We’re as keen to help out businesses as we are individual customers. Even more than that, we’d actively encourage the use of smartphones as a means to improve your business. How is this possible? Here are the ten tips that could help you run your business in 2012.
View docs
All modern smartphones contain software to help you open and view documents on the go, from text files to PDFs. If there’s a format that your phone doesn’t support (Microsoft Office files can be a bit tricky on some platforms), you can bet there’s an app available to help you out.
Portable presentations
Going even further than documents, smartphones can enable you to view, edit and even conduct presentations from your phone. All you need is one of the many presentation apps on the market (such as MightyMeeting), and you’ll be able to conduct a digital presentation without having to lug a projector around with you.
Email access
So much business is done by email now that you can ill afford to be away from your computer for a second. Let your smartphone liberate you from your desk. Every single smartphone platform, from Android to Windows Phone, is based around a solid yet flexible email system that will push new emails to you as soon as they arrive.
IM
Another useful business tool that smartphones have embraced and made their own is instant messaging. Whether we’re talking Skype, BlackBerry Messenger or Lync 2010, there are dozens of apps out there that allow you to see when your contacts are at their computers or available to chat to on their own phones. You can then text chat in real time without having to wait for a response.
Address book
At a fundamental level, modern smartphones can act as advanced address books. You need never be at a loss for a name, address or number again. The advantage over physical address books is that you can search for contacts digitally, sync them with other devices and send them to people.
Video conferencing
Most of the smartphones we sell come with front-facing cameras. These aren’t for the vain among us, but are intended to be used for video conferencing. Thanks tothe likes of Skype, Tango, Google Voice and FaceTime, we can now hold a face to face conversation with colleagues and clients from the comfort of our phones.
Research on the move
Modern smartphones have as much in common with computers as they do with the feature phones we used a decade ago. One of the chief advantages of this is the ability to surf the web from your phone, enabling you to conduct research during previously dead periods of time such as morning commutes and when waiting for meetings.
Keep up with Twitter
A more recent side benefit of being permanently connected to the internet is the ability to monitor your Twitter account 24/7. Twitter has become an invaluable business tool, both when it comes to networking and keeping up with current trends and topics.
Inventive camera use
Mobile camera technology has come on in leaps and bounds over the past couple of years. It’s got to the point where the image is so sharp, some apps (such as CamCard or Business Card Reader) let you scan in business cards. The details will then be extracted and stored to your phone’s address book.
Dropbox
Dropbox has become the tool of choice for online file storage and collaboration. It lets you upload large files to the cloud, which means your important files are stored securely and not tied to a single device. It’s also a great way to share such files with others without having to wait for those sluggish email attachment procedures.
If you’re interested in bolstering your business with a smartphone, why not browse our business shop for a handset and a deal that suits you.
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