L&S Unscripted

A few weeks ago, I was visiting St. Paul with some friends, and we were looking for a new dining experience. I had recently downloaded the Yelp application on my BlackBerry and thought we should give it a try. After going through the broad list of restaurants and reviews, we came across the perfect place with around 30 reviews – a trendy, Asian fusion eatery called Señor Wongs.

The food and overall experience was rather incredible, and I believe that can largely be attributed to Yelp. But, this accolade leads to a larger discussion – is there value in consumer review sites and applications, such as Yelp and Urbanspoon?

These utilities are undoubtedly valuable to restaurants for a number of reasons. First, it gives restaurant operators a way to gauge the popularity and overall quality of a restaurant experience for patrons. If a restaurant is doing a satisfactory job, it will be reflected in their ratings.

Second, restaurant owners and managers receive feedback they might not otherwise get. And with that feedback, they have the ability to respond to both positive and negative reviews, publically or privately.

The majority of the reviews and ratings are favorable towards the restaurant, but pleasing everyone all the time is virtually impossible. Negative reviews happen, but following up on the business end can truly turn a reviewer’s poor experience into a modified rating or even a second chance. And if a restaurant falls short, there is an opportunity to remedy the flaw and improve operations.

If I had I not utilized the Yelp application, we probably would have eaten at a predictable, standard chain restaurant. Restaurant review sites allow smaller, hidden treasures to be discovered.

For the individual chain or franchise restaurants, Yelp and Urbanspoon help them to stand out and differentiate themselves from the overall chain image by highlighting their exceptional service, atmosphere or local specialties.

I strongly urge consumers and restaurants to start searching, reviewing and responding on these sites and applications. Using these tools can transform an average dinner from mediocre to amazing in minutes.

Let’s face it – money is being watched with a much more vigilant eye these days. And with the hectic lives we lead, it can often be stressful and tedious to be as heedful as we should be. However, with the technologies available today, there are no excuses.

Online banking is great, simply put. With many online services, consumers can set up automatic, recurring payments, so a payment should never be late or missed. Some online banking services allow users to set up email and text alerts to inform when balances are dipping, so the dreadful overdraft can be easily avoided. And just the simple ability to watch account activity is a great tool in itself.

The ability to do your banking via a mobile device is another revolutionary tool that should certainly aid in the fight to be more financially attentive. The on-the-go convenience comes in quite handy when you are on the road or remember you need to pay a bill while sitting through a four-hour meeting.

Budgeting is yet another area that has taken a turn for the better. With free online services such as Mint, you have the ability to track and record expenses and payments right at your fingertips. Knowing where you are spending and the frequency of those expenditures can really open up your eyes, allowing you to use your resources wisely.

And lastly, my new favorite service, BillMonk, masks the slight awkwardness of having to ask friends and roommates for money they owe. This free online service allows users to track, calculate and split expenses for a recent trip or monthly living. It also lets you keep track of non-monetary items, such as books and clothing you have loaned out. Furthermore, BillMonk also ties into Obopay, which is a mobile payment service that allows you to settle payments with friends via cellular devices for a small fee.

Online and mobile banking, email and text message alerts, budgeting tools and payment services are drastically improving our financial capabilities. Excuses are becoming harder to come by for missing a payment or losing track of expenses as services continue to evolve. With these services, our wallets should be getting a little heftier every day.

As frightening and painful as it may seem, there once was a time before smartphones and high tech digital devices. With the advancements and benefits these products have provided so far, it is often hard to imagine life without them.

Today, there are many phone applications and texting services designed to influence behavior and improve health. And with smartphones essentially becoming an extension to our limbs, this could not be a better combination.

Upon searching the terms “health” and “exercise” within BlackBerry App World, a number of applications appeared, encompassing various facets of the term. Exercise regimens, calorie counters, the ability to connect to friends working out, weight loss programs, statistics trackers and general healthy living practices are all options we can access via our mobile device.

When these offerings are right at our fingertips, it is hard to come up with excuses not to participate. Our health can be greatly changed by something as simple as downloading an application and following the often basic, straightforward procedure.

The smartest designed and most successful apps keep things basic and do not require too much thought. When there are just a few clicks or buttons to push, users are likely to use it; however, if the app requires several steps, people are more likely to get discouraged.

Health Txts is a text service that allows consumers to choose relevant health related messaging and have it sent to their mobile device. The service is free for three months, but must be reactivated at that time. Standard text messaging rates do apply.

FitBit is a digital device that tracks exercise activity, sleep patterns and calorie consumption and burning. The device can be synced with computers, where the data may be uploaded, viewed and shared with friends, family and coworkers. Additionally, users can collaborate and set goals with their connections. The FitBit runs at about $99 and can be purchased directly from the website.

The path to a healthier and fit lifestyle gets easier every day. And the future will only bring about more evolution in this mobile health arena.

The usage of smartphones is increasing at a brisk pace, and so is mobile banking. A recent study by Mercatus shows that banks that offer mobile banking services can increase new customer acquisitions by nearly 60 percent. But why exactly is that?

Today’s society is fast-paced, convenience driven and desires to do everything on the go. So it only makes sense that banks offering convenient services such as mobile banking are reaping the rewards. Having the ability to access personal financial information via mobile devices allows for great flexibility and expediency. Consumers who opt in to this service no longer have to worry about being able to transfer funds or make a payment – they can now do it anywhere, at anytime, via their mobile device.

This study also shows that when choosing a bank, consumers prioritize mobile banking over the availability of online banking, easy access to ATMs and nearby branches. Consumers would rather have the option to bank from their mobile phone than have a bank branch or an affiliated ATM near them.

The fact that having mobile banking options plays such a large role in choosing a banking institution speaks largely to the reality that businesses need to stay fresh and on the cusp of digital and mobile offerings for consumers.

Other fascinating findings from this study include:

• Costs of acquiring customers decreases by as much as 20 percent based on the efficacy of mobile banking related marketing.
• Mobile users can be serviced at a 20 percent lower cost than a traditional bank patron.
• Mobile banking consumers tend to fall in the 18-39 year old range, as well as a higher income bracket.

So, not only can mobile banking be a rather lucrative offering for banking customers, but it can also lower costs associated with those customers. Mobile banking is the way to go – have you joined the revolution?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:41 — 1.3MB)

The best practices for designing, developing and deploying next-generation web, mobile and enterprise solutions were on display recently at Adobe Max in Los Angeles, CA. Among those attending was Eric Cross, Senior Interactive Developer at Lawrence & Schiller.

What were the biggest surprises? The biggest takeaways? And how can a conference like Max help L&S clients? Eric shares his thoughts in this episode of The Extra Minute.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:19 — 1.6MB)

As the number of cell phones capable of surfing the Internet grows, so does the need to deliver content that is optimized for mobile devices.

What does it take to develop a site that plays nice with mobile web? What should it include and what are some of the obstacles you make encounter along the way?

The Extra Minute has the story of Sanford Health and its move into mobile web.