For small business owners being connected is crucial, not just to keep clients and contacts happy, but to avoid missing out on new business opportunities. Luckily, technology is on your side. With the advent of smartphones, tablets and built-for-business apps, small and medium-sized enterprise owners no longer need to stay tethered to their desks.

It’s no secret that mobile use has boomed in recent years, but it’s not just consumers embracing smartphones. According to a recent PeoplePerHour poll, nine out of ten SMEs already use mobile phones and apps to keep a handle on company operations, with almost three quarters (73 per cent) of business owners using them on a daily basis.

And it’s easy to see why. Working on the go means more time can be spent keeping clients happy and supporting employees, while apps can be used as an aid to driving new business leads and sales, meaning there is potential for improved profits too.

The selection of apps available for Apple and Android devices is massive. Whether it’s client relations, content creation, financials or social media, there’s an app for it. As the choice gets bigger, reliance on apps amongst the small business community – which needs to be connected, organised and informed at all times – is likely to grow. Running a business from a phone isn’t just an idea, it’s already a reality for many SME owners.

Some of the key apps used by small businesses are:

Document storage and creation:

GoogleDrive and Dropbox are used by millions and provide the perfect cloud-based solutions for all business documents and content management providing secure access anytime, anywhere.

Time management:

Managing your business also goes hand-in-hand with managing projects and ideas. The Evernote app is one that many small business owners swear by as a way to remain on top of their to-do lists, keep voice memos and generally act as their ‘personal database’.

Customer relations:

The Zendesk app is an ideal solution for all of your CRM needs, and of course, customer relations are a key process in any business.

Social media apps:

If you’re not already running your business Twitter and Facebook profiles from your mobile, you’re missing out on a chance to stay connected with your customers and keep informed. You can also try using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to schedule future tweets and social updates for your business pages for weeks at a time to stay well-organised

Stay connected:

Skype, Viber and Fring all offer voice over IP (VoIP) solutions allowing you to keep in touch with colleagues and clients in different countries at a fraction of the cost of traditional calls, and you can even conduct video calls to cut down the need for face-to-face meetings.

See also: What is digital transformation and what does it mean for SMEs?.