(This post originally appeared on Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 – Snap has a new partnership that opens it up to hundreds of thousands of advertisers
Snap and e-commerce company Shopify this past week announced a new partnership that will let small businesses that sell on Shopify easily buy ads on Snapchat Discover. The integration is designed to let Shopify customers – many of who small businesses and solo merchants – to buy and manage a Snapchat Story ad campaign directly on Shopify’s platform. (Source: CNBC)
Why this is important for your business:
If you’re selling on Shopify and have found it hard (and expensive) to manage ad campaigns, here’s an opportunity to reach Shapchat’s vast audience. There will be an app you can access on Shopify’s platform and from there you can create your ads, target an audience and publish directly on Snapchat. Considering the popularity of Snapchat – particularly among those in their teens and twenties – this could be a great way to reach new customers.
2 – SBA and VISA are bringing back the Small Business Week hackathon
For the second year, SBA and VISA are partnering to bring back their popular hackathon for small businesses during Small Business Week on May 3-5 in Washington, DC. The event will go on all week and solicit solutions for “how small businesses can restore their revenue streams, finance short and long-term recovery, establish a robust supply chain, deal with power disruptions and keep their employees on the payroll in the aftermath of a major disaster.” (Source: Fedscoop)
Why this is important for your business:
Last year’s event attracted 65 developers and entrepreneurs who created solutions primarily geared to help small businesses with their financial management. If you’re a developer and looking for ways to get funding then this could be a good opportunity. There’s a total of $60,000 in prizes available with $25,000 going to the winner. It’s also a great way to build some branding for your firm and maybe meet a few interesting people…with money!
3 – Google launches CallJoy, a virtual customer service phone agent for small businesses
This week, in what must be striking fear in the hearts of companies that already offer call center applications, Google introduced CallJoy and it’s targeted directly at small businesses. (Source: TechCrunch)
Why this is important for your business:
You get calls? You provide service? Your customers need answers? CallJoy is supposed to help you do all of this in a very affordable manner – like $39 bucks a month total. The system will offer a low-cost customer service agent to block spam calls and provide basic business information about your company. It will also redirect calls based on customer requests – like appointment booking – using text messaging too. CallJoy will also transcribe and record calls as well as storing them so you can search later.
4 – Dell laptops and computers vulnerable to remote hijacks
If you or your employees have a laptop with Dell SupportAssist (and trust me, if you have a Dell device you likely do) then pay attention: there’s a vulnerability that exposes your laptop to a remote attack that can allow a hacker to take over your device and wreak havoc. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
There’s good news. Dell has issued a fix. Make it a point for all of your people to go here and download the updated version of SupportAssist.
5 – Small Businesses Turn to Augmented Reality to Win Customers
If you’re not familiar with augmented reality technology, it’s time to be. When using this technology, you can take digital images and overlay them over real-world photos (and videos). Think of using images to furnish a house in your room, or put on clothing or design a kitchen. Or choosing a color for a new car or thinking of ideas for a construction project. More and more small companies – from bakeries to interior designers – are now adopting this technology because the cost is coming down and the uses are endless. (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Why this is important for your business:
“It has the potential to change an opinion about an item. Especially for bigger-ticket products, since customers can see more detail,” Eric Abbruzzese, who covers the augmented- and virtual-reality marketplaces, told the Wall Street Journal. Augmented reality “can help convince customers who are on the fence about an online purchase they can’t see in person.”
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