Being a small or start-up business can often leave you on the back foot, particularly if you’re looking to compete with bigger brands for a slice of your chosen market. With a diverse range of digital tech at our fingertips however, the gap between small and large businesses is being bridged. Everyone has to start somewhere, and ensuring you have access to the following apps could just help you grow and save you money in the process.

Salesforce

As the world’s number 1 customer relationship management (CRM) portal, the Salesforce app provides an excellent solution for those looking to pocket more productivity on the go. Also available as desktop software, Salesforce provides essential access to business data, including databases and sales figures, so business owners can look to increase efficiency throughout their salesforce. Data from the app is also useful in client meetings, providing an ‘at a glance’ insight for reference as well as more detailed statistics as evidence so you have the information you need to generate leads for your company.

Get the Salesforce app here.

iZettle

Available as a free or paid package, iZettle gives small business owners the card payment processing tech they need to complete transactions on the go. The app syncs to an iZettle card reader via Bluetooth for ultimate ease. Upgrading to the app’s Plus package also means that as well as taking payment you can complete sales reporting. Sales reports can be personalised and generated individually for different members of your sales team.

Get the iZettle app here.

Skype

Available for free on pretty much every platform going (including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Symbian – phew!), Skype offers a quick and easy way to connect workforces. The use of Skype has exploded in recent years, particularly as more and more businesses look to remote workers to bolster the service they offer to their own customers. The hiring of freelancers and contractors allows businesses of all sizes, particularly those on the small side, to unlock a number of benefits. The use of remote workers however doesn’t come without its challenges.

One of the greatest challenges faced by those hiring remote freelancers and contractors is keeping their in-house and off-site teams fully integrated. Skype gives you everything you need to achieve this united front as well as set up video meetings with suppliers, shareholders and other business contacts.

Get the Skype app here.

Evernote

Getting your small business prepared isn’t easy, but with organisation apps like Evernote, you can write notes, edit text and share your snippets from your phone or tablet. Evernote can be synced across various devices for easy access to notes from anywhere. Notes can be organised further with the app’s links, checklist, tables and attachment features, whilst audio can also be recorded if you’re simply too busy to put fingers to keyboard.

Its dedicated business version makes liaising with your team super easy too. Evernote’s team hub means notes can be created and shared with the group to bring those ideas to fruition or that project to a finish.

Get the Evernote app here.