7 Undiscovered Apps to Boost Productivity in Your Small Business

As a small business owner, your plate is full of responsibilities; aside from ensuring your day-to-day duties as a leader within your company are carried out, your to-do list includes things like taking care of employee payroll, paying the rent on your office space, and keeping your team on track. Successful leaders often delegate these tasks in order to allow themselves to focus on critical responsibilities, however, small businesses do not always have the manpower to make this possible. As an alternative, consider incorporating these apps into your business processes to improve productivity, enhance business efficiency, and to avoid problems later.

Take a look at these apps below, which will facilitate everything from your company email newsletter to your social media posts.

1. IFTTT for Automation

IFTTT is an automation app that will save you time an money by allowing you to automate just about anything, from your shopping list to news alerts. Use IFTTT for things like automatically scheduling through Google Calendar and managing recruiting activity. It’s all synced across the cloud, and the best part is that IFTTT provides a huge database of “automation recipes” with step-by-step instructions to help you get set up.

2. Evernote for Notes

How many times a day do you have to say, “I have to remember this”? Evernote allows you to make a note of anything to use later. Track everything from business trips to your favorite web pages, or manage research for your next project.. Some tablets even allow you to jot down notes on the tablet’s Evernote app using a stylist, giving you the feel of pen and paper.

3. MailChimp for Email

MailChimp helps you to take control of your email by providing easy layouts to create newsletters for your company, tools to collect email addresses for marketing, and straightforward email templates. Collaborate with other employees with multi-user accounts, or independently use Mailchimp’s automation features for your online sales. Mailchimp also provides you with advanced analytic tools so you can track which campaigns are the most successful, allowing you to optimize your email effectiveness.

4. ZenPayroll for Payroll

Managing the payroll for you company can be very time-consuming, especially due to complex rules and regulations that require careful planning. ZenPayroll helps you avoid payroll confusion by handling most aspects of payroll for you, including features such as employee self-onboarding. Furthermore, ZenPayroll is an affordable solution used by many small businesses; ZenPayroll is a service you can trust.

5. CoSchedule for Content Marketing

When it comes to content marketing, developing a comprehensive editorial calendar is arguably the most important step. CoSchedule not only provides you with an easy-to-use online editorial calendar, but also allows you to collaborate with team members and automate both blog posts and social media shares. With CoSchedule, you can plan your content for an entire month and let the app do the rest of the work, saving you hours a week.

6. HipChat for Real-Time Communication

HipChat makes it easy for you to talk to your teams by providing you with a platform to engage in both group and individual chats in order to streamlining your communications. Using a chat service like this will help keep your inbox clear of tedious email updates while clearing the way for more important conversations.

7.Priority Matrix for Task Management and Collaboration

Priority Matrix is a task management app that allows you to quickly create action items within projects and collaborate with your team. The app utilizes the Eisenhower method of time management, which helps you categorize to-dos based on how critical and urgent you consider them, so your team stays focused on the right tasks. Finally, Priority Matrix can also be synchronized with your calendar and email platforms, making it easier for you and your team to stay on top of task due dates and keep track of important conversations.

By integrating just a few of these apps into your small business, you can save yourself hours a week, resulting in days of time gained at the end of each month. Just imagine the levels of productivity your business could hit by utilizing these extra hours to grow and improve.

Do you have any other tips or suggested apps that make your life easier? Leave a comment below.

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