A new partnership between Verifone (NYSE: PAY) and Paysafe will provide quick service for restaurants and small and medium-sized businesses across the United States with innovative payment solutions. Paysafe is a global provider of payment solutions while Verifone specializes in connecting payment devices to the cloud.

Paysafe and Verifone Team Up

As part of the agreement, Verifone says Paysafe will the first company to adopt Verifone Connect for use on its Carbon and Engage devices used by restaurants and small business retailers in the independent sales organization space. This will address the growing demand by small retailers for semi-integrated, cloud-based point of sale (POS) systems as they migrate away from traditional standalone terminals accepting only payments.

Small businesses are migrating to new POS and mobilePOS systems to accept digital wallets, Near field communication payments, loyalty programs with smartphones and other new payment technologies. The Verifone partnership with Paysafe brings these features to restaurants so customers can pay at the table, outside of the businesses and online, while supporting services merchants need.

Joe Mach, president of Verifone North America, explained the need to simplify POS systems for businesses. In a press release, Mach said, “As SMBs need more options and agile solutions to manage and grow their business, we are simplifying not just their payment needs but working with Paysafe to consolidate critical business apps such as customer and employee management and support into one solution.”

In addition to secure and adaptable, end-to-end solutions for accepting payments, these connected devices will allow businesses to engage with their customers. When paired with Carbon or Engage devices, Connect provides next-generation software and services.

The Engage line lets you interact with your customers by offering personalized content, individualized loyalty rewards and discounts, ability to pay with points and more. The open architecture platform makes POS systems into a rich two-way conversation solution across different mobile devices without compatibility issues.

The Growth of mPOS in Retail

Mobile point of sale has changed the retail experience for both customers and businesses. The checkout counter can now be anywhere in your restaurant or store allowing you to accept cashless payment options on the spot.

With more customers using their mobile devices to make payments, mobile point of sales solutions have become an expected option at brick and mortar businesses. The partnership between Verifone and Paysafe will make this possible with quick deployment and integration.

Image: Business Wire

This article, “Paysafe and Verifone Offer Mobile POS to Restaurants and Small Retailers” was first published on Small Business Trends

If you’re considering a franchise business in the San Francisco Bay Area, there’s an event for you coming up at the end of this month. Don’t miss out on the FranNet Franchise Business Expo on the 27th, where entrepreneurs can meet franchise company looking to expand in that area.

If you’re not going to be in the Bay Area at that time, there are plenty of other opportunities to get out of your office and meet with other entrepreneurs and explore more business opportunities. Check out this week’s featured business events.

To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

Featured Events, Contests and Awards

WEBINAR: “Make it Rain Money: Close Deals Faster and Speed Up Collections”
March 13, 2018, Online

Would you like to bring revenue in the door faster? Do you want every edge possible to get paid fast? Register today for this webinar to learn how other small businesses are eliminating their pain points in the contract and invoicing process, through use of electronic signature and invoicing apps. Walk away with concrete tips for how to get contracts signed and invoices paid faster. Plus, get access to DocuSign whitepapers with actionable ideas for how to improve YOUR company’s systems. Register today!

Spring 2018 Franchise Business Expo. Meet with Top Franchisors!
March 27, 2018, Lafayette, CA

Don’t miss an exclusive opportunity meet face to face with select franchisors expanding in the SF Bay Area. The first 50 attendees will receive a free copy of E-Myth Revisited. All attendees will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an iPad!

Entrepreneurs Cruise 2018
April 22, 2018, Orlando, FL

Are you an Entrepreneur and need to get away and take a break? Ready to recharge, rejuvenate in new surroundings and be inspired by other like minds? Then, you can’t miss the 4th annual Entrepreneurs Cruise! Entrepreneurs Cruise 2018 takes place April 22nd to 29th, 2018 onboard the Royal Caribbean ‘Oasis of the Seas’ Cruise Ship departing Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida, sailing to Philipsburg (St. Maarten), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Labadee (Haiti). Register today!

DigiMarCon East 2018 – Digital Marketing Conference
May 10, 2018, New York City

DigiMarCon East 2018 Digital Marketing Conference takes place May 10th to 11th, 2018 at the luxurious New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York City.
It’s the one digital marketing event you can’t afford to miss! Whether your goal is to reinforce customer loyalty, improve lead generation, increase sales, or drive stronger consumer engagement, DigiMarCon East 2018’s agenda will help attendees enhance their marketing efforts. Sessions will focus on building traffic, expanding brand awareness, improving customer service and gaining insight into today’s latest digital tools. Register today!

TECHSPO Houston 2018
June 6, 2018, Houston, TX

TECHSPO Houston 2018 is a 2-day technology expo which takes place JUNE 6 – 7, 2018 at the luxurious Houston Marriott Eaton Centre Hotel in Houston, Ontario. TECHSPO Houston brings together developers, brands, marketers, technology providers, designers, innovators and evangelists looking to set the pace in our advanced world of technology. TECHSPO Houston 2018 promises to be better than ever and we’re excited to see all the amazing tech companies and talent that will join us. Register today!

Growth & Success Con
September 17, 2018, Online

This small business virtual conference is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs at all stages who are stuck in the daily grind of building their businesses and struggle to get solid advice and guidance. An amazing panel of experts in various disciplines and business coaches will share tips & tricks on topics including Growth, Marketing, Management & Business Building for Success. Register today!

More Events

• Cyber Risk Governance Conference, New York March 2018
  March 13, 2018, Online
• Free webinar: Getting started with ecommerce communication
  March 14, 2018, Online
• University of San Francisco School of Management Open House
  March 14, 2018, Online
• Startup Networking Night
  March 15, 2018, Oakland, CA
• Attorney Marketing Annex Breakfast Network
  March 16, 2018, Miami, FL
• ClimateCon 2018
  March 16, 2018, Asheville, NC
• Website Design Classes with WordPress
  March 17, 2018, Miami, FL
• Uptima Presents: Design Your Business Model
  March 19, 2018, San Francisco, CA
• Digital Meetup London – Marketing Experts, Web Devs & Designers, SAAS & Others
  March 20, 2018, London, UK
• Getting Certified and Doing Business with the Federal Government
  March 20, 2018, Hayward, CA
• Bootstrappers: Grow Your Business Even If You Are An Introvert
  March 20, 2018, Sunnyvale, CA
• LEAP Tech Talent Conference, San Francisco 2018
  March 20, 2018, San Francisco, CA
• Business Networking for Professional Success
  March 21, 2018, New York City
• Give Me 5: Winning Proposal Pricing
  March 21, 2018, Online
• East Bay Pitch Fest
  March 22, 2018, Oakland, CA
• How to Create Profitable and Impactful Event
  March 22, 2018, Atlanta, GA
• Online Marketing Bootcamp
  March 22, 2018, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Dig Deep: Unconventional Ways to Grow Your Brand Webinar
  March 22, 2018, Online
• Uptima San Francisco – Creating a Business Roadmap Application Deadline
  March 23, 2018, San Francisco, CA
• The 6th Annual Responsible Business Summit New York 2018
  March 26, 2018, New York City

More Contests

• Public Vote to Crown America’s Most Unique Small Business Underway
  November 8, 2018

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.

Photo via Shutterstock

This article, “Franchise Business Opportunities Available in the Bay Area” was first published on Small Business Trends

Running a successful business requires you surround yourself with constant sources of inspiration. You can be inspired by other entrepreneurs, changing up your mindset, or even stepping up your own healthy habits. Here are some tips from members of the online small business community for staying inspired and taking the next step in your small business.

Get Inspired by These Women-Owned Businesses

In honor of International Women’s Day this week, Amazon’s Day One blog took the opportunity to profile some successful women-owned businesses that utilize Amazon’s selling platforms. Check out some of the big names to get a quick dose of inspiration in this post.

Check Out This Profile in Women’s Business Leadership

Another source for inspiration, this post by Tim Kelly of Biz2Credit, includes an interview with woman business owner Jamie Clifford, along with some other insights about the general business landscape for female entrepreneurs. Read more here.

Build a Disruptive Startup with These Mindset Elements

If you want to start a business that’s truly unique and disruptive, you need to have the right mindset. In this Startup Professionals Musings post, Martin Zwilling offers some important mindset elements you’ll need. BizSugar members also shared commentary on the post in their community.

Take These Steps to Create a Healthier Workplace

No matter what type of business you run, creating healthy habits for you and your entire team is a must. A healthy team is more likely to show up regularly and actually be productive. So take a look at these tips from Joe Hessert on the CorpNet blog to create a healthier workplace.

Pick the Best Domain Name for Your Business

A domain name for your business’s website can serve as sort of a first impression for customers. A memorable domain name can also make it easy for customers to do business with you again and again. Ivan Widjaya explains these benefits and more, along with some tips, in a recent Biz Penguin post.

Learn These Important Social Media Terms

If you’re going to use social media to market your business online, it’s important to understand the lingo. There are lots of common terms used when talking about social media that might seem confusing to those unfamiliar with the platforms. Check out some of the essentials in this post on Susan Solovic’s blog by Lindsay Dicks.

Consider the Best Email Apps for iPhone

Pretty much every modern entrepreneur is able to access their email on a phone or mobile device. There are tons of different apps available to give you that access. For iPhone users, a recent Process Street post by Adam Henshall lists some of the top options currently available.

Learn How to Deal with a Bully at Work

No one wants to have to deal with a bully, especially at work. But no matter where you work or what kind of business you’re in, you might find yourself in such a situation with a partner, client or competitor. Learn how to deal with them in a recent Corporate Coach Group post by Chris Farmer. Then see what BizSugar members are saying about the post.

Boost Your Small Business Marketing with Illustrations

If you’re looking for a way to make your visual marketing content really stand out, you might consider going a little old school with some custom illustrations. This design element can give your marketing a personal and unique spin, according to a recent Crowdspring post by Arielle Kimbarovsky.

Overcome These Obstacles When Using Social Media Globally

Social media offers marketers a unique opportunity to quickly reach potential customers on a global scale. However, there are some challenges that go along with growing globally so quickly. You can learn more by reading a recent Social Media HQ post by Nate Vickery.

If you’d like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.

Image: Shutterstock

This article, “10 Ways to Stay Inspired and Grow Your Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends

PicMonkey has announced a new visual communication platform looking to address the space between Adobe and Canva.

The missing middle is an addressable emerging market worth $5 billion potentially serving both personal and professional customers including individuals, small to medium businesses and social media teams. With visuals an integral part of almost all digital presence, PicMonkey has built the new platform in WebGL with a new interface and design tools to simplify image editing.

The new version was developed as PicMonkey continues to experience growth celebrating 450,000 paid subscribers and a record 3.4 billion images created on its platform.

For many small businesses, image editing is performed in-house. Depending on their proficiency and need, these businesses may rely on one or more tools including the Adobe suite of applications, Canva or similar applications. However, PicMonkey sees a need for a powerful, flexible and easy to use tool to address the market.

In a press release, Frits Habermann, CEO of PicMonkey, said today’s entrepreneurs reach their customers through emerging visual platforms. Habermann went on to explain, “With New PicMonkey, we’ve combined the power of photo editing and design layout with our recognized ease of use to help our customers create striking visuals.”

New PicMonkey App

Currently in Beta, the new PicMonkey has been designed to integrate with professional tools while avoiding some if their additional complexity.

Some of the features highlighted on the official PicMonkey blog include being able to apply effects, adjustments and textures to anything you’re working on. This includes everything from the canvas to graphics, text and images. You can also mask an image with a graphic while adding different effects and colors.

When you are ready to post the image, you can resize it without distorting the object in the design. This includes the text, which gets adjusted automatically to the changes you make.

You can take the new PicMonkey Beta for a spin, here. It will be available for wider release on May 15 with the premium subscription going for $5.99 per month when paid for the whole year.

Image: PicMonkey

This article, “The New PicMonkey Focuses on Selling to Small Business Brands” was first published on Small Business Trends

BlueJeans has redesigned and updated its meeting platform with a new user experience to better serve the collaborative workforce of today — including your small business team.

The latest BlueJeans desktop app was developed and then tested with thousands of users to make sure it delivered with the new features. The company says it wants users to hold productive meetings from any device quickly and easily anytime, anywhere.

Businesses of all sizes — small businesses included —  now need collaboration and messaging tools with video, audio and web conferencing capabilities from any endpoint or device. The ability to effectively communicate on these platforms allows companies to use freelancers and remote workers to get things done.

The Chief Product Officer of BlueJeans, Mark Strassman, says in a press release, the new developments will place the focus of meetings where they belong, “On the people and ideas that propel business, collaboration and productivity.” Strassman added, “The new BlueJeans provides the most elegant and natural experience in the industry. Users are instantly productive and engaged while administrators have strong security, control and management capabilities for the enterprise.”

BlueJeans Multi-Device Video Conferencing

BlueJeans has partnered with Amazon, Dolby Laboratories, Facebook, Kaptivo, Polycom, Microsoft and Voicera to improve the digital work space. This has resulted in the creation of a unified experience across multiple endpoints in and outside of the office. So no matter where you are or on what device, you can continue to collaborate.

Here are some of the leading integrations:

You can now use Alexa for dialing into meetings and Amazon Echo devices as a speakerphone. And if you are in the office, Kaptivo’s integration will transform any dry-erase board into a real-time collaboration tool to capture images and live stream content.

Voicera’s virtual assistant Eva uses artificial intelligence to join in meetings and provide highlights, full transcript and recordings. You can then share the content with Slack, Salesforce or email.

BlueJeans has also simplified access with one-touch meetings and collaborations using messaging tools like Slack, Atlassian’s HipChat and Skype. Workplace by Facebook, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office 365 scheduling are also part of the tool set available to initiate, share and broadcast events.

Last but not least is security. The enterprise-grade security has been strengthened with intelligence that includes alerts and more than 70 performance metrics. The company says it has successfully completed its fifth consecutive round of SOC 2 audits, SOC 3 report, and it will meet the compliance of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ahead of the mandated May 25, 2018 deadline.

You can try the new BlueJeans experience here.

Image: BlueJeans

This article, “BlueJeans Updates Meetings Platform, Can Your Small Business Team Benefit?” was first published on Small Business Trends

Every week, Small Business Trends publishes a list of great business networking events. They’re everywhere and it’s likely there is one near your small business — even if it’s not on our list.

So this week, we want to know when was the last time you attended one of these events?

Do you go all the time, just once in a while, just once … never?

A networking event can be a great opportunity to meet like-minded individuals, entrepreneurs in the same position as you. The right event can also be a place where your small business meets new clients for the first time or learns the latest tricks of the trade.

Take a minute to answer our poll question this week. And feel free to keep the conversation going in the Comments section. Tell us why these events are important to you or why you think they may not be for you.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Photo via Shutterstock

This article, “(POLL) When Was the Last Time You Attended a Business Networking Event?” was first published on Small Business Trends

International Women’s Day was observed around the world on March 8, and the day highlighted how far businesses have to go to achieve equality in the workplace. A new survey released by Randstad US says female employees would leave their company for another if it provided better gender equality .

In other related employment news, the 2017 Virtual Vocations Year-End Report has revealed more Americans are working remotely, artificial intelligence has become part of the hiring process, and you can take a look at 15 life-saving tips when hiring for a senior position.

You can read the rest of the employment news along with all the rest of this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup below.

Employment

80% of Female Employees Would Quit Your Company Over Gender Bias

If gender bias is an issue in your organization, you may lose employees as a result. A survey released by Randstad US says 80 percent of female employees would switch to a company with greater gender equality if faced with such issues.

Up to 25% of Americans Now Work Occasionally from Home Even at Small Businesses

The third annual report dedicated to telecommuting shows a growing trend toward working  remotely among American workers in a variety of industries. According to the report, more industry segments now offer some form of remote work arrangement to their employees, either full or part-time.

Why Equality and Diversity Need to be SMB Priorities

We’re at the start of a new year, and for many the beginning of a new fiscal year. So now is a great opportunity for small business leaders to pause and consider how they’re progressing on efforts to create a better and more inclusive work environment for their employees. There’s a strong business case for diversity that small businesses simply can’t afford to ignore.

DeepSense Uses AI to Evaluate Your Next Hire

With so many variables at play when hiring a new employee, DeepSense has found a way to simplify parts of the process. Using artificial intelligence, it automates candidate evaluation by analyzing readily available data. DeepSense is a solution created by Frrole. The company says using just the email address of your candidate, it can provide insights into your next hire.

Economy

Small Business Jobs Growth Continues to Struggle, Paychex Report Says

After a promising start to 2018, there’s been drops in both new small business jobs and wage growth in February, according to a recent report by business services supplier Paychex and businesses analytics provider IHS Markit.

Washington State Approves Its Own Net Neutrality Rule

Governor Jay Inslee of Washington State signed a bill into law which counteracts the federal net neutrality rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The bill makes Washington the first state in the country to sign such a law. The FCC created the net neutrality rules in 2015 in order to stop service providers from controlling or “throttling” internet traffic.

Retail Trends

Uh Oh! Online Retailers Face New Challenge to Sales Tax Exemption

A 26-year-old ruling responsible for making most of the internet tax-free is being revisited by the US Supreme Court. And the Trump administration is joining states across the country in pushing for collection of sales tax online. The high court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case, which ruled States can’t force merchants to collect taxes without a physical presence in their state.

Small Biz Spotlight

Spotlight: Essences of Jamal Builds Ecommerce Brand for Organic Body Care Products

Jamal Graham didn’t originally set out to start a successful ecommerce shop selling his natural and organic beauty and body care products, along with essential oils and incense. He actually started out as a street vendor in Washington, D.C. Eventually, he moved onto selling products via mail order, retail, trade shows and the business’s own website, Essences of Jamal.com.

Small Business Operations

Burger Flipping Robot May Mean Cost Savings for Small Restaurants

As California continues its march to a minimum wage of $15 an hour, companies are scrambling to find out-of-the-box ways to remain competitive, even if it means replacing increasingly expensive human workers with machines. Or more specifically, replacing fast food burger flippers with a robot named Flippy.

Uber Health Offers Rides to Doctor Appointments Benefiting Patients and Small Practices

Uber has announced the availability of Uber Health after beta testing the platform with more than 100 healthcare organizations across the US. The new service is going to provide transportation for the patients of healthcare providers even if they don’t have a smartphone or the Uber app.

WordPress Powers 30 Percent of the Top 10 Million Sites, How about Yours?

WordPress is now used on 30 percent of the top 10 million sites. When you consider there are an estimated 2 billion sites, getting to the top of the heap is a noteworthy accomplishment. WordPress Powers 30 Percent of Websites The new figures come from W3Techs, a company which monitors and surveys web technology usage.

Lyft Follows Uber, Launches Healthcare Ride Program To Help Small Practices

Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) and Lyft have come together to provide non-emergency transportation to the patients of healthcare providers as part of their workflow. The announcement of this partnership comes after rival Uber recently announced a similar service. Both platforms are addressing the growing problem of keeping medical appointments due to lack of transportation.

Small Businesses Can Now Invite Freelancers, Partners into Microsoft Teams

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced full guest access support in Teams will be rolling out soon. This comes after Microsoft added partial guest support for Azure Active Directory account holders in September of 2017. Guest Access in Microsoft Teams With the new availability of this feature, users with business or consumer email address (Outlook.com or Gmail.

Social Media

Job Seekers Can Now Apply to Your Facebook Job Posting Right from the Site

Job seekers can now use Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) to search and apply at local businesses directly on the site in more than 40 countries around the world. This gives small businesses a whole new way to recruit talent. Job Seekers Can Now Apply to Jobs on Facebook When Facebook allowed job postings on its site in February of 2017, it was limited to the US and Canada.

What is Vero and Can it Help Your Small Business?

A new social media platform has gained a lot of traction in recent weeks. Vero is a social app that doesn’t include any ads or algorithms to impact what users see from those they follow. It simply features posts in chronological order, a simple thing users of platforms like Facebook and Instagram have been clamoring for. The app actually launched back in 2015.

Small Businesses Using YouTube Live Updates will Soon See New Features

YouTube has announced three updates to its live streaming service giving live broadcasters, including small business marketers, more options to engage with their audiences. The new features give content creators and their audiences more options, whether an event is live or after the fact.

Taxes

How the New Tax Law Affects Your Small Business

According to recent data, the newly passed Tax Cuts and Job Act does contain provisions small businesses can take advantage of with some strategic planning. This is what a new infographic by Micah Fraim, CPA reveals. Congress passed the $1.5 trillion tax bill with temporary tax cuts for individuals and permanent tax breaks for corporations in November 2018.

Technology Trends

Dittach Manages Your Gmail Business Attachments

Have you ever searched for an attachment in an email, and spent more time than you would like to admit looking for it? Dittach has created a Chrome extension for finding and managing the attachments in Gmail that is as easy as a Google search.

Standing Desks Still Lead to Discomfort, Slower Mental Reactiveness, Study Says

Standing desks were being hyped as a cure-all for the sedentary nature of the way most of us work today, but a new study says otherwise. Curtin University in Australia has found standing desks can lead to “discomfort and deteriorating mental reactiveness” with prolonged use.

Waze Improves Carpool Experience with Obvious Benefits for Small Businesses

Waze Carpool has been relaunched with new features that allow users to choose who they ride with for added safety and convenience — and small businesses especially can bennefit. No More Blind Matching In the past, the Waze app blindly matched the person you shared the ride with based on pickup and drop-off locations. Times being what they are, this can be a scary proposition.

Dropbox Now Integrated with Google Cloud

Dropbox has formed a partnership with Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Cloud which will bring Dropbox and G Suite users, including small businesses, together for seamless collaboration. Dropbox Partners with Google Cloud With this integration, Dropbox said it is delivering a unified home for work.

Time is Running Out! Read More on How to Make Sure Your Business is GDPR Compliant

The new European privacy regulation known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), goes into effect May 25, 2018. Businesses in the U.S. that store data of citizens within the European Union, must become compliant with GDPR before the impending May deadline.

The New Sony Xperia XZ2 Has Tools for Small Business Content Marketers

Sony (NYSE: SNE) announced the Xperia XZ2 at Mobile World Congress 2018, where the prevailing theme amongst smartphone manufacturers this year has been cameras and entertainment.

Photo via Shutterstock

This article, “In the News: Gender Equality a Hot Topic for Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends

I have the honor of co-chairing CRM Magazine’s annual event, CRM Evolution, alongside friend and leading independent CRM analyst Paul Greenberg.  The conference takes place next month in Washington, DC, and features a host of influencers and thought leaders in areas like customer engagement, artificial intelligence, blockchain, conversational interfaces, and other key technologies and strategies.

One of the keynoters of the conference is Brian Solis, whose talk is entitled Designing Customer Experiences that Matter to a New Generation of Accidental Narcissists.  So, with a title like that, I had to ask Brian for a sneak peek of what he’ll be discussing. And I also asked Paul to join me in the conversation.

Below is an edited transcript of a portion of the conversation.  To hear the full conversation, and I really do urge you to check it out, watch the video below, or click on the embedded SoundCloud player.  There is so much ground covered here that you have to watch the video to take it all in.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends:  Most of the narcissists I know are not accidental. Maybe you can tell us exactly what an accidental narcissist is?

Brian Solis:  I thought it would be fun to present on a topic that just moves people, not as employees of company trying to work against a roadmap and a plan, or IT investments or what have you, but just maybe look at why these changes are taking place. I think it’s a topic that regardless of industry and regardless of job role, we’re not spending enough time really examining our relationship with technology.

And I call it accidental because I’m a hopeless optimist, so I want to see the good in everything. The reality is that, in the last three years I’ve been doing some really hardcore research with Google that’s been almost stealth in a way. And this year’s the first time we’re really going to come out in a very public way, by looking at just the extent of which mobile devices for example have completely changed how people make decisions. Secondly completely changed how people operate through life.

And if you play that back into things that, for example if my role is in an aspect of CX or any touchpoint within that journey, everything that we’re doing is probably for the wrong reasons. I think that getting in touch with the humanity of that is going to not just guide technology investment, but hopefully change business strategies for the better going forward.

Paul Greenberg:  What is getting in touch with humanity mean when it comes to that though?

Brian Solis:  For example when people look for information, their value system has completely changed. Right? So it used to be that they might go into the journey with four to six companies and they’re looking for the best product and they’re comparing features, before it even gets there, they’re looking for people like them. They’re not even searching for the type of keywords that you think they’re looking for. They’re asking questions as if there’s a human being on the other side of the search box and Google. Really trusting the content that comes back is their peers and what they value and what they look for and what they ask, they’re really human. I mean like people want things personalized. They’ll even add words like, “What’s the best SUV for me?” We see crazy things like, “What’s the best toothbrush for me?” Who searches for toothbrushes? That’s up 200% in the last year.

They expect personalization at scale; we’ve been talking about it for a long time. But then what happens, and here’s to answer your question, is what happens when the person on the other side of the screen isn’t who you think it is?

Small Business Trends:  What percentage of the folks that customers engage with, through their interactions with companies, are narcissist’s? In terms of, they’re really still focused on their self interest as opposed to what’s best of for the customer.

Brian Solis:  The reason why I focus on the human side of the story is that, narcissist was just a way of being very compelling in the title. When you have access to all of these tools that are very empowering, that are very … personal, whether it’s Tinder or Uber or any of these apps, you don’t just go to work and say, “Okay I understand that those are the types of services that I can use in my consumer role.” You’re bringing those mindsets, efficiencies, conveniences, personalization into just the expectations that are ingrained in your subconscious, your second nature now.

I think what we’re really talking about is re-imagining customer journeys and experiences. Even policies and products and services, for a generation that just expects things to be like everything else. That’s where, we’re not just challenging convention or status quo, what we’re really looking at is how does what my value proposition is and all of the infrastructure to support that, align with the expectations and values of someone as they change.

I think the exploration of that is where the magic happens. That’s where just even seeking out these questions and the answers to those questions, allows us to find opportunities to remove friction, to innovate, to introduce things that connect the dots in ways that we just thought we didn’t have to do before but now it takes center stage.

Paul  Greenberg:  So you are dealing at scale. One of the things that always … interests me on how engagement worked was, you’re dealing with let’s say at Citigroup, which has 300 million customers. Right? And each one of them is expecting exactly that some level of personalization at least, and going back to stuff you’ve written about, I’ve written about, Brent’s written about too, it’s not really just the millennial thing, it’s all generations now pretty much. As you, I think we all used to call it actually, is Gen C, right?

Brian Solis:  Yeah.

Paul  Greenberg:  So it’s about that grouping, right? Who are saying look, “I know you have 300 million customers, but I don’t care about the other 299 million, 99 thousand 199, you’ve got to take care of me.” At Citigroup they’re a company so they’re limited by birth. At birth they’re automatically limited, right? They’re constrained. And they can’t delight every customer all the time either or they’d be long broke. So the question becomes,  what’s a realistic expectation of trying to personalize with that number of people? Personalize the interactions and experiences that that number of people have with you?

Brian Solis: I think, one of the things when I study this question is, looking at whether or not a company, regardless of who it is or what it is, whether they could even answer what personalization looks like. What does someone expect, and it’s … I’ll give you an example.  In the last State of Digital Transformation report that I ran, which was recently, it has a bent towards customer experience, because that tends to be the catalyst where people can come together and find collaboration across functions. I always ask the question, “What’s driving this?” And they’ll say, “Customer experience.” “What are your top challenges and top opportunities?” And they’ll say, “Trying to understand the digital customer and getting in front of them.” And then I’ll ask, “Have you studied your digital customer? Do you know who they are, what their preferences are?”

This year the number of companies that said yes was only 34%. That’s down from 56% the year before, and it’s going the wrong way. So there’s that part of the answer and then the second part is it’s really fascinating to where I started to see things like AI really jump in.

So we have a friend, a mutual friend, Sameer Patel over at a company called Kahuna, that is scaling AI around marketing engagement and personalization. I got to work with him last year on this and we found that the irony of that was we have to use machines to help us figure out how to be more human at scale. I think what we’ll start to see is AI for marketing, AI for employee engagement, AI for all of these different platforms that at least scale personalization within their respective funnel. Before we get it across the journey.

This article, “Brian Solis of Altimeter Group: The Irony of Needing Machines to Be More Human at Scale” was first published on Small Business Trends

Amazon has made a name for itself as one of the biggest and most trusted brands in ecommerce. But small businesses don’t necessarily need to view Amazon as a major competitor. You could instead make the company into a partner.

Most ecommerce sellers already know that you can list and sell your own products on the platform. But you can actually rely on Amazon to handle the shipping and logistics part of your business as well — through the Fulfillment by Amazon program.

Theo Prodromitis is the owner of the Spa Destinations shop on Amazon. She uses Fulfillment by Amazon to process nearly all the company’s orders. Small Business Trends recently spoke with Prodromitis about her experience and some tips for other ecommerce sellers about using Fulfillment by Amazon.

Do Your Research

Before getting started with Fulfillment by Amazon, Prodromitis recommends reading all of the resources and tools that Amazon makes available to sellers on its website so you’re prepared to handle the process.

She says, “Use the resources that are there. At times I thought I had to figure out everything by myself and that led to some of the mistakes I made. But they have so many resources available and if there’s something you’re still unsure about, you can always ask.”

Look at It as Outsourcing

There are costs involved with using Fulfillment by Amazon. Those costs are calculated based on the number of products you have, their dimensions and what specific fulfillment services you require. However, Prodromitis doesn’t believe you should let those costs dissuade you from taking advantage of the service.

She says, “You’re basically outsourcing a big part of your operations. You get all of this support behind you to do this major thing for your business and you get that brand equity behind you.”

Don’t Wait to Sign Up

While it may seem like outsourcing a major part of your business’s operations is something that’s reserved for large companies, Prodromitis actually believes it’s something that can work for businesses of all sizes. And freeing up your time and effort to focus on other parts of running your business can potentially help you grow your company faster.

She says, “It’s something I really think can work for any size business. I couldn’t see a business model that it wouldn’t work for, even if you’re dealing with really small quantities.”

Be Very Specific About Labeling

Once you get started with the Fulfillment by Amazon process, the company will provide you with specific instructions for how to package and label your products before sending them to fulfillment centers. And Prodromitis says that attention to detail is especially important when it comes to labeling packages.

You need to make sure that every piece of information is included and the label is placed in the exact spot Amazon outlines. Since there are specific processes in place for Amazon’s fulfillment centers, having those uniform standards in place helps the whole thing run as efficiently as possible.

Learn from Mistakes

There was a lot of trial and error involved in Prodromitis’ experience. While all the specific instructions and materials that Amazon makes available can really help clear things up, you’re still likely to put a label in the wrong spot or evaluate a shipment incorrectly at some point.

She says, “As a seller, you never want to see one of those red flags show up on your dashboard saying you missed something or did something incorrectly. But you just have to learn your lesson from it and do it right the next time.”

Raise Your Own Standards

Even though you’re still running a small business, using a service like Fulfillment by Amazon allows you to align your brand with a major company that a lot of customers trust. That trust was built in part because Amazon has high and uniform standards for things like shipping. So you might have to elevate your own standards to make a successful transition.

Prodromitis says, “There’s a level of excellence associated with Amazon. And it leads to a lot of excitement and stress at the same time. Everything going to FBA has to be right. You get all of that positive behind you for a reason.”

Ask Questions

Over the course of running your business, you’ll probably run into some new and unique situations that give you pause. But Amazon has customer service reps ready to answer questions, as well as forums you can use to confer with other sellers. So Prodromitis says you should never be guessing about how to do something — when in doubt, always ask.

Be Prepared for Growth

Because of the improved visibility and consumer trust coming from aligning your own brand with Amazon, your business could experience significant growth. In fact, Prodromitis says Spa Destinations experienced about 95 percent year-over-year growth after signing up with Fulfillment by Amazon. So you should be prepared to increase inventory and other parts of your operation to support that growth.

Have the Ability to Handle Shipping During Busy Times

Additionally, Prodromitis says there have been a few times, specifically when they’ve paid to promote listings, where Spa Destinations didn’t have enough products sent out to fulfillment centers to meet the demand. In those instances, the team did have to fulfill some of its own orders. So even after signing up, know that there may still be some times when you have to step up and pack and ship some orders if you don’t predict sales accurately.

Use Your Extra Time Wisely

Essentially, using Fulfillment by Amazon allows you to free up the time you would have spent packing and shipping orders so you can focus on other areas of your business. So you have to be strategic with how you use that time for things like marketing, fine-tuning your shop and completing administrative tasks. Test out some different marketing or growth strategies to find what works best for your business so you can focus your time on the areas that are likely to make the biggest impact.

Photo via Shutterstock

This article, “10 Pro Tips for Building an Ecommerce Business with Fulfillment by Amazon” was first published on Small Business Trends

As California continues its march to a minimum wage of $15 an hour, companies are scrambling to find out-of-the-box ways to remain competitive, even if it means replacing increasingly expensive human workers with machines.

Or more specifically, replacing fast food burger flippers with a robot named Flippy.

A Pasadena, California, fast food restaurant called CaliBurger has just debuted its newest employee, and this one never calls out sick, never files worker’s compensation, never complains, never takes smoke breaks and always does what it’s programmed to do.

In other words, it looks like the “employee of the month” award is no longer up for grabs.

Meet Flippy the Robot Burger Flipper

KTLA5 went to the restaurant to document Flippy in action:

Cali Group CEO John Miller says it’s all about consistency, not jobs, although it doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or even a burger flipper, to see where this is headed.

“The key to success in the restaurant industry is consistency. So anytime you go to a CaliBurger anywhere you know that the patty will be cooked exactly the same,” Miller told KTLA5.

Developed by Miso Robotics and sold at a cost of $60,000, or about the cost of less than two California minimum wage workers for one year, Flippy uses thermal imaging and 3D and camera vision to determine when to flip and when to remove the burgers. It can even sense the size and temp of the patty compared with the grill surface temperature and has the ability to use artificial intelligence to learn new tasks.

Pretty high-tech, but Flippy does need humans to put the raw patties on the grill, add cheese, and generally make sure things are running smoothly… for now.

“The kitchen of the future will always have people in it, but we see that kitchen as having people and robots,” said Miso CEO David Zito, who sees the robot as a way to cut costs and render aid to what is a “hot, greasy, dirty” job.

“This technology is not about replacing jobs — we see Flippy as that third hand,” Zito said.

Maybe not yet, but if California Democrats keep it up the only kind of help many businesses will be able to afford will be the kind that has no pulse.

Republished by permission. Original here.

Photo via Miso Robotics

This article, “Burger Flipping Robot May Mean Cost Savings for Small Restaurants” was first published on Small Business Trends