If you’re a retailer, or do anything involving collecting payments directly from a customer or client, then you undoubtedly already know the importance of having a reliable payment system. For many people, that means taking cash or check and handing out receipts, but there are other methods available. And more and more businesses are depending on Square to do so, as well as their more recent Card Case system.
Card Case, in case you’re not already familiar, is Square’s mobile app that works for both Android and iOS devices, which means most of the smartphones out there. And Card Case, instead of being a system that you use to take payments from your customers, it works the other way around, and allows your customers to use it to pay you. Basically, Card Case is a kind of listing service of merchants that accept Square, which in turn includes a whole bunch of different information about said businesses, like location, contact information, photos, coupons, menus, and things like that. There’s even a section that details the most popular places that Square customers are hitting.
This app actually works for you on several levels. You may not think so to look at it, especially as it’s geared toward consumers rather than to small businesses. But not only do you need to be aware of this app, you also need to be prepared to use it. Why? Three simple reasons:
1. It’s a marketing tool.
Basically, Card Case functions like a tricked-out version of the Yellow Pages for smartphones. If you’re taking payments with Square, you can show up in the listings. If you’re not, well…you see where this is going. So taking Square as an option allows you to get in on a new listing that you might not have been in otherwise, reaching other customers that, again, you might not have reached.
2. It’s a market research tool.
Card Case is something of a double-edged sword. While being in the listings gives you access to customers, having the app allows you access to the listings. And when you have access to the listings, you get to see all those coupons and menus and everything else that the business wants customers to see. Once you know what your competition is offering, you can respond.
3. It’s a customer service tool.
All those things I described in the previous entry, well, that once again works both ways. You now have the ability to get all those extras, like coupons and menus, into the hands of potential customers. And that’s potentially valuable stuff, for both your customers, who will take those coupons and menus and make buying decisions based on them, and for you, who will take their money.
This makes a course of action pretty clear–if you’re a retailer, or the like, you may want to get in on Square, and thus have your chance to get in on the Card Case app. Considering 40,000 businesses are already in on Card Case, at last report, you’re likely losing out if you’re not in. It will also prove to be a good idea to have plenty of cloud-based telephony backup on hand to take care of that expanded customer base, with tools like hunt groups and find-me, follow-me services in hand, such that when all the extra customers come looking for you, they’ll be able to find you much more readily.