If your morning commute starts earlier than the sun rises, is spent wishing you had brought a second tumbler of coffee with you, it’s safe to say you probably don’t have time to sit and read a newspaper or even think about that after-work networking event. We here at Pepper Gang feel your pain. To help you out we have put together a list of apps that will hopefully get you organized, keep you informed and even make your Business a little bit stronger.
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City Mapper
Imagine this: you have a meeting in a part of the city that you haven’t been to before or maybe you just moved your company to Boston and don’t really understand the transit system yet. Either way, you are a little lost and need to get to your destination ASAP. City Mapper is here to rescue you.
This app allows you to input your current location and destination and it will tell you the best ways to get you there. What is even more exciting is that you can tell it what time you are leaving or when you want to get there and it will give you the best time to leave and precisely when you will get there. This app isn’t just for Boston either, if you are travelling on business you can change the map to wherever you may be.
Slack
If you are having inter-office communication issues, turn to Slack. This app makes it easy to Connect with your team, even if you’re out of the office. If you are on a business trip and forgot to send a document before you left, you can send it using the app. Slack allows you to connect all of the tools you use on a daily basis, such as Twitter and Google Calendar, and puts it all in one place. Slack has a deep search tool that can dig up any image or email you may be searching for, will send you notifications to keep you up to date, and can be used on both your phone and computer.
In addition to all of this, you can also create groups based on projects or even just shared interests. Maybe you want to have a weekly happy hour with some coworkers, set up a message in the app and see who else is interested! This app will create the fluidity in office communication that you are looking for.
Skimm Ahead
theSkimm, a daily email that arrives in your inbox Monday through Friday to give you a concise and witty news update, has come out with a new service. They have created an app that is designed to keep you in the loop with all the things you might possibly want to know about: SkimmAhead.
From made up national holidays, to television premiers and election details you will find it on there. The app works by linking to your calendar (Apple only for the moment), so when you open it up you can click on a day and see what is going on or get notified when your favorite teams are playing. They also recently added a feature called Skimm Reads which includes article and book recommendations. TheSkimm will make it so you can have an intelligent conversation about what’s going on in the world and make you feel less guilty about only half listening when the news is on- they’ve got you covered!
Networking isn’t just in person anymore, it’s gone digital. LinkedIn, an online networking site, allows you to connect with other professionals, companies and potential employees/employers. Both you and your company should have LinkedIn accounts, as it is one of the best ways to broaden your network. Add your contacts, look at suggestions of who to connect with and find out who your company’s audience is.
What a lot of people don’t know is that this platform is not just a website, it’s an app too. The app makes it easy to connect with people- one might even call it addicting! Engage with your network by commenting, liking, messaging and endorsing others. Maintaining connections is more important than ever. LinkedIn has made this all extremely easy, so go download the app and get connected!
OpenTable
Whether you’re at a conference in a different city and need a place to meet with potential connections or are looking to make reservations for a business dinner with a client, OpenTable is here for you. This free app allows you to make reservations at a wide variety of participating restaurants. They are organized for you by location, popularity, cuisine and the purpose of your meal (such as special occasions, good for a business meeting or for groups).
Another feature that this app offers are points for each time you make a reservation using it. There is a section devoted to restaurants where you can earn extra points if you make a reservation at them during a certain time of day. By building these up you can receive OpenTable dining rewards for different monetary values, as well as Amazon gift cards. At the very least using this app can relieve some of the stress you have about that upcoming meeting!
Basecamp
Stay up to date on all of your projects using Basecamp. Another website/app that allows you to keep all of your ducks in a row and find what you need hassle-free. Create to-dos, discussions, post files and text docs, forward emails and keep everything on task with a calendar devoted to each project. There is virtually nothing that this platform cannot do.
Basecamp is great for keeping your clients involved. You can include them on a specific project so that they can see the progress that is being made and discuss things as they are happening. If you feel that only certain people need to be notified or see a document, there are options for that as well. The app is a great way to keep track of what you specifically need to accomplish and see the goal your team is working towards. If you are striving towards efficiency Basecamp is the tool for your company.
Even the smallest of changes can make a big impact on what gets done daily at the office. Downloading these apps can help start your morning, stay up to date on what is going on in the world and increase productivity!
