7 apps every business should consider

As smartphones and tablets have unstoppably consolidated their vice-like grip on everyday life, no business would want to be left behind. Products and services (like ReZoop’s mobile punch card) can be purchased at the press of a button, revolutionizing the way business is conducted and making the marketplace landscape a cutthroat and ever-evolving minefield. There are a number of mobile apps businesses can use to stay relevant and ahead of the game, and their competitors. Here are seven of them.

1. PayPal

The ubiquitous way of sending and receiving money online, PayPal is a must-have for any business wanting to reach its customers or clients in an easy, recognizable and reliable manner. Additionally, PayPal allows small business to also trade select goods and services, not just conduct financial transactions.

2. Quickoffice

Given the mobile nature of life and business today, reaching someone at a computer has become a rarity. In the past, this would render working with documents moot, but an app like Quickoffice ensures that business can still be conducted on the go. Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets and presentations can be viewed, edited and e-mailed directly from a phone.

3. LinkedIn

In business, contacts are everything, and it can be difficult to remember who’s who in an ever-changing business world. That’s where LinkedIn comes in. Bringing the social networking website to the mobile world, the LinkedIn application allows users to browse profiles, send messages, request connections, write recommendations, and keep up with the professional lives of friends and colleagues who also use the app.

4. Norton Mobile Security Lite

As useful and easy it is to use the cloud to send and receive data, without any worry of time or distance, things can go wrong; data can be lost, stolen, or corrupted. Norton, already a dominant force in the PC anti-virus world, brings its brand of defence to the mobile platform with their Mobile Security Lite product. Uploaded and downloaded files are scanned for viruses, and any detected threats are removed. The software also automatically updates virus definitions – but not while you’re roaming, so as to avoid unnecessary data charges. Norton Mobile Security Lite will also lock the device in case of theft or loss.

5. Salesforce

Keeping track of customer data was a wilderness until Salesforce consolidated many different elements into one wide-reaching program. Now, the Salesforce effect comes to mobile platforms, allowing salespeople to not just remember which customer was which, but use the app as a personal organizer to remember contact details, schedule meetings and produce charts and metrics for reporting purposes.

6. DropBox

DropBox has become so popular that it’s easy to take it for granted, but the ability to send any number or size of documents instantly, across devices, with real-time updating and saving, makes DropBox a priority application for every business.

7. Cisco WebEx Meetings

Meetings are the necessary evil of the business world, but if you’re going to do them, do them right. The online meeting application provided by Cisco comes integrated with video, and lets users converse and share screens (for presentations) across any device from any location.