MOBILE APPS 10 BEST APPS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

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1 MOBILE APPS 10 BEST APPS FOR SMALL BUSINESS businessresources.t-mobile.com/business

2 Entrepreneurs and business owners are increasingly turning to the more than one million mobile applications (apps) available to help them run their businesses better. Forrester Research estimates that revenue from downloading mobile apps will reach 38 billion by And the promise of substantial productivity gains is fueling the momentum. 1 Originally used primarily for , calendars and contact databases, mobile apps are now the smartphone and tablet go-to tools for factory automation, banking, location-based services, social media, online shopping, order tracking systems, ticket purchases, etc. Using scannable digital codes on advertisements, signs, flyers and packaging can provide customers with more information about your products and services. Customers simply scan the code using the reader app downloaded to their smartphone, and they re automatically taken to the webpage contained in the code, linked-to video or other information MILLION BUSINESS OWNERS SAVE TIME WITH APPS That s why many businesses looking for better ways to do business and outperform competitors already consider mobile apps an essential component of their business, marketing and social media strategy. MOBILE APPS WHAT CAN THEY ADD TO THE BOTTOM LINE? Using mobile apps can make businesses more productive. Businesses that use mobile apps to help manage their operations are saving more than 370 million of their own hours and over 725 million employee hours annually, according to a study by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council. 2 The study shows that 31 percent of firms with 20 or fewer employees were using mobile apps. Of those using apps for their business, owners surveyed estimated that they saved an average of 5.6 hours a week. In conjunction MOBILE APPS SAVE MORE THAN 725 MILLION EMPLOYEE HOURS 2

3 with the total number of firms in the U.S., the study estimates that 1.28 million business owners are saving time with mobile app usage. Based on the number of employee hours saved and the average pay, the study estimates that firms are saving 275 per week, adding up to an average of over 14,000 per year. EMPLOYEE HOURS SAVED FIRMS 275/week Using apps that automate monotonous tasks, such as bookkeeping, document sharing and travel, is estimated to save business owners an average of 377 per month, adding up to over 4,000 per year. And these estimates are conservative, since only businesses with 20 or fewer employees were surveyed. 14,000/year What s the real bottom line? As a result of using certain mobile apps, 49 percent of the business owners surveyed said they were able to spend more time increasing sales and creating new revenue streams, while 36 percent said mobile apps allowed them to cut overhead costs. Perhaps most significantly, 51 percent of the business owners said using mobile apps made their business more competitive and better able to quickly respond to opportunities, which could make or break a deal in an uncertain economy. T-MOBILE MAKES IT EASY TO IDENTIFY TOP-RATED SMB APPS APPS THAT AUTOMATE SAVED FIRMS 377/month 4,000/year So how do you sort through the app marketplace? Wireless mobile provider T-Mobile makes it easy. We have done much of the work for you by filtering through thousands of apps and identifying which ones most businesses could use to run their operation more efficiently. Here s how it works: Generally, you access most mobile applications in a cloud (a server on the Internet), eliminating the need for you to buy hardware or install software for use at your business. Think of places you log in to Facebook, LinkedIn, Weather.com, etc. By using cloud-based apps or services, you have a place to store just about anything you d use and keep on your desktop computer documents, images, notes, etc. and can access them easily and quickly, virtually anywhere you go, from your smartphone or tablet. FINDTOP- RATED APPS 3

4 TOP-RATED APPS FOR MOBILE TECHNOLOGY USERS Storage, Documentation, and Collaboration Apps Dropbox When you consider that many employees work from home, accessing documents from mobile devices has become more important than ever. With Dropbox, a cloud-based storage system, you can easily transfer large files, as well as directly share documents and collaborate with team members without potentially overloading their inbox. Evernote Now, how do you manage all the documents and materials you create? Evernote helps you keep track of your everyday notes, pictures and voice memos and allows you to access them from virtually anywhere. It not only creates a to-do list on your capable mobile device, Evernote also captures and labels your documents, pictures and notes. This lets you document on the go and ties your documents back to a specific project. Share notes and checklists to prepare for client meetings or to streamline team management. CamScanner How often do you need to instantly record information? With CamScanner, you can. CamScanner turns your capable smartphone into a scanner. Take a picture of any document, receipt, whiteboard or even a photo. CamScanner will auto-crop, enhance image quality and create a PDF file for easy sharing. Imagine taking a picture of a signed contract and sending it via to seal a deal or collaborating on a workflow diagram with your team, then capturing and presenting your final diagram it s a whole new way to do flip charts! Canvas With Canvas, you can turn your capable mobile device into the business forms you need. Download customizable apps or create your own forms. You can then access, download and integrate the information you have collected into the business forms on your smartphone quickly and easily. Polaris Office Polaris Documents Management works as a digital documents archiving system. It allows you to store business documents, which can be virtually any file format (scanned images, Word documents, spreadsheets, etc.). The indexing engine then allows you to quickly search for and find the desired documents with ease. 4

5 Financial Apps Square If you are a business that accepts payments on the go, you should consider the Square app. Square provides a credit card reader that attaches to your Android smartphone. Square offers the app and the card scanner for free, and there are no monthly fees or merchant accounts required, just a 2.75% per swipe transaction fee (see for details). ACCEPT PAYMENTS ON THE GO Networking Apps LinkedIn Keep your professional network at your fingertips. Look up profile details, find and connect with over 150 million professionals worldwide, get the latest business updates and share your status all from your capable smartphone. LinkedIn is a great tool to research clients on the fly. Plus, you can keep up with your peers (and competitors) in many interest groups. Travel Apps TripIt TripIt is a travel organizer that puts all your travel details in one place right on your smartphone. Just forward travel confirmation s to plans@tripit.com and TripIt builds your trip itinerary. You can add maps and directions, travel notes, photos, recommendations and more. You can also share your itinerary with your team so that everyone knows where you are when you are traveling. Telenav GPS Navigator Telenav GPS Navigator turns your phone into a real-time navigation device with voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, business and local search, and real-time traffic updates. Security Apps Lookout Lookout is an award-winning security app that s easy to use. Lookout protects your phones and devices from malware, spyware, data loss and device loss. You can back up your information without lifting a finger. And with Lookout, you can use the web to manage your smartphone, back up data and find your phone. 5

6 ADDITIONAL T-MOBILE FEATURES ON MANY BUSINESS-READY DEVICES Many of the following features are available on certain T-Mobile smartphone models and can help you stay more connected with your clients and colleagues. Video Chat Need to meet but can t physically be there? Host and participate in face-toface meetings right from your capable smartphone or device and chat with clients and employees virtually anywhere, whether they re on a PC, tablet or phone. You can also use video chat to show a product to a client for feedback, which can speed up the decision-making process and cut down on travel. ll VIDEO CHAT Group Texting Keep your whole team informed with just one text message. With Bobsled Group Text, you and your team can send and receive group texts that everyone on the team can see. It s perfect when meeting places change at the last minute or you re coordinating a big event, such as a wedding, managing a film crew or even directing work at a construction site. With Bobsled Group Text, you ll keep real-time communication flowing between everyone. Smartphone Mobile HotSpot Use your smartphone s 4G Internet connection to create your own personal Wi-Fi hotspot on the go. Get high-speed Internet on up to five Wi-Fi capable devices (including laptops, tablets and smartphones) using a passwordprotected broadband connection from your phone. Wi-Fi Calling In places where coverage is difficult (e.g., very remote sites, basements), you can connect to a Wi-Fi network and make calls or send text messages. This is ideal for international travel, because when you re connected to Wi-Fi, the phone routes calls from your home location, which can save your business a bundle in roaming and long-distance charges. 6

7 T-MOBILE MAKES NAVIGATING THE APP AND SMARTPHONE MARKETPLACE SIMPLE At T-Mobile we understand that as a business owner you already don t have enough hours in the day, so we ve reduced the complexity of smartphone and tablet applications. But that s not the only reason T-Mobile is the right call. We re here to make every aspect of getting started with mobile technology easy and understandable. We ll help you choose the right smartphone for you and get you on one of the best unlimited rate plans available for your business all the 4G data, talk and text you need without the risk or worry about overages. And you can run everything on our reliable, blazing-fast 4G Network. SAVE WITH WI-FI WE MAKE IT SIMPLE Let us help you and your employees benefit from the apps that make smartphones so much more than a phone. For more information, visit businessresources.t-mobile.com/business or drop by your local T-Mobile store for a demonstration. 1 McCarthy, John C. Mobile App Internet Recasts the Software and Services Landscape. Forrester website, February 28, 2011, The+Software+And+Services+Landscape/fulltext/-/E-RES58179?objectid=RES Coverage not available everywhere. App use and offers are subject to the individual offer s terms and conditions. T-Mobile is a registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners T-Mobile USA, Inc. 7