GAWDA Edge Blog 
  

Photo: liewcf

A recent editorial in the New York Times compiled twitter responses to the question: what cell phone app doesn’t exist but should? With the number of apps, it’s a little hard even just to think of what cell phone apps don’t exist. There are even optimized routing apps to help figure out the quickest delivery route, but what about “an app that maps out my grocery list in the supermarket to give me an optimized shopping path?” (as suggested by one NYT reader).

I am extending the question to you, but with a focus: What phone app should exist that would help gases and welding distributors?

Maybe it’s something for inventory. Maybe it’s for salespeople (an app to find customers would be nice). How about a GAWDAwiki app to search industry terms quicker from your phone? Maybe an app could manage your cylinder tracking or CRM.

There are endless possibilities, and it’s completely up to you. Get your creative juices flowing and let me know what app could make your life easier, allow you to develop better customer relationships or improve your business in some way.

Also, what phone apps do exist that you use in your business? How do you use them?

Leave a comment and share your app ideas and examples. I look forward to hearing what you come up with.

Recently I came across an article about how to buy technology for small businesses. The article has a lot of great points, but there is one tip that struck me as entirely innovative.

Article author Gene Marks points out that hardware reviews are readily available in magazines, but when it comes to business software applications and services, it can be hard to find reliable testimonies. What to do? Marks says to log onto job search sites such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com and search for the software’s name in job postings.

With any luck, you’ll come across a company seeking candidates familiar with your software, which means that the company uses the software. Then, call up the company and ask them what they think: Do they like the software? What has their experience been like? How’s the tech support? Many companies will be glad to help, and best of all, they have nothing to gain by being dishonest.

This is a brilliant and innovative way to use networking to your benefit. Taking advantage of other people’s experience is one of the most tried and true ways to get ahead in any industry. Maybe it’s the colleague who has worked in the business for thirty years that you turn to; but who says you are limited to those people to which you have direct access?

Think outside the box—learn from anyone you can. In my experience, everyone in GAWDA, from green salespeople up to the company presidents, is willing and happy to share their knowledge and experiences. This is the greatest resource the association has, so why not use it? With technology, networking is easier than ever, thanks to sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. Based on Marks’ advice, you could even add job search sites to that list.

Photo: avlxyz

A few weeks ago I wrote about QR codes in the gases and welding industry, and looked at different directives that a QR code can perform, such as directing a user to a particular website or promotion. Even after you’ve figured out where to direct customers, that’s only half of the picture. The other major consideration is where to place the QR code.

I’ve come across some really innovative approaches to QR code placements. Advertisers rely on the novelty of QR codes to intrigue readers. Some are taking the mystery even further, by dropping all readable text and relying on a printed QR code alone to deliver a message. A freestanding QR code on a building or a bus, for example, has a certain draw—the mystery of where it will take you and who put it there.

Photo: clevercupcakes

A freestanding QR code is only one approach. Recently I stumbled across a flickr group called QR Codes in the Wild. If you’re looking for some inspiration, it’s a great place to see what other companies are doing.

I want to hear your ideas:
Where would you put a QR code for your company that might intrigue customers?

What do you think about the QR codes in Welding & Gases Today?

This image may look something like a miniature crossword puzzle, but it is actually a bar code. What’s so special about this bar code is that you don’t need a scanner to read it. It’s known as a quick response bar code—QR code for short—and you can read it with most smart phones.

For businesses, QR codes are the latest form of interactive marketing. When scanned, a QR code can perform a variety of directives, the most common of which is to take users to a specific website. For companies, it’s a great way to get customers to a specific area of a website without typing in a long URL. Instead of being limited to the main website, say www.gawdaedge.org, I could make a QR code to send you to my blog—or even a specific blog post.

In addition to directing web traffic, QR codes can be encoded to deliver coupons, text messages, contact information and much more. Imagine: a QR code on the back of your business card allows your contacts to store your information in their phone without ever typing a number.

Another example: fast food restaurants have started placing bar codes on product wrappers. By scanning the code, patrons can access nutritional information for their meals. How does this translate to gases and welding distributors? A strategically placed code on a hydrogen cylinder might give customers instant access to your Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); another code on a MIG welder might provide detailed technical specifications and safety guidelines.

QR codes can be found throughout the pages of the summer issue of our sister magazine, Welding & Gases Today. These codes allow readers to interact and learn more about companies and their products. Information on how to read the codes with your phone is available in W&GT Online.

With the pervasiveness of cell phones, a phone-accessible code has a lot of appeal for businesses. In the space of a little more than a postage stamp, you can transmit a large amount of information in a variety of ways.

Do you have an idea of how gases and welding distributors can use QR codes in their businesses? Do you think the technology will catch on? Share your ideas in the comments section and they might be featured in the next issue of GAWDA Edge.