Kaizala App News: Microsoft Releases Kaizala app for iOS users in India

iPhone users can now install Kaizala, a small- and midsize-business (SMB) collaboration app originally released by Microsoft Garage in February. Microsoft Garage is actually home to several experimental apps ranging from a productivity-enhancing Android keyboard for Excel users to an iOS and Web app that can identify dog breeds.

Available exclusively in India, Kaizala is very much a completely free app designed to help SMB owners manage their businesses and collaborate with their teams using a chat-inspired interface. Users can submit bills, assign jobs, share and request locations and attach photos by adding one-tap actions to their private or group chat messages. AthimaChasanchai, a Microsoft spokesperson said thatthe team behind Kaizala embraces mobile-only thinking, especially for independent businesses, in a June 7 announcement. "They responded to the needs of users who wanted to manage business contacts and share a secure collaboration space on the go."Chansanchai noted that outside the United States entrepreneurs are more likely to use cell phones to operate their businesses, rather than invest in PCs and costlier devices. The lightweight app even works over 2G cellular connections that could slow down other business apps or render them unusable.

Chansanchai said that this week, Microsoft had released a version of Kaizala for Apple iOS devices. Soon, the software giant expected to roll out the app to other countries also.Following a similar trajectory as Kaizala is the iOS version of Sprightly, another Microsoft Garage app. Also available on Android since February, Sprightly is meant to ease SMB users into the world of mobile and social marketing.

The template-driven app can be used to create shareable, professional-quality fliers, e-cards, price lists, catalogs and coupons. The app organizes images and other marketing content into reusable "Collections." Sharing options include Facebook, WhatsApp and PDFs. Kaizala and Sprightly represent a new breed of Microsoft productivity apps tailored for small businesses. In April, Microsoft took the wraps off Project Madeira, an Office-powered ERP offering for small companies.