Don’t Stick Your Head in the Sand When You Get a Bad Review
This is the struggle for businesses and it is real – get a bad online review and how do you deal with it and move beyond it. First you should not ignore a bad online review. That does not mean that you have to respond to one, but you definitely want to think about your strategy when you get one.
1. Review the legitimacy. Should you change something you are doing?
2. Decide if and should you respond. Not every comment about your business deserves and needs a response.
3. If you do respond, don’t respond in anger. Craft your response and sit on it for several days, read and re-read your response. Make sure you are not venting.
4. If you know who left the review, try to fix the problem and then ask for an update to the review.
Negative reviews can be very damaging to your business but sometimes your own response can make it even worse. You should be regularly monitoring your business reputation online and looking at what others are saying about you. Especially as Google and Bing are now highlighting reviews that they find around the web and meshing them with location specific results in the Knowledge Graph side bar on their search pages.
Working remotely on files is easy with OneDrive or Google Drive
I employ a number of tech specialists and interact daily with them to task them, pass files, give directions, load files, and pick up completed files. This allows me to easily expand my workforce, utilizing quality team members, that are not located in my same city.
I have tried a number of tools to stay connected and help them perform effectively for me. Two applications that I have really taken head to head have been Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. I actually use both, but here’s how they stack up for my needs and what I have found I like about each one.
Ease of Use: Winner – OneDrive In working with non-tech savvy employees who just really need to get to work and don’t want to take a lot of time to understand a system – OneDrive wins.
Although Google Drive can work for some staffers, the learning curve may require real hands on. The issue of setting up sharing, figuring out if they can save your file, having to turn the Google docs file into an Office compatible file are simply stumbling blocks for some in my remote workforce.
Integration with Your Desktop: One Drive – Google Drive a Tie I love that when I install both programs, they automatically integrate into my file tree in Microsoft’s File Explorer. It is super simple to pull files out, load them in, and synching is automatic to your entire staff once set up.
Easy Set Up: Winner – Google Drive As for easy setup, both are pretty easy, but Google Drive I think is easier. You simple send an invite to a Google account email address and then right click on the user to assign them properties of what they can use. OneDrive is pretty easy, but not quite as simple as Google Drive.
Features: Winner OneDrive
If all you need is file sharing and transferring, both OneDrive and Google Drive will do the job, but if you need remote access, integration with your team calendar, integrated instant messaging, and Skype, I personally like OneDrive.
Working on the Same File: Winner Google Drive
This is actually the only issue I have found I wish OneDrive would improve on where Google Drive has OneDrive beat. Two people can work on the same file at the same time. That can’t happen in OneDrive. If two do, OneDrive will make two copies of the file and it is up to you to decide which one to keep. My team and I just know on really important files when we can access them – we time share or I pull files out of a workbook, have my team work on the pulled out files and then when done overwrite my master file.
Now that you’ve got cash on your phone, how do you spend it? Well first if you are in Waldorf, don’t waste time trying to buy something at CVS. They have their readers turned off. The problem is not your phone, but them.
1. Open your Softcard app. Enter in your unique PIN number, and turn on NFC that’s Near Field Communication. You can access this in settings typically in the button that you use to access your mobile hot spot, but look for NFC.
2. Your card will show on the screen. Hold your phone vertical and touch the bottom third of the phone to the payment screen with the contactless pay icon (you want to touch the screen where your Sim card is installed). The Serve card on the screen will move forward and off the screen looking like a swipe action. The cashier will then let you know if all has gone through and complete your transaction. While doing this, my phone vibrated. There was no “ding” like the videos for contactless pay show online.
3. That’s it super simple, fast, and way cool!
I personally think that mobile pay and contactless pay is the future. I thought I would never use it, but now that I have I am thinking of ways to use it more.
Here’s my short list on how I’m already or going to use Softcard:
1. Take no cash or very little on travel. I’ll use my Softcard.
2. Have reporting about my cash transactions from the Serve card website.
3. Send my kids into the store to buy things without having to go in – just send my phone!
4. Stop carrying my huge wallet with tons of credit cards – I don’t need them anymore, just my phone.
5. Shift to a smaller purse and wallet as now I just need my phone for payment.
I have to say that Softcard and mobile pay are revolutionary. It is a huge step forward. I think that the technology is still maturing, but in the next year I would expect to see all retailers move to swipe machines with contactless payments available.
Here are the stores where I am using mine at right now: McDonald’s, Verizon to pay a bill or buy something, Coke machines (wow – that is way cool), Footlocker. The two Subways I went to did not take Softcard, but they are on the apps map as doing so. CVS is also on the map as taking it, but Softcard did not work at two locations in my area.
Add to my list by clicking comments and leaving your thoughts.
Oh, thanks to our local Verizon store manager who helped me with my Softcard. It is hard to find good troubleshooting information out there when you have a problem. Instead go into your Verizon store and ask a rep who is using it now.
I thought it would be easy to start using the Verizon Softcard as a smartphone wallet, but nooooooooooooo, sometimes easy things are very complicated.
Here’s what I did to finally get Softcard working.
1. If you have a Verizon Galaxy S5, you most likely already have the Verizon NFC SE sim card installed. If you are not sure, don’t waste time, get yourself down to the Verizon store and get them to install one. It is FREE!
2. With the phone app, sign up for the American Express Serve card. If you are not at Chase or Wells Fargo, you’ll want to do this. For me, I did not want to link my own credit card or checking account until I really knew how this thing worked. I did not want to wake up one morning with my business checking or personal checking drained. So I took the conservative approach and got the free American Express Serve card. If you connect your credit card – know that cash moved to your Serve card is like getting a cash advance. Make sure you know your interest rate for a cash advance as it could be really high.
3. Make sure to set up an online account on your desktop for your American Express Serve card; just a way to very quickly manage your account. Use the app on the go and the desktop app for tracking, reports, and quick access to customer service.
4. Know that American Express will send you a plastic Serve card for your real wallet and that the number on it is not the same number as the one in your phone, but they are linked. The phone card has a different number for security. Very Smart! Thanks for looking out for me American Express and Softcard.
5. Add money to your Serve card at 7-11 or CSV store for free – no fees. I put cash on mine and by the time I got back to my car, my phone showed my new balance.
6. Snap a picture of a check made out to you to add money to your Serve card on your phone. It took five days for my deposit to show up. 7-11 is faster! But the pic is fast and easy if you don’t need the cash super fast.
Check back on Wednesday for more on using Softcard tied to an American Express Serve card and then watch my Try It Friday video this week to see it all in action.
