Patrick is an interior designer who really likes to get engaged with his clients, which means he is always on the go. With more and more people flocking to his office and seeking his services, Patrick now relies heavily on his mobile devices to keep him updated with schedules, potential opportunities, and business updates. He also understands that integrating a business collaboration software solution to his mobile units will boost his productivity and also that of his 4-man staff. So Patrick queries, which top mobile apps for business collaboration should he consider for his business?
“Hi! I have been on the lookout for mobile applications I can install to my phones and tablets that would enhance collaboration between me and my team. I am rarely at my office so I really depend on cloud hosted applications and tools to link me and my staff as well as steer my small business to success. Can you recommend some good business collaboration software solutions that are built for entrepreneurs who are always on the fly? Thanks!”
Hey there Patrick! How people run their business has really changed compared to say ten years ago. With the advent of mobile internet and the cloud, operating an enterprise has taken a step higher. More and more people are becoming attached to their smartphones and tablets and so are business owners.
There are quite a number of mobile applications and tools that are solely created for business collaboration. And the benefits are enormous when employed and deployed properly. I listed three mobile apps many business owners use for collaboration purposes with their team.
#1 Cisco WebEx
Business meetings are essential to a business. With Cisco WebEx, you can go on a business meeting with your staff and other important people even if you are away from the conference room. With WebEx, you can attend a meeting with your phone’s voice capabilities handling the audio part from your ned. Cisco WebEx allows you to host and schedule a meeting from your smartphone, although various functions differ depending on the phone’s operating system. The iPhone and Android version of WebEx lets you host and schedule a huddle while the Blackberry version only allows you to start a meeting.
The only downside to WebEx is that this business collaboration software is not cross compatible. That means you can only use this with team members whose mobile devices run on similar software – iPhone to iPhone, Android to Android.
#2 Microsoft SharePoint
Many business owners and freelancing professionals prefer MS SharePoint for a lot of reasons. For one, it lets you access a portal for sharing, communication, and content management among other things. You can link with your team, set schedules via the Calendar function, and access web based libraries and lists. Because this collaboration software solution stores the data you accessed using your smartphone, you can still work even if you are not connected to the cloud. However, MS SharePoint is a mobile app bundled with other apps within the MS SharePlus Office Client, which costs $14.99 (iPhone version).
#3 SalesForce Chatter
A mobile business collaboration software application that comes in a FaceBook-esque interface, SalesForce Chatter mimics the iconic social networking site in terms of its chat communications capabilities. Chatter Mobile, designed for iPhone and Blackberry, allows you to connect with other online Chatter users, discuss business, share information, and just really communicate in a FaceBook manner while still being inside your business’ intranet.
There are still a number of business collaboration software platforms that are devised for mobile devices. I suggest that you do further research, read several review articles and comparison write-ups from reputable sources and reliable vendors. In the end, it is you who decide which is the best software for your needs and personal preferences.
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