Fab Find: PocketSuite Connects You With Small Businesses Nearby

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A friend of mine is getting married and has been really into getting fit before the big day! I wanted to get her personal training as an engagement gift, but I don’t live near her so I struggled researching nearby gyms and reading several conflicting reviews on the internet. It was important to me to find the right person for her because I didn’t want to waste my money or her time. Then I discovered PocketSuite, the app that would solve my dilemma!

PocketSuite is designed to connect freelancers, personal assistants, trainers, and small business owners with clients in their area. The app helps you find professionals based on your location for a wide variety of services. Simply sign up, attach a credit card to your account, and then PocketSuite handles:

  • Scheduling Appointments – The app maintains a calendar of appointments, making it easy for you to find the best available appointment time for your busy schedule. Read more

5 Ways to be a Better Complainer and Get What You Want

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United Breaks Guitars

United Breaks Guitars (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few weeks ago, I told you about an app that helps you skip the wait-time when calling customer service. However, just because you get to talk to a person faster doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get what you want. I’ve had amazing customer service, but I’ve also had really horrendous help that leaves me so frustrated. You know what I mean – it can be really hard to keep your cool when the stranger on the other end of the phone is being difficult about their company shipping you the wrong pair of pants.

A few years ago Dave Carroll was flying United Airlines when he noticed that the people loading the plane were throwing his guitar around, resulting in a broken guitar when he landed. He spent months dealing with United’s customer service, only to discover that they weren’t going to do a thing about his smashed guitar. Dave took matters into his own hands, writing the song “United Breaks Guitars” and exposing the airline’s bad behavior in a viral video that resulted in United reaching out to David and offering to replace his unusual guitar. Now, when the rest of us have to get a new guitar, we can’t quite get United Airlines to send one for us. Instead, we can compare a range of small bodied guitars on a site like thesoundjunky until we find the guitar that is right for us.
I know that we don’t all have the luxury (or the musical ability) to handle bad customer service the way Dave did, but here are a few ways anyone can complain smarter and get better customer service: Read more

“Netflix for Books” Can Save You Money!

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English: A Picture of a eBook Español: Foto de...It’s been so cold here in New York and I’m looking forward this weekend when I can stay inside and cozy up with a good book to relax! I really love biographies, historical fiction, and any book that’s about to be made into a movie. As a kid – I loved going to the library and would often pick the same books over and over (usually Curious George or Paul’s Christmas Birthday.) But with libraries becoming virtually a thing of the past, reading can actually be a pretty costly hobby (not to mention costly for the environment if you’re still buying hard copies.)  And think about all the clutter those beloved books create.

Recently, I discovered Oyster – it’s the app CNN calls “Netflix for Books” because, for a monthly subscription, you can read an unlimited number of titles available in their library. I was completely into the app until I realized that their library had a lot of interesting titles, but very few that were already on my reading list.

But fear not — Oyster isn’t the only app that lets you subscribe and read all you want – BookSwim and BookLending.com offer similar services, but they each have their own pros and cons.

Read more

Fab Find: Stop Waiting On Hold With Fast Customer

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As far as annoying things go — waiting on hold is right at the top of the list. It can literally take hours out of your life that you will never get back. Talk about being unproductive — well, luckily there is another way and it’s my Fab Find.

I recently had to call customer service to report a duplicate charge on my credit card. Instead of being aggravated and waiting on hold, I tried out a new app called FastCustomer. It does the waiting for you! Skip the menus and bad hold music – with a few taps you can choose what business you need to speak to and then sip coffee, check email, whatever – a representative will call you when the wait time is over!

It works for major companies like American Express, Bank of America, 1800 Flowers, insurance companies and even airlines. It is really a great way to outsource a necessary but irritating task. When I used it — the app called me back and I waited an additional three minutes for a representative. I think that’s time well spent.

Think about all the things you can do while someone else is waiting on hold for you!

1. Read a few articles on ListProducer.com for a more productive day

2. Clean out your email inbox Read more

Do Not Resolve to “Get Organized” This Year

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Organizing my Seed Stash

Organizing my Seed Stash (Photo credit: Chiot’s Run)

Happy New Year! I love the way a new year feels like a fresh start and a chance to try new things. I’ve written about throwing away your resolutions and instead turning them into goals, and I think that’s a great way to create a better and more productive and organized you in 2014!

Every year “get more organized” tops New Year’s resolutions lists and it’s a great intention but it can be overwhelming and difficult to focus on. The problem with resolving to get more organized is that it’s a vague goal that points to the negative and doesn’t give our brains something constructive to work on. What does “get more organized” mean to you? Think about it. What is the biggest pain point in your day? Focus on that. Read more