The number one goal of an entrepreneur is to work smart and make the most effective use of their time. That’s where mobile apps come in to keep us more organised, teach us new things, assist with small tasks and even save costs. Best of all, most of these apps offer a free trial so you can try them out without much commitment. But how do you know which is right for you and your business? We have narrowed down five handy apps worth downloading.

Elocance

Busy professionals and entrepreneurs who have no time to read can now listen to key insights from podcasts while multitasking. This app, which converts text to speech allows you to learn on the go. Apart from articles, Elocance can convert lengthy emails, reports and legal documents into bite-sized audio snippets, so you can save time on reading. And you also get access to popular newsletters. Content can be organised into a neat playlist, where you can run through everything sequentially while commuting, running errands or exercising. As a bonus, you can select different voice options or accents to suit your fancy.

Attentive

According to the website, Attentive drives an average of 18.5 per cent total online revenue for its customers through SMS marketing. This app is great for brands looking to announce product launches, share new content and stay in touch with customers. That aside, businesses can automatically reach subscribers with in-the-moment messages triggered by their purchase behaviour and create subscriber segments based on real-time data to optimise marketing campaigns. In fact, brands like Sephora, Urban Outfitters and Pacsun are all using the app to drive more digital revenue home. Sean Whitehead, Director of Product Management at Kendra Scott says, “We rely on Attentive as the most direct line of communication to reach our mobile-first shoppers—to let them know about new products, limited-time offers, and more.”

When premium stationery retailer Paper Source partnered with Attentive to engage their audience during the 2020 Cyber Week holidays, the brand’s holiday welcome message saw a 54.7 per cent click-through rate, which ultimately led to a 51.1 per cent conversion rate.

Populr

This simple and user-friendly website creator will give any business owner the tools to design their own website without needing to enlist a programmer or UX designer. With the help of Populr, even an amateur can create attractive landing pages to share information or grab attention. What’s more, the best feature of this app is their drag and drop editor that immediately shows you how your pages will look like while you edit them. Easy-to-follow guides also make it a breeze to upload logos and direct custom domains to your page. Users include big corporations like Dell, Nissan and Warner Music Group.

RescueTime

It’s hard to stay focused when many digital distractions abound. Instead of making us more efficient, technology can actually hinder our productivity. Enter RescueTime, designed to help you stay focused on the task at hand with its FocusTime feature that blocks distracting websites. Once you start using the app, you’ll know where you are wasting your time online and how to take better control of your schedule. Set daily limits if necessary.

Even Airbnb developer Jonathan White has lauded the app for its transformative value. After trying RescueTime for a few days, he realised that there were diminishing returns after a certain number of hours. By accurately discovering when he was most productive, he was able to block out the first two hours in the morning for focused work and then take a break when his productivity level was at its lowest. 

SaneBox

Feeling completely overwhelmed by emails and need to cut through the chaos? SaneBox will keep your sanity in check by sorting out your mails, banning spammers and sending you notifications for follow-ups. Whether you are on Gmail or Outlook, SaneBox works the same, utilising AI technology to analyse your email history and determine what is important to you. The smart algorithm blocks out annoying messages to ensure that only the relevant emails stay in your inbox.

Garth Pyper, Technology Infrastructure Manager of Shopify observed how Sanebox had changed the way he interacted with email. “I know that the important things are going to come into the box, and the things that aren’t that important are going to be put into SaneLater,” he said. Eric Siu, CEO of digital marketing agency Single Grain, also praised Sanebox for being instrumental in getting his time and sanity back. He added that he has been able to save more than seven hours a week because of its effectiveness.

Image Credit: Elocance