The Biz Tech column is being brought to you today from across the Atlantic Ocean. I woke up this morning in Athens and after a slight layover in Rome, I hope to be home in time for some fried chicken this evening.
If possible, I will pair the fried chicken with a 2014 Budweiser because the Greek beer Mythos is not a worthy substitute. Greece has spectacular islands and museums, but the Greeks get an F in the fried chicken department and a B in the beer department.
Technology has certainly changed since my last trip overseas. Wi-Fi and mobile-friendly websites are the norm. The Aegean Airlines website was very mobile friendly in every language.
Have you thought about having your business’ website offer your visitors a Spanish option upon entering the site? You could be missing an entire demographic that might need the goods and services you are offering.
The past two weeks was a good reminder that the USA is still the greatest nation on earth, but there are many many other fish in the global sea. Spanish is just the beginning; there are plenty of other languages being spoken in North America.
Do you visit with customers at your office? Are you able to offer them secure public Wi-Fi while they are at your place of business? This could be an amenity to set you apart from your competition. The Wi-Fi networks I have used the past couple of weeks could use some enhancing, but it was nice to know that most of the hotels, boats and restaurants that I visited offered this service.
“There is an app for that” – While in Greece the currency converter app and the Viber app both came in handy. The currency converter app should be self explanatory (how to convert dollars to euros), but the Viber app is something to check out if you are planning international travel in the near future. If you download the app to your mobile device you can text and call with other users that have the app. Right now it is still free, so give it a whirl.
The Charlotte airport is still far away but I can almost taste the USA, and as usual I am thankful for my iPad to allow me to bring you this column from the great blue yonder. and For those traveling this summer, I wish you a safe journey and remember what Plato once said, “The fool wanders, the wise man travels.”
This column is dedicated to my mom and my wife, both of whom are amazing travel companions. Kalimera!
