Ever feel like your small business is punching above its weight?
We feel you.
Although you’re not alone, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed if you’re a solopreneur or small company trying to manage the million moving pieces of your sales and marketing campaigns.
Keeping up with the expectations of modern clients and customers alike can be an absolute grind when you’re flying solo and you find yourself constantly on the go. In response, today’s businesses are finding ways to save time, cut corners and manage relationships via their mobile devices.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
You already have the world in the palm of your hand thanks to your smartphone; however, do you have the right keys to unlock its true potential?
While there’s a seemingly endless sea of apps to choose from when it comes to getting down to business, we’ve outlined five essentials apps to help reign in your day-to-day operations and supercharge your productivity.
Regardless of what you’re selling, consider the following five apps as the cornerstones of creating a powerful mobile office.
Google Docs– Share, collaborate and conquer from anywhere
Is it possible to effectively share files and collaborate without endless email chains and back-and-forth conversations?
Thanks to Google, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Google’s organization tools are second-to-none when it comes to helping businesses stay organized and save time.
For starters, Google Docs serves as your one-stop solution for organization and collaboration on the go, allowing you to do the following without fail:
• Create, edit and share just about any document on your hard drive, automatically saved and backed up as you work
• Collaborate with colleagues and clients simultaneously within the same documents
• Upload up to 15 GB of free files via Google Drive, prime for contracts, instructions, and other crucial docs
Serving as a free alternative to pricier storage solutions, Google Docs can tame just about file-sharing frenzy and save you some serious headaches in the process.
Trello – Juggle multiple projects without sacrificing productivity
Project management is much more than a marketing buzzword for modern entrepreneurs. After all, managing work-flow and the progress of your projects is crucial to staying organized and productive when collaborating with others. Especially when handling tons of professional relationships, it’s rather easy to lose track of where you’re at with your various clients.
From keeping up with comments to handling revisions on documents, Trello can guide you through any given project from Point A to Point B. Additionally, Trello’s integration with Slack allows for tagging and live chat options to help you keep in touch with clients from within the app.
By having checklists and due dates posted for your projects, you can hold yourself accountable for time management and manage your day-to-day schedule accordingly.
Skype – Keep the lines of communication open with clients and customers alike
Communication is key for today’s businesses owners, but keeping in touch can quickly become a balancing act when you’re constantly moving around.
Does that mean you should forgo potential business because you don’t have a designated office phone or meeting place?
Absolutely not.
Skype has become the go-to solution for making calls and small talk among your business relationships. From face-timing in lieu of a traditional meeting to quick clarification on projects, Skype can be used just about anywhere and doesn’t require an investment beyond your smartphone’s built-in camera and microphone.
Evernote – Sync your great ideas across your personal devices
While pen and paper may be relics of the past, Evernote allows you to jot down your ideas at a moment’s notice and sync your notes across multiple platforms. After all, we don’t always have the luxury of our laptops and wi-fi (think: during a face-to-face meeting or while you’re stuck on a plane).
Whether you find yourself struck with inspiration during a brainstorming session or need somewhere to scribble notes down during a call, Evernote helps entrepreneurs keep up with their quick thinking.
Grammarly – Ensure that your messages maintain a professional touch every time
Making mistakes is almost a given when you’re cycling through endless messages on your smartphone.
That being said, even the smallest typos and errors can cause confusion or perhaps make our presentations look less than professional.
Thankfully, Grammarly offers a swift solution to such woes.
Grammarly is a built-in grammar and spell checker on steroids for your emails and documents, ensuring that they’re perfect every time. Instead of worrying about whether or not your pitches and messages make sense, Grammarly can fill in the gaps that go undetected by a default spell checker.
The app’s quick fixes and suggestions to make your messages more presentable can give you peace of mind that your communication is loud, clear and error-free.
Bringing It All Together
Modern entrepreneurs should strive to be as flexible as possible; however, that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice the key aspects of your business just because you’re constantly on the go. Using the aforementioned apps in tandem not only ensures that your business doesn’t miss a beat, but also opens up new opportunities to score clients and customers.
Which apps do you consider to be indispensable for your mobile office? Let us know in the comments below!