Tech Talk: New Tools, New Headaches for Agents
by Andrew Sheivachman /It’s already March, but there’s still time to take a look at the technology landscape so you make intelligent decisions that will improve the profitability and productivity of your business in the year ahead.
Here are four areas you should examine.
Facebook just made your days longer
Facebook made news last month when it acquired messaging start-up WhatsApp for $19 billion dollars. The move may have serious repercussions for travelers – and their travel agents.
WhatsApp lets users send text messages from anywhere in the world without using cellular networks, for the low price of $1 per year. If Facebook retains that pricing model, you can expect global text messaging on the cheap to become the norm for your clients.
Global messaging, of course, is nothing new. But when coupled with the reach of the most popular social network on the planet, it will change customers’ service expectations around communications. And that will have a major impact on anyone who serves clients across multiple time zones.
You may want to start keeping your phone on your nightstand, because if your client in Kyoto has an urgent problem he will be more apt to expect a swift resolution.
Niftier websites, cheaper
You may be happy with the website you have now, but new services make it extremely cheap to have a freshly designed website that is connected to your social media accounts.
Services like Squarespace will host your website for cheap and offer a variety of designs that look fresh in 2014, not 2004.
With Squarespace, you can choose the pages you want with a simple interface. The sites are optimized for mobile and tablet browsers, so your site will look sharp no matter how potential clients view it.
Other services like Weebly and Wix offer similar features for a low price. They even have limited e-commerce features that may be useful depending on your needs.
Beware investing in the app ecosystem
You may be considering looking into an app for your business, whether to reach clients or make it easier to manage them while they are on a trip. But think twice before investing in new apps.
Rumor has it that Apple will introduce new iPhones this year, with a variety of screen sizes. This would mean that Apple’s previous one-size-fits-all approach to designing apps will be flung out the window. If that happens, you can expect other phone manufacturers to follow suit.
New screen sizes will require new app designs and programs to fit each device. As a result, the apps you invest in today may not be compatible with the phones you and your clients start using later this year.
Wait until the summer before making any investments in a phone app. It will end up saving you time and money in the long run.
Smarter meetings become the norm
While online meetings services like Go2Meeting have been around for years, they haven’t been as useful and intuitive as people who are less computer-savvy would like.
New services like UberConference remove much of the friction from the digital meetings process.
With UberConference, no call-in or codes necessary – the service is available from anywhere online and will even call multiple phones to connect attendees over the air automatically. Text chat is also available, if you want to share notes with one person on the call.
UberConference will even record your conference calls for future reference and allow international conferences for just $10 per month.
Newer services like Speek offer similar features.