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DQ News: Small Biz Benefits from Mobile Apps

A new survey from the Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council reveals that mobile apps may be the new BFF (best friend forever) of small business owners. By tapping into the power of apps for credit card processing, GPS navigation and contact management, merchants and service providers can save time and money that’s better spent on growing their business.

Time Savings and Efficiency

According to the survey, small businesses save an estimated 725.3 million hours annually by using mobile app technology. That figure roughly translates into $17.6 billion in savings.

Over 300 owners of companies with 20 employees or fewer participated in the SBE study. Thirty-one percent reported incorporating mobile apps into their daily business routines, and 51% felt the apps made their companies more competitive.

Not Going Anywhere

The small business owners indicated that mobile apps are here to stay — an opinion shared by the SBE Council. “It will no doubt grow when you look at the expanding use of smartphones and iPads and related tablets,” predicted its chief economist, Ray Keating.

There’s an App for That

In addition to apps for credit card processing, other apps that are popular with small businesses included travel planning, remote document access, banking and finance management, social media marketing and location-based services. When you’re on the road and need to stay in touch with your customers and employees, mobile apps allow you to do so in a much faster and more effective manner. There are even mobile apps that allow you to remotely connect to your home or work computer!

Business owners who are interested in apps for mobile credit card processing should talk with their merchant services provider to arrange for the necessary merchant account to support the process.

About the Author: Marc McDermott is the Online Marketing Manager at Merchant Express, a provider of transaction processing services and payment processing technologies with a specialized approach to online credit card processing, merchant bankcard processing and transaction processing services.

Photo Credit: *Jeffrey*

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