If you own a Smartphone, you’re likely quite familiar with the concept of applications, also known as ‘apps.’ If you own an iPhone, you can choose from more than one million apps that do everything from helping the user find the closest Wi-Fi hotspot to converting the phone into a pseudo fax machine. Or, if you’re an Android user, you might thrill to know that as of April 7, 2014, AppBrain.com reported nearly 1.2 million apps exist for your model. With so many apps to choose from, it’s a challenge to know not only what’s available but what will best suit your needs. Meanwhile, some apps are free to download; others charge a fee, making cost another consideration when determining which apps to add to your mobile devices, iPads and cell phones.
Shane Gibson, an author, trainer and seminar leader in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is partial to certain apps for his work. His favorites are Nimble CRM and CamCard Business Card Scanner. According to Gibson, Nimble CRM is “hands-down the best CRM tool” for a sales professional or entrepreneur using social media to find, attract and retain customers through social media and social networks. He also likes that it integrates with Outlook, Gmail, and all of the major social networks. In addition, the app records each communication with a customer across every channel and then curates it under one record in their system. That helps keeps written communications organized and easy to find.
If traveling is on your agenda, Gibson suggests the Here On Biz app because it integrates with LinkedIn and has “Geo-aware rolodex” functionality. When Gibson arrives in new city, or when he and a contact are in the same place, the app posts that information on LinkedIn. In fact, he’s even used the app to meet people with whom he is connected on that social media site. “I have used it to meet LinkedIn connections I have never seen in person before and even reconnect with clients who also happened to be traveling that same day through the same airport as me,” he says.
Other top apps include:
- EasilyDo: the free app scans the user’s contacts for duplicates and merges the information. It also accesses driving directions to appointments;
- SignNow: If you’re traveling and your signature is needed on an important document, this app will save the day. This iPhone/iPad app allows the user to sign a PDF, Word and RTF document that arrive via email, on an iOS device camera, Dropbox or other sources with the user’s finger. After signing, the user can email the signed doc or save it to their SignNow account. It’s free for the first five documents per month.
- Gourmet for iOS: This universal app, recently optimized for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, is designed to support the user’s epicurean fantasies. It allows the user to add, edit and import recipes at a cost of $3.99.
Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer.
Return to main story:
