Text Marketing Blog | MoboMix

The App That Teaches CPR in Emergency Situations

 

There are apps for business, there are apps for entertainment, there are apps for the weather, and there are apps that help save lives. One app that falls into the life-saving category is PulsePoint, a nonprofit application endorsed by the Red Cross and the American Heart Association, among others. The app provides updated CPR guidelines and otherwise encourages citizens to be active during emergency situations, rather than standing and watching them unfold. 

 

Using The Training

Nearly 60 percent of adults in the United States have undergone training to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or use an automated external defibrillator (AED). These people have acknowledged their willingness to help during times of emergency, yet only about 11 percent do. Those behind PulsePoint have used mobile technology to streamline CPR guidelines while simultaneously finding ways to appeal to this trained segment of the population. 

Think of the time it takes for paramedics or an EMS team to arrive at the scene when someone’s having a heart attack. Beginning the CPR process quickly doubles if not triples the individual’s survival rate; therefore, a mobilized, trained population could provide life-saving assistance during said window. 

 

How PulsePoint Works

So, how does PulsePoint work? Those trained in CPR or AED use register with the app and receive notifications whenever they’re near someone suffering from cardiac arrest. The app also lets these people know where the nearest public AEDs are located. 

EMS workers take over the emergency situation once they arrive; however, having a trained individual provide assistance until that time could easily be the difference between life and death. The app alerts anyone nearby who has PulsePoint the moment 911 is called. 

 

Crossover Potential

PulsePoint is currently working in small and large cities, including Fargo, North Dakota and Cleveland, Ohio. The app also offers extensive crossover potential in areas of public health, security, and education. This naturally depends on PulsePoint’s level of success; however, variations of the innovative software could provide assistance to assorted civil service functions. 

 

Creating Citizen Superheroes

The official PulsePoint website stresses that the app is a way to create superheroes out of regular citizens with CPR training who are interested in putting their skills to excellent use. The site notes that SCA can happen any time, at any location, and the more citizens are aware of the health of their community members, the more they become helpful partners to paramedics and similar service agents. 

PulsePoint is challenging those trained in CPR and AED to be proactive instead of looking the other way when they see an ambulance go by or hear those familiar sirens. The website notes this is even more imperative when an ambulance or fire truck is stuck in horrendous traffic. Rather than depriving cardiac arrest victims of the help they need, PulsePoint is encouraging the average person with CPR training to help his or her fellow citizen when it’s direst. 

Will the app become the new standard in cardiac arrest cases? 

 

Mobile Wallets Are Faster, So Why Wait for Chip and PIN?

 

Have you used a chip reader yet? First, you dig out your credit card, stick it in the machine, wait a few seconds, remove the card, sign the dotted line, and then you get your receipt. 

It’s a simple process, but it’s more time consuming than the previous swipe method, and the public, as well as merchants, are taking note of the extra time it takes at checkout. In fact, chip-enabled credit cards can take as long as 10 seconds to complete a transaction; add those seconds up over an 8-hour work day, and you might find that customers are starting to tap their feet. 

Chip technology was, and still is, a huge victory for financial institutions and retail stores; reducing fraud with this technology has been successful by most accounts. However, businesses were slow to adopt chip readers, and banks launched a defense wherein retailers would take on the burden of fraudulent charges. 

Merchants responded in kind, but were likely unaware of the excess wait times they’d be facing as a result. According to a new report by Iovation and the research firm Aite Group, by the end of this year, 80 percent of all credit cards in the U.S. will include chip technology. 

 

Alternatives for Chip Technology 

Chip technology wasn’t the only solution to the original problem, nor is it the only viable alternative today. Mobile wallets have been around for years, including Google Wallet, which was first introduced back in 2011 and released to the public late the same year. Tim Cook announced Apple Pay back in 2014, yet very little awareness of mobile wallet technology exists in the public.

This is partly because many retail stores don’t yet support mobile payment technology, but it’s also a result of slow adoption from consumers, many of whom are dubious of the new payment system. 

However, they might also feel compelled to get familiar with mobile wallet technology when they grow tired of waiting in line at the grocery store, restaurants, or the local coffee shop. Some mobile wallet processing takes as little as 2.4 seconds, and you don’t even have to bring your wallet to the store—just your smartphone.

Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay are all working to streamline their systems and overcome the greatest challenge of all: getting the average consumer to ditch plastic cards altogether. 

 

Chip Vs. Mobile Wallet Safety 

There’s a lot of debate over which method of payment is more secure: chip or mobile. But where one has seen more adoption (chip technology), the other (mobile wallets) is looking to springboard off the chip.

According to a paper by officials from the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Boston, the “…contactless mobile solution provides the framework for the enhanced security present in the EMV chip+PIN card environment, while also introducing new security layers unique to the mobile phone, including password protection to operate the mobile phone and access applications securely embedded in the phone.”

And that’s exactly what mobile wallets plan to do moving forward, assuming they can get consumers on board with the idea of paying for everyday items with their phones.

At the end of the day, mobile wallets will be faster and safer than cards (with or without chip technology), so it’s odd to see so much retail commitment when it’s possible that mobile wallets could make chip technology obsolete. 

 

Mobile Marketing Campaigns for Restaurants

It seems like every day a new French bistro or craft beer pub opens up. In today’s bustling marketplace, small factors can have a huge impact on your bottom line. Take smartphones, for example. Did you know that two thirds of Americans own a smartphone, and more than six billion texts are sent out daily? So, it comes as no surprise that having a strong mobile presence can be beneficial to your business.

Here is how mobile marketing campaigns for restaurants can help restauranteurs bring more diners through the door. 

Mobile Coupons

In the old days, restaurants relied on printed coupons to fill seats and increase revenue. In today’s digital age, mobile coupons are seeing a 1,000 percent higher buy rate than print coupons. Moreover, digital coupons cost a lot less than print ones. In order to entice buyers, you need to set up a snackable rotation of customer coupons that you can use with different kinds of diners. Here are a few ideas:

• Percentage off entire order
• Buy one, get one free
• Get a side item or drink free with purchase of an entrée
• Discounts on purchases over a dollar amount (for example, $5 off a $30 purchase)

In order to get diners to jump on these offers faster, only offer them for a short period of time via SMS messaging or text.

Loyalty Rewards

Reward your repeat patrons with tasty rewards and exclusive company announcements. Text message campaigns allow consumers to opt in to the service. Keep a list of all of the diners who are repeat customers and send them personalized loyalty offers – such as free dessert coupons on their birthdays.

Timing Is Everything

When it comes to reaching hungry mouths, timing is important. You can drastically improve response rates by sending your text messages at the right times. For example, send a message between the hours of 11am and 1pm when people are opting where to go for lunch. Entice them with a special lunchtime deal that is only good for a certain amount of time. If you own a bar/restaurant, send exclusive happy hour deals, such half-off drink or bar snack specials.

Seamless Mobility

In order for customers to reach your website, it should be built for mobile phones. If you send a text message directing them to a deal on your website and they cannot navigate your site on their mobile devices, you both will not be able to reap the benefits.

Hone in on Your Target Market

Recently, Dunkin’ Donuts ran a focused marketing campaign in the Boston area. The campaign was advertised on local radio stations and through mobile internet ads. This generated 7,500 customers opting in to receiving Dunkin’ Donuts mobile offers. 

Consider running targeted marketing campaigns for customers in a specific region, especially if you own more than one restaurant location.

In order to fill more seats and generate revenue, restauranteurs need to start taking advantage of mobile marketing.