An app can make everyday tasks a lot easier – here, small business owners reveal the apps without which their businesses can’t function.
From Google Drive, which helps with organising files online, to Slack, an online messaging platform, there are lots of tools and services to help small businesses function faster and more efficiently. Mobile apps can help while on the move as well.
Whether you need help managing your social accounts or greater control of an overflowing inbox, there’s an app to suit. But which one is right for you and your business?
Take charge of social media
Businesses that are active on social media, but don’t have time to constantly update lots of accounts may find If This Then That (IFTTT) a big help. It has been a handy tool for Cassian Horowitz, co-founder of The Clerkenwell Brothers agency, which works with start-ups.
The desktop and mobile app allows users to set up automated triggers – called “applets” – between social accounts and online services. When the first event occurs, a second is automatically triggered.
Some triggers are basic. For example, when an Instagram photo is uploaded, the tool will automatically post it as a full image to a Twitter account page.
It can also help with other functions, such as sharing the performance of your most recent newsletter with the marketing team or tracking work hours in Google Calendar.
“It’s easy to use and free,” says Mr Horowitz. “As more aspects of our lives move online – calendars, contacts, shopping and so on – the potential for saving time and money through this tool will increase.”
Turn a lead into a sale
For companies that handle several clients at a time, sales management tool, Pipedrive (an Android and iOS app) allows project files to be accessed by lots of people. Clara Vaisse, co-founder of drinks company, Sibberi, says it keeps all of the company’s client prospects in one place and moves qualified leads through the sales funnel, from idea to winning the sale.
“Since we’re a drinks company, virtually any place could be a potential client of ours – large retail chains, gyms, offices and so on,” she says. “The number of opportunities is exciting, but it can be overwhelming for a small team.”