Businesses have been increasingly relying upon digital technology ever since the inception of computers and the development of computer-based technologies.
With every passing year, new software programs are developed to aid businesses in their operations and the businesses make their necessary use to make their operations seamless and convenient.
Increasing decentralization in businesses has been happening for some decades now. Businesses, instead of incorporating a new department for certain operations, have started outsourcing their operations to relieve themselves from certain burdens of training, retaining, and payroll management of their employees.
Top 10 Mobile Apps for Business Collaboration Click To Tweet
Moreover, the decentralization of businesses has led to a spread of workforce throughout different locations which makes it difficult to communicate and collaborate to accomplish collective tasks.
Back in the day, communications took place through telephones, letters, and faxes. However, the world has become quite fast-paced and time lag hinders productivity in a great deal.
All these factors ask for the requirement of ways to bring remote people together and make their professional communication and collaboration more convenient, timely, and organized.
As the requirements arise, inventions take place, and thus several software programs have been developed to ease business collaborations.
To increase the accessibility, companies have tapped into mobile app development and thus mobile phone versions of these programs have also come up.
Choosing among these applications, however, might prove to be a little difficult. Hence, we have compiled a comprehensive list of 10 mobile apps that best suit business collaboration.
1. G Suite
Google, as the biggest search engine has incorporated several service features that aid people in several fields, be it entertainment or business.
In the case of businesses, Google provides a suite of apps called the G- Suite which features applications such as Google Drive, Google docs, Google sheets, Google Meet, and a lot more.
Document storage and sharing become very convenient using Google drive. “Google docs” provides the ability to create documents and to share it feasibly. “Google sheets” is yet another service that provides the ability to make spreadsheets to share numerical data.
Google meet can be used to conduct video conferences and meetings; Gmail can be used for communication purposes. With the seamless sharing ability of Google, this makes it one of the best collaboration tools out there.
2. OneNote
OneNote is a Microsoft product that has been developed essentially to develop notes and enable multi-user collaboration.
The platform can be used to create notebooks, organize them section-wise, and thereby add comments, highlight important sections, and add ink annotations.
The ink annotations can be creatively used to add important labels or further information to colleagues or clients.
Microsoft OneNote can also be used to record audio notes, insert online videos, and add files according to the requirements.
All these features along with a convenient sharing feature that allows note sharing across all devices very convenient make it an attractive package for business collaboration.
3. Dropbox
Dropbox is a file hosting service that offers several features like Cloud storage that can be used to store files in an organized fashion by creating specific folders online.
Users can also create documents on Dropbox using Dropbox paper. The collaboration with Google and Microsoft allows the creation of documents in Dropbox in the form of presentations, or word documents.
Dropbox provides a seamless sharing feature that can be used to invite other Dropbox members to view or edit documents, share the document through Email, or other platforms like Slack, Trello, and Zoom.
The free version of Dropbox allows 2GB of storage capacity, whereas upgraded plans provide much more storage capacity along with enhanced team management, collaboration, and security features.
4. Slack
Slack is essentially a communication application that can be used to manage team communication internally.
An important feature is that a user can invite other users and make separate channels to group them into depending upon the relevant tasks, teams, or departments. Direct messages to people can also be sent to communicate personally.
Multiple workplaces can be set up in Slack to manage activities for more than one workplace, in case there are any.
Slack can also be used to share files between the members of a channel or personally through direct messages.
Also, another interesting feature is app integration through which numerous apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. can be integrated, in case a situation to use these apps arise.
5. Trello
Trello is an interactive workflow and team management that can be used by businesses to streamline the processes of tasks.
Trello offers the feature to develop lists that describe the workflow stage, and a user can create cards into the lists to denote sub-tasks.
Details regarding the process and requirements can be entered along with the members that need to be involved and the deadline for the task.
The cards can be dragged along different workflow lists as per the progress of the subtasks.
Changes to the card details can be made along the way, members can be added or removed, as well as comments can be made to make the workflow more interactive and productive.
6. Zoom
Zoom has recently become widely popular surpassing that of even Skype as a video conferencing app. The app can be used to organize video seminars and meetings among a group of people.
Several features like file sharing and screen sharing can be used to make the conference more interactive and productive.
The white-board feature in Zoom can be used as a board to present ideas just as a real white-board which has become quite popular among educational organizations.
7. InVision
InVision is a collaboration tool that mainly deals with product and graphic designs.
It is a platform where multiple members can share their ideas and feedback on a product, a graphic design, or a User Interface design using whiteboard tools, i.e. making annotations digitally.
It can also be used to create flow charts and basic design and share them among a team inviting further developments or feedback.
8. Flock
Flock is a team management app that helps users to manage their teams using several collaboration features. The group chat feature allows members to collaborate on their team tasks.
Private chat groups for reserved communication and public chat for sharing ideas can be formed in Flock.
Flock also provides video conferencing features along with reminder tools, code snippet sharing, To-do list, and various app integrations.
9. Microsoft Teams
Apart from OneNote, Microsoft Teams is yet another application-focused mainly on team collaboration and communication.
It provides all the necessary utilities of channel-based group chats, file sharing, video conferencing, voice calls, and scheduling meetings.
The activity tab lets the user know about the upcoming meetings, chat messages, missed calls, and so on.
It also provides other interactive features like video call recording, inline translation, and automatic transcription (for conference recording).
As a Microsoft program it has deep integrations with OneDrive and Office 365, and also can be integrated with other apps. Overall, it is a proper business collaboration app.
10. Zoho Cliq
Zoho is a widely popular SaaS platform which provides business with the entire package that they need to make their operations seamless.
In the case of team collaboration, Zoho Cliq is an efficient platform that syncs with other Zoho apps like the Zoho CRM, Zoho spreadsheets, and so on to make the work smooth and convenient.
Activities are fed according to the tasks assigned by the CRM or the admin, and the communication features allow for proper interaction between teams.
Video Conferencing, Workflow automation, and meeting broadcasting are some features that make collaboration using Zoho Cliq easier and productive.
Conclusion
The success of a business is decided by the efficiency of the teams that run it, and for this purpose, collaboration is a very important aspect that certainly cannot be overlooked.
These collaboration applications work well both for established businesses and for small businesses. Choose what suits you best, and bring your team on-board.
Recommended Read:
HOW TO START A LINK BUILDING CAMPAIGN?
AFFILIATE MARKETING: 7 PROVEN WAYS THAT WORK
10 TIPS FOR IMPROVING SEO CONTENT IN 2020
General FAQs
Apps allow you to resolve customer questions, makes them aware of the discounts or offers you are providing, gives a platform to directly interact with the company and suggest services the way they want. Mobile apps make customer service a simpler and more efficient process for businesses.
One of the most important reasons to build a mobile app for your business is customer loyalty. A mobile app allows a business to directly communicate with its customer. In-app purchases, ads, and promotions have a greater impact on the customer as compared to roadside banners, social media ads, and email marketing.
Key features of a successful app. A successful app combines three aspects in a smart way: market, user and the product itself. All these factors need to work together to give users a unique value, great usability, and good performance. Accessibility is the last but not least key feature of a successful mobile app.
