Author Archives: insomadmin

About insomadmin

I'm a web designer & developer. While starting off in graphic design, I quickly veered over to the dark side and into websites and never looked back. I love the challenge of merging form and function in delivering dynamic, immersive websites that present a business' marketing identity online.

insomadmin

Social Media bumps up Spending by 21%

Amazing customer service is an increasingly rare commodity— and one that customers will pay a premium for.

How much of a premium, you ask? A whopping 11 to 21% more, according to American Express’ 2012 Global Customer Service Barometer survey.

Anyone in the service business should give Amex’s 2012 survey results a close read.

Perka merchants have already clued into this trend—and Perka empowers them to offer great service in multiple ways.

It’s no surprise that social media broadcasts whether your customer service is great or terrible. Based on this study, customers who have never used social media for customer service say they’d pay 11% more for great service; those who’ve used social media for service before would pay 21% more!

The table below will really knock your socks off.

Bottom line: word-of-mouth on bad service travels even faster and further than stories of great service.

Amazing customer service starts with… “Hi, Dave! Ready for your iced latte?”

The survey’s includes many tips for delivering better customer service, half of which revolve around building an honest, one-to-one relationship with each customer. This starts with something very simple: Greet your customers by name!

Merchants tell us one of our biggest strengths is that Perka helps staff greet repeat customers by name and to know their favorite order. That kind of personalized service is special on two fronts:

  1. It humanizes the transaction for both customer and staff, paving the way for a great interaction, every time.
  2. It makes your customers feel awesome—and it makes you look like a service genius.

Perka empowers you to take great service a step further. Since Perka reveals your best customers’ buying patterns, it’ll allow your staff to know their favorite order—even have it waiting for them at the register. Now that’s awesome service!

Our valuable data on customer buying patterns can also drive additional sales. If Dave can’t survive without his afternoon espresso shot, your cashier can suggest making it a double-shot or adding a cookie or a flavored syrup—thus ringing up a bigger sale for you. The Perka Merchant Dashboard will also help you discover that there are lots of Daves in your customer base—so you can push them all a Perka special offer for an “afternoon sweet treat”. Finally, Perka specials make it easy for Dave to spread the word about your business via social media.

What else does Perka offer?

We help you sell off surplus inventory and boost foot traffic during slower times,
We promote social sharing between your customers and their friends,
We reward your repeat customers – and increase their loyalty (and purchases),
…and we help you give your best customers an extra thrill.
Thanks to the 2012 Amex survey data, the list above has a quantifiable dollar value. If Dave uses social media, the stats suggest he’ll share his great experience with 42 people! And that jolt of great service Perka helped you provide? That’s worth up to 21% in extra sales revenue to you.

Not too shabby for a $35/mo investment, right?

Are you Planning to Invest in your Mobile or Tablet Optimized site?

Mobile devices are changing the way we search for and buy products and services online. Can you even think of the last time you pulled out your phone book? Instead, you go straight to your phone right, then just click the number and you’re calling them. No longer do people only interact with companies from PCs and laptops either. iPads, iPhones, Kindles, Droids and other devices are quickly becoming the primary way that folks access the web, research companies and make purchases.

Figures_Mobile_Tablet

fig.1

What does your company use already or plan to use? (fig.1)

Apple no longer supporting iOS 4.3

An Apple software update has deprecated iOS 4.3 for all future App Submissions.  The App Store will no longer accept apps submitted using older iOS 4.3 or older standards.  Users on older devices will have to update to the latest version of iOS in order to use any recently updated Apps.

Although statistics are not formally released by Apple on a regular basis, it is estimated that less than 10% of the market is running on iOS 4.3 and that the impact on users will be minimal.  Please see the article below for some further research on iOS distribution.

[highlight]http://insights.chitika.com/2012/ios-by-device/[/highlight]

 

12 Scams of Christmas

In wishing each of you a very joyful holiday season, here are 12 things we hope you don’t ever encounter.

Just a few things to be aware of always, but especially during the holiday season…
Beware of scammers, identity thieves, and criminal hackers during the holiday season. So, whether you are using a PC, Mac or mobile device, be on the lookout for these scams:

  1. Mobile Malware & Mobile Applications: McAfee cites a 76% increase in malware targeting Android devices making it the most targeted smartphone platform. New malware has recently been found that targets digital barcodes that consumers might scan with their smartphones to find good deals. Mobile apps disguised as games and designed to steal information from smartphones, or to send out expensive text messages without a user’s consent.
  2. Skimming: You may already know that it’s important to protect your financial information when you shop online. But a high-tech threat can steal your credit card information when you’re out shopping around town. Scammers can steal your ATM or credit card information without your even noticing with skimmers. Credit card skimmers are devices that thieves place over the actual card readers on an ATM, credit card terminal or gas pump to collect your financial information and are getting increasingly more common. Take a careful look at an ATM before you use it. Be suspicious if something looks like it’s sticking out too far or if it doesn’t match with the rest of the machine’s design. Many skimmers are fairly shoddy pieces of equipment that are weakly tacked onto to the card reader. You shouldn’t be afraid to get physical. Before you insert or swipe your card, give the reader a good tug, or jostle your card around the slot to see if anything is loosely attached.
  3. Scareware:  This fake antivirus software deceives recipients into believing their computers are at risk, or have already been infected, so that they will agree to download and pay for phony software.
  4. Holiday Screensavers:  A Santa screensaver that promises to let you “fly with Santa in 3D” is malicious. Holiday ringtones and e-cards have also been known to be malicious, too.
  5. Android & Mac Malware:  Security firm Sophos has declared 2012 the year where PC malware has been pushed from the limelight and replaced by Android and Mac malware. Android has been called “today’s biggest target,” and noted that the most common malware is fake apps that steal money by sending expensive messages to premium rate SMS services. Sophos detecting some 4,900 types of OS X malware in a typical week.
  6. Delivery Scam: Expecting a delivery? It might not be unusual to get a card on your door to notify you of an unsuccessful delivery attempt which directs you to call for more details. When you call the number, you get a recorded message, or are kept on hold for 15-20 minutes. You don’t realize it, but turns out, you just called a foreign country, and you’re on long distance waiting for ten, twenty minutes for someone to come back on. And now you’re going to get a thousand dollar plus phone bill.
  7. Holiday Job Offers: Many people are trying to make extra cash for the holiday season which puts them at risk for fake work at home schemes and fake job postings. Many of these jobs ask for your social security number which puts you at risk for identity theft.recipients into revealing personal information.
  8. Online Coupon Scams:  Consumers accept an offer for an online coupon code, and provide personal information, including credit card details, passwords, and other financial data.
  9. Fake Charities: Avoid giving money to charities until you’ve researched them first. If they come to your door or approach you in a mall parking lot, ask for credentials and information and explain that you’ll consider donating later. Check with the Office of Consumer Affairs which usually maintains a list of registered charities.
  10. Hotel “Wrong Transaction” Malware Emails:  Scammers have designed travel-related scams in order to tempt users to click on dangerous emails that download malware to the victim’s machine.
  11. “It Gift” Scams:  When a gift is popular, scammers advertise these gifts on rogue websites and social networks, even if they don’t actually have the popular items. i.e. iPad, iPhone, wii U scams.
  12. “Away From Home” Status Updates:  Using posting information about your vacation on social networking sites, thieves decide it’s a good time to rob you.

Here’s hoping that each of you has a very happy, safe and scam-free holiday season!

We’re live!

It’s not the prettiest thing (by far) right now, but we said we’d do it and it’s out there as raw as it can be—but it’s still our 12 year anniversary of 12/12/12. And let’s face it, we might have had all of 4 people actually looking forward to seeing it when it went live today!? Okay, that’s probably being optimistic… 2 people, including my wife, just because she’s required to. So, that just means I’ve got to work my butt off to get this thing presentable to all my adoring fans out there to tell their friends about it!

Please stay tuned! This site is going to have a lot of good meat to it. Guest contributors across the country, hot topics in computer security, online best practices, cutting edge web technology and a ton more. I look forward to what 2013 has in-store for Insomnia Networks and with Christmas literally right around the corner, we are going to hit the ground running come 1/1/13.

(yea, it just doesn’t have the ring to it like 12/12/12 does)

Login Form

Get in Touch

We are always open for a quick chat!

  727-835-8933
 info@insomnianet.com