#IMAGEinspires: Digital Experts On The Apps You Need In Business

These days, there is an app for everything. They can tell us where to go, what to wear, what we should eat, where exactly we need to be (and crucially, how to get there). Yes, there are thousands to choose from but more than a few are undeniably useful (some more than others), both in life and from a professional day-to-day point of view.?But, just how useful is an app in the world of business??We decided to ask some of the women nominated in the Digital category of the IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year Awards for advice on what apps help them?get the job done.

Mailchimp?-?Our daily communication tool to our 350,000’registered members,?which allows me to schedule content, analyse popular features and track social engagement in real time. It also makes it possible to complete ad hoc commercial campaigns on the go which is invaluable and enables us to see how our community is growing on a daily basis.

Jules Mahon, Editor, TheTaste.ie

1Password?-?We are so busy in EVB Sport and use so many forms of social media that it’s impossible for me to remember all our passwords. We love 1Password it keeps all your passwords and usernames safe and secure. Just memorise one password to open the app, and 1Password will automatically grant you access to any of your other accounts. Must have!

Yvonne Brady, Founder and CEO, EVB Sport

My two new favourite work apps: we have just moved into our new Accenture Centre for Innovation building – a smart building which is home to designers, developers and domain experts all innovating together with our clients and the external ecosystem, so we now have our app for our people and clients – it’s more than just an app, it’s a living service that acts as a remote control to our building helping us to collaborate and innovate.? It’s a people finder, a way finder, a news finder, an idea generator and it allow you to control your environment. ?Another?new one is my app that controls the BeamPro, a remote presence device, that can allow me to provide someone with a tour of the building any time of day or night, my kids loved being able to get a remote tour from our kitchen table the day we moved in!

Buddhify – With the pervasiveness of technology being with us day and night, it is often hard to find a way to switch off.? I am really enjoying the wellness app, Buddhify.? It is designed to help people who have an interest in mindfulness and meditation but looking for a convenient way to fit it in.? It has helped me to kick start mindfulness, and it’s invaluable when you travel.

Julie?Spillane, Director,?Accenture

Pocket –? This is a great app for storing relevant articles that I find on social media for reading at a later stage.? It’s so simple, just press the link or the tweet to automatically send it to the Pocket app.? Then, when time allows (not as often as I would like it to!), I can catch up on these articles that have caught my interest.? It is such a great tool because, as we all know, tweets just pass by so quickly, that it is impossible to read all of the relevant articles that are highlighted at the time.? Pocket is an essential app for me.

Dr Gemma Robinson,?Managing Director,?Acorn Regulatory

DropBox – For sharing documents particularly with remote workers and to manage large files efficiently within groups.

Louise Grubb, Founder & CEO, Q1 Scientific

WhatsApp – I?am a big user of WhatsApp.? I have two seven-year-old boys, so I am part of several parents WhatsApp group for all of their activities.? I love how simple the app is to use, and I like that I can see when the message has been delivered and read.

Majella?Mungovan, EMEA Financial?Operations Director, Facebook

TED – As I have a 6-year-old boy, my phone is loaded with Lego and soccer apps, but I do have a couple of things downloaded for my leisure – I find the TED app a useful way of catching up on the latest opinions and ideas, as well as being a good source of entertainment.

Around Me – My role requires me to travel every week, so I have an array of airline apps for easy check-in – but the handiest app for travel is Around Me, which quickly identifies your position and allows you to choose the nearest restaurant, bank, taxi company, etc. so takes the hassle from navigating your way around a new city.

Fiona?O’Brien, Director, Lenovo