By Monique Martin
The iPhone is more than just a cool gadget; it’s a valuable business tool. With hundreds of business applications available for download, your iPhone can be a portable office. From sales calls to increased productivity, as they say in the commercials, “There’s an app for that.” Here are 10 of the most popular apps for business.
- Credit Card Terminal: If you’re on the road and make a sale, that last thing you want is a long delay before you seal the deal. With Credit Card Terminal, you can process credit card transactions on your iPhone. You need an authorize.net account to use the service and the rates are $25/month plus $0.25 and 2.09 percent for qualified transactions.
- Billings Touch: Billings Touch is a time-tracking and invoicing app that can be used as a stand-alone or with Billings for Mac. You can keep track of your expenses and even create and send invoices.
- Dropbox: There’s nothing more frustrating than not having the document you need when you need it. With Dropbox, all of your important files are kept in one central location that you can access from anywhere, including from your iPhone. This app requires you to have a Dropbox account. But, the basic account is free and gives you 2GB of storage. The Dropbox app is a must for any road warrior.
- GoDoc PRO: If you already have your company’s documents uploaded into Google Docs, then GoDoc PRO is the app for you. It gives you quick, easy and flexible access to all of your Google Docs.
- Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite: The latest version of this app allows you to create, open and edit Microsoft Office files including Word documents and Excel files from your iPhone. You can also access and share remote files via email, by using their cloud storage or by accessing Dropbox, Google Docs or MobileMe accounts.
- Evernote: With Evernote you can keep all of your notes in one place. Write text notes, take pictures or even record audio notes. You can sync Evernote with your desktop so there’s no need to spend time on duplicate entry.
- JotNot: JotNot is a handy little app that turns the camera on your iPhone into a scanner. JotNot’s image processing cleans up your standard camera images by removing shadows and correcting contrast. It also integrates with Dropbox and Google Docs.
- Salesforce Mobile: If you use Salesforce for your CRM, this app lets you access all of your data on the move. You can add contacts and notes or update leads or opportunities.
- Dragon Dictation: This free voice recognition app is great for sending short email messages or making notes. Like Dragon’s Naturally Speaking software, it takes a little practice, but it can be a great time saver.
- WorldCard Mobile: Instead of stuffing business cards into your pocket and losing them, you can scan them with this nifty app. Using your iPhone’s camera it recognizes data, sorts it, and automatically creates contacts.
About the Author
Monique Martin served as Chief Operating Officer for a successful online insurance marketing firm for five years.