Anyone who runs any kind of business knows how helpful applications can be to support and improve the running of that business. If you don’t already know this, you should read the following few paragraphs. If you are already using such applications, then surely among those described in the following section you will find some new one that will come in handy and cause your business to grow. Apps are created all the time and are constantly being improved, so it’s a good idea for you to stay up-to-date on their capabilities and how they can improve your business. You can gain an advantage over your competitors by, among other things, being one step ahead of them in using the latest business applications. So check out this list of the top 10 apps that will improve your business. Which of these apps you choose depends on the specifics of your business, which you undoubtedly know best. The applications described will assist your operations in a wide variety of aspects, and surely any of them will become one of your primary tools to support the work and organization of your business.
- QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online application is simply accounting moved to the cloud. This business model makes it much easier to manage and reign in company expenses. The operation of this application is tailored primarily to small businesses. Among the services offered you will find invoicing and expense management. The application in its basic plan is charged $8 per month, in the Essentials plan $13 and in the Plus plan $18 per month. The Basic plan provides report generation and access for you and your accountant. In the Essentials plan, access is for three users plus your accountant, and you can manage the time of those you hire. In the Plus plan, access is for five users plus an accountant, and there is support for budget planning and inventory management.
- Trello
Trello is an application for organizing and managing tasks. It allows multiple teams to work together on different tasks organized in lists and boards and cards. Everything is organized to visually represent all the tasks that need to be done. This approach makes it much easier and faster to see what who is doing and what has already been done. The application also includes a module that creates new tasks automatically based on emails. The basic version of the application is free. In the more extensive plans, it is charged $5, $10 or $17.5 per user per month in the Standard, Premium and Enterprise versions, respectively. The application is used by more than 2 million teams working on various projects around the world.
- Slack
Slack is one of many, but distinctive on the plus side, chat apps. The basic version of the app is free, with additional paid plans Pro for $7.25 per month and Business+ for $12.5 per month. In addition to online conversations, file transfer, video calls and integration with other applications such as Google Drive, Office 365 and many others are possible through this app.
- WhatsApp Business
A very popular and widely used chat application. The WhatsApp application is probably familiar to everyone. WhatsApp Business is a tool that allows you to much better manage the large number of conversations you often have to have with customers. In it, you can use message templates, set up a welcome message or an automatic response outside business hours. WhatsApp Business just like the regular version is completely free and can be downloaded from the Google Play store and Apple’s App Store.
- Sortly
Sortly is a phenomenal application for managing and monitoring inventory. In it you can group items from the warehouse according to various criteria such as category, location and many others that you create yourself. Using your smartphone, you can load QR codes or barcodes of each stored item. For storing up to 100 items, the app is free, above this number the monthly cost of the app is $29 in the Advanced plan or $59 in the Ultra plan.
- Nimble
Nimble is a simple application for managing customer relationships in a small business. CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a very important issue, the quality of which determines how your business will be perceived by customers, and therefore how popular it will be. Nimble works as a browser extension that allows you to manage customer relationships. Its biggest advantage is that it can be integrated with such services and programs as Outlook, Gmail, Office 365 and most social media platforms. The application is paid and costs $19 per month.
- Google WorkSpace
The Google company is probably associated with everyone who uses the Internet. Google WorkSpace is a service that was formerly known as G-suite. Here you will find practically everything you need, i.e. email, word processor, presentation software, spreadsheet, cloud storage space and many other useful add-ons. A big advantage is the ability to edit documents using different devices – you can start working on a given file on your smartphone while on the go and finish it on your desktop computer at the office or at home. You can mostly try out the various services included in Google Workspace for free. However, by purchasing a monthly subscription for 27 PLN in the Business Starter version, 54 PLN in the Business Standard version or 81 PLN in the Business Plus version, you will receive much more capabilities and professional support.
- HeySpace
HeySpace is an application used for project management. Its list of features is long and includes group chats, task boards, calendars and timelines, task lists and the like. The automation of multiple processes greatly speeds up work on projects and reigns in multiple tasks running simultaneously. The basic version is available for free, a paid plan with more capabilities costs $5 per month.
- Kezmo
Kezmo is a very interesting application designed to streamline your business. This application is based on open source software. It is a kind of alternative to using emails. The application can be used both for internal company communication, teams working together on projects and similar tasks, as well as for external communication and maintaining customer relations. The basic version is provided for free and paid plans start at $9.99 per month.
- Yammer
Yammer is part of Office 365 and can be downloaded as a mobile app running on iOS and Android. The app is used for project management and collaboration with clients and customers. It is described by its authors as a social network for businesses, and that’s exactly how it works, allowing you to maintain relationships both inside and outside the company structure. This app is used by such large corporations as Fruit of the Loom and British Airways, as well as most Fortune 500 companies. The entire Microsoft 365 enterprise app package is chargeable and starts at 12.8 euros per month up to 37.4 euros per month for the richest version that includes voice support, analytics creation and numerous security features.
Need internet or cloud services – find out what the best providers offer
Every online business must use a range of services provided by third-party providers. In order for all of them to work smoothly, you need to choose from a wide selection of companies one that will give you peace of mind that everything is working as it should. This choice applies to all types of services, whether it’s Internet access itself or any other services, i.e. cloud access (cloud computing, cloud storage), VPS servers, web hosting or SSL certificate support for your websites, among others. The more your business grows, the more such services you may need. So right from the start in the online world, you should use services provided only by serious and reliable providers of such services.
Among the many companies, pay attention to the offer of symmetrical Internet access offered by ITH.eu and the offer of safe and secure website hosting and cloud-related services from KRU.pl. The better your service providers are, the easier it will be for you to run your business, without having to deal with side issues, while focusing on the main tasks of your business. Your success largely depends on who you work with and how professional a choice you have made. Bad decisions in this matter can cost you a lot of money spent, even more stress and wasted time. So don’t take any chances and work only with those who are worth working with and take advantage of the reliable services they offer.