When you’re running a business, you need every advantage you can get on top of the competition. Using a tablet for business is an underrated and extremely useful way to make your processes more efficient, expand your workstation wherever you go, and enjoy a more versatile tool assistant.
Whether you are a small business or a medium enterprise, your workload can be lightened with the addition of a tablet device. Best of all, you don’t even need a tablet with a hefty price tag like an Apple iPad to start!
And if you’re tired of lugging your laptop and charger around when you’re on the go, owning a tablet is a saving grace that you will soon never be work without. Still not convinced? We’ve listed the 10 most useful applications for a tablet in your business. Read on to find them out!
Why use a tablet for business?
Before we tackle the top 10 ways, it’s important to discuss the advantages of specifically using a tablet for business instead of a laptop, 2-in-1 laptop, or Chromebook.
In short, the portability of a tablet device allows it to be taken anywhere you go without the hassle and can be easily taken out and used. Although laptops have more processing power than tablets, their weight, size, and heat prohibit them from being as immediately accessible as tablets.
The modern tablet device also has a solid CPU, so you’ll never truly be left wanting for the types of tasks that tablets can be used for. Want an easy solution to your customer relationship management or setting up meetings on the move? Read on!
10 Ways to Level Up your Business with a Tablet
The business world is cutthroat, that’s no secret. If there’s a tool at the disposal of business owners that can help their workflow and other operating systems then it’s best to jump onto the opportunity.
We’ve listed 10 ways that your business can level up with the use of a tablet. Not all of these may apply to your workflow but if you find yourself aligning with at least three or four of them then we highly recommend peeling the stickers off your laptop and purchasing a tablet.
But let’s jump right into it!
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Multimedia Training
In this digital world, multimedia is quickly becoming the standard for training new employees and testing the skills of potential job applicants. With a tablet, this training is literally at the tap of a finger.
You can access a multitude of mobile apps for your employees to use in their training, whether it’s courses on Lynda or Skillshare, watching videos on Notion, or completing an introductory task. The long battery life of your tablet will ensure that media consumption and training are unabated no matter how many employees you ask to do the training.
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Digital Portfolio
A digital portfolio is one of the tried and tested methods of interacting with potential clients and shareholders. If it’s a Powerpoint presentation showcasing your business’s operating system or a financial equity portfolio, being able to show off a professional and intuitive showcase is unbelievably persuasive.
Rugged devices like projectors or laptops are usually very hefty and investing in an HD monitor to give a presentation is too costly when you can simply use your tablet as a monitor instead!
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On-The-Go Editing
The absolute worst feeling is traveling while working and receiving a notification from your team that a document or outline needs editing. To edit documents and adjust photo editing usually requires a laptop (especially a bulky Alienware) or desktop, which can be difficult to undertake in an inconvenient location.
Even phones aren’t much help due to their limited storage space and small screen. Tablets and the variety of editing apps you can use on them make on-the-go editing a seamless and easy process that you can do whenever, wherever.
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Multitasking Work Habits
One of the top features of a tablet to incorporate into your operating system is the ability to multitask. If you’re on a call on your laptop or desktop, then it’s super simple to look something up on your tablet device or send an email.
If your job requires constant updates on the news or communication platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams, then having a device dedicated to constant communication will elevate your efficiency to another level. Tasks like software development through JDK and hosting important documents become extremely easy with a tablet, especially if you fill the SD card slots with more memory.
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Keep Track of Inventory
Taking inventory for a retail business is an extremely tedious task that needs to be done, but what if there was a way to make it more efficient? With support from applications like Inventory Tracker, InFlow, or a simple reusable checklist your can quite easily figure out how much inventory you need to buy and at what cost!
And after you’ve noted your shortage, simply sending a fax from your tablet to your supplier’s fax machine saves you a ton of time. From inventory to payment processing can move from a few hours to a matter of minutes!
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Schedule Your Workday
If you’re having trouble with managing an ever-building workload of meetings, agendas, plans, or proposals then finding a tool to give yourself a structured schedule is necessary!
A tablet gives you an easy way to form a schedule that you can refer to no matter where you are. Numerous apps allow you to form and shape your day-to-day schedule, with the processing power to add useful links to meetings, create notes on potential opportunities and many more performance testing tools for capital and workflow.
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Manage your Documents
With the invention of the cloud, you can easily access documents from your computer onto any other device you have! If you’re on the go or want to find a document while away from your desktop then a tablet is your ultimate solution.
Most tablets have an intuitive way with which you can manage your documents and edit them on the go without having to power up your laptop and access its GPU.
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Plan & Host Meetings
Whether it’s planned or scheduled, you always have to be prepared for a meeting! You’ll have a much easier time planning video calls if you can do them anywhere, anytime. Thanks to tablets’ access to video call applications like Skype and Zoom, there’s no issue with being away from your classical designed desktop on the heels of an upcoming meeting!
With tablets, video conferencing is pain-free and adaptable so you can focus on the content you’ll be discussing throughout!
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Easy Point of Sales System & Accept Payments
If you’ve been in a restaurant recently, you may have seen wait staff taking orders electronically on a tablet. Some restaurants have even begun to accept payments through tablet devices, replacing the cash register.
There is an excellent opportunity to rid yourself of old technology and replace and optimize your end point of sales with the addition of a tablet in your business. If you’re looking for something a little bit bulkier, a touchscreen laptop may be in the cards too!
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Personal Assistant
We’ve been speaking about the various capabilities of a tablet in your business and you may have noticed its vast array of functionality. Introducing a tablet into your workflow is like having a new form of a personal assistant.
Note-taking becomes easy with voice-to-speech, managing your schedule and calendar with notifications, and QuickTime responses are all easily done through a tablet.
It’s truly the only option for the new generation – the only question you should be asking now is what type of tablet or 2-in-1 device and software you should be employing in your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
We often get some questions pop up again and again when it comes to using a tablet in your business, and some of these may have been floating in your head too!
Many businesses are moving away from bulky PC cases with unnecessary Qualcomm snapdragon software to more portable and personal tablets. But before you buy one, read our FAQs to be fully clued up!
Is using a tablet for business use for customer relationship management?
Using a tablet to keep up to date with reviews, social media comments, and complaints while you work on your main monitor will allow you to respond quickly and increase your business’s reputation.
Furthermore, taking notes on potential clientele and aggregating large data on your consumer base is just as easy on a tablet compared to a laptop.
What 3 things make a business successful?
If we’re speaking about small businesses, numerous roadblocks can impede success – that’s the truth of it. A business should nevertheless keep in mind the following three things:
- Unique Selling Point
- Customer-Centric Approach
- Strong Business Vision
Why is a tablet important for a business?
Whether it is a cloud-based approach, connecting with business clients through email or video conferencing, or customer feedback, a tablet provides a portable solution that is cheaper than a laptop.
Tablets with a detachable keyboard serve users better and are more value-orientated than just a laptop computer.
Parting Shot/Conclusion
And that’s all folks! Hopefully, this article has confirmed that the right tablet for your business world could make all the difference. They’re more portable than a laptop and can aid businesses from farmers’ markets to the financial sector.
If you have a tablet for your business but are finding it too slow, learn how to speed it up here. If you want to know how to game with your Nintendo Switch on your laptop, then learn it here!
Writer Graham Grieve brings two decades of technical communications experience to The Holy Tech coverage. Isaac contributes articles on laptops, tablets and PCs, alongside various software and hardware guides. Isaac is a former newspaper journalist who also worked in tech communications for some of the country’s biggest corporations. He also counsels and creates material for other technology publications and hosts a podcast.
Isaac’s in-depth reporting and knowledge of hardware and software issues helps The Holy Tech’s readers learn how to choose the right products, or solve tricky problems.