Is a Family Plan right for us?

Family Plans are the name of the game at Rogers and Cellworks this quarter, and there are some amazing offers available to those who wish to get started with a new plan, whether voice or voice and data.


But many people don't realize the benefits of a Family Plan and what it can offer its users:

• Callers within the same Family Plan can call one another anywhere in Canada with no long distance charges at any time of the day, night, weekday or weekend - completely unlimited!
• Pooled minutes allow up to five users to take up airtime according to their usage - no need to worry about guessing how many minutes each person is going to need each month
• The option of additional features such as Unlimited Messaging or Unlimited Network Calling, for example, applies to all lines within the account - keeping things simple and streamlined
• Getting your teenagers started on a voice and data plan is extremely easy with the Family Voice & Data plans too, as everyone on the plan can share the data package - another way to simplify deciding on a plan
• If you find that the plan doesn't quite suit your needs, you can change it at any time without penalty or issue
• There are great offers on devices so that everyone can get a phone they love, whether it's a BlackBerry, iPhone, or a quick messaging device for those avid texters - some are even free!

And for ten more days (until June 30, 2011) any new Family Plan Voice & Data Activation gets you a Sony Playstation 3! 

Mobile Applications Are for Small Businesses Too!

App stores look like the new business to be in! With the market growing at an increasingly fast pace, predictions for 2011 have revenue at $3.8billion and 2014 will see an enormous jump to $8.3 billion.

There is literally an application for anything, and most are available on all smartphone platforms, meaning that application providers can reach an enormous customer base.

However, that customer base doesn't just include the regular consumer any more. Small businesses are utilizing applications to streamline their businesses for better efficiency and effectiveness. Applications that help track employees and products, assist with travel plans and help with invoicing outside of the office, are all used increasingly by small and medium businesses.

This is a great money saver for those companies that don't have the funding to invest in large scale, company-wide services. Although the applications themselves are less likely to be free, they are a much lower cost in comparison. Which works well for the smaller guys, looking to better use their money and ensure that they remain competitive.

With thanks to iQmetrix for their original blog - take a look 

, and for more information on the newest version of PocketRQ (the mobile application for POS provider, RetailIQ and RQ4), check out this link

Five Keys to Positive Phone Shopping

An interesting article came across my desk recently which talks to the fact that shopping for a new cellphone or smartphone can be a stressful experience for many buyers. The choice of devices available coupled with choosing the right plan can have consumers walking out of the store rather than into it.

iQmetrix has come up with a list of five keys elements that will help your customers have a more positive experience while in your store:

• Easy activation: The mobile phone activation process can be complicated, so any efforts to simplify the experience, through patient explanation and advice, will go a long way in increasing customer satisfaction.
• Fast checkout: Expediting the checkout process is essential to delivering a good phone shopping experience. Retailers must make efforts to avoid long checkout lines – customers don’t want to wait.
• Vast phone selection: Confusion is the enemy. It is important to not only offer a variety of devices, but also to present them in an understandable way. Store design and merchandising should clearly identify brands, categories, rate plans, etc. Retailers should meet customers’ expectations of product choice and quality, while avoiding out of stocks.
• Affordable prices: Customers want to easily compare costs of different phones, plans and accessories to identify a price that works for them. Once again, pricing should be straightforward, not confusing.
• Good customer service: Sales associates must demonstrate strong product knowledge while also being polite, genuine and helpful. Good listening skills are essential. Responsiveness is extremely important, as customers do not want to wait around for a salesperson to help them. 

What Does 2011 Have In Store For The Wireless Industry?

2010 was definitely a landmark year for the adoption of Smartphone and other mobile devices, such as tablets, and also for the development of software, operating systems and applications for just about anything you can think of.


So how is 2011 going to see in the new year of wireless communications and technology? 


Todd Engels of Marketing Drive has identified the following five trends that we should look out for in the coming year:


1) Leveraging the power of social media to drive commerce (e.g. Groupon)
Groupon has been the innovator when it comes to group based purchasing, and it will be exciting to see how this method of promotion will affect distribution, effectiveness and efficiency of special offers to consumers.


2) Integration of mobile (handheld) into shopping marketing programming
This allows for additional touch points with the consumer throughout the shopping process. Creating that additional connection can allow companies to capture early adopters and be more innovative themselves.


3) Marginalization of “brand.com” promotional websites
Companies are looking to feature their brands and offers on existing social networking sites, sharing sites, or potential partner sites to save having to create their own stand-alone web presence.


4) Localization of promotion
There is more of a move to grass-roots levels in local communities, even with the use of the Internet to facilitate promotions, offers and products / services.


5) Continued blurring of the line between content and promotion 
Companies are looking to have their promotional messages linked smoothly and continuously over a number of media, such as TV, print and gaming. They want to keep the promotion indistinguishable from the content because of the ability to deliver in high-value brand environments. Integration into video games, for example, is a new venture that many companies are stepping into, as a new way to reach their audience.


These five points all cover the element of Smartphone-mobile integration for the consumer. With new online opportunities emerging all the time, and existing elements continuing to move forwards, 2011 will definitely be the year to watch the communications industry.


For the full article and examples to accompany each trend above, see the iQmetrix Newsletter for this week.

Most Consumers Don't Know When Their Wireless Contract Ends

Originally posted October 1, 2010

A recent Best Buy Mobile Survey announced that more than half of US cellphone owners have no idea of the month and year when their wireless contract expires.

Only 40% of those surveyed received reminders as to when their contract was about to expire. This means that customers are mis-informed when it comes to upgrades and plan options available to them.

Shawn Score, Best Buy Mobile's president, comments "When it comes to mobile solutions available today, many consumers are not armed with the right information to truly get the most out of their mobile phone."

This is something that Canadian wireless providers see too. I have lost count of the number of people that have come into our locations, having purchased their phone elsewhere, with no idea how to use the phone, or even why they purchased it in the first place.

One suggestion is to have a customer loyalty program that provides them with information to stop them using devices that are years old, and moving them to something that is going to better suit their needs. And with the advent of so many different applications for the hundred of smartphones out there, wireless retailers can even create loyalty programs that work via text, email, mobile coupons or online apps. The key? Simply staying in touch with those customers.

Although the survey was conducted in the US, Canadian wireless providers are likely to see similar trends. Some other facts found include the following:

• 67% of consumers indicated “carriers” were their main influence when buying a phone
• 23% of respondents chose the phone they bought based on the device itself
• 10% chose a phone based on its operating platform (e.g. iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, etc.)
• Other phone purchasing priorities include: music, video and camera (45%), GPS navigation (32%), intent to replace landline phone (29%), social networking capability (26%), Wi-Fi (26%), e-commerce capability (15%), movie downloads (15%) and games (14%).

Thanks go to IQMetrix News & Views for the original story (http://tinyurl.com/2e8s5og).