Going on a business trip to close that big deal? Good for you. I’m a frequent business traveler, so before you leave, let me give you a list of great apps you need to download to your smartphone. You’ll thank me later.
Airline/Hotel App – I’m an American Airlines frequent flier (AA dominates the Philly airport) and my go-to hotel is Marriott. Which means I’ve downloaded apps for both. You need to do this for the hotels and airlines you’re using on this trip. You can get up to the minute info on your flight. And, if you’re lucky, you may be able to check in to your hotel in advance which means you can avoid having to be in a good mood with the chirpy kid behind the reception desk. Human interaction is so over-rated, right?
Expedia – Expedia is still the king of travel services. And you’ll want the king at your side if something goes wrong on your trip. Maybe you need to book another flight and need to know all options out of the airport. Or your hotel reservation fell through because you didn’t’ follow the mobile check in instructions and that chirpy kid behind the reception desk morphed into an indignant hipster unwilling to free up an extra room for you. Humans really do suck, don’t they? Expedia is also excellent at providing updates and alerts too.
GateGuru – This is the must have app for any frequent business travel. GateGuru gives a full rundown of food and shopping, by terminal, at just about every major airport in the world. Got a hankering for a Turkey with Swiss and Ranch dressing at Quiznos ? Of course you do, because who doesn’t? Don’t worry – with GateGuru you’ll find one at the airport you’re going to. Would you like a scuba diving outfit, a squash racquet or a high definition TV? Have you lost your mind? You can’t get this stuff at an airport, silly. You’re going on a flight, not a shopping excursion for God’s sake.
Evernote – While in the air, you’ve just thought of the perfect invention: a toilet seat that flips up just by pressing a foot pedal. Bingo! But where to write this down? You’re on a plane. No worries. If you have Evernote on your smartphone you can take notes anywhere and it’ll sync up to the cloud once you get back online. Evernote can enable you to share notes with others in your company, as long as you don’t mind being ridiculed for your toilet-seat-with-the-foot-pedal idea.
Uber and Lyft – Who doesn’t love Uber? Or Lyft? Who doesn’t love the app that allows you to call for transport like you’re a boss, track it by GPS, monitor your trip and pay for it without taking out your credit card? If you haven’t used these services yet you’re missing out on a better experience than just your common taxi. And you’ll thank the Uber Gods when you suddenly realize you need a ride to your hotel downtown from that business meeting in the sticks and no taxi service wants to make the journey. Trust me, Uber will.
Google Maps – I use Google Maps all the time when I travel. Sure, its driving directions are unparalleled. But how do you find your way from your hotel to that sushi place a few blocks away without walking around in circles? Yes – it’s great for walkers too. Oh, and how did you find that sushi place in the first place? Yes, Google Maps identifies all the good stuff near where you’re staying.
Expensify – Remember the days when scanned documents could only be stored and the data couldn’t be used anywhere? Those days are done. Expensify will let you take a picture of any receipt and it’ll extract the data into a cloud-based expense report for you (or your accounting manager) to review. The application is so sophisticated you can forward emails from airlines and hotels to an email address you’ll be assigned and it’ll recognize and bring that data into your expense report too.
Snapchat – text message is out. Snapchat is in. Besides, how else do you expect to communicate with your teenage kids while you’re away? You don’t expect them to use the alphabet and text you, right? That’s soooo 20th century. A picture’s worth a thousand words. And then it disappears forever into the Snapchat ether.
Spotify – Remember how those hotel apps minimize human interaction because of mobile check-in. Well, Spotify minimizes human interaction altogether. Instead of talking to your seatmate or getting to know your fellow travelers better, you can listen to any song you want anywhere you want and completely ignore everything that’s going on around you. Bliss.
Kindle App – Once upon a time I travelled with two or even three books in case one wasn’t good. Now, my Kindle has hundreds of books. The app works on any smartphone so you can read whether you have a Kindle or not.
Insightly – Oh yeah. Forgot about those guys. No biggie – it’s only an app into your company’s entire database, showing you interactions, communications, activities, notes and other data about your customers, vendors, partners and that prospect you’re flying to meet which is why you’re going on this stupid trip in the first place!
Safe travels. Bon Voyage. And don’t come back without that deal.
A CRM system is nothing more than a database. And nowadays, that database is more than likely in the cloud. So instead of everyone having their own individual list of contacts in their email At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a huge variety of verticals.
Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
About the Author: Gene Marks is a small business owner, technology expert, author and columnist. He writes regularly for leading US media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Inc. Magazine and Entrepreneur. He has authored five books on business management and appears regularly on Fox News, Fox Business, MSNBC and CNBC. Gene runs a ten-person CRM and technology consulting firm outside of Philadelphia. Learn more at genemarks.com
