Running a small business can be done effectively even when you’re on the go. All you need is your phone.
Research from online smartphone retailer e2save found that 38% of businesses use mobile apps to improve customer service and 24% use apps to increase revenue.
There’s an app for just about everything, and some prove especially effective for businesses. These can be anything from finance to email marketing, but phones can be the best tool for the job in some cases. They make it simple to take photos and insert them into documents or attach them to emails.
These are the top six apps that entrepreneurs and business owners found most useful, according to the survey. Many of them are completely free, which is a bonus.
1. Slack
Slack is a free messaging app, that is great for team collaboration. It includes private messaging and group features to communicate with team members easily.
As your small business grows, you can begin to create separate group chats for individual teams.
Slack is available on iOS and Android.
2. Mailchimp
MailChimp is useful for creating and managing your email marketing. So you can easily send out marketing emails from the app, while also activating social media awareness.
It is great for small business owners that may not have marketing expertise, as it puts everything into perspective when it comes to marketing the business.
MailChimp is available on iOS and Android.
3. Adobe Spark Post
Adobe Spark Post is a graphic design app, which includes different design templates for you to design business leaflets and a logo directly on your phone.
It is available on iOS and Android.
4. iZettle
iZettle is a payment processing system, which allows you to easily make and process payments from your phone. The app is free for iOS and Android but you’ll need to purchase the card reader.
5. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a social media management app that makes it easy for you to schedule content to your social media platforms.
It is available on iOS and Android.
6. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams works effectively for video conferencing, file sharing and instant messaging. With the app you can take calls and respond to messages instantly while on the go.
It is available on iOS and Android.
Take a look at our roundup of the best budget phones if your current handset is in need of an upgrade.
In addition to the six apps above, here are some of our picks that you might find just as useful.
PayPal
PayPal is a central payment portal, which allows you to transfer and receive money easily.
If there is a PayPal option added to your website, customers can successfully make payments while you receive instant alerts. It is also a good way for you to transfer money for other things.
There are no monthly fees for using the app (PayPal instead charges per transaction) and it can also be used for in-store payments via a card reader.
PayPal is available on iOS and Android.
Gmail
A great emailing service, which is part of Google apps. The app can help you keep track of emails that are coming in and also filter out quick responses to queries.
If you have a Gmail account, you can also access things like Google Docs, Sheets, Meet and other apps for spreadsheets and video and audio calls all for free.
Gmail is available on iOS and is a built-in app on many Android phones.
You can also check out some even more best apps for small businesses.
Author: Hannah Williams, Small Business Editor
Hannah is Small Business Editor. She writes news, tutorials and buying advice tailored to very small companies, covering software from Excel to Sage and hardware including laptops.