How to Use a PDA in a Business Organization

Smart phones can help busy professionals.

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) have gained widespread popularity over the past two decades, and they have come to be viewed as a necessity for modern business professionals. PDAs offer much of the same functionality as personal computers, with the added benefit of being compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket. Knowing how to use a PDA in a business organization can help you to leverage the power of these devices.

Instructions

1. Store and retrieve contact information for clients, associates and other people. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on a PDA goes well beyond simply storing names, telephone numbers and addresses. Use your PDA to record the content and outcomes of all business communications, save notes to guide you in future communications with specific contacts, and set call reminders.

2. Manage your busy schedule. Scheduling features have been included in PDAs from the beginning, and this function is still vital to efficient time management. PDA scheduling programs can be set to remind you of meetings, scheduled correspondence and other time sensitive matters. Synchronize your PDA with your work computer's scheduling software to maximize the convenience and efficiency of this feature.

3. Send and receive emails and telephone calls on the go. Modern PDAs have taken the form of smart phones, such as the iPhone and Blackberry, which include full cellular telephone functionality in addition to traditional PDA applications. Use your smart phone to make the calls that are brought to your attention by the scheduling and CRM applications. Smart phones will even allow you to browse relevant data while you are using the cellphone feature.

4. Store presentations and other vital data. Presentations, spreadsheets, legal documents, photos, and a wide range of other data can be stored on your PDA, allowing it to serve as a digital briefcase for use in meetings and in-person collaborations. PDAs can save the day when you have left a vital document at the office, as you can quickly receive the document by email before arriving at your meeting.

5. Take advantage of industry-specific applications. According to informationweek.com, several specialized applications have been introduced to serve the needs of professionals in specific industries. Applications help traveling salespeople to process credit card orders through their company's main processing center while still on the client's premises, and applications provide stock brokers with frequent updates on stocks, indexes, and financial news.

Tips & Warnings

• Several competing PDA models are available for purchase. Speak with a store representative to ascertain which model best meets your needs.

References

• Information Week: Full-Fledged Business Apps Make PDAs Indispensible
• Facts and Comparisons: Business Applications For PDAs