Most people are interested in smartphones for staying connected to friends and family via social media or for entertainment purposes, but there is a subset of users who use their smartphones for more than fun. Advanced users, sometimes called super users, often look more deeply into what a smartphone has to offer and how it can help them in performing work-related tasks.
According to a report compiled by Cisco Systems, Inc., more than 40 percent of workers use their smartphones for work. Additionally, two-thirds of employers indicated that they fully expect more employees to use their phones for work in the coming years. Many companies allow employees to access email and other documents via smartphone, and smartphones provide an easy way to stay connected.
Some employers provide their employees with company smartphones, which can be accessed by administrators at any time and be used to handle sensitive company documents that are prohibited on personal phones. Entrepreneurs or business owners may also complete a lot of their work-related activities right from their smartphones.
For those who use their smartphones to get work done, there are some really useful tips for making life as productive as possible. From finding work to making your camera work as a document scanner, try some of these tips the next time you find yourself using your smartphone to get work done.
Your Camera Does More than Snap Photos
Today’s smartphones have sophisticated cameras, complete with high resolution and multiple modes, as well as front and rear-facing options. Yet, despite how sophisticated smartphone cameras are for recreational use, they can help professionals do more than just take pictures.
The world continues to use less and less paper, but many business tasks still depend on paper. Scanning provides an easy way to keep track of paper and can easily transform a physical document into one that can be emailed, uploaded, or sent via Bluetooth. Scanned documents are particularly important in the business world, and your smartphone’s camera coupled with powerful scanning apps can make the process almost effortless.
Basic scanning apps allow users to snap pictures in real time or upload previously-taken pictures, then transform them into PDF documents. Whether you’re trying to keep track of business expenses, send important documents to clients, or keep important reference materials at your fingertips, smartphone scanning apps get the job done.
Most scanning apps allow users to combine photos into a single document, delete unwanted pages, and improve photo quality. Advanced scanning apps take things a bit further by employing optical character recognition (OCR). Apps with OCR can capture text on pages and make documents searchable when converted to PDF format.
A Personal Assistant at Your Fingertips
Most smartphone owners know that built-in personal assistants such as Siri and Cortana can perform basic functions like making a phone call or finding the nearest restaurant. However, for business users, there are even more useful features. While a smartphone assistant is nothing like the real thing, if you properly utilize it, you can save yourself a lot of time, leading to increased productivity.
All smartphone personal assistants are capable of analyzing email without any intervention from the smartphone owner. The software is able to scan email and make suggestions. For example, if you receive an email that mentions a specific date and time, your smartphone can prompt you to create a calendar entry simply by tapping the date. This feature not only saves time, it also ensures that you reduce the risk of missing important events and appointments.
Personal assistants also can access select third-party apps to keep you on track. Apple’s Siri keeps track of your app usage then provides helpful suggestions. For example, if you plug in headphones, Siri could suggest you pick up where you left off by prompting you to select the last thing you listened to. Although smartphone personal assistants are not like their human counterparts, they provide a range of helpful hints and tools to make your work life that much simpler.
Find a Job Right from Your Smartphone
One of the biggest reasons people apply for jobs from their laptops or desktops has to do with the sheer amount of information they must have readily available. These include everything from resumes to customized cover letters to references, and many people don’t store these documents on their phones. However, there are plenty of ways to make job hunting from your phone easier by doing a little pre-application preparation.
Most top job search sites have dedicated smartphone apps that allow individuals to view and apply to jobs without waiting until they’re near a computer. The user can upload pertinent documents ahead of time, type up a quick cover letter right in the app, an apply without ever putting down his or her phone. Job search apps also will store jobs you’re interested in so you can easily view them at a later time and track jobs you’ve already applied for. Notification preferences can also be set so you never miss out on an intriguing employment opportunity again.
If you choose not to store your resume directly in the app, you can still take advantage of all that job search apps have to offer. You can easily email yourself a copy of your resume and save it to a cloud-based storage solution such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Many apps allow you to access your cloud accounts to quickly and easily upload documents.
Using your smartphone for work does pose some risks. One of the biggest risks is keeping work email on your personal smartphone. This is because proprietary data or trade secrets could be accessed in the event your phone is lost, stolen, or accessed without permission. Though email breaches are less common, they do happen, so it’s important to be mindful of this risk.