Mobile apps have become more and more important to modern businesses. And when you’re a small company with employees juggling multiple roles, these handy tools can free up time and space for you to grow. If you’re also managing a fleet of business vehicles, any mobile business solutions can make operations more efficient and save money.
So what are the best phone apps for your business?
It’s incredible how many apps there are that could help streamline business processes. Where do you start? We’ve broken them down into areas where you might need a little extra support.
Project management
One of the top projection management apps right now is monday.com which helps with reporting, managing calendars, tracking time and forward planning. While it provides great opportunity for collaboration between your team members and integrates seamlessly with third-party apps, its quality comes at a price. Cheaper alternatives like Jira and Wrike are both solid options offering more flexibility.
Communication and collaboration
When it comes to collaborative digital tools for business, Flock is up there with the best. Its free plan lets your team video chat, share files and messages and help manage to-do lists in one easy app. And best of all, it seamlessly integrated with many of the tools small businesses already use, like Google Calendar, Google Drive, MailChimp and more, making it one of the best small business apps. For a small price, you can upgrade to Flock PRO for more storage. Other well-known apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams are worth checking out if you prefer a more recognised name.
Finance and accounting
Another app that helps enhance business operations is Zoho Books. With a 4.8 star rating on the App Store and 4.7 stars on Google Play, the app lets you choose accountancy tasks you’d like to automate, from billing customers to setting up recurring payments to sending reminders. This frees up a lot of time for your staff. One downside is the lack of payroll functions, but that’s where other options like Xero and QuickBooks might be better suited.
Customer relationship management
If you’re a small business owner, anything you can do to make life easier for your staff is a huge bonus. When it comes to CRM, one of the best business productivity apps is Pipedrive. It’s ease-of-use is second-to-none, focusing on helping you sell with no unnecessary extra features. Pipedrive’s intuitive interface and simple search box make it quick and easy to pick up, with all the features you’d expect of a modern CRM tool, even using an AI assistant to help prioritise your daily tasks.
Fleet tracking and route optimisation
When it comes to looking after your fleet, one of the great mobile business solutions is the Waze. Its biggest strength is its real-time alerts, helping your drivers react to traffic and optimise their routes, saving time and money. Originally designed for personal use, it’s a free app that works brilliantly for businesses too. Other apps like MapQuest Multi-Stop Route Planning have been designed with businesses in mind, allowing for multiple destinations to be put in on a single journey.
Fleet maintenance and alerts
Maintaining your fleet is an important job, made easier by the right app. AUTOsist is one of the easiest digital tools for business, helping fleet managers keep track of operations from their mobiles and letting drivers update forms on the go. Rated the best fleet maintenance software by Forbes, hot on its heels are alternatives like FleetCheck Driver and FleetRobo that are also worth a look.
Fuel monitoring and efficiency
In today’s economic world, the cost of fuel is a big consideration for businesses big and small. Fuelly is a 5-star app that takes some of that uncertainty away. It’s simple-to-use as a mobile interface, but part of its draw is its ability to sync with its website, letting you keep tabs on costs from your laptop and export out the data in a more easy-to-digest way. Free to use with a paid premium option, it’s up there with the best, closely followed by Fuelio and Fuel Monitor Pro if you’d like to compare.
Staying up-to-date
The business world changes at such a pace, it’s important to keep up. That’s where the fuelGenie Fuel Prices app can help. Completely free, it gives you up-to-date fuel pricing, so you can always find the best deal near you and your drivers. You can even manage your fuelGenie fuel cards in the same app.
Are these the best business apps 2023?
The above is by no means an exhaustive list, but a great starting point to explore the world of small business apps. Our advice is to look for user-friendliness, integration capabilities and good support. Keep an open mind and you’ll soon find the right apps for your business.
