I’ve just gotten my first smart phone and my challenge is figuring out what applications are directly relevant to my business as well as how I can best integrate the phone into my business. So far, I’ve connected the phone to my Google account and used it to start up an online business calendar for 2012. Up until now I’d used a paper calendar, but the usefulness of an online calendar, in terms of checking available times for clients out weighs the benefit of a business calendar.
I’ve also gotten the credit card reader application. This will definitely prove useful anytime I want to sell books or other services to people. Being able to take credit cards on site makes people feel much more comfortable and cuts down on paperwork and costs.
I have added skype. Since I have a plan where I can call anywhere in the U.S. or Canada with skype, I’m thinking I can use it to save on minutes, which will be useful for my phone bill.
I’m in debate about Google Plus, Facebook, and even Tweetdeck. Part of that is due to my data plan and part of it is because I do almost all of my social media updating at my office. It focuses my time, and makes things easy. On the other hand, it would be nice to update occasionally from a place I’m visiting. I’ll see how I use those applications, if at all, for the next month and if I find that I’m not using them, I’ll probably get rid of them, so they aren’t a distraction.
My smart phone needs to be a business tool. That’s my primary reason for getting one. By figuring out exactly what apps I’ll use for my business, I can ensure that I’m not spending too much time on the phone or getting distracted from using it for what its intended for. That’s how it should be with any business tool. Define its purpose, define how you will use it, and get rid of anything on it that doesn’t contribute to fulfilling that purpose. You stream line your time and effort when you take that approach.
