Top 10 Essential iPhone Apps for Business Owners
May 10, 2010 by Larissa THIA
The advent of smart phones marks a portentous societal change and its significance is heightened even more so for business owners who wish to manage their businesses on the go. Numerous productivity applications have been developed to enable small business owners to keep a knowing eye on their operations while not being physically present at the office. One’s business is now literally, in the palm of your hand.
After separating the wheat from the chaff, here are our top 10 essential iPhone apps that will help small business owners enhance productivity and develop some modicum of omnipresence!
Invotrak
The main benefit of Invotrak lies it its ability to afford the users with a bird’s eye view of the entire accounts receivable system. Invotrak tracks billable time as timesheet entries, records invoices and adds line items. Information can then be documented in professional-looking PDF files using five built-in templates and mailed to clients before payment is due.
Using the fee paying account is more advantageous as one can simultaneously manage unlimited client and employee accounts on the go therefore ensuring that all clients can be tracked using the same platform. On another note, tracking billable time really ensures that your firm is being paid for the accurate value that it provides, making sure that time is wisely spent. Price: Free
Cisco Web Ex Meeting Centre
Not only does this app enable users to stay connected to important meetings, active participation is encouraged through the provision of simultaneous audio and data. One can now view content shared from any computer – documents, applications, or screen sharing with live annotations from their screen whilst enjoying these presentations complete with integrated audio.
Perhaps you just might want to discretely seek clarifications with your colleagues during the meeting? This app allows you to start individual or group chats with other participants so that private conversations can be shared while the meeting is in progress. Most significantly, this app provides seamless transition from the physical to the virtual world by allowing users to transfer a live meeting from their iPhone to a Windows PC with just a flick of the wrist. Price: Free
Zosh
With Zosh, the imminent obsolescence of the fax machine has just skipped a few beats faster. With their patent pending signature tool, users can now sign documents with their fingers on their iPhone touchscreen and send back these files in standard PDF formats.
Gone are the days where it was necessary to convert, download, print, sign and fax back the documents. What Zosh has really done is to increase the efficiency in transaction process by eliminating the unnecessary in between steps as well as taken away the need for special conversion or upload tools. Other than adding your signature, users can also edit the document by adding Text, Dates, Images and other notes before sending it out. Price: USD $2.99
Tweetdeck
Businesses needing to maintain constant connectivity with their customers should make use of TweetDeck to efficiently engage their online communities. TweetDeck functions as your mobile browser for staying in touch with both Twitter and Facebook. Users can create groups, search Twitter, manage multiple accounts, and easily post your tweets or share photos, videos, links etc as well as view and update Facebook at the same time.
There is greater potential to be seen from an app like TweetDeck – future updates may just result in the inclusion of even more social networking platforms such that all of one’s communities can be managed via the TweetDeck nerve centre. Such management will allow greater efficiency and even faster response to the needs of the individual and collective communities therefore maintaining even greater connectivity. Price: Free
PDF Expert
This app is best suited for individuals who deal with a lot of PDF documents and want to be able to access them whilst on the go. One major advantage of using the PDF expert lies in its far superiority in terms of handling large documents – there is a built in search function within the app therefore allowing the users to navigate bookmarked sections of the document without the hassle of endless scrolling. PDF’s can be imported from a variety of sources including one’s email and from the personal storage site, readdle.com.
Additionally if it is of paramount importance that your workflow is synced to your desktop, then PDF Expert is certainly right up your alleyway, enabling all files stored in your PC to be easily transferred to your iPhone quickly and easily. With PDF Expert, travelling time can now be efficiently utilized catching up on important readings and meeting notes! Price: USD $4.99
Scanner Pro
Previously, if caught in a situation whereby a document had to be urgently sent via email and there was no scanner nearby, what one could make do with is to capture the document via a picture and then forward that sometimes grainy, poor resolution picture over to the other party. Scanner Pro provides a marked improvement over the rudimentary way of such document recording by allowing users to scan not only documents but business cards, receipts, notes and whiteboards. Improved technology also means that image quality has been significantly enhanced and documents can be sent immediately.
What’s more important is that Scanner Pro ensures greater efficiency by being integrated to other products that are commonly used as such DropBox, Evernote and GoogleDocs. Therefore, not only can documents be sent, they are also simultaneously synced with all of your other electronic devices as well as being backed up in your online storage space. Price: USD $6.99
Print and Share (Advanced)
Print and Share, as the name suggests enables simplicity in its function. It allows users to print emails, files, web pages, contacts and images and also sync these files and documents with your desktop or computer. This app functions as a complementary tool to Scanner Pro resulting in overall improved efficiency. Price: USD $6.99
Quickoffice
Whilst other apps may offer similar functions, the Quickoffice app wins hands down in terms of giving users greater freedom to access, edit and view such documents. These files can be accessed via Cloud Storage Services or through email downloads. File sharing is also possible via the same methods and different types of files can be shared since Quickoffice is compatible with most popular file formats.
Data analysts can also rejoice in the fact that Quickoffice also includes the Advanced Excel Spreadsheet Editor which is backed by a professional grade calculation engine. Users are able to create Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets making number crunching on the go more accessible. Price: USD 9.99
Clear Standards Carbon Tracker
For the more eco friendly amongst us, this app has been designed specially for you. By making use of GPS technology, this app helps determines the approximate distance for each leg of your trip and based on your mode of transportation calculates your carbon footprint for each trip you make.
Ever wondered how you could be more motivated to reduce your carbon emissions? Now, with this app you can set monthly goals for your personal carbon emission and even monitor your progress against those goals to ensure that you stay on track for leading a greener lifestyle. Price: Free
TapMeDo
TapMeDo is a simple but effective task list manager which aims to help users organize their life by aiding self planning. Users can create tasks and monitor them against both the actual deadline and a warning threshold. This ensures that one has a complete picture of the entire operational aspect of the business and is able to manage tasks effectively by handling those with more urgent deadlines first.
The creation of new profiles is also possible and one can tailor the profiles to fit the various tasks on hand. Different profiles can represent priorities, scopes or simply enables you to group tasks with communality. With increasing importance of metacognition, the History Log feature of this app enables users to review how well they have managed their time as well as determine whether or not they have been undertaking tasks which are of importance to the business.
TapMeDo is the only task manager with free push notifications to remind users about upcoming deadlines. With this app, forgetting is no longer a valid excuse! Price: Free
Image Credit: Cogdogblog
About The Author
Larissa THIA - SGE Alumnus - Editorial Intern
Larissa is a fresh graduate who has a love for the irreverent and outré. She is highly fascinated by culture, thought processes and human nature in general.
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