TalkTo

People and Places, Together at Last

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 14:11:23 -0400

We’re thrilled to announce that Path Talk 1.1 is available and it includes your favorite super-power: getting answers from a local business as easy as texting a friend. It’s called Places, and it lets you interact with any local business. No phone calls needed.

Places provides the TalkTo service inside Path Talk. Message your favorite local businesses to request appointments, make reservations, or even check out prices and hours. It’s all by text. And it’s all for free for a limited time.

Earlier this summer we joined forces with Path in San Francisco. Path was in the process of introducing Path Talk— a messaging app for communicating with the people you care about. Our visions for the future of messaging were completely aligned, and bringing together messaging people and places just made sense.

We built Places in Path Talk 1.1 to help you save time and get things done— giving you more freedom to focus on things that matter to you. Our intention is that it brings you happiness and a more meaningful, personal connection with the local businesses that are a big part of your life, too.

After months of hard work, we’re thrilled to get Places into your hands. We have big ideas for how to make messaging people and places even more simple and more personal, and we’re excited to see where the possibilities take us. From now on it’s not just about who you can message, but what you can message.

Path Talk Places is available today for both Android and iOS in the U.S. and Canada. Existing TalkTo users should move to Path Talk immediately, the TalkTo app is no longer functional.

Thank you for all your support,

The ~~TalkTo~~ Path Team

Today we’re excited to announce we’re joining forces with Path!

Fri, 20 Jun 2014 11:00:00 -0400

Earlier this year we were excited to meet Path CEO Dave Morin to talk about the future of messaging. We felt combining their person-to-person messaging with our person-to-place messaging would be powerful. Our visions for the future of messaging were completely aligned, and with their launch of Path Talk, it was perfect timing to work together.

When we started TalkTo three years ago, person-to-person communication was happening with SMS, and we wondered why we couldn’t use messaging to interact with the stores, restaurants and places around us, too. We were already texting our friends, so why not text local places to check pricing and availability, get a table or book an appointment?

It worked! You believed in our crazy idea and helped us create a first-of-its-kind service to text any local place for answers. We’re not satisfied though, we’re still obsessed with making it easier to communicate with all the people, places and things in your life. With the launch of Path Talk, we’ve found the perfect way to pull it off!

If you registered your TalkTo account before today, you can continue to use TalkTo as you always have. New users should download the Path Talk messaging app (iTunes and Google Play). It will soon use the TalkTo service to support messaging millions of stores and restaurants in the US and Canada.

We couldn’t have come this far without your feedback, support and love for what we’re doing! You’ve pushed us to deliver a better service, and for that, we are truly thankful.

It’s time to take messaging to a new place!

Stuart, Riley, & the TalkTo Team

Insights from the iPhone 5s Launch

Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:09:00 -0400

Last month, Apple launched it’s 7th generation iPhone. People camped outside of Apple Stores days in advance. Others ran from store-to-store hoping to get their hands on the lighter, faster device. And some folks pulled out their old iPhones, launched the TalkTo app and asked nearby stores what they had in stock. TalkTo, being the way people find local products, had a perfect vantage point to uncover patterns in the iPhone shopping mania.

AT&T is still the king of the iPhone
Over half (56%) of US queries asked for AT&T phones, followed by Verizon (29%). This gap is largely driven by past history. If you remember, the iPhone was exclusive to AT&T for about 3 years. During that period, AT&T won early adopters and have been able to maintain those customers. And what did Verizon during that time? They bet big on Android, most notably spending $100 Million advertising the DROID.

The 5s is hot; the 5c not so much
With a faster processor, bio-marking security and better motion detection, the 5s was all the buzz during launch week. TalkTo fielded 20-times as many queries for the 5s as the 5c. The Gold 5s was in highest demand, with more than 3-times as many people asking for Gold over Space Gray.

For every 20 availability questions about the 5s there was 1 question about 5c.

The Apple Store and Best Buy are top-of-mind for iPhones
It’s no surprise that The Apple Store is where people go to get the newest iPhone. What’s interesting, though, is that Best Buy holds the second position, by a wide margin. This is due to the fact that Best Buy is carrier agnostic, so an AT&T or Verizon or Sprint customer can get what they want at Best Buy. It’s also interesting to note that RadioShack, which Wall Street is bearish on, owns significant mindshare when it comes to new iPhone launches. RadioShack was tied with Target as the 5th most TalkTo’d store.

RIM Country goes Apple
The typical US metro areas were iPhone hotspots. The corridor between Boston and DC saw about 25% of TalkTo traffic, followed by the West Coast. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the activity in and around Toronto. Just a few years back, the Waterloo/Toronto area was Blackberry country. Using an iPhone was worse than wearing a Boston Bruins jersey. Well, the times have changed and our brethren to the North sought iPhone’s as ravenously as folks in San Francisco.

The next big product launches are Playstation 4 and XBox one. Stay tuned for more TalkTo Local Insights.

Winner, Winner -- wait, WHAT’S for dinner??

Fri, 02 Aug 2013 10:38:07 -0400

TalkTo is like a Swiss Army Knife; it’s one tool that can do so many jobs. With TalkTo, you can connect with nearby businesses - big or small, independent or national chain - and ask just about anything.

To get a sense of what’s possible, we gave our users a challenge: Share your most creative use cases. The results are in. Wow, we have a creative community!

The Winner

Congratulations to Michael Wimsatt and his text to Ottomanelli & Sons in New York. Is it true: Does alligator taste like chicken?

The Almosts:

This Father used to TalkTo to fill his tummy while his child counted sheep.

This hiker needed the right boots from REI.

And, well, this one just made us blush.

Thanks to everyone who submitted! We love to hear what tasks TalkTo makes easier for you.

TalkTo Goes Native...Android, That Is

Tue, 23 Jul 2013 11:01:22 -0400

TalkTo is live in the Google Play store. And of course, our updates notes don’t disappoint.

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,

A tale of a new release,

That started from a whiteboard sketch

Downloads it should increase.

The interns were mighty Princeton men,

Their mentors wise and bright.

The small team started work that day

On a complete app rewrite, a complete app rewrite.

The coding started getting rough,

Must succeed at any cost,

If not for the effort of the two interns,

The release would be lost, the release would be lost.

TalkTo is now ready for you to install from the Play store

With new features

A new look too,

Text businesses maybe three,

The hair salon

Get a table before they’re all gone,

It’s just so versatile.

So this was the tale of an app release,

We told it to you in rhyme

TalkTo is at home on Android,

And you’ve found it just in time.

Trust TalkTo and the agents too,

To do their very best,

Replies from all the businesses,

In Canada and the U.S.

Compare a price, check hours, make reservations,

Not a single phone call made,

You text for everything you need,

And replies are soon displayed.

So go install TalkTo my friend,

You’re sure to get a smile,

From knowing when you use TalkTo

The phone you’ll never dial.

800 5-star reviews, analyzed

Fri, 19 Jul 2013 17:58:13 -0400

A few days back, TalkTo received its 800th review on iTunes. It’s easy to quantify the ratings (a solid 5 star) but what are people actually saying about TalkTo?

To answer that question, I went to Jason Davies amazing word tree tool.

First, I looked at the titles of our reviews. The most common word: “awesome” followed by “great”, “amazing” and “!”. Click here and you can play around with the tree yourself.

More interestingly, I plugged the reviews into the tool. TalkTo is “so useful”, “so convenient”, “so easy”. Click here to play around.

So if you want an “awesome” “app” that is “so convenient” and “so easy” and makes you want to exclaim “!”, you’re just a click away (iTunes, Android).

If E.T. had TalkTo….

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:11:00 -0400

If E.T. had TalkTo….

Spring Forward with a Text Back

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 11:43:00 -0400

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

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:38:00 -0400

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

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 09:44:00 -0500

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

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:58:00 -0500

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!

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:43:00 -0500

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

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:48:25 -0500

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?

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:13:18 -0500

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

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:50:00 -0500

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:

<div><a href="http://blog.talkto.com/post/41221909391/on-hold-survey"><img src="http://taltko-blog.s3.amazonaws.com/on-hold-survey-infographic.jpg" alt="Don't Grow Old On Hold"></a></div>

Talking To Strangers

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:19:00 -0500

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

We’ve spent time recently talking to the press, and have received some wonderful recognition as a result. We’re proud to be named one of Mashable’s 25 Standout Apps of 2012. Media attention like this helps us spread our message that TalkTo can make your life easier by allowing you to text any business in the U.S.

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

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 05:41:00 -0500

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!

Resolution Execution

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:44:00 -0500

It’s a new year, and time for a resolution - right? With all the ads, headlines and discounted gym memberships, you’ll be tempted to make a New Year’s resolution, but unfortunately, most resolutions are quickly forgotten.

We hope this year will be different for you, and we want TalkTo to help. Use TalkTo to take an easy first step on your resolution. If you give your resolution a little burst of forward momentum, it has a better chance of picking up steam and sticking.

How can TalkTo help you kickstart your resolution? Use TalkTo text the yoga studio near you to find out when a beginner’s class starts. Send a text to see if CVS has the stop-smoking gum you’ve heard doesn’t taste terrible. There’s a yarn shop around the corner, but you’re not sure if they have knitting classes? Yeah, you can text them, too!

If you’re looking to start a new resolution, TalkTo can help you make it happen. Send a text and get on with your day, knowing that the first step in making your resolution happen is already under way.

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Hipster Neighborhood

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:47:00 -0500

Forbes posted a list of “America’s Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods,” which included places like Downtown Portland, Maine, the Warehouse District in New Orleans, and a neighborhood not too far from our office; Allston-Brighton in Boston.

What all these neighborhoods have in common is an abundance of live music, coffee bars, galleries, boutiques and some of the best microbrews around. Even if you don’t consider yourself part of this “hipster” crowd, these neighborhoods are still a great place to hang out on the weekends. But, they can be pretty busy.

So how can you avoid the crowds and still enjoy the best these neighborhoods have to offer? Consider texting the places you plan to visit to make your plans ahead of time.

Use TalkTo to text for reservations and appointments, to find gifts and products you’re looking for, and to make sure the places you want to visit are open when you want them to be.

Here are some ideas to make your planning easier:

Text for a cab: Pick up at 9 a.m. please!
Text the local bar: Who’s playing tonight? Do you have the fall microbrew on tap?
Text the florist: Can you make up a special bouquet? I’ll be there at noon.
Text the art gallery: What artist are you showing this weekend?
Text the local shop: Do you sell handmade linens?

You could ask all these questions without making a single call, and you’d have answers a few minutes later. Ditch the phone calls, and enjoy the neighborhood!

TalkTo

People and Places, Together at Last

Today we’re excited to announce we’re joining forces with Path!

More Answers to save you time

Insights from the iPhone 5s Launch

Winner, Winner -- wait, WHAT’S for dinner??

TalkTo Goes Native...Android, That Is

800 5-star reviews, analyzed

If E.T. had TalkTo….

Spring Forward with a Text Back

Girl's Night Out

You Are What You Text

March’s Winter Wonderland

Lights, camera, action!

Be a Holiday Hero

Heading South?

Hold On, I'm On Hold

Talking To Strangers

Resolve to Spend Less Time on Hold

Resolution Execution

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Hipster Neighborhood