By: Kaitlyn Neese

There are thousands of apps out there, all claiming to simplify your life in some way or another. Many of these apps are impractical, but some really are must-haves for the time-constrained business person. Here are three of my favorite apps that you should try!

Evernote

 

Seriously. This app rocks.

Evernote is the best app for note-taking and research in my opinion. Also, the collaboration aspects of this app make it great for businesses or groups working on a project.

When you create a notebook in Evernote, you have the option to make it private or share it with a team, and that notebook will also sync across all of your devices so that you can access anything at any time (PC, Mac, iPad, smart phone, etc).

This app has been referred to as a “virtual filing cabinet” because you can add tags to your files in order to find something you have saved in just a few clicks. One of the best parts of this app is that it is extremely easy to snip content from the web and add it to your notebooks- making research documentation simple and accessible.

There is a free version and a pro version for $4.99/month. The free version is really awesome, but you may want to try out the pro version at some point as well.

 

 Wunderlist

Are you one of those people who cannot stop making lists? I am. Sometimes, if I accomplish something that wasn’t on one of my lists, I will put it on a list just so I can cross it off. Crazy, right?

Well, if you are anything like me, you have probably tried multiple list apps, hoping to someday find the perfect app to satisfy all your list-making needs. I finally found that app with Wunderlist.

The free version is great. You can create as many lists as your heart desires for different categories. I use Wunderlist for homework lists, grocery lists, wish lists, and work task lists. Wait – was that a list…? Sorry.

Anyway, I use this app for remembering all the stuff I have to do TODAY, but it can also be used for a more long term to-do list if that works better for you.

Another cool thing is that it syncs across my devices, so I can add and check off tasks from my laptop or my iphone. It is quite handy.

 

Expensify

Okay, so I have to admit that my company does not actually use this app. But I wish we did. It is really fantastic.

Many of my previous employers have complained about how frustrating it is when people lose receipts from business lunches or do not record expenses accurately. Especially when they are the ones that reconcile the receipts. This app totally eliminates that problem by easily allowing you to digitally store all expense information when traveling.

With this app, you can quickly add cash expenses, card expenses, record mileage from travel, and store photos of receipts so that you will never lose one again. Additionally, this app is really helpful to managers because they can approve expenses, reimburse employees right from their phone, and set max expense limits for different categories. Managers can view your entries right from their device or set the app to automatically integrate with Excel, QuickBooks, Xero, Netsuite, Dynamics, Salesforce, FinancialForce and more!

Another cool aspect of Expensify is the ability to log and bill hours to clients using the time entry feature.

Oh yeah, and it’s FREE.

What apps does your company use that you find helpful?