The shift to remote and hybrid working has placed increased worth on the equipment that assist folks operate in a much more flexible way, throughout many gadgets.
While a handful of providers (e.g. Zoom and Microsoft Teams) have attracted a lot of the limelight all through the pandemic, facts shared solely with TechRadar Pro by analytics agency Application Annie indicates there are also a few unsung heroes.
For illustration, lesser-regarded office environment software program WPS Office environment has consistently rated among the major 5 small business cell applications for every month active people (MAU), bested only by the online video conferencing giants and companies these types of as LinkedIn.
Designed by Chinese business Kingsoft, WPS Workplace functions as a no cost alternative to Microsoft Office environment, divided into a few factors that offer very similar features to Phrase, PowerPoint and Excel.
Although Microsoft’s solutions are ubiquitous in the small business planet, the formal Business office application is absent from the leading 10 rankings solely, for equally monthly downloads and MAU.
Separately, the meteoric advancement of Indian ecommerce app Meesho will also appear as a shock to many, specifically in the west. Due to the fact the commence of the pandemic, Meesho has grown to develop into the fifth most downloaded business enterprise application on cellular.
Most preferred company apps
Predictably, the organization app rankings are dominated by the collaboration and movie conferencing services that have aided individuals keep connected to colleagues, pals and family members throughout the pandemic.
According to App Annie facts, the top rated 3 most downloaded apps across iOS and Android in April final calendar year were Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Groups.
In modern months, nevertheless, WhatsApp for Business has muscled its way into the leading a few, as the vaccine rollouts gather speed and businesses start out to reopen in some areas. The app will allow tiny enterprises to produce profiles to property details such as address, description and get in touch with particulars, but also to chat immediately with prospects in significantly the very same way WhatsApp may be made use of to message mates and loved ones.
Even though well-known before the pandemic, WhatsApp for Business has obtained a newfound value for SMBs, who are now tasked with refiring the engines and reconnecting with buyers right after an prolonged period of time of absence.
In the meantime, shifts even more down the rating table trace at changes in the recruitment landscape. Although networking platform LinkedIn has remained the third most made use of small business software all through the pandemic, the app jumped from 10th to 9th placement in the download rankings involving March and April this yr.
Though precise figures are unavailable, the change could trace that a larger amount of workers are seeking for new options now there is a light at the finish of the pandemic tunnel.