Whether it’s for finding a lover, or the right restaurant for your grandmother’s birthday, the use of apps has become ingrained in our daily user-based culture.

With the on-going march of digital tech, the app industry, like many other associated industries, has become increasingly diversified. Consequently, there are some key apps that low-on-time SME business owners should be using to make their businesses more productive – and more successful.

1. ABBYY Business Card Reader

Available on: iOS and Android

This little beauty cuts down on the anxiety-causing incidents wherein you meet a great business contact, only to misplace their rain-sodden business card. Instead, use this app to scan the contents of a business card straight away. The details will be organised and stored on your phone in as many different languages as you require.

2. Google Analytics 

Available on: iOS and Android

Google Analytics allows you to build a clearer picture of how your business is performing. Providing unique Google data, the app allows you to see how effectively you’re marketing your goods and services. With easily shareable data-driven insights, businesses can also understand how they can better reach their target customers going forwards.

3. Evernote

Available on: iOS and Android

Evernote is a digital space where those ‘eureka’ business moments can be stored safely – and shared with members of your team for collaborative purposes.

These can range from photographs to notes about projects that are automatically synced across all your devices. It allows you to tap into those inspirational ideas, and invite team members to join in on the discussion – wherever you are.

4. Slack

Available on: iOS and Android

Are email chains getting you down? Are you sick of your employees taking up hours of their day crafting internal emails when they should be getting on with the important stuff? If the answers to the above are a resounding yes, then Slack is the app for you.

Providing businesses with a live messaging platform that enables instant communications between team members, ideas and tasks are communicated on a time efficient basis. This leaves the crafting of long-winded emails for the purpose of proactive, and quite frankly, more important client-facing work.

5. Proven

Available on: iOS and Android

Proven is the ultimate time-saving recruitment app for SMEs. Allowing users to posts a message to over 100 job boards with one single post, as well as directly to their social media accounts, users can also store the CVs of all candidates under consideration – in one place.

They also offer proactive and ‘hands-on’ customer service, including advice on how to craft an engaging job post, and what job boards to target to attract the best talent.