Getting a business idea off the ground is difficult. In our digital age, there is a fleet of helpful apps that will help you maximise your productivity and really make a difference to your business. We’ve put together the top ones we’d recommend to any start-up or small business.
HelloSign:
HelloSign makes handling contracts effortless, allowing you to review and sign agreements from the palm of your hand. It’s a powerful e-signing solution, which is security-proofed and allows much faster document workflows. Free version available.
Slack:
Slack is a great messaging app that enables teams to internally chat without using emails or large email threads for relatively quick questions.
Private messaging groups can also be created for circulating sensitive information and multi-channel chats can be created too, so separate group chats for, say, marketing, sales or support teams can be made. Slack also works with the tools and services you already use every day. Pipe in information or take action without leaving Slack. Some great ones we’ve seen is a social channel which shares the businesses social posts, a sales channel that tracks new clients, and a customer satisfaction one that shares NPS scores and feedback. The possibilities are endless. Free version available.
Pocket:
How many times have you scrolled through a newsfeed and reminded yourself to come back and read an article later? How many times have you actually remembered to do so? Chances are, even if you did, it would be difficult to relocate the article.
With Pocket, busy entrepreneurs can stay up-to-date with current events, industry news, and that funny video your best friend sent. Using this app, you can quickly bookmark articles, work documents, videos, or photos with ease and revisit them later at your convenience. Free version available.
Lastpass:
We’ve all been there—the dreaded password reset. With every website calling for a different combination of capital letters, numbers and symbols, it’s easy to lose track of passwords. LastPass is a password management service that stores encrypted passwords for your private accounts to keep them organised and safe from potential hacks. This super-secure autofill tool can save users a great deal of time and protect your startup’s sensitive information. It also has a business platform that allows you to securely store all passwords for your business and grant access to only those that need them.
Trello:
Trello is an easy-to-use project management app that tracks your team’s workflow. Each card you create on a Trello board represents an assignment or task. You can add members, comments, attachments, checklists, due dates, and labels and stickers to make the cards as descriptive as possible. Whenever you change a card, Trello notifies each member via email and on mobile devices making collaboration a breeze. Free version available.
Xero:
Xero makes, accounting enjoyable – yes you read right. It’s fantastic for automating both mundane and complicated financial tasks. You can send quotes, invoice customers, submit expense claims and even reconcile bank transactions with live bank feeds. Xero gives you a real-time view of your entire financial operation. It also serves as the financial hub for your entire business with over 500 apps across a wide variety of business functions that can be integrated with Xero.
ReceiptBank:
Running your own business is hard enough without having to keep track of receipts and invoices. ReceiptBank makes it simple, allowing you to easily collect all the receipts and invoices that are given to you, scan them, extract all the data, and put straight into your books.
This could be anything from using their iPhone app to take a photo of a receipt to someone being sent an invoice and emailing it in. Bonus, it also integrates with Xero making your bookkeeping seamless.
Calendly:
Say goodbye to phone and email tag for finding the perfect meeting time with Calendly. Calendly works with your existing calendars to automatically check your availability, so you don’t have to do the work. It can handle all types of meeting scheduling from one-on-one sessions to large team meetings. There are also numerous ways to set controls and customise Calendly to work the way you want it. Free version available.
Google Drive/Docs/Sheets:
Although I’ve combined these three apps into one group section, you’ll need to download them individually:
- Google Drive is the place to store all your documents which can synchronise and be accessed from any device.
- Google Docs is the place to create, edit, and collaborate with your team on documents.
- Google Sheets is the place to create, edit, and collaborate with your team on spreadsheets.
Zoom:
Zoom enables high-quality video conferencing on any device. The app gives you the ability to participate in meetings anywhere in the world and share/present information directly from your mobile phone. Even if meeting members don’t have the Zoom app, they can join the conference. Zoom will automatically send out reminders so that dates and times aren’t forgotten. Free version available.
A few other useful apps