Apps are incredibly convenient and can be installed on your business device or smartphone. However, there may be some apps that can help to make your working day more productive.
Most parts of the working day have already moved over to digital platforms. Meetings with notes have become video calls with transcriptions. Files and invoices are now often stored online, rather than in clunky cabinets.
Therefore, it can be good to think about which applications may help to improve your day even more.
There are a number of different apps associated with Microsoft 365 that could really help to boost business productivity and make the working day a lot simpler. Included within a Microsoft 365 package is:
While you may already have a company policy on social media usage in the workplace, you might want to think about relaxing this for business purposes. While Instagram can be fun for personal usage, and raising brand awareness through employee content, you could also utilise it for your company.
Not only can it help to spread the word about the business itself, and products or services you offer, but Instagram and Facebook can also enable you to connect with your customers.
This can help them to see you as human beings, rather than just a brand. Being able to relate to a company, and know it on a more intimate level, could help with forging and maintaining client relationships.
When using Instagram, it can be important to navigate the app safely. While the majority of messages and comments that you receive may be legitimate, others could come from potential hackers or scammers. Educating your team on cyber safety can greatly reduce the likelihood of threats affecting your business.
Google Maps has the ability to benefit your business in several ways.
Firstly, it could be beneficial to have a Google Map on your company location page. This can help clients and visitors to find your business quickly and easily. While having your address listed is important, allowing visitors to see your physical location on a map could help to gain trust, as well as allow them to find you should they need an in-person visit.
Secondly, Google Maps can also be of use to your team if they need to conduct any work off-site. Not all vehicles have a built-in sat nav, meaning your employees may struggle to figure out where to go. By using Google Maps on their personal or business smartphones, they can then navigate to and from their workplace with ease. To do so safely and legally, you should also consider purchasing phone cradles that will fit an array of smartphones. This means your employees can still see the map and directions without breaking any driving laws.
Not all of your employees may be able to, or want to, drive a vehicle. Should they still need to get to work, client locations, or even training and conferences, public transport may be a more viable option.
The Trainline app is one of many railway apps that show UK journeys and ticket purchasing options. Unlike some of its competitors, Trainline allows you to view your most recent journeys, as well as to plan ahead.
The app itself is updated regularly, enabling users to track upcoming trains, including any delays or cancellations. This can help your team to better plan their journeys and manage their time, as well as keep managers informed should railway issues lead to lateness.
Having internal human resources can be quite expensive. You would need to pay that individual for their time, regardless of whether it is needed.
Alternatively, you could outsource your HR. Yet, this may require some waiting around, or errors as the person is unfamiliar with your company.
A third option that may be of interest to the modern business can be to use an HR app. Bamboo HR allows you to keep all of your employee information in a single place, viewable from a handy, secure app.
This may also be great for the employees themselves, who can manage sick days, annual leave, and even input their shift times for you to confirm. Company policies and procedures may also be included, enabling your team to follow best working practices and always have that information to hand.
That being said, you may not want to leave all of your HR to technology. New starters and seasoned employees alike may still need to speak to someone about some of their needs. You may want to consider opting for a dual administrator/HR role for this, so there is a person available but they also have other things to do within the company.
Access to your files may be imperative throughout the working day. Using Microsoft OneDrive or, for potentially larger businesses, SharePoint can help you to view and edit your files even when away from your main computer.
Each file you create can be automatically uploaded onto either OneDrive or your business server on SharePoint, shared with authorised individuals, and edited as long as you have internet capabilities. This could be imperative if you find yourself needing to work elsewhere, or even if your main device breaks.
You get up to 5GB of storage on OneDrive on the free plan. However, opting for a Microsoft 365 package could help you to gain more. This may be better suited to sole traders or those who don’t require a lot of file space.
Microsoft SharePoint can give organisations up to 25TB of data storage space, held within a folder shared across the business. This can be useful for larger businesses who use and create a number of files as part of their working day, or who want more autonomy for file storage and sharing capabilities.
Being able to edit images can be important for your social media, website, and even communications. GIMP, or GNU Image Manipulation Program, allows you to make a number of changes to your photographs and create bespoke imagery for business use.
While many businesses may lean more towards Adobe products due to their popularity and longevity, these can come with quite a high cost.
One of the best benefits of using GIMP is that the software is entirely free to use. It also offers cross-platform functionality, meaning you can use it on Windows, Apple, and GNU/Linux machines.
Before installing any new apps, especially those that you may not have previously heard of, it is important to ensure that your cyber security is up-to-scratch. Each application found on your device can give hackers more opportunity to gain access to your machines. While GIMP is a trusted image editing software, you should still take the correct precautions before clicking download.
YouTube can be incredibly fun, but also a good way to market your business. Whether you want to look at the latest funny cat videos or scour the competition, using the YouTube app can help to publicise your business while making the working day more fun.
Employee well-being should be at the heart of your business operations. Allowing them to view fun content during breaks could help them to get rid of some of their stresses and even find enjoyment in an otherwise-busy day.
YouTube can be a great asset, providing you learn about how best to use it. Uploading regular content about your business operations, while paying attention to descriptions and hashtags, could help to generate more traffic and reach a greater number of potential clients. Opting for some fun content may also help to increase traffic. In this case, you may want to consider some of the trending videos and how you can recreate them to suit your brand.
An example of this is the Bentley vs Syn-Wagon YouTube short that we (Chris and Verity) filmed in mid-August 2023. By mid-September 2023, it had accrued over 40,000 views, 1,000 likes, and earned us 83 new subscribers. While these videos may not necessarily translate into sales, they do massively support increasing brand awareness.
Have a Question? Ask us here!
Anne-Marie Blazdell
Anne-Marie Blazdell is a Marketing & Communications Manager with expertise in digital marketing, content creation, and IT solutions. With a strong foundation in graphic design, she trained at Farnborough College of Technology and Southampton Solent University before advancing into marketing and business IT support.
Since joining Syn-Star in 2022, Anne-Marie has specialised in crafting SEO-optimised website content, managing social media, and helping businesses navigate the complexities of IT. Her work bridges the gap between technology and business, making IT more accessible and effective.
Our support is designed to meet and exceed the needs of your business. We’re equipped to provide business support, as your business grows. Our technicians are ready to identify your pains swiftly, rectify the causes, and maintain your business technology for the long term.
Thinking about switching IT support providers?
You’re device is on an Unsupported Windows OS for your security, please contact us.
Team Productivity:
You and your team are able to see where they are using their time and how productive they are actually being. Also they are able to clock in and out, so really good for flexi-working.
Team Monitoring:
If you would like to know what your team is doing and how productive they are being, we are able to monitor them and create screenshots of what they are working on. This can be run in normal or stealth mode.
Book a FREE fact finding session to discuss the different options.
We proactively seek opportunities to support good causes for our community.
From sponsoring local community football teams, to engaging with charity fundraiser days, we believe it’s important to continually strive to do good for the better of others.
We have members who volunteer with youth organisations, are engaged with the Round Table, run marathons and volunteer at events where we may be needed. Every charity receives a discounted IT and Telecoms service too.
Protecting your digital data is crucial for every business and this can start with the industry-leading security we offer. The Syn-Star specialists can help with identifying any vulnerabilities within your IT systems and act accordingly to ensure cyber-attacks and data breaches are mitigated.
Your business will never fall behind with its technology when you work with Syn-Star.
We understand IT and Telecoms for your business is an investment, but it’s important to use the best resources available to enable the growth of your business. Our IT Consultancy and Virtual IT Director Services are available to support you with how you use your business technology for years to come.
Syn-Star can conduct quick and easy phishing exercises to identify people within your team who need to improve on their knowledge around fraudulent emails and how they can be alerted to these threats.
At Syn-Star, our experts can proactively work to understand exactly what software you need to support with the business operations. Whether you need a listening ear on what software to choose, or would like to seek some specialist knowledge, we’re here to help where we can.
At Syn-Star, we keep Telecoms simple. There’s so much available to help UK companies with their communications. VoIP systems, fixed landline, cloud phone systems, SIP trunking and more. Contact us for further details.
Desk phones, cordless phones or conference phones, Syn-Star can provide you with whatever you need.
From conference calling facilities to the headsets which work best for your team, we’re able to provide all the equipment you need and complete any telecoms job from start to finish.
There is no need to be in the office to make and receive phone calls from your company’s number. Our market-leading Telecoms platform gives you the flexibility of desk phones, soft phones and mobile apps as standard.
Whether your team works remotely, or perhaps staff are on a business trip anywhere in the world, calls can still be made, and people are reachable via phone wherever they go.
With a range of products, our team can support you by installing exactly what you need for internet connectivity. We work with the very best products to provide speedy bandwidths which play a part in the increased productivity of your team.
