31 January 2020|Resources
Starting a new business means many things – including having a vast amount to do. Here are some favourite telecoms apps and other tools to improve your productivity and help you to keep on top of everything. Chosen from the 2.1 million apps available from the Google app store, 1.8 million from Apple and 669K from Microsoft, so you don’t have to!
Let’s start with your handsets
Carrying two phones around, one for personal and one for business use, is annoying. It often leads to carrying two lots of cables and they take up all your pocket/bag space. You’ve also got to remember which one is which – and answer it accordingly.
With Re:Call, this goes away. You can add a second number to your phone, separate all the data and do away with all the hassles of carrying two phones. https://www.teleware.com/recall/
Microsoft InTune is not exactly an app, but it is an alternative solution to Re:Call. It also works on whatever endpoint device you wish to partition.
With Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) a popular way of allowing people to choose their preferred phone, it is increasingly necessary to provide the business with data protection. If someone loses their device or they leave the business, there is valuable corporate data on that phone that you don’t want anyone else to get hold of. InTune allows you to separate and, if necessary, remotely wipe that data. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/enterprise-mobility-security/microsoft-intune
Managing the client relationship
Cloze is an amalgamator, in that it pulls together all your interactions, so you never forget where you’ve got to with someone. Need to remember the last email you sent to someone, when their birthday is or what their last comment was on Twitter. This is what Cloze does. https://www.cloze.com/
How about signing contracts?
Remember the days of having to remember to print a contract at the office, take it to the client and get them to sign it? You then had to get it back to the office for processing. All a big faff, especially if you had commission payments riding on that contract!
With Hellosign, everything can be done digitally. Send the document to the client, and they can sign immediately. It works with Gsuite, OneDrive, Dropbox, Salesforce and many others. https://www.hellosign.com/
When you are out and about
If you need a PDF or image of something when out and about, have a look at camscanner. It’s quick and easy. Take a photo and camscanner asks whether you want a JPEG or PDF. You can then share it through all your normal channels, including email, Whatsapp, Evernote and even send it directly to your OneDrive or Google Drive. https://www.camscanner.com/
Video conferencing
There are lots of apps out there for VC. Skype, Zoom and Google Hangouts are some of the most popular, but there are lots more. What’s more, you no longer need your PC and a webcam; you simply use your smartphone. You can now make those conference calls from wherever you are, saving huge amounts of time either getting to a physical meeting or even to your PC.
And let’s not forget…
The humble to-do-list. If you need a one to keep you on the straight and narrow, Todoist is for you.
Add your tasks, including deadlines and timings, and it will keep you on track. It integrates with Slack, many calendars, and even Alexa. You can also add your colleagues, up to five of you, for free. https://todoist.com/
By using just one or two of these telecoms apps you can save you significant amounts of time. That give your even more opportunity to invest in your business.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Young is Director of independent telecoms brokerage Equinox. Gary works with companies, charities and other organisations to help them choose the right telecoms packages for their needs and thereby reduce their costs. He is particularly knowledgeable on the integration of IT and telecoms in business. www.equinoxcomms.co.uk
Citations:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/276623/number-of-apps-available-in-leading-app-stores/
