"THE GROWTH BLOG" - A RESOURCE FOR B2B LEADERS, MARKETERS, SALES & SERVICE PROFESSIONALS

9 apps to help you get out of the office quicker

  9 apps to help you get out of the office quicker

 

Lets face it, if there is a tool that can make those mundane daily tasks quicker, easier (or even none existent) then we should be all over it. But surely looking for those solutions comes under one of those endless to-do lists that is actually more of an I-will-never-do list. Luckily for you we have wiped out the middleman and compiled a selection of handy apps to keep conveniently stored in your smartphone ready to whip out for some time-busting action. This is mobile technology at its best. 

 

1. Swype

We all took some time adjusting to the iPhone’s tiny keyboard and our fumbling thumbs still make the occasional #autocorrectfail. While widely acceptable in a social context, in the business world, autocorrect can be the cause of some serious embarrassment. Luckily this typing tool offers a replacement for your native keyboard.

The beauty of this app is that you can drag your finger from key to key to form your words. Though this may seem like a more complicated way to churn out your texts, it has been proven to actually be a lot faster than typing each letter individually. So save yourself some sneaky seconds by Swyping.

Added bonus: You can pick a colour theme for your Swype, or even chose a major league Soccer team theme to jazz up your Swyping keyboard.

swype

 

2. EasilyDo

Though you may have an in-built calendar app already lodged in your smartphone, chances are, it’s not great. This is where EasilyDo comes in. This app organises your calendar by syncing it with your email and social media accounts to register your events and meetings, ready to remind you directly. This means that you don’t have to add everything into your iCal manually every time you get an email about a meeting or invited to birthday drinks. It will also alert you if you have doubled-up a contact number or when there is a clash with events and meetings. And if you are jetting off for an overseas trip, it will save your emailed boarding pass into the app ready to check in with – saving you that panicked scroll through thousands of emails at the gate.

In other words, EasilyDo is practically a virtual PA – minus the coffee runs.

Added Bonus: EasilyDo has an inbuilt map so you never get lost en route to meeting new clients!

EasilyDo

 

3. IFTTT

Ever been frustrated at your mobile’s incompetency to understand what you want it to do? Ever wanted to pelt your phone straight out of the window due to sheer hatred for the device? Okay, maybe your irritation hasn’t reached that level quite yet, but as my mother says ‘prevention is always better than a cure’ – so to prevent frustration we have found a way to get your phone to understand you completely.

With IFTTT you can create almost any command due to its ‘If This, Then That’ algorithm. This means you can set up triggers for different tasks. For example, you could command ‘If there is a new file uploaded to the company Dropbox, then you should send me a notification’, or ‘If someone posts using the hashtag #g2msolutions, then send me a text message’.  Basically, this app works like a competent Siri, giving you back control of your online life, organising your cloud and filtering your social media so you don’t have to waste time scrolling through pages and pages of memes, but can get straight to the good stuff.

Added Bonus: IFTTT is super easy to set up. It walks you through the entire tool to get you  ready to start commanding your app!

 

IFTT1

IFTTT2

 

4. Box

If you work in a corporate environment, Box is a must. It's one of the hottest tech start-ups of 2014 and we can see why. Much like Dropbox, this app acts as a cloud service, storing documents and files so you can view them online and download them at any time. However, what sets it apart from Dropbox is the fact that Box is committed to developing the app for all platforms, not just the popular ones. This means that there is no more hassle when it comes to downloading to your android or tablet.

Added Bonus: You can get real-time updates on whether files are uploaded, edited or commented on by the whole of your team, so you can keep an eye on your employees!

Box

 

5. FullContact

If your wallet is jam-packed with business cards that you just never got around to sorting out or filing away then this app will be a lifesaver. FullContact has a way to transform that wad of inconvient cards into a handy contact list – it pinches the details from your business cards and adds them to your address book, and all with just one quick photo!

Added Bonus: You have the option of adding the saved contact as a connection on LinkedIn – which saves you trying to remember how they spelt Catherine/Katherine/Kathryn while you attempt to stalk them.

cardreader-connect-on-linkedin

 

6. Toggl

Ever wondered how long you spent working on that presentation pitch? Or how much time is taken up checking your emails in the morning? Well, with Toggl it is really simple. You can create client specific project lists, which let you see how much time you are spending working for each client. You can also add your entire team to track  hours spent on each account for a company-wide  productivity overview.

Added Bonus: If you forget to track something – no worries! Just add it in manually to fill the gaps of your day.

 

Toggl

 

7. Instapaper

This is a super minimal app designed to stop you procrastinating at work. It saves your favourite newspaper articles for later. This means you can line up the articles you want to read on your train journey home, all in an awesome personalised newspaper right in the palm of your hands!

Added Bonus: Instapaper strips back your saved articles so you can read completely ad-free!

Instapaper

 

8. TweetDeck

This is definitely the must-have app for Twitter users juggling multiple accounts. You can see all of your tweets and news feeds in a convenient column. It is easy to switch between accounts, you can schedule tweets to be published and you can even mute users to get rid of any unwanted twitterings.

Added Bonus: TweetDeck timelines stream in real-time so you never have to hit refresh again!

TweetDeck

 

9. Yelp

Ever found yourself frantically looking for a place to grab a coffee or lunch with a client at the very last minute. Well, Yelp’s popularity has made it a must-have for people with this exact problem. Just type in your location and the app will spit out  an instant flurry of restaurants, cafes and bars. Along with listings there are reviews and ratings for each establishment, so you can come prepared to your meeting with a recommendation – ‘ah, I hear the bruschetta here is to die for’ or ‘you must try the coffee, its beans are imported from Yemen’ – one quick scroll and you will sound like a pro!

Added Bonus: There is a map feature to the app so you can locate a place nearby and navigate to it with confidence!

 

Yelp

 

Now, that you have your list of the top 9 apps to make your life that little bit easier, we suggest you go forth and download!

If you want to find out more about the latest trends on the web, download our free ebook. 

Social Media's Impact on Revenue  

 

 

Topics: mobile marketing mobile apps apps mobile technology