'Tis the Season?

Customer service, again? Definitely, I know I've written on this before, but in the crunch of December retail and shopping mania, the importance of "showing well" online shines through more than ever. People have mobile devices and they EXPECT service through Facebook and Twitter.  Did you see that? They expect service and an avenue to comment on performance, not just "We think it would be a sweet idea if..."  I read an article just yesterday on Twitter soon being used as THE call center for companies. Imagine that? (See Article)  And here's another example of how reliant the average consumer has become on social media as the conduit for information - because it should be both pertinent and timely! Have a look, my posting today will be short because to get the gist of what's trending here, you need to read this...

Article on 15k race review and goof ups on social media by the race director

Now this could be any customer for any product. This was a running race. More importantly, the story dips into the sentiment of those that have the spend power. That's you and I. As consumers, we choose where we buy, so treat us right. Give us a real forum to learn more, express our opinions and vent if necessary.  If we vent, address it honestly. We understand mistakes are made, but fess up and make good on them! And if you grow to include social media in your customer service strategy like you should, it is not to be "censored" so as to only contain the rosy and complimentary posts. The season for social media customer service is here. Fa la la la la, la la la la!

1Password is all that.

The app I use the most day after day after week is 1Password by Agile Web Technologies or AgileBits, Inc. It sells as a single user product for $24.99 or as a bundle of 5 (Family license) for $69.99. As of this writing, there are really significant discounts on the 1Password products, have a look...

Agile Store

I really lean on this app because I have so many passwords and logins to various websites. So do you! Think of all the things you have usernames and passwords for -

• Email accounts
• Frequent flyer/traveler /programs
• Online bill pay
• phone services
• online shopping sites
• credit card accounts
• brokerage accounts
• blogs
• Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin social sites
• Insurance accounts
• Hootsuite dashboard (cause I told you that was good)
• iTunes
• subscription-based services
• OSCAR and related private access websites

There are plenty more! 1Password installs on your machine or device and is very aware of places you visit that ask for usernames and passwords. If you're online, it installs a plugin to your Internet browser (think Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.) and it asks if you'd like to store new passwords as you encounter them. You can manually open 1Password and enter your sites and passwords, too, I've found that allowing 1Password to capture the info as you type works best. The data for your usernames, websites and passwords is kept safe in the 1Password software, behind a single "master password" you determine. You cannot forget this master password, it is the key to 1Password's effectiveness as a secure place to hold your valuables. When you look to add new login information to 1Password, you are prompted for the master password as you are when you look to recover one stored in 1Password. If you leave your computer or phone for a few minutes then try to access anything stored in 1Password, the master password is the only way in. So pick a good master password and remember it!

Along with login names and passwords, 1Password holds "Secure Notes," which are text documents you keep for yourself in the protective layer of 1Password. It can store "Wallet Items," things like driver license numbers, social security numbers or passport info. 1Password will also generate very unique and secure passwords wheneevr a need for you to choose a new one arises. This is a fantastic feature, here's why. If you can rely on 1Password to store and retrieve all of your login information, you really don't need to "know" your passwords anymore, except for your single master password which you'll enter frequently. So why not allow 1Passord to select a very secure, hardly possible to guess set of passwords for you? Following all the neat rules recommmended for strong password selection like special character use, mixing a long number of characters or digits, all that. If you really want to take your security and passwords that far, then you have to make the next move along with 1Password.

That is, using it on multiple devices. You will love 1Password to the point you'll want it on all of your devices. Phone, tablet, computers, everywhere. The way to make that happen is to have a Dropbox account. This free online storage software lets users keep up to 2Gb online for immediate secure retrieval. If you have a dropbox account, 1Password can save its encrypted password file in your Dropbox. Then any number of 1Passwords that you decide to use can all sync their password and login data with Dropbox and share info among your devices. If you add or delete a login on one computer, you'd see the change everywhere you use 1Password! This means that you don't have to remember all of your passwords or even the websites necessary to login to your online assets, just the one master password to unlock all of your stored data. Brilliant!

I've used it on multiple devices for several years and I tell every student in our training classes about 1Password. It's a great app for the obvious reason in that it saves my time and gives me plenty of information I'd ordinarily have in scribbled notes or in a bunch of scattered computer files. In my opinion, this tool is a "great equalizer" helping you make sense of all the online activity you rely on each day. I'm a 1Password user and proponent, one week on the system and you will be too.

1-800-NOT-COOL

Remember when it was neat to see a clever vanity phone number? Like back in the 1980s? We caution our franchisees against this practice on their online media for a few reasons...

It's tough to type the vanity name into a phone these days because many new phones don't correlate the letters to the numbers on the keys anymore. The old Ma Bell standard of knowing a phone number by its "exchange name" is gone, and thus the need for the letters on the keys. If you're at a loss (or just too young) to know what I'm talking about, see this... (exchange names explained) My phone number growing up began with OVERBROOK.

People can't relate to the letters because even SMS texting has gone away from being a number-key driven activity. Our SIGNARAMA stores were very used to claiming "7446" as their last four digits because that equates to "SIGN."  Neat if you knew that or could figure it out, but most customers can't make that leap these days, so why ask them to?

Have a look at your website, email signature files, heck, redo your printed literature to reflect what people know and do today. Use the numbers not the letters. The vanity phone number concept has lost its cool.

Google+ Business Pages, no rules - yet.

The release of the Google+ Business pages yesterday introduce many businesses and new users to the new kid on the social playground. Now companies, artists, performers, individuals and brands can have a page a la Facebook to spread their word. Geat and long awaited, G+  finally has relevance to the business community.

This is a big shot over the bow for Google to companies like Facebook. The intention is to woo businesses with the promise of pertinence and relevance in search. If the forecasts prove true, soon a search for "+anybusiness" should yield that company's Google Business Page. Marketing GOLD! Not just yet...

Due to reasons yet explained, anyone can setup a Google+ Business Page for any company they choose. I could be IBM or Starbucks or Sears and Roebuck. That's going to mess with the accuracy of any search until Google has a method to verify that someone from the business in question is establishing the new Business Page legitimately. When you create a Google+ Business Page, it becomes a subset of your Google+ identity. Right now, a checkbox next to a "terms of use" statement is what validates your worthiness to create such pages. Google has said that they intend to incorporate a badge system that once hovered over, would signify that this Google+ page is the real deal. So the question is, where are the badges and how was this released without them?

Yesterday when the curtain came up on this, I scrambled into manifest destiny mode to quicly capture all of our brand names and get a Google+ page up for each of our brands ASAP. At the same time, a coworker, equally connected online, was doing the same thing. Highlighting the problem at hand, we were sitting less than 25ft from each other, thinking we were both beating the world to the punch and claiming our company's valuable names on Google+. Until I posted a tweet saying the Google+ Business Pages were live and saw a tweet announcing our company's new Google+ Page (that I hadn't posted) the plan was working well. I learned as early into the launch as possible that we had both created duplicate "official" pages for SIGNARAMA, EmbroidMe, Billboard Connection and Plan Ahead Events. So anyone could have done that, too. And I thought I was on top of the whole Google+ Business Page release?

We'll eventually be able to verify by address or some neat Google means that we are the rightful creator of our brand's Google+ Business Pages. Until then, we have issues with duplicates or unauthorized copycats. I'm glad we're not in a mission-critical industry, like Homeland Security! I have faith that Google will sew it all together now that it's being discussed worldwide. They have a good set of ideas to help push this Business Page concept forward and back it up with the search results that can drive traffic to the pages. The correct, verified, authorized Business Pages.

Hootsuite

I've been a Hootsuite user for 3 years, this application is a "control center" for your social media sites. It's a web based app, so it works on a PC, a Mac, and there are Android and iPhone apps available for use on your phones. It is a free system that works well for one user to manage their social sites. They also have a for-pay version that allows multiple people from our office to control our various Twitter and Facebook accounts. If you have Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, you can post messages and updates to either or all of these sites through one place - Hootsuite. Each of your social sites is represented as a tab across the top of the screen. When you click on a tab, you get to select which components (called feeds) of that social media site you see. For example, Twitter users can choose to see the Home feed, a list of all incoming tweets from your followers, the tweets you have sent, your Direct Mails (DM) incoming and outgoing, and a list of any tweets in which your Twitter handle has been mentioned. It's neatly organized all on one page, a page you can rearrange or customize anytime you'd like! See below...

If you have information you'd like to share on your Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter sites simultaneously, that's easily done with Hootsuite. Post a message, links to other sites, photos or video and then decide which of your social sites will get it. Type message once and launch to all with one click of the SEND NOW button. A big convenience for those with multiple accounts.

Hootsuite also allows for scheduling of your messages. Let's assume you wanted to send a message tomorrow afternoon through Facebook or Twitter to coincide with an event. This message could be a reminder to others as to what they should prepare or bring to the event. You can schedule a message to be sent on a certain date at a particular time without you having to launch it right then - Hootsuite will do it for you! 

I recommend this app for franchisees and anyone trying to keep their social presence current. It is not recommended that you post every bit of info to all of your social sites. For example, hashtags are best on Twitter, longer messages are best on Facebook, etc. What a time saver Hootsuite can be, especially when you use the service on your mobile devices along with a desktop PC or Mac. Here's the website, download the free version and start organizing your social media efforts.

Hootsuite website