You might have heard of the slogan ‘there’s an app for that’, one used (and now trademarked) by Apple in 2009 during a series of TV ads they ran to promote the multiplicity of apps available on their ever-popular App store. Well this slogan is especially true to productivity in your workplace. Whether you want to waste less time in meetings or manage your clients more efficiently – fortunately there’s ‘an app for that.
Forbes report that nearly every brand feels the need to have multiple specialized apps, which already tells you the significance of apps within the modern workplace.
Therefore we have piled together four significant ways apps have increased productivity in the workplace, and hope you might use one to improve your productivity.
1. Automation
There are hundreds of apps out there you can utilize that will automate almost anything nowadays. Being able to automate different tasks is a significant time-saver, and time is precious at work!
From social media schedulers like Buffer or Hootsuite, to a billing system like Mint that lets you automatically track all your checking accounts, credit cards and saving accounts in one central location.
Your workplace is a more efficient place thanks to the plethora of automation tools out there. Your business will see a significant reduction in time wasted and a real increase in quality of work – if you employ the right automated tools for you.
They are really easy to find too, just search for what aspect of your work you need to do faster and more efficiently, and you will most likely find an app that will help you do just that.
2. Scheduling
If you haven’t ditched your paper calendar for an online calendar app like Google Calendar then we feel sorry for you.
A calendar in general is an integral tool when it comes to the productivity and time-management aspect of your work, but a calendar app like Google Calendar or Apple Calendar is paperless, less fussy and sync-able across all your devices.
You might be a recruiter or an employer, and need something to help you schedule meetings and appointments. An app like Doodle or Calendly will help you do just that.
Send prospective clients or employees an email of your available timings using Doodle, and they will get a simple interface of available timings to choose from.
Whether you’re an employee or employer, using a scheduling app will help you organize your time much more efficiently. So throw that paper calendar sitting at your desk away and get with the times!
3. Collaboration
Similar to calendar apps, collaborations apps are all about mobility and accessibility. Online collaboration is essential to a modern-day workforce, as it means that employees don’t have to be right next to each other to work together.
Bain find that 15% of a business’s time is spent in meetings. Collaboration tools allow your workers to work remotely and share documents with each other from anywhere.
Employees are able to communicate easier, but more importantly spend less time-wasting time on face-to-face meetings, and instead spending more time on more important tasks.
Slack, for example, is a popular instant messaging and file transferring service I just started using at work. It has a ton of useful tools and it easily integrates with other vital work tools like Google Drive, Mailchimp, Trello, Twitter and more.
4. Customer Service
Lastly, It is imperative you give your employees all the tools necessary to maximize their relationships with your customers.
You probably already use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program such as Hubspot and Salesforce, which help you manage customer interactions and store valuable consumer data.
Some CRM systems are more complicated than others, and we recommend you pick ones that have developed their program into an application.
Why? So that your employees can access information and build relationships on their personal devices. This will lessen the time it takes for a problem to be solved, and in turn make your customers happier, and your employees more efficient.
Don’t go overboard with apps though! Using too many apps at once risks not just losing the benefit of each app but also risks making your workplace less productive – the exact opposite of why you employed the application in the first place! We’d love to know what your favorite productivity apps are (as well as the ones you’d never use again). So just comment below and let us know!
