If you’ve got a tablet, there are plenty of apps you can use to make running your business easier whether you’re on the go or at your desk. Here are 5 great apps that will turn your tablet into an indispensible tool for your business.
“There’s an app for that” – more than just a clever ad slogan, it’s a reality you can take advantage of. There are apps that can turn your tablet into a powerful business tool to help you run your company. From your tablet, you can manage company finances, track company health, manage customer service interactions, accept payments, and create and sign documents.
Here are five apps to take a look at for your business needs.
Base (https://getbase.com/): Base is a CRM app designed from the ground up to be intuitive and easy to use on mobile devices. Base has a drag and drop interface for the sales pipeline, and it keeps all of your interactions with the same customer in one place. Your emails, calls, social media messages, as well as notes, tasks, files and related deals are all in the same place and easy to keep track of. Base has a free plan that allows you unlimited contacts, but caps at 150 deals. Base’s paid plans start at $15 per user per month for unlimited deals. Base is available on iOS, Android, and Windows devices and as a web app.
FreshBooks (http://freshbooks.com): FreshBooks started as an invoicing tool for small business and now bills itself as “cloud accounting” — tracking time and expenses, managing subcontractors, invoicing clients and accepting online payments. FreshBooks integrates with a variety of other apps for project management, CRM, marketing, and more. FreshBooks offers a limited free plan, and paid plans start at $19.95 a month. FreshBooks is available on iOS devices and as a web app.
GeckoBoard (http://www.geckoboard.com/): Keep an eye on the health of your business in real-time. GeckoBoard is a dashboard you can access on your tablet that integrates with other services you may be using, like web analytics and CRM apps. GeckoBoard compiles all the data into easy-to-understand charts and displays them right on your tablet. Data is updated every 30 seconds for maximum accuracy. Plans start at $19 per month. GeckoBoard is only currently available as a webapp, but the site is optimized for mobile browsing and a native mobile app is in the works.
SignEasy (http://getsigneasy.com/): You’ve just booked a client and they send over a contract via email for you to sign. So now you’ve got to print out the PDF, sign it, scan it, and send back to the client. Who’s got time for that? Instead, SignEasy Mobile lets you digitally sign documents on your tablet with either your finger or a stylus. You get three free documents signatures when you sign up, but then it’s $9.99 per year for unlimited signatures, or you can buy credits for five documents for $1.99. SignEasy works with iOS and Android devices.
Square (https://squareup.com/): Accept credit card payments from customers with a Square card reader and your iPad or Android tablet. And don’t think you need to have a mobile business like a food truck or in-house computer repair to find Square useful. Comet Coffee, based in St. Louis, MO, chose to skip installing a cash register entirely – in their brick-and-mortar location, they’ve mounted an iPad with a Square reader and use it for all transactions. The reader itself is free, but Square charges 2.75 percent per transaction. Square works with iOS and Android devices.
And if none of these apps suit your business needs, don’t worry, there are plenty more for you to explore. A quick browse through Apple’s App Store or Google Play and you should be able to find the apps you need to simplify running your business.
