8 Must-Have Smartphone Features and Apps for Busy, On-the-Go Entrepreneurs

Can’t live without your phone? You’re not alone. Business owners today rely on their smartphones to accomplish important tasks even if they are not in their office.

Armed with the best business mobile phone plans, busy and constantly on the move entrepreneurs are able to build, monitor and grow their venture 24/7.

Of course, how you make the most of mobile technology largely depends on the mobile device you're using. If you’re an on-the-go entrepreneur who wants to have the complete handset you can use anytime and anywhere, you need a smartphone with a variety of useful features and apps. When buying or upgrading to a new smartphone, make sure to look for the following capabilities. 

Features

1.     Long battery life

Your smartphone will serve as your computer, phone, messaging device, camera and viewing device. As such, your handset should be able to do all this without needing to be charged every few hours or so.

One important feature you should look for in a smartphone is a battery that can last for at least 15 hours on a single charge. A mobile phone with at least a 2000 mAh battery can give you the running power you need especially if you have signed up for unlimited internet plans and calls. If you want to be sure you will get the right handset that can last for hours on just one charge, go over a product’s specifications carefully, and read various customer reviews as well.

If possible, choose a phone with fast-charging capabilities. Since you may not always be near a power or charging outlet, you need to have a phone that can be fully charged within just a matter of minutes.

2.     Suitable screen size

Whether you’re in or out of the office, nothing beats the convenience of being able to access emails, reports, messages, photos, videos and other important pieces of content using just your phone. You will have an easier time doing these and other tasks if you have a phone with the right screen size.

Generally, a screen size between four and five inches is ideal for users who do a lot of reading, composing messages and creating reports on their smartphone. They are not too big and cumbersome to hold for long periods of time. They will also help you avoid squinting if you’re reading something, typing a message or report, or looking at an image. It is also a must if you love playing online games or joining gaming portals.

3.     High processing power and RAM capacity

Your ability to multitask and finish a lot of work on your phone will depend greatly on its processing and RAM capacity.

A handset with sufficient processing power will allow you to open apps and edit images faster and enjoy smoother video viewing. A phone with good processing power will also have the capability to perform certain functions even when your screen is off.

The power and speed of a mobile phone’s processor are measured through clock speed or gigahertz value. Most modern mobile processors have clock speeds ranging from 1.8 GHz to 2.2 GHz. In general, anything above 1 GHz is already acceptable and will enable you to use various apps and features without any issues.

Having a handset with at least 2GB RAM will also permit you to do various tasks with your phone at once without causing it to crash. This means you can keep reading a crucial email, highlight significant points, and activate Wi-Fi calling all at the same time without encountering any issues. 

4.     Exceptional security features

As an entrepreneur, you will have numerous sensitive business and customer information stored on your smartphone. Because of this, your device should help keep these crucial data safe from prying eyes.

As such, to protect sensitive data and maintain your brand’s good reputation, it is best to get a handset built for security instead of a popular consumer phone since some of them are loaded with security flaws.

Apps

5.     Salesforce1

This app helps on-the-go entrepreneurs connect directly with customers. With this app, customer data can be logged onto and accessed on just one integrated platform. This will help you come up with a successful marketing plan and improve customer service and, ultimately, company sales and profits.

The app also comes with mobile analytics so that you can understand customer movement and actions. You can also use these real-time data to make changes in your marketing strategies.

6.     QuickBooks

All entrepreneurs naturally want to constantly monitor their business’s financial health. The QuickBooks app, which comes free with the online subscription, will allow you to do this wherever you are.

With this app, you can connect to your business bank account, credit cards, PayPal and other channels to track payments and expenses and upload data to your account. In addition, you can also use this app to:

●       Create, view and email estimates and proposals, invoices and sales receipts

●       Convert estimates to invoices

●       Receive payments

●       View customer information

●       Download and reconcile bank transactions

7.     Dropbox

By using this mobile application, you can store and share files in the cloud. You can access these files wherever you are and share them online with others, too.

This app also comes with these useful features:

●       Data encryption

●       Microsoft Office integration

●       User- and company-managed groups

●       Access to Dropbox Paper’s collaborative document editing

8.     Slack

Lastly, to reduce your communication expenses, install Slack on your phone. It is a team communication app that gathers group messages into one place which makes information instantly available and searchable for you and your staff.

Slack allows you to send direct messages to your team members (to encourage teamwork and increase communication from anywhere) as well as organize team conversations into both private and public channels. You can easily share images, PDFs and other files in this app as well.

To effectively run your business wherever you are, make sure you have the right smartphone with the right features. Installing the necessary apps will also enable you to be productive anytime and anywhere.