Apps that make great business sense

Making your business mobile makes a huge amount of sense logistically. Luckily, there are a number of eminently suitable apps to help you get the cogs of your business turning, even when you are on the move.

Maybe your business just doesn't have a proper office yet, or perhaps you are in the middle of moving office. Possibly the needs of your business require you to be on the move a lot of the time. Perhaps you just like to travel a lot and you can get away with working through your devices while padding around in your flip-flops and Speedos. Either way, you need to make sure that your smartphone or tablet can help you get the job done in record time, so you have more time to work on the real important things in life, like your tan.

Readdle Pro Scan and Printer Pro: Imprint this on your memory

These are two exceptionally useful apps, which you will find handy when you are in the office, and not just when you are travelling. Scanner Pro essentially transforms your device into a portable scanner. It is very quick and convenient to use and is particularly useful for scanning segments of documents. Meanwhile the Printer Pro gives the user the option of printing attachments, documents and web pages straight from an iPhone or iPad. Again it is very convenient and saves a fair amount of the hassle of using an office computer. It is perhaps particularly handy for small businesses where there is not that much call or space for a proper office. Restaurateurs, bar owners and clothing shop owners would probably find both tools especially useful.

OfficeTime: Every minute spent is a pound earned

If you have the luxury of being able to bill your customers by the hour or even, heaven be praised, by the minute, then OfficeTime will help make sure that you don't miss a second of how long you spent working on a project.

The app comes free and is more than adequate for smaller-sized offices thanks to being able to track multiple hourly rates with multiple timers. It also operates effectively offline. There is a timer in the background so you can keep track of how much time you are spending on each project as you work on it.

There is a simple upgrade to the pro version, which larger law firms, for example, will find useful. There is also a feature that allows you to export the date to Excel or Numbers, which makes invoicing much easier.

My Lead Responder: An easy sell

There is an extraordinarily fine-line between following up a lead and pestering. Your client or lead is invariably busy and will most likely require gentle pushing to remind him to sign up to your services. If you are too timid or simply forget to chase the lead up then you could easily lose the client, but at the same time if you push too hard you could end up causing resentment. With My Lead Responder, you can easily keep track of how much time has passed between each push, so that you always get it just right. It also helps you keep track of the dates you agreed with your client to reconvene the enquiry. Estate agents in particular will love this app.

FormMobi: Send forms at a fair clip

FormMobi is a Cloud-based clipboard that will save you hours of retyping. Just create a form, collect the data remotely on your smartphone, or even better, your tablet, and then export the data to any platform with just the click of a button.

David Thompson is a fresh and upcoming technology and entertainment blogger who enjoys the challenges of creativity and attention to detail. His specific areas of interest include film, gaming and the mobile industry, encompassing everything from manufacturer-specific news from Apple to industry announcements from the likes of O2.