The rise of eCommerce and the growing demand for businesses to adopt digital platforms as a means of maintaining communication channels with their customer base, has naturally impacted the way that modern business owners manage their enterprises. Thankfully, digital transformation has brought just as many convenient tools and resources to businesses as it has challenges.
The development of mobile apps for business owners has streamlined business management processes, allowing business owners to focus their attention less on the minutiae of daily operations, and more on big picture topics, like developing growth strategies.
But what mobile apps are worth getting to grips with in your limited spare time? We’ll be outlining ten of the most highly recommended business apps for modern business owners below.
1. Google My Business app
The Google My Business app possesses features and a highly detailed and intuitive UX design that reputable app developers are likely to gleam much inspiration from. The GMB app’s diverse list of both in-app functions as well as cross-platform affordances makes this an essential resource for all small business owners in particular, as owners of small to medium-sized enterprises are likely to benefit most from boosting their local SEO rankings.
The GMB app is free to download, and incredibly easy to set up once you’ve verified your identity as the rightful business owner and claimed your Business Profile.
2. PayPal mobile app
If you’re managing relationships with international suppliers or clients, then PayPal is already likely to be the payment service you use to both pay and collect on invoices. This is precisely what makes the PayPal mobile app another must-have, especially for business owners who are consistently on the go. Not only is the app just as easy to use as the PayPal site, but it’s also incredibly valuable for keeping track of past transactions for day-to-day account keeping processes.
3. Microsoft 365
With cloud storage, collaboration tools, offline editing capabilities, and all the best features of the Microsoft Office Suite available to you both in and out of your office, Microsoft 365 is packed full of benefits for both business owners and their employees alike. Business owners can also select from a handful of different Microsoft 365 subscription packages, allowing them to maintain total control over their business tools budget.
Microsoft 365 is also available on iOS, so even Apple users can enjoy this highly versatile evolution of the Microsoft Office Suite that we all know and love.
4. HubSpot
Digital marketing is becoming an intrinsic element in the success and longevity of businesses today, so it’s in your best interests as a business owner to get to grips with digital marketing methodologies and industry terminology. That being said, this is a highly complicated discipline that is also evolving at a rapid pace, so using all the tools available to you in order to stay on top of your SEO rankings, sales stats, and other vital metrics, is absolutely essential.
HubSpot is one tool that’s designed to do the work of many. Although it’s well-known for being a customer relationship management tool above all else, HubSpot is actually a bit of a ‘jack of all trades’ app, and perhaps the best companion app for business owners that can be found on this list. The app’s integrated video calling and live chat capabilities alongside its social media management and emailing features makes HubSpot just as vital for maintaining client and stakeholder communications as it is for staying on top of your business’ performance.
5. FreshBooks
For many small business owners, one of the most gruelling and still undeniably essential tasks is managing business taxes. Not all accounting software is able to adequately balance expenses and earnings alongside the changing nature of taxation with regards to businesses experiencing periods of growth. If your business is moving on from its humble beginnings and entering uncharted waters with regards to invoicing, taxation, and other financial management responsibilities, investing in an accounting software like FreshBooks is integral to your ongoing industry success.
FreshBooks is also fitted with invoicing capabilities and business expense tracking features as well, allowing business owners to manage both outgoing and incoming payments with minimal fuss, alongside amending business taxation information as their company shifts and grows.
6. Dropbox
If you work in marketing or design, Dropbox is likely to be an app that you already use on a daily basis, as it allows for easy file sharing both between different company devices as well as between clients. Even if you’re not exchanging image or video files between clients, Dropbox still presents itself as a more than attractive alternative to other cloud storage options, including Google Drive. Dropbox’s added security measures and streamlined interface makes it a popular choice amongst many tech-savvy small business owners. Uploading files to Dropbox also tends to be a lot faster than manually sending files between devices using external drives or via email.
7. MailChimp
EDM marketing is the lifeblood of many eCommerce enterprises, as an effective EDM marketing campaign can inspire repeat customers for years to come and with minimal need for Google or social media advertising. The only issue here is that EDM marketing campaigns require a lot of high-value content as well as automation tools, and small business owners in particular haven’t always had access to these elements, prompting them to write up their own emails manually.
MailChimp is one of the best EDM marketing tools available on app stores today, as it allows business owners to manage mailing lists, develop email templates, alongside also providing app users with the ability to integrate social media posts into emails, simplifying the task of developing content for your email subscribers.
MailChimp also offers business owners a wealth of data, ranging from engagement metrics like click-through rates, as well as the opportunity to develop and retain findings from custom forms.
8. HootSuite
Whether you own an eCommerce enterprise or a service provider, chances are high that your business could greatly benefit from maintaining a social media presence. That being said, there are an abundance of social media platforms that you could potentially be active on today, and no modern business owner has the time to manage individual business profiles across multiple platforms. That’s where HootSuite comes into play.
This innovative social media management app allows business owners to schedule posts across platforms, review engagement metrics and how they differ from platform to platform, and generally take control over their own feeds with minimal time commitment. HootSuite is a must-have for small business owners with a lower social budget or no in-house social media marketing professionals.
9. Slack messaging app
If you’re managing a remote team or have needed to outsource any work to interstate or international professionals, then you’ll likely benefit from utilising dedicated communications software, and we don’t just mean having to make do with WhatsApp here. Slack has been called the best messaging app for business owners for two major reasons.
First of all, the app’s streamlined user interface presents a highly efficient communication alternative to simply sending emails back and forth. Secondly, Slack was designed with a focus on organised communication. The app ensures that any vital information can be found with minimal effort. Even though Slack may look like just another messaging app, there are a lot of organisational features that firmly set it apart from Facebook Messenger and other recreational communications apps. The ability to respond quickly and still maintain highly organised message threads makes Slack an absolute godsend for those working in remote teams.
10. Asana project management app
Finally, speaking of working with remote teams, there’s no better project management software for facilitating the completion of large-scale remote projects than Asana. With a similar layout to project management software like Trello, Asana offers a highly user-friendly UI, allowing remote teams the ability to keep track of both one-off and ongoing tasks with ease. Asana also allows teams to assign tasks to specific users, taking a lot of the complication out of remote collaboration.
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Although all of the mobile apps outlined above are top ranking across both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, it’s up to individual business owners to ascertain what software will be best suited to support both them as well as their employees. Feel free to trial the apps recommended above wherever you can to ensure that your business is able to attain all the digital tools that will be most likely to contribute to its ongoing success.