“Must Have” iPad app for the mobile sales rep might seem a bit strong but not in this case. Powerpoint slide decks are a significant part of the daily selling activity of sales people worldwide. This is not the post to debate PowerPoint vs. Keynote etc. so for now just accept the fact that PowerPoint slides are a key component of every sales tool bag.
When the iPad arrived on the scene, sales people were excited to be able to present with such a light device yet have a high quality screen to view. With the arrival of iPad 2, the ability to share your presentation on a LCD projector or large screen display were now capable. The only obstacle to present those brilliant presentations and ideas was that PowerPoint slides did not translate well on the iPad. Transitions did not work at all. Fonts did not transfer over easily and sometimes not at all. Formatting just didn’t come across with consistency and the overall experience was disappointing. The apps which were introduced to “convert” your slide deck just didn’t deliver the results expected.
Back in October, 2011 SlideShark was released to the market with overwhelming acceptance. By leveraging off of the tremendous success that developer Brainshark had experienced with their innovative solution targeted at the mid-size and enterprise customer set, they delivered consistent, quality PowerPoint presentation on the iPad! Company exec’s stated that they net over 2 downloads every minute, 24×7 since SlideShark launched.
The news gets even better with today’s (03/14/2012) release of a significant upgrade to SlideShark v1.5. It is with these new features that SlideShark moves into the “must-have” column.
The latest version of SlideShark (v1.5) now includes the following features:
- Share presentations – Users can easily share links to online versions of their presentations by email or social media channels (including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) from the app or their online account for on-demand viewing on nearly any device.
- Track results – Instant email notifications alert users when their shared presentations are viewed. SlideShark Plus and Team Edition users also receive details on who viewed and which slides were viewed.
- Re-order slides – The ability to re-order slides by tapping and moving them to the desired location lets users tailor presentations for specific audiences, complementing SlideShark’s existing hide/un-hide slides feature.
- Search for presentations – Users have easy, instant access to specific content by using the new search functionality to locate presentations in their account.
- Select favorites – By tapping the star icon next to a presentation, users are able to select and filter their favorites for convenient access to the presentations they use most often.
- Delete content – Users can delete files from their online account from the iPad, freeing up additional storage space as needed.
- Expanded file support – In addition to supporting .ppt and .pptx files, the app now supports .pps and .ppsx file types.
SlideShark’s multi-user version, SlideShark Team Edition, which provides team-wide access to content and valuable usage analytics, also has updated features, allowing administrators to control team members’ ability to share presentations. In addition, administrators now also have a link within the app for convenient access to the account administration console.
“The updated version of SlideShark is game-changing because it allows mobile professionals not only to view the PowerPoints they rely on, but also to share and track presentations from the iPad while ensuring they play properly for others, regardless of device,” said Brainshark CEO Joe Gustafson. “By offering on-demand viewing and tracking capabilities, users can easily access and share important business content anytime, anywhere – including before a meeting for preparation purposes or after a meeting as a leave-behind – and also obtain valuable insight into how their content is being consumed for effective and timely follow-up.”
Here are the standard SlideShark Pricing Options:
Read enough? Want to get SlideShark and receive an extra 25% storage bonus from Fill the Funnel? Click here to get your bonus storage. Please let us know your experiences and thoughts about SlideShark in the comments below.
