10 apps that could improve your startup’s day-to-day productivity

Are you still using paper or sticky notes to try to stay organised in your work? You don’t need to do that anymore – now you can boost your business productivity with a high quality business app. These eight apps will help to increase your business efficiency. Give them all a try and let us know which ones work best for you.

Evernote

Why would you ever take notes again by hand when you can use Evernote? This free app saves your notes onto your phone or the cloud, so that you can access them from anywhere you like. The app allows you to dictate notes or enter them manually. You also can insert photos.

If using a stylus is your preferences, Evernote now has text-ID functionality. It will recognise and index your writing so it can be searched later. Text-recognition software has come a long way in recent years. You will be amazed at just how well it works in Evernote.

Evernote also is available on all platforms — iOS, Windows, Android, PC and Mac, so you may view notes on any device.

Square

Can you imagine accepting credit cards at your small business and not needing special equipment to do it? That’s what Square Register lets you do! This mobile app allows you to process payments with an iPad or iPhone. Once you register, you will receive a credit card reader that you attach to your mobile device. Then, just swipe the credit card from anywhere to process a payment.

UberConference

UberConference is an excellent video conferencing application that has robust options for the business user. The app can host a virtual meeting with as many attendees as you need who can join from all most any device that is connected to the Internet. It also features a built-in invitation system, and streamlines the meeting scheduling process.

UberConference also has speaker ID, so you will always know who is talking at a given moment. Share your screen with a few taps, and even share your mouse and keyboard with other meeting attendees.

Office 365

These new apps for Excel, Word and PowerPoint are full mobile versions of the PC software. Do not confuse them with the old Office Mobile applications that only allowed iPhone or iPad users to make basic document edits.

These apps are full of advanced editing and formatting features, and are designed very effectively. At this time, these Office productivity apps only work on iPads.

Microsoft Remote Desktop

Your PC in the office has most of what you need for a high productivity day: programs, documents, files and contacts. But what if getting into the office is impossible? Microsoft Remote Desktop can really save your life in that situation. This convenient app works as a direct portal to your work PC desktop. It allows you to control your Windows desktop virtually. You even can remotely control Windows software from an iPad or iPhone.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a mobile accounting application that is full of excellent features and rock solid integration with the cloud. Its interface is fresh, simple and easy to use. The app records and tracks expenses and profits easily. There is a cool feature that tracks the length of time you spend on a particular project.

Of course, like any good accounting app, FreshBooks helps you to file your taxes.

CamCard

Even in the modern era of mobile devices, exchanging business cards still is a superior networking tool for the successful businessperson. However, business cards are easy to misplace, and putting all that information into your device takes time.

CamCard automates this process. You simply point your iPad or iPhone camera at the card and take the photo. This app has text-recognition software that will pull out the important details: name, address, and contact information. It then will update your address book.

OneDrive

There are many cloud storage platforms to choose from, but many people prefer OneDrive. It is one of the best picks for the power business user. It integrates very well with Windows, and lets you access files from anywhere with an iPhone or iPad. This includes documents that have been saved to a Microsoft Office account.

PC users need not download extra apps to make the system functional. You simply drag files into the app folder on your PC, and they are backed up to the cloud – automatically. As with most other cloud storage products, you can recover files that you have deleted and revert to versions you saved earlier. Great peace of mind – what else can you asks for?

Google Voice

Nothing is more important than the ability to communicate. You always want to be perceived as professional, successful, and available. The first rule is to have a way for potential and current customers to reach you at all times. When it comes to free options, the best choice is still Google Voice. Google Voice offers you your own number that you can either forward to any other number you choose or have the messages transcribed for you. That way you can work on a job or advertise without giving out your personal phone number to everyone. Let’s face it, many small businesses work off of the owner’s cell phone. With Google Voice, you can give out a different number and have it forwarded to your cell when you are ready to talk or have it go to voice mail and be transcribed when you are unavailable. Aside from being free, the value of having the message forwarded to you means you won’t miss that emergency call that comes in when you aren’t available, putting you at risk for losing a current or potential client.

Self-Control

Who does not want their company to be more productive? Self-Control is one of the best free sites available to keep your productivity flowing. It allows you to block distracting sites that waste time. Who hasn’t lost hours debating someone on Facebook or looking at pictures that really have no impact on the business that you do. In today’s age of information and high speed telecommunications, getting distracted is far too easy; sometimes we need some help so we can focus on our job and our success. This tool helps you block Facebook and other distracting sites and lets you get down to the business at hand – your business.

Instead of hounding your employees, and yourself, for wasting time; use this free service to help keep the focus on getting the job done. Because as we know sometimes we need a little help with self-control and now it is available free of charge.