9 apps that can change the way you work

Although we all fume at our phones and computers sometimes, technology really is incredible. It has changed the way we work, making it faster, easier and cheaper than ever to do business on a global scale.

But with a new year in front of us, productivity is top of mind for entrepreneurs, as is doing away with technology that is no longer cutting it at work. To find out which apps are the most useful for improving workflow, I asked a group of founders from Young Entrepreneur Council the following:

What email app or client has revolutionized the way you work each day and why?

Their best answers are below:

1. Acompli

Mobile email has never been as easy as it is with Acompli. Basically, it brings more important emails to the top and drops less important emails to the bottom using machine learning and by paying attention to the emails that I work on fast. It’s changed my life. – John Rampton, Host

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2. Google Inbox

I only got my Inbox invite a few weeks ago and it is already changing the way I approach email. I spend a lot of time responding to and sending out emails, and Inbox helps me cut through the clutter.

Another fantastic feature is the snooze option for email. I have a hectic schedule and sometimes I’ll see an email, plan on responding, but then get caught up in something else and totally forget. Snooze allows me to quickly and easily set an automatic reminder.

Enhancing all these new features is Google’s wonderful new design. Inbox actually gets me excited about email. – Brian Honigman, BrianHonigman.com

3. HelpScout

Although a help desk system, you can use HelpScout for your personal email as well. Aside from amazing organization and workflows, you can instantly find records of all email conversations with a specific person, which really helps productivity. – Syed Balkhi, OptinMonster

4. Slack

Slack is a fantastic communication tool that is making waves in the tech industry. It’s helping us save time by cutting down on the back and forth of emails. All of our team members can be included in searchable conversations, which facilitates collaboration and productivity.

Slack is especially useful when you have team members distributed across multiple office locations, because the tool helps keep conversations transparent, focused and easy to navigate. Plus, Slack is free unless you add premium features.. – Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

5. RelateIQ

RelateIQ doesn’t just sync with our CRM; it is the CRM. I have access to tasks, follow-ups and sales lists inside of email on mobile. It isn’t great at bulk processing email, but it is good enough that I can spend days working with just my mobile phone. – Anthony Nicalo, Dónde

6. Google Apps

Google Apps has been a staple for a while, and it keeps getting better. The simplicity and effectiveness of Gmail is a must, but Google Drive has also made working with collaborative documents a dream. The access to its APIs has also been very useful for developing great business tools. – Daniel Wesley, DebtConsolidation.com

7. Evernote

Evernote: I am an Apple native with an iPhone, iPad and Macbook Air. We are all busy and multi-tasking these days. Evernote allows youto write and categorize notes and to-do lists anywhere and then sync across all your devices. I am more productive with Evernote. – Kelsey Recht,VenueBook

8. HelloSign

HelloSign is a Gmail extension that saves me a ton of time. I can open the document, click a button to sign and send it in the same email — all in about 20 seconds. – Brock Stechman,DivvyHQ

9. SaneBox

I’ve been looking for an effective solution to automatically organize my emails by importance, but until I tried SaneBox my search had been futile.

SaneBox allows me to view only the most important and relevant emails in my inbox. It learns and tailors my preferences each day, in accordance with my email use patterns. – David Tomas, Cyberclick