18 Best Business Apps for Productivity in 2016 🎯
Any entrepreneur or business owner would agree to the fact that on many occasions people and organizational energies are spent on unnecessary and trivial tasks that eat up on the productive time.
Worry not!
There is always a ray of hope with nifty and helpful tech tools that put your business in turbocharge mode.
We bring you the best business apps for productivity that will help you stay organized and in-charge without spending a bomb.
Best Business Apps in HR 👫
The market for HR apps has picked up steam as they reduce the drudgery of every day HR management, allowing people practitioners to be of strategic importance without worrying about chaotic spreadsheets and bludgeoning data. Here are our top picks for best business apps in HR.
> When I Work
When I Work app lets you spend more time in growing your business rather than worrying about employee scheduling and attendance for hourly jobs.
You can communicate with employees in real-time and send instant updates (Emails/SMS) to avoid employee no-shows. It easily accommodates random time-off; shift change and schedule swap requests from employees with quick approvals.
The employees can clock in/out time and schedules can be copied from one week to the next. The set up takes minutes and the interface is highly intuitive giving you readily available data for payroll processing.
It operates conveniently on desktop and phone with pricing of $29/monthly for up to 20 users.
.@wheniwork love the app and my shirt. You make schedule staff so easy… pic.twitter.com/TAPGnvtkg3
— Townie Bagels (@TownieBagels) June 3, 2016
> BambooHR
Suited for the small and mid-sized organizations (with 50-1000 employees), BambooHR has created quite a name in the US market.
The app allows for maintaining centralized employee database with accurate reporting, smart reminders, and custom permissions. The Employee self-service lets users view and update info whenever they wish.
The app can generate custom reports using various filters, sorting, and grouping options. Charged at $99.00/month, the areas that can be addressed through BambooHR include recruitment and application tracking, salary history, time off requests, staff calendar, tracking training and benefits and many more.
It is available in multiple languages with compatibility for 3rd party integrations.
Thanks @bamboohr for being so easy! My boss, @BenFranciscoM is loving you! Thanks @glaad CFO Charlotte Wells for the recommendation!
— Marvin Webb (@marvinwebb) June 3, 2016
> CakeHR
CakeHR is one of the coolest apps to manage employee time-off requests, eliminating the endless scheduling and tracking using papers and spreadsheets.
It makes visual dashboards and reports available in a jiffy for the entire organization with just few clicks. The org chart feature lets everyone visualize who fits where in the company, working as a great onboarding tool. Plus the work efforts get synergized with an option to create teams and assign time zones.
The self-service feature makes it irresistible as employees can access the authorized records from anywhere, anytime, from any device.
The interface is extremely customizable to suit organization needs with central repository of employee leave data.
This online leave management wonder works across Android, iOS and web based devices at very affordable $4/employee per month.
CAKE HR Ranks 2nd in @cloudswave1 Awards for Q2 2016: Best Workforce Management Software via @CakeHR #HRsoftware https://t.co/6m0YzzUgOJ
— Nouhad El Fahli (@efnouhad) April 12, 2016
Best Business Apps in Communication 📡
With paradigm of work going a 360-degree shift, entrepreneurs are always on the look out to unify their global teams and enable real time data sharing. The following assortment of best business apps in communication is targeted to turbocharge the way you connect by chucking out the waste and keeping it sleekly fast.
> HipChat
The instant messaging app scores higher than its competitors thanks to many tech-savvy features that include group chatting, searchable chat rooms, video calling, screen sharing, mid-way looping colleagues (through @mentions) and drag and drop file sharing.
The uniqueness of the app is its multi-client integration facility with native apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS, desktop and mobile, which makes it device independent.
Basic Plan is free and the Plus version comes at $2/user, per month with 30 days free trial.
current favorite @hipchat feature: displaying the current local time zone of the person I’m chatting with; really helpful for global teams
— Scott Francis ن (@darkuncle) June 13, 2016
> Slack
Very useful for freelance groups, small and mid size businesses, Slack allows for 1:1 as well as multi channel exchange of messages including file sharing.
The high point about Slack is it’s contextual search and filtering capabilities that throws information you need in a jiffy.
Basic plan comes free with no cap on users or time.
Office messaging tool Slack may find its biggest challenge is breaking people’s work habits https://t.co/WCaq3HvptV pic.twitter.com/AsUp0zubxt
— The Economist (@EconBizFin) June 14, 2016
> Azendoo
Pitched as a collaborative task manager, the app makes real time work sharing convenient, especially for geographically scattered teams.
The star functionality of this app is its syncing capability, whereby changes made to your Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, Evernote account reflects instantly on Azendoo and vice versa.
The cross-platform task-sharing app is available starting at $9.00/month with free trial
Find out how @BeerTwinkie is using @Azendoo to better manage communications at @FultonBeer https://t.co/bNFEwgwyjU pic.twitter.com/DOi9GtGpAF
— Ben Brausen (@BenBrausen) May 4, 2016
Best Business Apps in Project Management 💾
Project Management is complicated affair with tasks, deadlines, reports, resource mapping and several other variables. We bring you the best business apps in project management that will help you manage teams with few simple clicks and track tasks without any lapses.
> Microsoft Planner
The pin board like interface makes Microsoft planner a very easy to use and collaborative task planning solution where each plan has its own board on which tasks appear as individual cards.
The drag and drop feature allows to form quick task buckets, assign team members, add comments and attachments.
Color-coded progress status, dependencies, time constraints make the app visually efficient and automated notifications keep task members updated.
Integrates with Microsoft Office Suite and supports Mac, Windows and Web based devices.
#Digital Microsoft takes a swing at Trello and Asana with new Planner app https://t.co/hy5EfSAVuW
— BeckyCortino (@BeckyCortino) June 6, 2016
> Asana
This app takes task sharing to a very flexible platform with its chic features and uses.
Apart from creating and assigning tasks, Asana allows to track projects with “Project Followers” and “Tag” features that helps to group similar tasks and include necessary people through @mentions. It has a real time activity feed that reflects complete history of projects.
For increased emphasis on individual task management it has room to create “My tasks”, “Focus Mode” and “Sub-tasks” that help reach the goal with less distractions.
Task related updates and status are all collated in the Asana Inbox.
Highly suitable for small and mid-size business, the app subscription comes in multiple variants to choose from based on the total number of users, with the basic plan offered totally free.
@alper @asana pro tip: put x@mail.asana.com (or proj email) in your contacts and tell siri to send an email to it as a way of creating tasks
— Dustin Moskovitz (@moskov) June 13, 2016
> InVision
If design-driven project management is your need, then InVision is an extremely handy app that allows creating and sharing interactive prototypes and mock-ups for your designs.
It is welcome change for those who are tired struggling with .PDF files and screenshots. It mimics actual web browsing experience, so that clients and team members get better idea of the deal as compared to static pages and pictures.
The app seamlessly transitions to work on mobile or desktop interface depending on the need with real time syncing capability with other apps.
It simplifies the entire process of feedback by having clients, teammates and stakeholders comment directly on designs at one convenient place.
Drive, Sketch, Invision & some peace of mind https://t.co/HxCovGiwYo Quite neat workflow with tools most of us are already using.
— Pavel Burov (@pmburov) June 5, 2016
Best Business Apps in Marketing 💰
In todays’ times marketers need to up their game constantly in the wake of changing customer demands and business landscape. Consider our take on the best business apps in marketing that will boost your online marketing efforts to new heights.
> Crowdfire
A boon for the social media and community managers/marketers, Crowdfire app lets you ace Twitter and Instagram by connecting you to the most relevant user base for your product/service.
The free version allows you to configure up to 2 accounts and boasts of very smart features that guarantee growth of social media.
It lets you clean the stream by letting you un-follow the inactive followers or those who un-followed you. This makes way for establishing meaningful connections by searching prospective customers by location/ keyword/ copying followers of your competitors and similar accounts.
This slick app is available on web, iOS and Android.
> Canva
With digital marketing and social media ruling the roost in managing the brand image and connecting with customers, graphic design has come to the center stage.
You might not like to be dependent on Graphic Designer all the time. Canva gives you the creative freedom to conjure up highly engaging images, optimized for various social media channels.
Canva is a simple, drag-and-drop, design software that’s completely online and free to use. It’s been a very exciting adventure: we’ve been around for just over 28 months and already have 10 million users across 179 countries and you can also say that 4 designs are created every second.
Read to stay in touch with what is now possible. Glad to see Canva, one of my favorite tools on the list. https://t.co/FyOS0Mieb3
— Sue Funkhouser (@PinwheelPerform) December 12, 2016
> Audiense
Wondering what is the best time to market your product on Twitter? Well, this is an app specifically tailored to this requirement.
Audiense helps marketers to analyze and engage with their Twitter audience by generating in-depth info about the target community.
You can compare your Twitter strategy to your competitors and similar accounts by tracking the behavior reports. It also tells you if your marketing campaign or content was effective enough on Twitter.
With mine of insights on your followers and key influencers, it is a neat tool to acquire and engage customers.
Particularly suited for mid to large level organizations, the basic plan starts at $13.95 a month with plan upgrades available as Professional, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions.
Check out Audiense. It’s a great social marketing platform https://t.co/ffkzyfc2zI
— The Habib Ishola (@Sirehabbiibb) June 2, 2016
Best Business Apps in Mail 📫
An integral part of working, you cannot separate mails from a professional. Also, the transition from desktop to mobile mail apps has been quite impactful. The most practical way to deal with the daily dose of overwhelming mails is to find an app that lets you focus on issues that matter and smartly eliminates the waste. Here is our preference of best business apps in mail.
> Polymail
Aimed at simplifying the workflow via mails, Polymail app is available both for desktop and Mobile.
It helps you master the inbox with powerful email productivity tools like Email Tracking (when was it read and how many times by multiple readers), Read Later, send later, one-click unsubscribe and more.
This app declutters your inbox from add-ons and extensions and keeps it beautifully clean with just the important stuff.
It splits your messages into professional, social, subscriptions, and press releases so that you can prioritize your mail experience.
Great tool @PolymailApp! Must-have for Mac OS users #email https://t.co/iShPhe4thR
— NickPapakonstantinou (@Nick_PM) June 12, 2016
> Boxy
Boxy is an absolute best client for “Inbox by Gmail”. It gives all the powerful features of Inbox with the convenience of a native client for Mac desktops.
It supports multiple accounts with clean and modern interface. It is way faster than website/browser based inbox application with awesome looking themes, avatars and dock badge.
The reader mode is worth a try for amazing reading experience.
It super lightweight with all of the “Inbox” features intact like snooze emails, automatic smart replies, reminders, bundles for organizing emails, pin emails and smart queries for archive search.
It can be purchased at $5.99 from Mac App Store.
Free Corporate Identity Photoshop Mockup – Boxy App http://t.co/7dh9wBvh3s via @boxyapp
— Emlyn Böcher (@EmlynBoecher) October 9, 2013
> CloudMagic
Your search for unified email box that covers wide number of email services ends with CloudMagic.
It supports Gmail, iCloud, Exchange, Yahoo, and IMAP. The winning feature of this mobile email app is its “contextual cards” system that lets you send the contents of your mail to a variety of popular tools such as Salesforce, OneNote and ZenDesk making it nimble and real time.
Refined features like support for Apple Watch and Android Wear or culling out helpful info about the correspondent/sender’s profile including job title, organization details and social media handles, makes it a wonderful companion for mobile users.
And yes it’s FREE.
Forget LinkedIn! Bigger news: @CloudMagic just updated their iOS mail app and it might finally replace the native app for me. That good.
— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) June 13, 2016
Best Business Apps in Growth Hacking 🚀
Growing a business is no easy feat. Investments in terms of money still dictate most of the marketing efforts. Breeze through our chosen best business apps in growthhacking to make most of the opportunity with minimal cash blocks.
> GrowSumo
Partner programs and channel sales account for big source of revenue, especially if you are a startup and looking to expand your territory.
With GrowSumo, a company can create a page or a single dashboard from where they can manage multiple things like accepting new partners applications, train them, track their progress and manage their rewards.
It is more of B2B model with focus on other businesses rather than directly on consumers.
If your software/hardware business needs to empanel resale partners like independent consultants, accountants, web developers, HR representatives and other resellers then this app hold lot of meaning.
It is a shortcut where you find partners who recommend your service directly to their clients.
@GrowSumo cool concept 👌🏼
— Pixelated Pinto ♞ (@PixelatedPinto) April 29, 2016
> Lead Forensics
It’s a great choice for businesses looking to identify and transform anonymous website visitors into profitable sales.
It gives upper hand by offering real-time visitor information and wide range of filters that can be used to segment these visitors. You can flag “dream” customers and gain insights with easy to grasp and sleek analytics.
Lead Forensics aims to maximize sales and marketing ROI by providing region wise consumer behavior from first click to sale.
The portal is customizable and can trigger instant alerts/notifications. The app comes with one-week free trial and customer success manager is assigned to each business for continued support.
Lead generation was never so easy and effective.
B2B software tool which identifies your anonymous web visitors and turns into leads? See @Leadforensics in #Brum
— Sterling (@Sterlintegrity) June 14, 2016
> Pipedrive
If you are a small sales team and are looking to manage sales in a competitive way, then Pipedrive can be your go-to solution.
It gives clear picture of how close or away you are from closing the deal by organizing prospects in categories and making confident forecasts without guesswork or surprises.
It is quite good for a simple $12/month subscription with a free trial of 30 days.
It is convenient and customizable to accommodate varied needs and syncs with Google Calendar, Dropbox, Mailchimp and other software.
It allows for superb reporting for team and individual targets, measuring real-time results. It focuses the sales efforts by useful filters (by people, product and timeline), drag and drop of deals across sales stages with timeline view for ongoing month/quarter.
.@pipedrive looks like a sleek CRM! Cool to see @zapier users integrating with @AWeber by adding subs to Pipedrive! https://t.co/D027Z4g90Y
— Tom Tate ✉ ☕ (@tnrt) June 9, 2016
What is your pick of the lot? Have you used any of the above listed apps? We would love to read your experiences in the comments section.
Mitalee.
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CakeHR is determined to make workplace simple and smart with its continued efforts to make leave management a literal cakewalk. Know more about us @ cake.hr