In a world of ever-increasing dependence on technology, mobile and desktop applications are becoming an indispensable part of our daily routines, and the digital ecosystem both.
There has been a huge influx of tech giants developing new apps over the last few years, across all industries.
But small and medium sized businesses are dipping their toes into the app industry and are creating applications that are disrupting how things are done, shaking the trees of the tech giants in their industries.
Mobile and desktop applications help business operations, streamline communications and create secure but accessible workspaces. Applications also reduce costs, increase customer engagement and generally make day-to-day life a whole load easier.
The popularity of mobile apps specifically has increased exponentially, what with an estimated 2.56 million apps on Google Play and around 1.85 million on Apple Store – the sheer number of apps available is a testimony to how increasingly popular applications of all kinds are.
Plus, small businesses know the importance of remaining flexible, cohesive management of communications and daily operations, and the true meaning of value for money. There are many SME apps out there at the moment which are directly geared towards improving the daily lives of small business owners, and small to medium sized organisations for usability, flexibility and management.
So, we thought we’d put together a list of some SME apps that are shaking things up a little bit …
School Management Software
Early years and pre school management software is getting a facelift. TeachKloud is an application specifically designed to streamline communications, protect sensitive data, organised administrative responsibilities and provide a cohesive management tool within an educational setting.
With extensive features that enable teachers to collate daily tasks, learning records, communication management between parents, and health and safety checklists, this app is providing a fresh new way of operating for early years education settings.
And what with increased awareness for child safety within a post-COVID world, an app that helps organise COVID-19 checklists for childcare staff, cleaning schedules and risk assessment all in one place is more important than ever!
Remote Payment
Square is an innovative payment app that lets businesses sell online and remotely. With the ability to accept payments whether a small business is selling in person or online, this app is truly changing the way that small businesses operate.
Plus, with a variety of compact hardware, card readers and online software, Square is opening up whole new avenues for small business owners and medium organisations alike.
Productivity
Entering into the world of project management apps, Asana is a platform that allows comprehensive management and organisation to a team of any size. It allows for a high level of organisation by allowing you to create projects, set goals and stay on track with daily tasks.
Users have ultimate control over individual schedules, and can interact with other team members’ calendars, and fully integrate other systems like Slack, Google, Microsoft Teams and a whole host of other useful productivity apps.
By essentially rolling other management tools into one, Asana is definitely changing up the project management game.
Finance & Accounting
Tackling the world of payroll and accounting is no easy feat, but Gusto makes it look simple.
This app offers support for things like onboarding, managing payrolls, insuring employees and more. Gusto has certainly waltzed into a saturated market and introduced a fresh, clean way of managing finance for small and medium sized enterprises.
While the world of SME apps is certainly inundated with ways to boost productivity, manage your time, streamline those daily tasks, it really is a case of cherry picking the apps that best suit the needs of your small business, your team, or you as an individual.
There’s definitely something for you, so now you just have to decide which one to go for…