Must-Have Apps to do Your Job Better
The smartphone is becoming an important productivity tool both in and out of the office. New business apps are released every day, but which ones will truly help your productivity instead of making you work harder to accomplish a task on your phone?
This list of must-have (and free!) apps from HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes includes tried-and-true apps like Evernote and Dropbox, along with a few lesser-known contenders:
- Brewster: This mobile app pulls in contact info and other details from your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and email accounts and creates in-depth profiles for each person. Using a “relationship algorithm,” the app automatically sorts contacts into “favorites,” “trending” and other lists, and even sends out gentle reminders when you’re falling out of touch with someone. Plus, Brewster is fully searchable - not just by name, but keyword, location and even photo.
- Trello: Trello takes the concept of a kanban system into the mobile era. Tasks (or Lists, in Trello lingo) are represented as columns on a virtual corkboard. You add cards to a List, then customize each card with comments, checklists and attachments. You can include other team members and assign them cards and even drag cards from one List to another as a project moves forward. Uniquely flexible and collaborative, Trello is as handy for personal to-do lists as it is for coordinating complex projects among big teams.
- UberConference: Organizing conference calls is a logistical feat under the best of conditions - emailing colleagues to schedule a time, sending out access codes, waiting for people to call in. Trying to do all that on the go can be almost impossible. That’s where UberConference comes in. You select attendees from your phone’s contact list and UberConference automatically calls, emails or texts them to join, no PIN required. Once the call is underway, the app displays photos and social profiles of all callers and even indicates who’s speaking at any given time.
Another handy app (iPhone only) is CardMunch from LinkedIn. Take a picture with the app and a business card is converted to a contact automatically. However, CardMunch goes farther than a typical business card "scanner" app by displaying the person's LinkedIn profile information and connections you have in common. You can even send them a connection invite directly from the app.
And don't forget the apps we have reported on previously on this blog:
Apps to Manage Your Business Finances
Productivity Tools and Apps for the Small Business
