Top Tech Tools to Get Organized, Boost Productivity & Improve Business Operations

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Digital Transformation Strategy (145-slide PowerPoint presentation). Digital Transformation is being embraced by organizations across most industries, as the role of technology shifts from being a business enabler to a business driver. This has only been accelerated by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Thus, to remain competitive and outcompete in today's fast paced, [read more]

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Digital devices and tools enable business owners and entrepreneurs to do things better, faster and cheaper, in our personal and at-work lives. But don’t let “shiny object syndrome”—the state of distraction caused by every cool gadget and tech trend that comes down the pike—keep you from using the best digital tools. These tools should be carefully curated before we adopt them into our daily routines. Most everybody knows about Evernote, LinkedIn Pulse and HipChat, but what else is out there that’s worth your time and money? Keep reading to see which ones made our list:

Tablets & Apps to Better Serve the Customer

Along with smartphones, tablets are increasingly being used to take care of customers and enhance services. Besides using tablets on the sales floor in conjunction with a point-of-sales system, think about using them in these other innovative ways:

• Provide interactive menus with Incentient
• Use them as virtual guides with Concierge Interactive
• Offer a mobile photo booth with Boothify

To further enhance the customer experience, offer customers access to adevice with ultra-high definition like the Apple iPad Mini with Retina display. These feature more than 3.1 million pixels, a million more than an HDTV.

Boost Your Productivity

Business productivity apps help you get the most quality work done in the least amount of time. Have you ever wished you could play back that meeting or record your thoughts about a big project? Audio Memos lets you do so. You then send the notes to your email or Dropbox account, and you don’t miss any details.

And if you do everything in Microsoft Office, why not use Microsoft Office on your mobile device? You can, for free, with CloudOn.

Communication

You already know the importance and value of good communication. Improve and enhance business communications with an app that lets you log on to your PC remotely, like LogMeIn, or hold a video conference with multiple people, like Skype.

Calendar & To-Do

Google Now is Google’s interactive organizer, and it’s similar to a personal assistant who keeps you on track. And if you’re tired of typing every appointment and event into your smartphone calendar, use Fantastical and just speak your calendar entry to get it into your schedule.

Finances

Expensify helps you keep track of money coming in and out, logs your travel and expense receipts and reminds you to send out important invoices. Use Time Recording to keep receipt images, manage reports and log expenses with your smartphone.

Scanning and Printing on the Go

If your position involves a lot of business travel, you probably miss having access to regular office equipment like copiers, printers and scanners. Business apps like CamScanner and HP’s ePrint enable you to scan important documents and send print jobs to the office when you’re not there.

Improve your productivity and communication and organize your calendar, lists, and finances with the following.

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For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:

• Top 100 in Strategy & Transformation
• Top 100 in Digital Transformation
• Top 100 in Operational Excellence
• Top 100 in Organization & Change
• Top 100 Management Consulting Frameworks

These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.