Category: Reviews

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Drift – Much More Than a Messaging App – Part Two

Continued from Wednesday.

The Drift messaging app for websites is on target with my needs.
The Drift messaging app for websites is on target with my needs.

Implementation of the Drift code on my website, to enable clients to use the app, took under five minutes, as I use header includes.

As I have tested out the application, I have found that it sends emails to the user to remind them of their appointment with you and also saves their email in the Drift application.

So, my concern with getting the prospect’s phone number in the initial conversation with the bot is moot. As the appointment approaches, I  can directly contact the client and make calling arrangements on my own. I can even communicate using the email link for appointment confirmation via the Drift app to ask for the phone number.

Drift has a mobile app which allows you to respond to website messages while you are out of the office and on the go. Talk about instant communication!

Once the appointment is scheduled by the prospect, within seconds the appointment appeared in my own Google Calendar. I was even able to select my own Google category for incoming calls so they would be marked and colored properly in my calendar.

I have to say that the Drift app has some very nice new features that I have not seen before in other calendaring or messaging apps. I do like some of the automation features and the ability to interact with prospects immediately when they really have a question while they are sitting on my website.

I do recommend that you check out the free version of Drift. At the very minimum, you will have a really nice website chat app and if you upgrade, you will get some really nice features that are unique to Drift – like the bot, team settings, and auto response functions.

 

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Drift – Much More Than a Messaging App – Part One

Nancy McCord
“Just Nancy” – My Point of View for Today.

Drift , it’s not what you would expect. This new application is much more than a simple messaging app. It is a robust website and lead generating tool you embed right in your website code.

Yes messaging and online chat is what it does, but the paid version (although pricey for the month  about $50), really puts your website to work.

First, know that their site does not work in Internet Explorer (the site will appear like a blank screen where nothing loads), but definitely works in Google Chrome.

Second, know that I am not being paid for this review. I just like the app and am interested in using it for my own website. The team at Drift asked me to look at their app as I am a user of Calendly and have written about that app before on my blog.

You can check out my online Drift profile.

You can check out my Drift online scheduling app.

View Drift in action on my website.

Here’s what I like about Drift – (I am using the free version.)

It is relatively easy to use. I did full customization of my Drift account, messages, and profiles in about 30 to 40 minutes. I was able to add my bio, image, social media profiles and company information. It was not hard and they have some really nice tutorials you can watch on YouTube.

I was able to customize the apps colors to match my website. You are offered font colors and even font styles to help you make it match your website.

I was able to customize most of the messages that clients see. Not only could I choose what the chat bubbles would say when I was online and offline, but I could select the days and hours to be available. The paid version will match your availability of your Google Calendar and does have other very nice features.

They have a very neat bot that helps to book your online appointments. I thought that was actually very cool. I wished that the free service had at least one or two options to customize bot messages, like when scheduling an appointment making sure to ask for the prospect for their phone number.

Now the paid version has a robust use of the bot and I can think of many uses for that feature. If you are running an ecommerce store you can preload FAQ’s for the bot to answer to help users and save your team time. That is very cool!

Check back on Wednesday for more of my candid thoughts and review on Drift.

 

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TeamUp Reviewed – Part Two

Our TeamUp Calendar
Our TeamUp Calendar

My uncompensated review is continued from Monday.

I have trained my team that when they complete one of the tasks that at the end they add -DONE. I have to say this has made my life much easier and has streamlined management for my social media manager.  When you are working with many remote employees who each work when they have time, you need to know when something is DONE.

Sorting
I really like the option to show TeamUp calendar by day, three days, week or month. I typically use the day and three day.

Emailing Updates
I have set my team members up to receive calendared events that have changed. I also get an email at the beginning of the day with each event that has been updated. I encourage my team to drag items they don’t finish for a day to the day they will do it on. Allowing me to identify if I have a problem with deadline slippage or team members who may need additional intervention.

Repeat Events
This is a brand new feature that suddenly got turned on in my account last week and I have to say I am now using it all the time. I can now take and event and repeat it on my schedule – certain days, certain days of the week or even monthly. This has helped me move from user to advocate.

I have to say that TeamUp is a problem solver for my team management issues and allows my manager to know what deadlines are met and not without time consuming double checks. For me, while on travel, I can know what is happening with my team with minimal intervention.

I highly recommend this free app to you to try out too. Find it online at https://teamup.com/.