In 2023, business apps are becoming increasingly necessary to improve, optimize, and automate a large range of business processes.
Below, we’ve made a list of the top 5 business apps to follow in 2023, including a combination of the hottest new technologies making waves, and tried and trusted, must-have software.
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1. Spike For Streamlined Communication
Spike is one of the hottest communication apps making ripples these days. It’s an application that integrates emails with multimedia messaging, streamlined video and voice calls and a team chat app.
While remote team communication and collaboration became the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic, major email providers like Gmail and Microsoft have seen little advances in their interfaces or any added features. Email providers still fail to provide an integrated experience that combines advanced, streamlined chat functionalities like Slack, or an easy to use meeting room experience like Zoom.
In fact, there’s a good chance your business uses various tools, including most likely Slack, Zoom, and Gmail or Microsoft to facilitate team communication. Spike allows you to streamline communications, and replace or integrate the benefits of your traditional email providers. This app is also highly affordable, at just $8 per month per account for businesses.
It’s also important to note that unlike many untried hot new technology apps – Spike is associated with some of the most trusted names in software and communications. That includes investments from Wix.com and an Oculus store launch collaboration with Meta.
2. Freshbooks for the Finance Team
FreshBooks is a cloud-based accounting service that comes packed with plenty of features. The basic plan gives you access to invoicing, estimates, time tracking, expenses, expense integration to your bank account, and an online credit card payment capability.
As you go up the tiers, you also gain access to sending proposals, recurring invoices and automated payment reminders. Despite these powerful features, FreshBooks’ intuitive and user-friendly interface requires minimal training and launch time. The software also integrates with many other services, including PayPal, MailChimp, Basecamp, WordPress, Gusto, Zendesk and more.
You’re able to access and use the system from your desktop, the free iOS and Android apps. As it’s a cloud-based system you need not worry about backups, storage, or recovery.
3. Monday.com for Project Management
Another WIx-associated project on this list is Monday.com. While starting off as Wix’s in house project management tool, the software soon spun off into a standalone platform. In 2023, Monday.com is a must use for its organized and intuitive project management capabilities, and its powerful CRM solution features.
While its user interface resembles a simple spreadsheet that makes it easy to keep track of projects, custom dashboards also a deep dive into workflows, project analytics, metrics and milestones. The powerful custom dashboards capabilities include eight visualization options such as Gantt charts and Kanban boards, and multiple project techniques such as sprints, Agile, and Waterfall planning,
Monday.com’s broad range of project templates is also one of its most valuable features allowing you to spend less time on setup, and more time on execution. Monday.com also offers time-tracking capabilities built in, ideal for distributed workforces.
Monday’s CRM capabilities are also a major complement to project management, and include lead gathering and tracking, marketing outreach, and sales pipeline management tools.
4. DLVR.it for social media automation, scheduling, and RSS Feeds
In 2023, it’s all about social marketing more than ever as the pandemic pretty much turned offline marketing into an obsolete concept. The pandemic saw the rise of Social Media platforms like TikTok and Discord – and a whole sprouting of social media automation platforms – but DLVR.it is one that stands out.
Unlike many social media automation tools which allow for mass-posting across platforms, scheduling, and curating capabilities, there’s one feature that makes DLVR.it a winner: the possibility to automate RSS feeds to Social Media.
An RSS feed automatically posts the headlines and summaries into the location of your choice, such as a website or blog, and then links back to the article on the original website’s page. DLVR.it allows you to automate the posts from these RSS feeds into automated social posts, and to a range of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
It also offers more interesting integration options such as Discord and Reddit. One of its most interesting features – adding customized, automated hashtags to feeds, and the ability to add a high volume of customized feeds.
5. Keep Focused on the Big Picture with Align
Particularly with distributed workforces, it can sometimes be difficult to ensure team members remain focused on the big picture, instead of just getting bogged down in the day to day details of their daily task.
Align is a strategic growth management software that provides tools to plan and communicate shared priorities, with the goal of helping companies visualize, communicate, and track business priorities and strategic goals.
The software builds efficiency through proven management habits: 15 minute daily check-ins, ongoing employee input, and transparent, visual performance tracking for top priorities. And of course, a custom dashboard that keeps every level of the organization focused on their biggest business goals from the top priorities of the company and the objectives of each department to team goals, and individual deliverables.
One of the most valuable features is the top Priority Calendar, which each employee uses to commit to one thing they promise to do that day. Over time they can see how much they have accomplished by holding themselves accountable to that one thing each day.
Another particularly interesting feature is the eNPS feedback, which automatically collects and measures employee satisfaction and feedback. And of course, Align connects with the tools you already use to connect data and workflows.