So it’s no surprise that, when we interviewed over two dozen CEOs about their favourite apps, we found that nearly two thirds fell into the Productivity category! Time is money.
As well as this, the people at the top are also on the lookout for helpful hacks and time-saving apps in Social Media, News/Information and Lifestyle categories - not to mention a few Games as well (...ever wondered if your CEO plays Pokemon GO? Apparently some do).We’ve gathered their answers into the stats and graphics below and highlighted some interesting apps to check out based on their recommendations.
Embed this open source graph for your own website
Slack - Productivity
Nearly half of the business bosses that we interviewed mentioned the business communication platform, Slack - with a third of those selecting Slack as their number one app. Why? Dr Diana Rangaves explains;
“In my opinion, Slack as a project management tool is my go-to organizer. My teams communicate efficiently, which results in workflow enhancement, clarity, and positive interaction. You can choose your integrations and customize to your liking.”
Interestingly, it wasn’t just the internal benefits of Slack - which can often serve as a company’s digital hub - but also the client management and communication opportunities which attracted our CEOs.
“Slack is a crucial necessity for keeping in contact with team members, clients, and other individuals in the business,” says Josh Blackwelder, CEO of Onyx Branding, “It eliminates so many unnecessary emails and phone calls, and keeps me up to date on things happening in my companies.”
It’s a sentiment which Michael Hanson, the CEO and founder of Growth Genie, shares; “Slack allows us to have shared communication channels with our clients, where we can communicate with them in real time.”
But perhaps Lisa Riggs, founder of Spirit Sox USA, sums it most neatly; “the most important thing Slack does is keep our inboxes clean.”
Clean inboxes - a CEO’s deepest desire!
Superhuman - Productivity
Speaking of well-managed inboxes, Francis Caporale “saves hours sorting through [his] emails every day” with Superhuman, a plug-in which enhances the user’s email experience.
Features they shout about on their website include “A.I. Triage. Undo Send. Insights from social networks. Follow-up Reminders, Scheduled Messages, and Read Statuses”. Sounds great! Yet the invite-only organiser has had mixed reviews since iits 2016 launch; (https://www.theverge.com/21299681/superhuman-email-app-review-price-gmail-iphone-mac).
So what do our CEOs think?
Marc Adam of Nixa explains; “Superhuman gives me the ability to manage my emails faster, using only my keyboard. As a CEO, every second counts and I receive a high volume of emails!”
Anne-Sophie Le Bloas, CEO of Ravacan, agrees; “Superhuman unique design helps me keep track of important communications and prioritize emails and tasks. It's effortless to set reminders or add snippets into emails. If you receive a lot of emails, it will help you hit inbox zero more often.”
For CEOs, you just can’t put a price on that empty inbox feeling.
(Although Superhuman sort of has - $30 per month!)
Embed this open source graph for your own website
Vagaro, Calm, Spotify and more - Lifestyle
“I am a busy person and when I need to book anything related to beauty - especially when I'm not at home - Vagaro makes it easy. Life cannot be lived with crazy eyebrows, am I right?!” - LeiLani Quiray, founder of Be The Change.
Beyond eyebrow engineering, many of our CEOs agreed that it can be good to listen while you work, whether that’s music through Spotify or audiobooks with Audible. Dean Foley of Barayamol says, for him; “Audible is an invaluable tool, especially if you want to learn something new. It's nice to listen to books while doing repetitive tasks.”
If learning a new skill or following a story is too much, for Quinn Zeda of Conversion Crimes, there’s always music. “I am always listening to music while I'm working. It helps keep me focused and hold the vibe.”
5 of our CEOs put Spotify in their top 5 apps. After all, “Music is life!” - as LeiLani puts it.
Beyond apps that help you work harder, our CEOs did have some tips for some wellness and convenience apps, from Fatsecret, which helps track calories and lose weight, to McDonalds, which, well, helps you order a Mcdonalds.
Anne-Sophie Le Bloas, CEO of Ravacan, speaks about Calm, an app which has helped her through the uncertainty of the last two years;
“When the pandemic hit, I was just starting Ravacan. I was content with the fact I was not missing out on so many cool events anymore. But now, as it lingers, I see a mental health crisis hit around me, and I am much more aware of the importance of taking care of oneself. I have a lifetime subscription to Calm, and I don't regret it. It helps me manage stress. I use it in conjunction with a sleep tracker and a fitness app.”
Deepstash, Wall Street Journal, & TikTok! - News/Information
From the Wall Street Journal to TikTok, our CEOs cited a range of news sources to stay up to date with world events and trends within their industry. But an app named Deepstash, which Guissepi Milazzo of Contapp uses to “make consuming news and information easy with bitesize content” is a particularly interesting one.
The app markets itself as a ‘five-minutes a day’ tool to improve your learning experience and retention of knowledge and information… which is actually relevant to you!
In a world that is totally saturated with information, it’s true that TikTok can be as informative as The Wall Street Journal, the BBC or The Economist, however it’s also true that - without a bit of discipline, all four of these sources can fall victim to the lazy, absent-minded mid-morning scroll. As a busy CEO, even your 5 minutes scrolling through news on the train can be an opportunity to learn and stay up-to-date, and Deepstash is there to guide these moments and maximise them.
By curating a list of relevant articles, all in bite-sized, accessible form, Deepstash allows you to catch up in just a few moments, as well as to save interesting articles to your ‘stash’ for later on when you have time.
Check out our stats to see which apps were the most popular. Which will you be incorporating into your routine?
Embed this open source graph for your own website