5 Customer Service Apps for Small Businesses

In today’s digital world, smartphones and mobile applications have changed consumer behavior. Customers are now seeking convenient ways to connect with their favorite brands and expect immediate response to inquiry. Small businesses are answering the consumer’s needs by using customer service applications to stay on top of client requests, inquires, and feedback. Here are five great customer service apps for small businesses:

Desk.com: This app designed specifically for small business keeps tabs on all your customer service channels, and all in one place. The “Universal Inbox” allows you to track and manage customer conversations including email, phone, chat, Facebook and Twitter.

Kayako: A help desk and support suite in one that integrates customer conversations and engagement via email, phone, chat, and self-service options. Offers full-ticket management as well as search and support filters to automatically categorize customer issues.

BlazeLoop: This customer engagement solution refers real-time customer input to staff members for immediate action and resolution. The app can also monitor social media for complaints and compliments concerning your business.

IdeaScale: Deploy customer surveys based on location and collate customer information with this app.  Business users can also generate customer-based public forums to share knowledge and rank the best advice.

SmarterTrack: A helpdesk application built for tracking, managing, and reporting on customer service and communications, including support issues and sales opportunities. Features include ticket system, live chat, call logging, task management system, branding and language support, and knowledge base.

Providing top-notch service is one of the most effective ways for a small business to stand apart from its competitors. Digital apps are a great way to offer excellent customer service, promote customer loyalty, and grow your business. Have you used these or other customer service apps? Share your experience in the comments!

Learn How to Grow Your Business in Digital Marketing Webinar

If you’ve been curious about whether or not digital marketing will work for your small business, or if your digital marketing initiatives haven’t been giving you the results you need and want, then you’ll definitely want to sign up for our newest webinar, How to Get More Phone Calls From Your Website. This hour-long webinar will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2013, at 11:00 am until 12:00 noon CT.

In this information-packed session, you’ll learn all the nuts and bolts about digital marketing, including:

• Website Best Practices
• How to Incorporate Social Media Marketing
• Blogging Your Way to the Top
• Email Marketing for Success
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Local Online Directories

Lisa Jones, president of Business Direct Marketing, and Jon Kendall of Texas Biz Solutions will be presenting and answering your questions.

Seats are filling up fast, so please click here to reserve your space for this webinar. You’ll walk away with the tools and knowledge you need to turbo-charge your digital marketing campaigns, plan an effective strategy for getting results, and developing metrics and benchmarks to ensure that your campaigns are on the right track.

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6 SEO Tips for Small Business

Online marketing has become increasingly competitive, and for today’s small businesses simply having a website is not enough. After all, what good is having a website if no one sees it? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is necessary to improve your small business’ visibility and ranking on search engines so your customers can find you online. Follow our tips to optimize your website and increase your business’ search engine exposure:

1. Know your audience. The first step in SEO is to define your target audience. Identifying your audience and their needs will allow you to focus your content and keywords for the best possible reach.

2. Use keywords. Include keywords in your website page titles, headers, and content. Deciding which keywords to use will require a little research (we recommend using Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool), but if you have determined your target audience as advised in Tip #1 this process will be a breeze. Remember to use keywords sparingly in your content (only 2 to 3 times per page) or your site may be penalized in rankings for “keyword stuffing”.

3. Build useful content. In SEO, it’s quality over quantity. Write articles, answer questions, add product reviews, pictures, and demonstration videos to your website. Original and interesting content will give visitors a reason to browse, interact, and share the information on your site. Providing value to your visitors is good not only for SEO, but also for your business ROI.

4. Link back to your website. Inbound links are very important in SEO. The more links you have to your website, the more your search engine ranking will be enhanced. Make sure your website is linked to your blog and social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to start creating quality back-links.

5. Add your business to Google Places and Google Plus Local. Add your business information to Google’s listing pages for local business and easily connect with customers. Google Places allows you to manage your basic business information like address, phone number, and hours of operation. Google Plus Local lets your customers review your business and share experiences with other local customers. The fact that these two tools are part of the Google search engine means they are certainly calculated in search rankings.

6. Update, update, update. It’s no secret that the algorithms for search engine rankings are often changing, but some organic results principles (like content and conversion) remain static. Continually add content and links to your website, and keep your business listings information current.

SEO is important for all businesses, especially small ones. Optimizing your website is vital for your customers to find you, thus increasing your site traffic and ultimately your sales. Without a strong online presence, your business may as well not even exist.