How Do Apps Encourage Productivity In The Workplace? The average American consumer spends upwards to three hours on their mobile device each day, with the number continuing to rise each year. According to the iPass/Mobilelron Mobile Enterprise Report, 73% of people believe that they are mobile employees and spend about 9.5 hours a week searching for, or analyzing data. It stands to reason that employers would want their employees being as productive as possible. Subsequently many employers have been vying for mobile apps that will help support that productivity. Read on to discover tips on how mobile apps can encourage productivity in the workplace. How Can Mobile Apps Increase Productivity? Utilizing mobile apps can be extremely beneficial to the work environment for a myriad of reasons. 1. Control Most companies are constantly inundated with outdated information. Making use of productivity apps ensures that all workers have access to the same version of the most up date information for important work files and documents. 2. Consistency While there are many different brands of laptops, desktops, and browsers, there really are only two platforms for mobile devices (Android and IOS). So creating an experience that is seamless and convenient is much more likely when using business apps. 3. Creativity Many new productivity apps come with unique features that aren't readily available on a laptop or a mobile device. Even something like image capabilities, and location services, can allow you to connect with your team members at any time, wherever you are in the world. What to Look For in An App Before choosing an app, it's important to know what to look for. Nir Eyal, entrepreneur and author of, Hooked: How to Build Habit-‐Forming Products, developed the Hook model format to help employers choose the most habit-‐forming apps, which encourage efficiency. He states that there are four key elements to consider when seeking an app that will increase employee engagement: *Triggers -‐ The internal and external motivations behind using an app.
*Action -‐ The steps you want your employee to take once opening the app. Note: Eyal says it's important not to confuse employees with too many steps. *Reward -‐ In what ways will this app benefit the employee? * Invest -‐How often are employees spending their time, energy, and more with an app? Which Apps Are Best For Productivity? While there are many apps on the market designed for business employee productivity, the following apps listed are more user friendly, and rank high on the list. 1. Evernote (Note Taking) If you're looking for an app that is both, innovative and efficient, this is it. Not only is Evernote a great organizational tool, but it's essentially a creative think tank for your business. Evernote provides a single workspace that is accessible from any location, at any time. It allows you to keep documents, presentations, and photos close at hand. The convenience of this app affords people the opportunity to work remotely, yet it also encourages team members to collaborate with one another, as all files are sharable within the system. Cost: Free. Prices vary for upgrades. 2. Trello (Task Management) If you're a visual person who despises plain old boring to do lists, then Trello is the app for you. It's a multi-‐functional online management tool that allows you to organize the events in your life, based on color coordination, and sub-‐categories. Trello offers plenty of versatility, allowing you to design a list that is unique to you, but it also enables you to change the order of your lists, at a moment's notice. Moreover, your lists are easily sharable among other Trello app users. The benefit of having a visual list, that is displayed in a graphic manner, is it allows you to hone on which projects should take priority. Cost: Free. Prices vary for upgrades. 3. Slack (Office Messaging) According to Time.com, Slack is now one of the fastest growing business apps in history. Slack is new business chat app that offers several unique features, beyond that of using just email. It allows you to archive all of your chat interactions. This is particularly useful if you have several email chains going about several different subjects. Additionally it offers a good search engine, which will support your archived conversations. Lastly, Slack presents flexibility, as it is available online, and highly customizable. Users can easily run the app across several devices. Cost: Free. Prices vary for upgrades. Using productivity apps that employees love, improve collaboration and sharing among the work environment. Additionally, if productivity apps can afford employees the opportunity to work from home, and, or, develop a better work/life
balance overall, then it's a win/win for everyone. Employees who experience a better quality of life are happier, and will, ultimately, end up working harder for you and your business in the long run. A well-‐run business means additional financial growth for you company.