Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa REIM February 2018 | Page 16

TECHNOLOGY
Top Business Apps
Productivity at your fingertips
BY MONIQUE DU TOIT
W
ith the rise of mobile apps, it’s
easier than ever to stay on top
of your never-ending to-do
list. Here, we round up some of the best
apps for investors.
Shyft
Named the overall
winner at the 2016
MTN
Business
App of the Year
Awards, Shyft is
an easy way to buy,
send, and store foreign currency from
your phone. Available to all Standard
Bank Personal Account holders, the app
offers you live rates between Rands, Dol-
lars, Pounds, Euros, and the Australian
Dollar. Especially helpful, is the fact that
users can send up virtual cards in any cur-
rency, which they can then use to make
international purchases. International
payments are also made easier, with the
ability to add a beneficiary and pay them
in your preferred currency right on the
app.
Intergreatme
This app aims to
remove the need to
repeatedly fill out
and share details
and documents. In
effect, it acts as a
vault for businesses and consumers, val-
idating and verifying documents. Users
are able to link all their personal infor-
mation to one profile. This is verified
by the app, and the information can be
made available to numerous service pro-
viders at the click of a button. The app is
free to use, and only requires the user to
have a bank account and mobile device.
Security isn't taken lightly, with the user
maintaining control over who has access
to which documents.
14
Ekaya
Since being found-
ed in 2013, Ekaya
has moved from a
website-only ser-
vice to a purely
app-based offering.
With the simple premise of connecting
people who need to rent with people who
have a place to rent out, the app is easy to
use. The launch of their VIP experience
adds reputability to the mix. Each user
creates a single profile, making it easier to
verify information prior to renting. It also
offers users the option to integrate their
account with their bank and the credit
bureaus, meaning credit checks can be
done much faster. Renters are also given
access to instant information on whether
or not they can afford a property, while
being able to control who sees what in-
formation.
Any.do
A simple produc-
tivity app, Any.
do allows users
to make lists and
track
schedules,
ensuring you don't
forget about that important task during
FEBRUARY 2018 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
the busy day. Calendar integration
means it’s even simpler to stay on the
same page as others in your team. Us-
ers also have the ability to make notes,
share lists with others, and assign tasks
to specific people.
HeyJude
A virtual assistant
on your smart-
phone, HeyJude
was develped with
the South Afri-
can consumer in
mind. Incorporating both Artificial
Intelligence and actual human beings,
the app allows you to get things done
much faster (and easier). Whether you
need someone to book a rental car,
hotel, office space, or a table at that
new restaurant, the app partners with
industry leading service providers to
ensure your life runs more smoothly.
There are different price levels, start-
ing from R199 a month for unlimited
personal requests. For R600 a month,
you get access to 3 hours of more per-
sonalised service: from research assis-
tance, to transcribing meetings and
collecting data.