Last week, I was eating at a DC-area pizza chain, &Pizza, when I saw it: A sign on the napkin dispenser that says We Text Back with a local phone number.

It doesn’t say With questions or concerns call or text It simply says, We text back.

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Just because the napkin dispenser says it doesn’t make it true.

Having worked in marketing as well as communications, I was curious. So, I texted the number. I expected an automated message from the corporate headquarters saying something along the lines of Thank you for reaching out, blah blah blah. Instead, I saw how &Pizza is engaging customers through a designated hotline to which customers can text for any reason. I was surprised to get a text back quickly from an actual person with a sense of humor. The well-crafted responses were, dare I say, saucy. (See screenshot of conversation below).

&Pizza really does text back.

My honest intentions with texting &Pizza were two-fold:

• Confirm &Pizza would truly text back.
• Figure out if there was a catch.

Our conversation was short and friendly with no strings attached. But this simple action and conversation with an &Pizza employee got me thinking: What does this mean for the marketing and digital worlds? Why don’t more companies do this?

There are many companies who are still reluctant to engage with clients or customers online whether that be through social media or online reviews, let alone via text (my preferred form of communication) but why? The idea of texting customer service is brilliant given that many young adults use their phones for banking, social media, and general communications anyway.

According to BrightLocal, 97% of consumers looked online for local businesses in 2017, and 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. A more granular stat shows that 32% of consumers read local reviews on mobile apps in 2017 a growth of 14 percentage points from 2016.

This is where Pizza’s texting strategy hits its target consumers who are on their phones and looking for recommendations for places to go. When they have questions, comments, or concerns, where are they likely to turn? The device already in their hand. The businesses that are hesitant to take control of their mobile and online presence are missing a major opportunity to engage and falling behind companies like Pizza.

This excursion offered my ideal customer experience in 2018. I was able to get a great pizza and have a friendly conversation via text with a brand representative. With that being said, if I ever have any issues with my &Pizza experience which I won’t because I’m a millennial and we don’t complain to customer service I’ll know exactly where to go.

The post How My Local Pizza Place Is Taking Customer Engagement To The Next Level appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

To be fair, teenage me spent money just to spend it. I got my first part-time job when I was 16 years old and made maybe $200 every two weeks assuming I worked every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I had no responsibilities, no bills, no car, and lived at home, so that $200 was mine to spend on whatever. And I spent it on nonsense. If I had a time machine, I would go back and tell myself to save it. But you live and you learn, right?

My spending habits were pathetic, to say the least, and my worried parents warned me to never get a credit card. At one point my dad said, The best thing you can ever do is avoid getting a credit card as long as you can.

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My parents warned me, and to be honest, I’ve never really cared to have a credit card. I have my debit card, so the money I have is available to me whenever I need it. I pay for what I need, and that’s it. The transaction ends there. So, why do I need a credit card?

Well, for one, I’m entering a new phase of life. I recently moved out of my parents’ house and now live on my own in Washington, DC. I am an actual adult, with a full-time job and responsibilities. Most adults I know have credit cards. For me, this seems like the next step.

But there’s other benefits to credit, too. According to TotallyMoney.com, there are a few reasons to have a credit card:

• Holders can earn free money through rewards programs.
• Holders build a good credit history.
• Increasingly, companies only accept credit cards as a form of payment for security and speed.
• Free to low-cost borrowing with some cards.

These sound like valid enough reasons, and they piqued my interest enough that I wanted to dig deeper. So, I turned to someone I trust in these matters my coworker and friend Madison Harbin to solicit her opinion and learn about her experiences.

I’m going to spend the money anyway, so I might as well get rewarded for it, Harbin says. She has the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and earns 2x points on travel and dining at restaurants, and 1x on all other purchases. Basically, when she spends money, she’s rewarded for it.

That sounds appealing, but I didn’t want to make a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I screened card programs on Google and dove into specific credit cards and their benefits. I spoke to credit card owners and considered my financial situation. One website that helped me make my decision was NerdWallet. The site breaks down each credit card by APR, rewards, annual fees, and more. Ultimately, a cashback rewards program convinced me to go with a bank card the Citi Double Cash card as opposed to a credit union card.

I’m buying a puppy later this month, and this credit card will be designated for him: toys, food, vet trips, and more. Overall, I don’t expect this card to become my primary form of payment. That’s why I care less about rates than I do about being rewarded for what I do spend.

Although there are many benefits to credit union membership like ownership, fewer fees, and lower rates I found it difficult to match membership eligibility with a card that fit my needs. But as I get older and look to make larger purchases, I now know more about the benefits credit unions offer. This credit card comes first, though.

Baby steps.

The post My First Credit Card appeared first on CreditUnions.com.