Productivity is an essential asset for the growth and development of small businesses. While mid and large businesses introduce several unique methods for boosting employee productivity, small businesses often fall behind due to lack of plentiful resources and budget constraints. In that case, productivity apps for small businesses come to the rescue.
Several small businesses use numerous apps to help enhance and boost the productivity of their employees. In this blog, we will talk about 10 productivity apps for small businesses that can help promote motivation and work efficiency. Before we move to the list of productivity apps for small businesses, let us learn why and how productivity for small business is a vital asset for growth and success.
Why is Productivity essential for Small Businesses?
Running a small business is more daunting than it sounds. For small businesses, the success of business is highly influenced by several factors. These include work efficiency, motivation, welcoming environment, appreciation and most importantly, productivity. Running a small business means handling an endless onslaught of tasks and juggling multiple–sometimes competing–priorities. Staying organized, focused and sane through it all is challenging for every small business owner.
In such cases, productivity apps can help ease the tension. Productivity apps make it easy to create one centralized place where you and your team can get things done. When you let these programs do the day-to-day busywork, you can use the extra time you have earned back to focus on growing your business and satisfying your customers.
How can productivity apps help small businesses?
Productivity apps can help employees stay organized and focused on the tasks at hand. There are several productivity apps that focus on time management, while others are designed to help boost collaboration. Some productivity apps are free, while others can cost anywhere from a few dollars a month to several hundred per year. In layman’s, productivity apps for small businesses can help leaders and employees meet their daily needs while staying motivated and cheered throughout the process.
10 Productivity Apps for Small Businesses
The following list of best productivity apps for small businesses apps can be a useful part of helping your team achieve their goals:
Communication and Collaboration
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Slack
Benefits:
- Communication
Slack remains a key piece of the productivity suite for small businesses as well the mid and large size ones. It is especially designed for those that want a more real-time conversation with their teams. The app benefits businesses by grouping everyone (or select teams) into a chat room so that announcements, discussions or more informal chats can take place in one interface. Slack has many social media integrations. The core service is free, with paid plans offered for additional features geared toward businesses. Android and iOS apps can keep the conversation going on mobile devices.
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Microsoft Teams
Benefits:
- Communication
- Tight Integration with MS Office Ecosystem
Microsoft Teams is a strong competitor to Slack. Its main advantage is tight integration with the Office ecosystem. If your organization is already paying for Office 365 and heavy users of the key productivity apps, Teams offers a strong choice for organizations that want real-time chat features and deeper ties to the rest of the Office suite. Teams also has apps for Android and iOS devices.
List Apps
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TodoList
Benefits:
- Time Management
- Project Management
Todolist is one of the best time-management apps for iPhones and Android devices. For personal items that need to get done, use gestures to start new tasks and click them off when done. Todoist Business is great for teams, as you can assign tasks to co-workers, set deadlines and add details so everyone is on the same page.
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Toggl
Benefits:
- Manual and automatic tracking
- Built-in Pomodoro timer
Toggl is described by its developers as ‘insanely simple time tracking’. Toggl is available for multiple platforms and synchronization. There’s a lot to explore here, including manual and automated track of activity, a Pomodoro timer, automatic detection of idle time, reminders, integrations with various apps and services and much, much more. It is very flexible and customizable.
Focus Improvement Apps
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Focus@Will
Benefits:
- Personalized Sound Profile
- Sound-based productivity enhancement
Focus@will builds a personalized sound profile based on the type of worker you are. It tailors productive music so you can stay focused and increase productivity. It breaks down your personality type based on the way you think, how you approach problems and how easily distracted you are. This is an ideal service for workers who work in public or open-office settings where it can be loud.
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Tide
Benefits:
- Focusing Sound app
- Calming sounds for focus and alertness
- Helps with Procrastination and Drowsiness
- Pomodoro Technique
Tide uses calming sounds to keep you focused and alert. It provides soothing nature sounds, like rain, and is a great choice for those who swear by the Pomodoro technique. Tide can regulate how long you’re working and how long you take breaks, allowing you to be more productive for longer. It requires you to work and concentrate for 30 minutes to earn a five-minute break. This can also help with procrastination and allows you to stay fresh while working.
Project Management App
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Asana
Benefits:
- Project Management
- Goal Setting
- Task Management
As a productivity tool, Asana provides small business owners with the capability to manage all their important tasks and goals in one place. It integrates with other workplace apps, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, G Suite and others. Asana provides a free version with limited features for those who want to give it a try, with Premium, Business and Enterprise pricing for larger organizations that want an extended feature set.
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Basecamp
Benefits:
- Project Management
- Communication and Collaboration
Basecamp is a communication tool where you can manage projects, your team and company-wide communication. Each designated project features different sections to help you better manage the process: a to-do list, a message board, a schedule, a place to save files and a ‘campfire’ chat for general team communication. Threads are a pillar of the Basecamp model, allowing you and members of your team to get updated on the progress of an individual project or discussion with just a quick glance.
Note-taking App
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OneNote
Benefits:
- Robust Note-taking
- Compile Information on various projects in one place
- Break topics or projects into notebooks and sections
Microsoft OneNote provides a lot of small features. If you copy a quote from an online source, for example, OneNote automatically includes the URL so you can reference it later. OneNote is also stylus-friendly, so on devices like an iPad, Surface, or stylus-friendly tablet, you’re able to handwrite notes or mark up your material. OneNote is free, with an Office 365 subscription required for deeper integration with the rest of the suite.
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Bitrix24
Benefits:
- Diverse Range of Tools
- Capable CRM with detailed reports
- Generous Free account
Bitrix24 suite of powerful business tools and it provides a vast suite of powerful business tools: collaboration, instant messaging, telephony, project management, document handling, scheduling, employee management, and more. Overall, Bitrix24 is offers a powerful suite of tools that is especially going to be handy for small businesses and start-ups to help them develop and grow through improved productivity, all in one platform.
Are Productivity apps for Small Businesses worth it?
The above-listed productive apps for small businesses can definitely help achieve their goals. These apps can be classified into task management apps, list making apps, focus enhancement apps, which can further improve productivity. These are, therefore, beneficial and efficient for small business owners. One should download each of these apps mentioned in this blog and see if these apps can help them get lots of tasks done in lesser time. After all, these apps are developed in order to help one become productive.
Also Read: 6 Upcoming Business Trends to follow in 2022
