo that help with scheduling, prioritizing tasks, etc. Another key tool, such as LogMeIn, is an app that syncs up your mobile and desktop computers.

Don’t Overdo It with Apps

It’s easy to get drawn into downloading every app that seems remotely connected with your business responsibilities. Don’t do it!

When you download “every app that comes your way,” notes Small Business Bonfire, it will “overcrowd your mobile and create a lot of confusion.” Installing too many apps can result in “slowing down mobile performance … and impact overall device productivity.” Work on downloading only the apps that will help with your professional duties.

Check Out Popular and Results-Oriented Apps

When it comes to locating and installing the best apps for your business, CO, an editorial website for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, offers these suggestions:

• Slack, an instant messaging app with the capacity to generate both public and private message channels
• Trello, a widely used project management software program that boosts collaboration within the company
• Quickbooks, the well-known accounting software, facilitates transmission of invoices, payment to employees, tax preparation and more
• Square, a payment system that enables small businesses to get paid, quickly and efficiently, for their products or services
• Toggl, adaptable time-tracking software based in the cloud, for use in time and attendance tasks
• Expensify, a tool for taking photos of receipts, categorizing these receipts, enable your employees to turn in business receipts for reimbursement

“Finding the right apps to manage all of your tasks can free up time,” says CO, “and help your business operate more efficiently.”

Want to learn more about technology applications that can help drive business growth? Check out this article, “8 Ways to keep Your Employees Accountable in a Virtual Environment.”