Exchanging business cards may seem like a relic from the last century. But when you combine your business card with your iPhone, it becomes a powerful tool for managing your contacts.
You can still send and receive business cards the traditional way using your iPhone.
However, networking has become much more efficient these days thanks to the abundance of business card scanning apps you can find on the App Store.
Let's take a look at some ways to exchange and manage business cards on your iPhone (we'll also introduce an Android app).
The easiest way to send business contact information is to use an electronic business card "vCard".
First, update your information registered in "Contacts" on your iPhone to the latest information. Then just follow these simple steps:
(1) Open your card in "Contacts" and select "Send Contacts" at the bottom.
Refer to the image below.
(2) Then a vCard will be created.
vCards can be conveniently shared with other iPhone users via AirDrop, sent via SMS, and many other ways.
You can also share using other shareable apps like WhatsApp, Email, and Slack.
(3) The recipient of your "card" can open it and add it to their address book. Any digital address book can be registered.
(4) When you receive the vCard, tap the attached vCard and select "Create New Contact".
If the person's information is already in your contacts, but the vCard contains new information, tap Add to Existing Contacts and tap the person's name from the list. Please choose.
If you want to create multiple vCards for your contacts, customize them according to your purpose, such as for personal use or work use.
vCard is simple and does the job. But adding a business card & contact management app to your work networking toolbox can do a lot more.
vCard is easy and convenient, but it's not exactly the same as the real business cards you use at work.
Business professionals still use business cards. Business cards are also a way to communicate your brand message.
But when someone gives you a business card, you don't have to manually type it into your iPhone.
These excellent business card management apps use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to read the information on your business cards, so you can leave the registration process to us.
"HiHello Digital Business Cards" (hereafter, HiHello) is a free business card and contact management app.
Even if the person receiving the business card doesn't have this app installed on their iPhone, they can still use it.
Also, it can be used on both iPhone and Android. Business cards are exchanged via links, emails, and text messages. If the other person is an iPhone user, you can also share directly via AirDrop.
Another easy way to share business cards is with HiHello's unique QR code. Most mobile devices can scan this QR code with their camera.
The read information will be added to your contact list as is.
HiHello also lets you create beautiful business cards with Live Photos and videos from your iPhone. Create multiple electronic versions of your business cards and use them at every networking opportunity.
Download: HiHello Digital Business Cards for iOS | Android (Free)
Do you have many customers abroad? If so, the Business Card Reader developed by ABBYY is the best.
The OCR software in this app recognizes names, companies, phone numbers and email addresses in 25 languages. Each business card can be read in up to 3 languages.
Business card information is smoothly imported to iPhone with precise edge detection. The scanner removes small background noise and captures a clean image.
This app has a unique feature that fills in the missing information, so even if the country code of your phone number isn't written on your paper business card, no problem.
Also, if your contacts have Facebook or LinkedIn accounts, we'll connect them to their profiles and aggregate all their information in one place.
Data is stored digitally in your iPhone Contacts or in the app itself.
Business card information can be shared as an image or via email or vCard. The free version with ads can save up to 10 business cards. You can upgrade to the premium version by entering a paid plan.
Download: Business Card Reader for iOS | Android (free, in-app purchases available)
The "CamCard -Business Card Scanner" app is a popular scanner with fast loading speed. It supports 16 languages.
If you want to manage a large network, you can add small notes and reminders to your contacts.
When you change jobs or get promoted, you can notify everyone in your network. Others using this app can do the same.
CamCard allows you to customize and create business cards and send them via SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp and more.
When you meet a lot of people at once, use the business card radar, QR code scanning, and private groups to quickly exchange business cards.
CamCard securely stores your business card data in the cloud and allows you to access the information from various devices as needed.
The free Lite version contains ads and has a limited number of scans. You can use it as a business member by upgrading to a monthly or yearly paid version.
Download: CamCard for iOS | Android (free, in-app purchases available)
Not everyone needs a management app dedicated to business cards and contacts. If not, consider these two alternatives instead:
The versatile scanning app Microsoft Office Lens has a dedicated scanning mode for business cards.
This business card mode detects the edge of the business card, takes a picture, corrects the position, and saves it to the iPhone's photo library or Microsoft's note app "OneNote".
OneNote uses OCR to extract contact details. You also have the option to save the extracted information in your contact notes.
With excellent edge detection technology, the business card photos are very clear. Business card mode supports English, German, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.
Download: Microsoft Office Lens for iOS | Android (Free)
Evernote's business card scanning is a feature of Evernote Premium. (With the free plan, you can scan 5 business cards as a trial)
Start Evernote on your iPhone, press and hold the big plus (+) button at the bottom of the home screen, select the camera icon, and you can take a photo of your business card and add it as a note.
If you place a business card on the screen in a way that contrasts with the background, Evernote will recognize the dimensions of the business card, take a picture, and extract the data contained in the business card.
All scanned business cards are saved as a "business card" note. The contact information is displayed with a picture of the business card, and you can add any information you want.
If you want to reach out to that person later, set an Evernote reminder.
You can send your business card by email to the address registered in your contacts.
Evernote also has a scanning app called Evernote Scannable.
Log in with your Evernote business account and scan as often as you like.
The popular mobile scanning apps now have business card scanning built in, so you'll be spoiled for choice.
Download: Evernote for iOS | Android (free, paid services available)
A well-designed business card is a powerful selling point. With these contact management apps, you can customize your business cards any way you like.
However, building a good relationship goes beyond the initial handshake.
Check out this article on networking tricks every professional should know.
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Design box for people who are not good at managing business cards to "storage loosely" [today's life hack tool]
Image: Shutterstock, MakeUseOf
Original Article: 6 Ways to Send and Receive Business Cards on iPhone by MakeUseOf