When we first published the post “7 Great Apps for Your Small Business: 6 & 7 will Surprise You” the KANDY Outdoor Flooring brand was in a different place. We still use and love the apps in the aforementioned blog, but much has changed. KANDY Outdoor Flooring has welcomed new franchise partners in North & West Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto, and these franchise partners have recommended their own favourite apps that help propel them in business and in life.

  1. Orchid

OrchidOrchid is an Android app developed specifically for medical spa owners, but we don’t care, we like it anyway! Dave Kennedy, KANDY Outdoor Flooring’s franchise partner in Edmont
on, says it’s great for scheduling if you have several people trying to alter the same schedule and you don’t have access to a server-based approach or other CRM method. In Dave’s example, when an Edmonton-area client requests a free, no-obligation, in-home consultation to discuss outdoor flooring options for their condo balcony, ground patio or rooftop terrace, Dave may need to coordinate scheduling with others in the franchise, or even with KANDY Brand Central, depending on the circumstances. Another example is when we need to schedule virtual meetings with all our franchise partners across Canada. Everyone works remotely, and Orchid can help simplify the scheduling process.

  1. Google Apps

Google Apps for Work

KANDY’s Calgary franchise partners say the simplicity, mobility and integration across devices makes their business and personal lives easier to manage. Google calendar, for example, let’s the business partners and parents of two teenagers seamlessly coordinate their work appointments with their family commitments.

  1. Concur

ConcurDave Kennedy is also operating KANDY’s Toronto franchise (can you say busy?) and he relies on Concur’s almost effortless expense tracking and reporting. Concur is an automated, connected, mobile system that lets you take pictures of receipts with your phone, and they’re instantly attached to the expense report. When one of Dave’s Edmonton team members purchases supplies to support an installation, and another Toronto team member does the same, Dave is able to quickly assess whether there may be ways to streamline purchasing decisions and stay on track.

  1. Headspace

HeadspaceA little guidance for those interested in pursuing mindfulness and meditation. KANDY’s Jason Blue turns to Headspace for a little daily mind-training while he provides outdoor flooring consultation and installation services to clients in North and West Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Moody and Whistler. Promoted as a “gym membership for your mind”, you can sign up for a free 10-day trial of guided mindfulness and meditation sessions. Jason says it helps him keep perspective on what’s important, and to stay focused when it counts.  He promises us he doesn’t do his meditation sessions while driving the Sea to Sky Highway.

  1. Medeo

MedeoA sign there is hope yet for the Canadian medical system! Use the app and see a doctor via Facetime. Show him/her the problem and answer questions without leaving your condo balcony, and then go pick up the prescription that gets called into the nearest pharmacy. Great for things like unexpected reactions to bee stings (yup, it happened to KANDY Co-Founder Kelly Niessen), or minor injuries. Go Medeo!

Got suggestions we should try? We’d love to hear them!