For some businesses, mobility is critical to the business because it allows them to work with clients both near and far. For others, mobility is key to maintaining a work/life balance. Whatever drives your business to mobility, here are three mobile apps to get your business’s mobile revolution off the ground.
1. Microsoft Office 365. Microsoft Office 365 is the same Microsoft Office you’re already using; however, 365 is required to run the Office suite on your phone or tablet. What’s more, 365 takes the traditional Microsoft Office experience online. Familiar programs like Outlook, Word, Power Point, and Excel are included in Microsoft Office 365. The advantage to Microsoft Office 365 is the familiarity of traditional Office program interfaces and their availability across platforms, so that your documents can be accessed on the go from anywhere at any time. The drawback is that some advanced editing and formatting is not available in the tablet versions of Office 365, so to the extent you use those features, you’ll still need to work on your desktop or laptop occasionally.
2. Asana. From one of the creators of Facebook, this project management app manages tasks and workflow magnificently, allowing you to delegate and coordinate with clients and associates from here to Timbuktu. With this app, you can create, manage, and track multiple projects to work on individually or with a team. Need a motion prepared? Create the task, then assign it to an associate. When the associate has a question, she can simply ask within the app, keeping all conversations related to a single project in the same place. So, no more filing emails when a case is closed, because everything you need has been shared in Asana (instead of clogging up your inbox!). Asana also integrates with Gmail (among many other platforms) allowing for you to keep track of all important project information in one place.
3. Xero. Xero is far and away the best alternative to QuickBooks out there, and for most small and medium businesses, we recommend Xero over QuickBooks. Where most QuickBooks alternatives over-simplify accounting to the point where accounting can barely be accomplished, Xero uses and presents dual-ledger accounting in a way that bookkeepers and accountants appreciate, but business owners can easily navigate and understand. Invoicing is simple (and Xero integrates with most of the time-tracking software mentioned in this paper), and Xero’s audit trail feature allows staff and accountants to pinpoint discrepancies with significantly less time and headache than other bookkeeping applications. Xero also includes additional payroll features, and the options for clients to view and pay their invoices online. Sign up for Xero through Skepsis and receive ongoing discounts – email us for more information.
We’ve helped many small and medium business figure out what mobile apps and tools are best for them and their budget. If you’d like more mobility in your business, contact us today.