Spring Forward with a Text Back

Ah, spring. A time of new beginnings. Warm weather, blooming flowers, and the start of baseball season. Even if the ground is still covered in snow (we feel for you, New England!), the beginning of spring provides an opportunity to start anew.

What better way to start spring than to engage in some spring cleaning? Whether it would do you good to switch out your winter wardrobe, scrub down the kitchen floor (or hire a cleaning service…), or even plant a garden all your own, TalkTo is here to help.

• Clothing stores are stocked with spring clothes already, so text your favorite to see if they have warm weather outfits or a swimsuit in your size. 
• Does your apartment look like it survived a dust storm? Text a local cleaning service to arrange for a little outsourced spring cleaning.
• Want to renew your devotion to that New Year’s Resolution and eat healthier? It’s time to start planting if you want to grow some veggies of your own. Text around and see who has the seeds and gardening supplies you need to get started this weekend.

These and other spring chores can be done with texts from TalkTo, and you’ll feel fresh, renewed, and ready to face the rest of 2013 head-on.

So go ahead, don’t wait any longer! It’s time to spring into action.

Girl’s Night Out

It’s happening again.

Maybe your boyfriend has just spent too much time discussing Wes Welker’s move to Denver, or you just can’t listen to your kids talk about the virtues of Minecraft anymore. What you need is a night out. A night to talk about anything else, like why on earth Taylor Swift would pick a fight with Amy Pohler and Tina Fey.

But girls’ nights out aren’t easy to coordinate. Where do you go? What if an extra friend unexpectedly shows up… Or someone can’t make it at the last minute? And, of course, what to wear?

TalkTo has you covered. Text some of your favorite restaurants to find out what reservations are available and whether they can be flexible on party size. Shoot a text to your pub of choice to make sure your favorite Malbec is available.

No one wants to show up to a date with her girlfriends with her roots showing. Use TalkTo to grab that long overdue hair appointment. Need something to wear? Check on in stock sizes and colors with a few texts.

Once you do finally get out on the town with the girls, please put the phone away. You deserve it!

You Are What You Text

If you’re anything like us, your New Year’s Resolution went out the window, oh… about a month ago. But with swimsuit season in the near future, it’s time to get back up on that horse. There’s also another reason to shape up:  March is National Nutrition Month.

Eating well, and getting the right ingredients, can be time consuming. What was the name of that fish you bought and enjoyed last week on the fish man’s suggestion? Send Whole Foods a quick text to jog your memory. Looking for your favorite fusilli pasta, but made with whole wheat instead? Text a few grocery stores in your area to find out who stocks it. Try texting your favorite lunch spot to see what salads they have on the menu – dressing on the side, please.

Don’t stop at nutrition. It’s also time to revisit those fitness goals. Want to know when spin classes are scheduled at your gym? Shoot them a text with TalkTo. Text city hall to find community fitness programs in your area. Send a text to register for that yoga class you’ve finally been meaning to get to. Text the shoe store to see if that new pair of running shoes you’ve been eyeing are available in your size.

Gear up. Game on.

March’s Winter Wonderland

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that the dog days of winter throughout March can be tough. The pretty, white majestic snow starts to look a shade closer to dirt, and being “snuggled” inside the house all day has lost its charm as cabin fever sets in. At TalkTo, we argue that the best cure for the winter blues is to head into the great wild to recapture some of that December joy. After all, snow is a limited commodity and you can’t very well strap on your skis in July. 

Planning a winter sports trip can be an expensive hassle, but – lucky for you – TalkTo is perfectly equipped to handle all of your equipment. Text your favorite rental shop from here to Killington to find the best deals on rental boards and boots. Curious about the conditions? Go ahead and text the mountain operator to figure out which black diamond you’ll be swooshing down soon. Make sure to text the mountain retailer for the cost of helmets – nothing ruins a ski trip like a journey to the hospital.

Once your activities are squared away, you’ll need a nice lodge to cozy up in. Text to find a room, and while you’re at maybe you’ll want to arrange a nice bottle of icy champagne upon arrival? Shoot an under-the-radar text to your hotel concierge on the journey up.

See you on the slopes.

Lights, camera, action!

And the winner is…

TalkTo!

No, sadly, we’re not nominated for an Oscar this year. But, happily, many of this year’s greatest movies are, including Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, and Zero Dark Thirty. The Oscar bash is one of the great joys of the Academy Awards, and TalkTo has you covered for everything you need to ensure your party doesn’t accidentally look like a recreation of Les Miserables.

Have you heard the people sing? You can’t very well accurately fill out your ballot if you haven’t seen all the movies. TalkTo can help you text movie theaters for those last-minute show times. Do your best Rachel Zoe impression and text stores to determine what their stocks of red carpet-worthy gowns look like. Text your favorite restaurant for that perfect appetizer recipe to get your attendees heralding you as best leader since Lincoln..

Don’t worry if your favorite movie didn’t win. The silver lining is that there’s always next year. In the meantime, use TalkTo to text your watering hole to ensure they’ve got your favorite whiskey and an open seat.

Be a Holiday Hero

Ruh-roh.

Did the droopy, over-priced flowers you grabbed at the last minute fail to impress? How about the sexy “silk” boxers acquired in a moment of unclear thinking?

Ah, Valentine’s Day. We’ve all suffered the aftermath of plans gone awry: forgotten dinner reservations, a complete lack of chocolate, and the missing flowers while the deliveries came in for all your sweetie’s coworkers.

Never again! Next holiday, things will be different. Next time, you’ll use TalkTo and get it all done quickly and easily with text messages.

Grab that reservation at your favorite restaurant while still sitting in your meeting. Don’t argue with the florist over the cost of a dozen long-stemmed roses, text each flower shop in your neighborhood to find the best deal. Don’t worry if the perfect gift is going to be in stock, text the store to make sure what you want is there – and in the right size – before sneaking out of the house.

Here’s to happier holidays in 2013! Purim, St. Patrick’s Day, Passover and Easter will be here before you know it. Get texting!

Heading South?

It’s that time of year when everyone is sick of Winter. Two of our own TalkTo employees are heading to warmer climates this week to get a break from the snow and ice.

As exciting as it is to head towards the equator - traveling can still be stressful. There are the long lines at security, concerns about remembering to pack everything, and the lingering suspicion that you left the space heater running. Not to mention the endless possibilities for mini disasters - What if my plane is delayed? Or my rental car was handed out to someone else? Or my hotel reservation wasn’t properly processed?

Enter: TalkTo. Texting businesses is always handy, but especially so when traveling. Is your flight delayed while you are left to starve out on the tarmac? Send a text to find out what time the In & Out Burger at your destination closes. Forget your iPhone charger? Text the hotel to see if they can arrange for a loaner. Finally going to indulge in your daydreams of hanging 10 on Waikiki Beach? Text surf shops to find instructors.

Hopefully TalkTo can make your winter travels a little less stressful this year. Surf’s up!

Hold On, I’m On Hold

Hate being stuck on hold listening to muzak and Kenny G?

You’re not alone. More than 85% of people are put on hold every time they call a business. We discovered this when we commissioned a survey of 500 consumers.

The sad truth is we are growing old on hold. Check out these crazy stats: Half of respondents spend 10-20 minutes per week on hold. That adds up to 13 hours per year and 43 days spent on hold in a lifetime!  And as if waiting on hold wasn’t bad enough, nearly 50% say that calling businesses is unproductive because the people on the other end aren’t helpful when they do answer.

There has to be a better way to get answers from businesses.

And there is, it’s TalkTo. Texting is the universal mode that consumers prefer. More than 61% of people in their 20s and 35% of people in their 30s send more than 50 text messages per week! Even 25% of people in their 40s send between 26-50 texts per week.

Below is an infographic illustrating just how frustrating it can be to wait on hold. Want to let un know what you think about it? Just send us a text with TalkTo.

Buh-bye, Kenny G.

Embed this graphic on your own site:

Talking To Strangers

“If you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own.” - Wes Nisker

We’re looking forward to a bright and shiny new year with more news, more new TalkTo users, and more buzz. Here’s some of our favorite recent coverage:

Mashable, “25 Standout Apps from 2012”:  December 3, 2012

• “TalkTo allows you to text businesses and get a direct reply from the location nearest you, without the fuss and discomfort of making a call. Don’t get stuck waiting on hold; just shoot off a text while you’re eating dinner, studying, getting a haircut or whatever. Suddenly, businesses are easier to… TalkTo.”

LifeHacker, “TalkTo Lets You Text Message Businesses So You Don’t Have to Call Them”:  November 13, 2012

• “TalkTo works in the background to find the best way to contact the business with your message, delivering it by chat, SMS, email, or by phone if necessary. Then it sends you a text response. In this way, it kind of acts like a virtual assistant.”

Momprenuer Mogul, “Get more things done by texting and say goodbye to phone calls with TalkTo”:  November 14, 2012

• “The possibilities are endless regarding the multitude of ways that TalkTo can simply your life and help you get in touch with the businesses and products that you love most.”

Reuters, “Forget phoning a business, new app sends a text instead”:  November 19, 2012

• “Texting a business is similar to texting a friend. Users simply start typing the business name and then select it from a directory that includes tens of millions of businesses.”

TechCrunch, “Disrupt Finalist TalkTo Brings Its SMS-Based Communication Platform To The Web”:  November 13, 2012

• “The first time you get a text response after typing a question into a search result, you’ll understand the power of the platform.”

Free Times: “APP OF THE MONTH: TALKTO”:  December 3, 2012

• “Search for a business, type your message, and a few minutes later you’ll get back a response. Magic. That’s it. Get answers, don’t waste time on the phone, get on with your life (this should be their slogan).”

Resolve to Spend Less Time on Hold

With all the talk this week of New Year’s Resolutions, we’re eager to join in. We’ve decided on the following company resolutions for TalkTo:

• We resolve that “your call is important to us” will never be heard again by our customers.
• We resolve to kill the phone tree.
• We resolve to rid the world of smooth jazz.
• We resolve to bankrupt Kenny G.

Please let us know how we’re doing on these resolutions. We love hearing from TalkTo customers, so send us a text. Heck, send any business a text with TalkTo!