The recent app explosion has transformed the world’s smart phones from over-powered toys into incredibly productive business accessories. However, if you’re not convinced of their worth, then you might want to consider that over 1 billion of the world’s 4 billion mobile phones are smartphones.
In addition, experts predict that by 2014, Internet usage is set to be overtaken by mobile Internet usage, and the majority of Internet activity will be conducted through mobile phones. Currently, over 50% of Internet activity is conducted through mobile phones and apps – so isn’t it time you thought about bringing these into play?
Integrate your systems
Apps offer the SME owner a chance to perform on a corporate level, streamlining the way your business performs and at a fraction of the cost of the technology that larger businesses spend. Perhaps the most important advantage that apps give you is the ability to work from anywhere and at any time. The days in which a business owner works from one computer that’s fixed in one geographical place are well and truly over. Not only does this mean you can conduct your business on the road or from a coffee shop, but you can also make on-the-spot decisions without having to worry about getting back to the office. Cloud apps allow you to access important data, quickly and efficiently.
Manage your money
The numbers game is an important aspect of business, no matter how large or small your company may be. Doubtless, larger companies will have dedicated teams of accountants to crunch the figures whilst the business takes care of itself, but SME owners won’t always have the time or the cash to spend on their accounts.
Intuit has a neat little app up its sleeve in the form of QuickBooks Mobile. Most people are aware of QuickBooks – it’s consistently voted as the best accounting software in the world. However, well aware of the app revolution, Intuit has crunched the program down into an app that offers all the same features, but you can manage your accounts on the go. Not only does this make accounting massively easier, but it also means that SME owners have access to expert accounting, for free.
Business on the go
There are even apps that turn your mobile phone or tablet into on-the-spot card readers. Often, opportunities pass business owners by, as there’s no way to facilitate payment. Using these apps, every in-the-flesh encounter is a possible sale. It works the same way as a traditional card reader; all the customer has to do is punch in their security details and the transaction is authorized. With so much onus being placed on online security, these apps use the latest encryption codings to ensure that any transactions are risk-free and a copy of the receipt can be sent to your accounting software; all the aspects of instant business are taken care of.
The side-benefit of all of these apps is that they can help you manage your time better. The problem for many start-up business owners is that getting a business off the ground can eat into personal time and disrupt your private life. Apps allow you to automate manual tasks and jump at opportunities as they arise – but they also allow greater freedom to choose just where and when you make your business decisions.
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