Mobile apps for business

"Mobile apps for business"








App: Scan2PDF Mobile Company: Burrotech Ltd. And like any good accounting software, FreshBooks can help you file your taxes. Here are some ways businesses could use geo-targeted push notifications. It’s much better to wait out a flight delay from home than find out after you’ve arrived at the airport. The maps are even available offline, too. Remind newcomers about fundraising events and easy ways to get involved. It allows you to browse through the list of all of your friends’ phone numbers. Thankfully, the CamCard app can automate the process. Pickup and drop-off points are all over San Diego, Austin, Portland, Ore. I really like the mapping feature, which lets you see your flight map and see weather conditions on your route. I find myself connecting with colleagues more frequently on sites like Facebook than I do on sites like LinkedIn. App: My Eyes Only Company: Software Ops LLC Why it rocks: My Eyes Only secures the critical business data on your device -- financial information, credit cards, computer and website passwords, the whole ball of wax. Add subscribers with direct mailing list integration Keep tabs on fundraising opportunities Show volunteers all the ways they can help Update your event calendar to increase RSVPs Honor your biggest supporters with in-app spotlights Increase site traffic and donation dollars Sync up your Instagram, blog feeds, and social media And More. Mobile apps are helping businesses increase revenue largely by increasing efficiency. Also included are user-defined sales status updates and commission calculation tools. Businesses can precision-discount inventory in the last moments before it would have gone to waste. Promote weekly events and turn one-time patrons into regulars with exclusive in-app discounts. We can also assist in deploying changes to the mobile application such as updates, patches or upgrades via the change management process. Need a second secretary? Access your work PC: Microsoft Remote Desktop (Free) Your work PC has everything you need for a productive day, including your programs, files and documents. As with other cloud storage systems, you can even recover deleted files and revert to previously saved versions, to give you a little peace of mind. Add new property listings daily Broadcast open house dates Customize click-to-call and email features Give one-touch directions Sync up YouTube channels for virtual tours Calculate mortgage rates right through the app Showcase the neighborhood hotspots And More. These smart ads can target users by their specific location, displaying ads that are geographic and contextually optimized. Ironically, the kudos for this app was on the expense-tracking side versus travel booking which is one of the main features of the online service. Pushing Through the Funnel Ever walked into a store, shopped around a bit, and then walked out without making a purchase? He got his start in local newspapers covering community news, local government, education and more before he joined the Business News Daily staff in 2013. If you travel often for business, you want to spend as little time at the airport as possible. TripIt’s mobile app is a nice complement to the Web site and allows you to perform most of the main functions while on the go. With in-depth property info and on-the-go contact capabilities, you’ll be selling houses up from under people’s feet. Data are guaranteed only with QuickBooks, although it will sync with other accounting software. With all of those apps, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the good ones, especially for business users. Businesses can use data collected through geotracking and ad campaigns to deliver just-in-time offers. Next time someone asks you if you’re making any money off your music you won’t miss a beat. The most valuable feature of the Facebook mobile app for me has been the phonebook. Office 365 helps you meet this challenge by providing built-in security plus a set of tools to manage access to data across phones and tablets. Company: Bump Technologies Inc. Brett Nuckles Brett Nuckles has been a working journalist since 2009. These pockets of free time that were previously biased toward reading, can now be used by consumers for so much more. The theater could track and send a coupon to users who are nearby and looked up information about showtimes but didn’t make a purchase. Check-in specials, loyalty rewards, and real-time menu updates grow your customer base and keep them coming back for seconds. For starters, the app lets you host virtual meetings with up to 25 attendees joining remotely from just about any Web-connected device. But given the fact that it has been around for eight years, it has impressive staying power. Visit mobile Application Development. Because it uses the latest number your friend has entered into Facebook, you don’t have to worry about keeping your address book up-to-date — you can simply click the number in your Facebook phonebook to make the call. With the right apps, your iPhone or iPad can help you take notes, update your calendar and even balance the books. What’s good for your employees is even better for your customers. As with all card processing services, Square takes a cut of each payment. Boost your subscription base and keep volunteers in the know. I’ve also used it to prep for a presentation while on a plane; i is much easier to whip out my BlackBerry than my laptop. The morning commute, waiting in line for movie tickets and sitting in a doctor's office are all places people could be using their smartphones to shop your store or engage with your brand. Why it rocks: Traveling to meet with clients, collaborate with partners or attend a trade show? Our mobile business applications include: Enhanced Push-to-Talk Enhance productivity by instantly connecting employees and applications using the nation's fastest, most reliable network. Why it rocks: Bump is a virtual business card that allows you to swap contact info, calendar, pictures, even your social media profiles with others, simply by bumping your phone into theirs. This year, it only received six. Try building an app instead. In Schmidt’s example, as he walked around a particularly storied neighborhood of San Francisco, an app would passively display information about the history of places he passed. Once you sign up, you can request to receive a credit card reader dongle in the mail. The power of mobile apps allows businesses to do all sorts of cool things to boost revenue. I have used it several times in meetings when I forgot to bring a printed copy of a file. Events calendars with RSVP and commenting abilities Accept donations List ways to give back and volunteer Help people connect and share their voice Post sermon videos or podcasts Post resources and valuable information Share images via multiple gallery types And More. But cards are easy to lose, and manually inputting all that contact information into your address book is a time-consuming chore. I also like the ability to retrieve all of my travel information such as flight times or hotel reservations from the TripIt app rather than sifting through my inbox for the various confirmation e-mails I received from the airline or hotel. Why it rocks: You can manage and track sales opportunities and generate revenue forecasts with Sales CRM EZi. Data Gathering One of the really powerful tools available to online businesses is that they can easily track every move customers make from the moment a user lands on the site. App: TripIt Traveling Company: Tripit Inc. Where, exactly, in the online store did a user go and what did they do when they got there? Having the ability to access tools like this is becoming increasingly important. Tracking signals from mobile devices is opening a whole new world of analytics and data-gathering opportunities for retailers stuck in the physical world. Help people grow with online lessons and videos while giving them a voice to connect to their community. Industry Apps Virtualize, accelerate, and transform your business with industry-specific mobile apps that help you redefine your customer and partner relationships, cut costs, and improve productivity. Add donation integration to inspire users to pitch in with just a few taps. I also collapsed Internal Collaboration Apps into this category. Contact management: CamCard (99 cents) Even in the digital age, swapping business cards is still one of the best networking tools for entrepreneurs. Businesses can make on-the-fly tweaks to campaigns based on what works in a particular geographic location. Overdue actions are highlighted in red. But the goal here is to give you ideas for some useful apps that you should consider adding to your smartphone. Plug the accessory into the headphone jack on your mobile device, and then swipe a credit card to accept a payment from anywhere. Price comparison tools are helping etailers drive additional traffic and sales. App: Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite Company: Quickoffice Inc. While the traditional retailer might be on the losing end of that transaction, the customer and online retailer are winning. Your customers will be keeping the tab open a lot more often. That’s called a "bounce. Of course, there are a ton more apps that I could cover. App: Timewerks Why it rocks: A comprehensive time-tracking and invoice tool, Timewerks lets users create time sheets and invoices and also has integration with a credit card acceptance app to speed up payment. Fortunately, one way to combat transaction abandonment is through automatic address fill-in. Why it rocks: An internet-based service that offers mobile access to the entire Microsoft Office productivity suite, Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite enables users to create, open, edit and share documents and spreadsheets on the go. Welcome to a new class of apps entirely reimagined for the mobile enterprise, made for iOS, and designed to empower employees wherever their work takes them. Showcase weekly sermons and inform your congregation about upcoming events and classes. Post class schedules, send out last-minute updates, and generate feedback all in one place. A bar with a slow night could offer an impromptu extended happy hour to past patrons who are nearby. Additional Sales Opportunities One of the single biggest opportunities for businesses to leverage mobile apps is that smartphones have opened a whole new world of shopping and engagement opportunities. A push notification might remind users of a nearly abandoned shopping cart, bringing them back into the shopping experience. That is, unless you’re using the Wi-Fi signals emitted from smartphones in your customers pockets and purses. The app works like a direct portal back to your desktop computer, letting you virtually view your Windows desktop, and even remotely control Windows programs from your iPhone or iPad. Last year, it received 19 mentions. Add photos and listing details so users are ready to buy before they reach the front door. So if someone e-mails you a PowerPoint presentation, you can view and edit the file on your mobile device. Businesses can lure back customers who haven’t been in a while but are nearby. And with its built-in invitation system, it can also streamline the process of scheduling a meeting. Using the app is as simple as installing a client application onto your workstation so it can mirror your desktop on the screen of your mobile device. They can also display coupons to potential users nearby or help users find the business by advertising directly on a map. Using a phone’s GPS, transactional apps can detect a user’s location and automatically fill in address data. You can even share your keyboard and mouse controls with other attendees to collaborate on a project from anywhere. Complex problems meet smart, agile solutions. My favorite feature of TripIt is the ability to see which of my friends or colleagues are traveling to the same city as I am at the same time. App: Fuze Meeting Company: Fuze Box Inc. That is, mobile devices would present users with information about the world around them in an automatic way. Compete Anywhere Many brick-and-mortar retailers complain about showrooming, the practice whereby shoppers visit a physical store to inspect the goods in person all the while intending to ultimately make their purchase online, where prices are usually cheaper. I’ve picked eight apps across a handful of categories that I consider the top mobile business apps for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android smartphones. Thousands of apps in Apple, Windows Phone, and Android app stores have been found to be running sophisticated and potentially harmful advertising fraud. The info is transferred wirelessly and automatically added to your contact list. And all these little efficiencies are resulting in more revenue for businesses while, by and large, enhancing the overall experience for users. A band on tour could notify fans in a particular city that tickets there are nearly sold out or remind concert-goers to show up early so they don’t miss the opening act A national chain could easily send city - or region-specific notifications about special offers based on what users in that area are interested in A restaurant could boost loyalty by sending a special offer to customers who had been in the past year but not in the last two months A store could announce a sale on umbrellas coupled with a weather alert to nearby users when it’s predicted to rain soon 2. You can share your screen with a few taps, which is great for remote presentations. Just point your iPhone or iPad camera at a business card and snap a photo. My favorite mobile-specific feature is InPerson, which allows you to quickly share contact information with another smartphone user via Bluetooth. With native audio features and video integration, you’ll be setting the stage for your own success. Workforce Management Wirelessly Track, Monitor and Enable Your Fleet. Bringing the back-end forward. Cloud storage: OneDrive (Free) There are plenty of good cloud storage platforms for iOS, but OneDrive is our top pick for business users, thanks to its tight integration with Windows. Customers can shop during small pockets of time that would have have previously gone to waste. Note: There is now a premium version of this service as well. Forensiq claims to have discovered ad fraud termed “ mobile device hijacking ” which is legitimate-appearing software that runs in the background servicing hundreds of ads at up to 20 ads per minute. Restaurants It’s easy to draw the Monday night crowd when you have an app working for you. It can be a lifesaver when you’re on the road and don’t have a phone number available via your phone’s contacts list. Offer exclusive in-app coupons and deals Integrate sharing features to grow your user base Post weekend pics in the app gallery Chime in with users on the forum Highlight your best-selling menu items Send happy hour alerts on the go Seamlessly link up social media feeds And More. The app lets you access your files from anywhere on your iPhone or iPad, including documents saved to your Microsoft Office account. Amazon, for example, even went so far as to offer a $5 discount to shoppers who scanned items using their price comparison tool. Users might not have a credit card handy, typing in account information is considered too tedious or they simply get distracted and put their phone back in their pocket. But the technology has become a reality, and a boon to business. The app lets you dictate or manually enter your notes, and even insert photos. Instead, these are full-fledged mobile versions of Excel. Why it rocks: Fuze Meeting takes videoconferencing toward full collaboration with screen-sharing of presentations and other data, similar to the popular desktop app WebEx. A good remote desktop application like Microsoft Remote Desktop can be a lifesaver in those situations. What engaged users and what turned them off? Remote meetings: GoToMeeting (Free) GoToMeeting is a solid videoconferencing app with good options for business users. He graduated from Ohio University, where he studied Journalism and English. A more seamless experience of stored login and billing information means an easier path to transact. Interactions between customers and businesses have grown to become geo-agnostic. The LinkedIn mobile app brings many of the Web features, such as your Connections and Status Updates, to your smartphone. Columnist Aaron Strout rounds up his top picks for personal productivity, travel and more. Business news The Wall Street Journal Mobile Reader for BlackBerry is a source for breaking news and real-time quotes. A mobile app maximizes opportunities for reaching users in these new pockets of time. Geo-Targeted Advertising The classic targeted ad story goes something like this: A potential homeowner is stuck in traffic on his daily commute home and looks out his window to read a sign on a new housing development that says, “If you lived here, you’d be home by now. Integrate your online class schedule Offer mobile discounts and app-only coupons Post workout videos and playlists Share exercise tips in a variety of formats Sell gear and company merchandise in-app Generate client feedback Promote your business with sharing features And More. As in previous years, the apps are bucketed by category. Note taking: Evernote (Free) Why take notes on paper when you have an iPhone or iPad on hand? No need for hardware. Build, deploy and manage custom-developed apps tailored to your enterprise needs. Groupon Now is just the tip of the iceberg. While this article veers slightly from my regular focus of delivering insights to marketers specifically interested in mobile and location-based technologies, there is a greater point to make here: As someone who has pushed marketers to think long and hard about the need for a mobile app. What’s happy hour without a crowd? You can also access your full calendar right from the app to review appointments and schedule new ones. The following are some key ways businesses are getting an extra boost via mobile apps. Place your listings in the palm of buyers’ hands. These are really easy questions for webmasters to answer, but good luck figuring that out in brick-and-mortar store. Instead of advertising to broad spectrum, users can be narrowly targeted. Control how content is shared and stored on mobile devices, efficiently manage application performance. Here are our top picks. Dynamic Offers When you tie in technologies like push notifications and geotargeting, magical things start to happen. Available on: Android and iPhone App: Intuit GoPayment Why it rocks: This app allows GoPayment account users to accept and process transactions for all major credit cards via a smartphone. View promising prospects and set communication or action plans for each lead. Similar to Foursquare and Yelp, this app uses crowd-sourced suggestions by locals to serve as a virtual tour guide. Itineraries can be customized to include weather, maps and directions. No better way than through a push notification. App: Sales CRM EZi Company: Ezi Phone Apps Pty Ltd. Top Trending Mobile Resources for Summer 2015 is available for free to all those wishing to develop and use mobile applications to their advantage. The cost to advertisers is severe, and businesses creating and using mobile apps must ensure their own and their consumers’ protection. For example, movie theaters and very time-sensitive inventory that goes to waste at a particular time and can’t be recovered.