I'm big on technology. One of my most used pieces of technology is my smartphone. I wanted to share with you some of the apps that I use all the time, so much so that these apps are on my home screen. I currently have an iPhone but I’m pretty sure all of the apps I’m sharing are available for both Apple and Android.
While there are a few apps on my homescreen that are for personal and family, most of these apps are ones I use for my appraisal business. I'm going to focus on apps that I use for productivity on a regular basis.
I used to take all of the appraisal photos on my phone and put them into a Dropbox file but I’ve changed to using Google Photos instead. Google Photos is free to use and there is no limit. They do reduce the photo quality a little, but not really enough to be noticeable. Google Photos also makes it very simple to set up shared folders so I can easily separate family photos from work ones.
I use Expensify to keep track of my business receipts. This app lets me go paperless but still keep copies of my receipts for tax purposes. I just take a snapshot of the receipt, add it to the right account and category. Since Expensify doesn’t connect with my bank account, my bookkeeper has my Expensify password and username information so she can quickly add everything into QuickBooks.
Expensify does have a feature to keep track of your mileage but I use a different app instead. To use Expensify, you have to remember to check or reset your trip odometer every time you go out. I often forget so I use MileIQ instead. Even when I forget to turn it on, this app tracks my miles whenever I start and stop throughout the day. Then, at the end of the day, all I have to do is swipe either left or right for each trip to assign it to work or personal. It's as simple as that and it literally takes me about 10 seconds to go through all of my trips each day to make sure that I put them in the proper category.
I was introduced to Evernote a couple of years ago and I’ve never looked back. There is a bit of a learning curve for this app but, once you understand how to use it, you’ll have the ability to track everything. I have a shared folder so my assistant and I can share notes with one another like my travel itinerary or something for the next staff meeting. Available for both your phone and your desktop, there are free and paid versions. Personally, I’ve found more than enough features in the free version so I’ve never purchased the premium version.
The Voice Over IP app gives me the ability to sound like I’m in the office, even when I’m out doing an inspection. It also lets you use a business phone number instead of showing your cell phone number when calling.
The WhatsApp app is another favorite of mine. Through this app I can quickly communicate with my office. I can text, send a video, send photos, and, most importantly, I can send audio.
We can go back and forth and WhatsApp is great by the way to talk to one another.
Last year my assistant, Lee, introduced me to Google Keep. I don’t use this app much for my own To Do lists but it's great for tracking my long term lists or ones that I’m sharing with another person.
Finally, I have Facebook Messenger so I can stay in touch with my Facebook groups for my All Star Team and my Dream Team. I do not get notifications from Facebook on my phone, I got rid of that years ago. If I want to check Facebook, I open the app to see if something's waiting for me.
For more information on this subject, please listen to The Appraiser Coach Podcast Episode:
