Running a business is no easy task.
You have to manage employees, market your products/services, network with other professionals, make major decisions that could affect profitability, and more. Because you’ve got such a long list of critical tasks, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stressed.
But what if you could make your everyday tasks much easier to handle simply by downloading a few new apps on your Android phone?
Good news: you can.
So, keep reading and you’ll learn about the best business Android apps of 2015 so you can save time, save money, and streamline your work day.
Skype
Chances are, you’ve heard of Skype, a Microsoft application that allows you to video chat, text chat, and make phone calls. Maybe you have it downloaded on your computer and use it regularly to communicate for business purposes.
And you’re not alone. In fact, 4.9 million people use Skype every day, making it a pretty popular way to communicate.
But did you know that you can get Skype on your Android phone too?
It’s true. And if you’ve never used Skype for business before, you may want to consider it because it can help you keep costs low (it’s free) and stay in touch with customers and colleagues alike. You can even use it to virtually attend a staff meeting, making it a great way to stay involved with work projects when you’re out of the office.
Of course, you don’t have to just use it for business. You can use it to stay in touch with family and friends too, which really comes in handy when you’re traveling for work.
Google Calendar
Ever shown up late to an important meeting/call because you forgot about it? Or, have you ever missed a deadline because you lost track of the due date?
Google Calendar can help you eliminate those problems by allowing you to set up reminders for important events like meetings, client phone calls, and deadlines. It even connects to your Gmail account and sends you automatic alerts, making it perfect for busy businesspeople who have a to-do list full of important tasks.
And I’m not just talking about work-related tasks. You can add personal events like restaurant reservations, concerts, and flights there too. Then, you can look at your day in Schedule View to see your schedule at a glance.
You can look at your Google Calendar in a browser, but why not download the app for Android too? It’s free and puts the information you need every day right at your fingertips.
Basecamp
If you’ve got a project management system you can’t stand (or no project management system at all), consider Basecamp. Like Google Calendar, it allows you to plan and organize your schedule and look at a calendar view of your tasks and events.
But that’s not all it does. You can use Basecamp to upload files, collaborate and communicate with your team members and clients, and view project progress. Whether you’re a solopreneur or managing a large group of employees, Basecamp can help you stay on task and complete projects on time – every time.
Evernote
If you’re still taking notes with a pen and paper, you’re missing out. There’s a much better option:
Evernote.
You can use Evernote to organize all of your notes into different virtual notebooks, discuss notes during team projects, and more. It also comes in handy when you need to jot down ideas, keep track of important points mentioned during client phone calls, and write drafts of content for your website.
If you upgrade to the premium version of Evernote, you get more storage space, offline access, unlimited business card scans, and a passcode lock to protect your sensitive information – great for business owners who want to use Evernote to its fullest potential while keeping their data safe.
Slack
If you have a remote team, you might struggle to complete projects because of communication problems. Even if your entire team works in the same office, you might still feel like you could benefit from a communication method that allows your team to collaborate more effectively.
Slack can help with that. And you can easily use it in your browser and on your phone when you download the app.
Here are some of the things you can do with Slack:
Create a unique message thread for each project or department to make collaboration easy.
Upload and view files to receive immediate feedback from specific people.
Search messages to quickly find the information you need.
Slack even integrates with other popular applications, like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Zendesk. If you want to learn more, check out this blog post and you’ll discover how one business makes the most of using Slack as a team communication tool.
Square Register
Need to use your Android phone to take credit and debit card payments? If so, you’ll be happy to learn that Square Register allows you do that with ease (it even has a 4.5 out of 5 rating!).
You can also use it to collect tips, record gift card payments, send receipts, apply discounts, collect customer feedback, and more.
And if you sign into the Square Register web dashboard after downloading the app, you’ll be able to see analytics and information about your daily business activities. With that insight, you can learn more about your business and use that knowledge to improve it!
Dropbox
Long gone are the days when it was acceptable to buy huge file cabinets and store all of your business information there. With tons of cloud storage options available, it makes more sense to keep all of your files and documents stored online. That way, you’ll still have everything you need if something happens to the physical copies.
Dropbox is a great cloud storage option for businesses because of how flexible and easy-to-use it is.
You can back up videos and photos in Dropbox too, and the app allows you to edit Microsoft Office files from your mobile device, making it great for when you’re out of the office.
You can also share folders with specific people, which eliminates the tedious process of sharing files using email attachments.
Expense Manager
If you’ve ever wanted a way to manage your business budget from your phone, try Expense Manager. It allows you to track expenses, organize your bills, and more.
It comes with useful tools, including a currency converter, a tip calculator, and an interest calculator. And you can customize the app to fit your preferences.
Overall, it gives you a way to manage pretty much anything related to your business finances from your Android smartphone.
Any.Do
If you’re a solopreneur or small business owner, you may not need a robust project management and task tracking app. You might want a simpler way to see your daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists.
The Any.Do app, which has been featured in TechCrunch, NY Times, and PCMAG, can help with that.
Download the app, and you can sync it to all your devices, making it easy for you to keep track of your tasks and make checklists from anywhere.
You can use it for personal tasks like creating chore and grocery lists and even invite family members and friends to edit the lists as needed.
And best of all? The app is incredibly intuitive (thanks to its clean design) so you can organize your tasks faster and become more productive than ever.
Lookout
You probably already know how much a security breach could affect your business. That’s why it’s important to protect the sensitive information you store on your mobile devices.
You can do that for free using the Lookout app.
When you get the free version of Lookout, you get security and antivirus protection, the ability to find your device when it’s lost, and backup/download features.
If you want something a bit more robust, you can get Lookout Security and Antivirus Premium, which adds on additional features like theft alerts and call history backup.
With LAPTOP Magazine calling Lookout “The Best Mobile Security Solution for Android Devices,” you can feel confident that the app will eliminate any mobile threats and keep your device and information safe.
Spell Checker
Chances are, you have some kind of spell check feature on your desktop computer. But how can you be sure that your spelling is correct when you’re writing emails and other documents from a mobile device?
Simple: you use the Spell Checker app.
Doing this will help you avoid spelling errors and typos so you can make a good impression on potential clients and business connections. You can even check multiple languages and input your text using Google Voice!
Tiny Scanner
Let’s face it. Scanners have become obsolete. Not only are they clunky – they’re difficult to use and often produce low-quality images.
Fortunately, you don’t need a scanner when you have the Tiny Scanner app.
This app helps you save time and eliminates the frustration of using a scanning machine.
To use it, all you have to do is scan your file using your mobile device. Then, you can save it as an image or a PDF.
You can name your scans, create folders to organize your scans, and share your scans using your email account, Dropbox, Evernote, OneDrive, Google Drive, or Box.
So, if your old scanner is a source of frustration, consider downloading the Tiny Scanner app.
LinkedIn
As a working professional, you should get active on LinkedIn if you aren’t already. It’s a great way to find new employees, connect with like-minded businesspeople, find new clients, and build a strong personal brand online.
The LinkedIn app makes it simple to do all of those things from your Android device. And if you want to make the most of your LinkedIn account, you can try some of these other LinkedIn apps:
LinkedIn Job Search – You can use this app to search for jobs in specific cities and apply to jobs you’re interested in using your LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn Pulse – The LinkedIn Pulse app allows you to view your daily news in one place. It also tailors your news so you can avoid wasting time digging for the information you want the most.
LinkedIn Recruiter – Looking for some new talent at your business? LinkedIn Recruiter helps make the hiring process easier by allowing you to search for potential employees and review their profiles. You can even reach out to them within the app to set up a phone call or interview!
LinkedIn SlideShare – This app allows you to explore presentations, infographics, and videos about tons of topics. You can also see which content is most popular among your friends and colleagues and save your favorite content to read later.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator – Keeping up with sales leads on your mobile device can be challenging, but not with LinkedIn Sales Navigator! The app makes it easy for you to make the most of your Sales Navigator account by using it from anywhere.
Business Cards
If you’ve been a working professional for a while, you probably already have physical business cards. But what happens when you forget to bring them to a conference? Or when you unexpectedly meet a potential client who’s interested in learning more about you?
You might miss out on some sales and networking opportunities that could grow your business. That’s when the Business Cards app can come in handy.
With this app, you no longer need to deal with the hassle of carrying around physical business cards. Instead, you can create multiple business cards within the app, allowing you to tailor your cards to the types of people you give them to.
And the person you want to share your card with doesn’t need to have the app to receive it. You can send it to them via text, email, Twitter, NFC, and other methods.
Another great thing about this app is the way it can help you build connections online. With Business Cards, you can add clickable links to your social media profiles, which allows you to grow your social media following.
Interview Question and Answers
Going to an interview can be nerve-wracking – there’s no doubt about that.
But what if you could painlessly prepare for every job interview? What if you had insight into what questions your interviewer might ask you? What if you could refresh your memory on topics you might’ve forgotten that’ll likely come up in the interview?
You can do all of that and more using the Interview Question and Answers app.
This app covers 14 different subject areas (including Java, Finance, Marketing, and Software Testing), and you can use it to gain insight about how to answer even the most difficult interview questions. You can also find general interview tips in the app about what to wear to an interview, what to do when you don’t know how to answer an interview question, etc.
So whether you’re fresh out of college or a seasoned professional, know that you can benefit from using this app to prepare for your next interview.
Call Blocker
One thing that pretty much everyone can agree on is that unwanted telemarketing calls are the worst. They’re much more of a nuisance when they happen at inconvenient times, like during a meeting or a business presentation.
So, why not block them? With the Call Blocker app, you can.
Not only can you blacklist phone numbers so they’ll never pop up on your screen again – you can also whitelist the numbers that you never want to block.
So, if you’re ready to stop putting up with spam phone calls, start downloading Call Blocker.
Quickbooks Online
If you’re not already familiar with Quickbooks, it’s a cloud accounting application that allows you to handle your business finances.
And with the Quickbooks Online mobile app, you can handle accounting, payments, and billing from your smartphone.
Here are just a few of the many things you can do within the app:
Take pictures of receipts and organize all of your business expenses.
Send invoices with a Pay Now link so you can receive payments faster.
Send professional-looking estimates.
Monitor overdue invoices so you can follow up with clients who don’t pay on time.
View reports to gain insight on how your business is doing financially.
The app is free for 30 days, and after that you can pay a monthly ($12.99) or annual ($124.99) fee to use it. If you’re already a QuickBooks user, the app is completely free for you to use.
In Conclusion
Many people don’t think of apps as an option for improving the way their business runs, but as you can see, apps can be a huge help for a variety of tasks.
So, think about which of these apps will most effectively help you overcome the challenges you face at work on a daily basis, and try downloading those first.
Chances are, you’ll improve your professional life in no time.
Which of the apps here do you use most often for business? Share below in the comments section!