In this news:
• Upcoming Changes to AutoScheduler
• Employee Spotlight: Ryan McClure
Upcoming Changes to AutoScheduler
We are making two changes to the AutoScheduler:
1) Adding a new line to the AutoScheduler to more accurately reflect how many emails are being sent.
2) (COMING SOON) Releasing “Shop Notifier”, a new mobile app for iPhone and Android. This app will zap your shop offers directly to the device shoppers use the most: their mobile phones. And it’s FREE!
1) Adding a Line to AutoScheduler
As required by law, we stop sending emails to undeliverable email addresses. Shopper email addresses are considered undeliverable when they constantly bounce back your shop offer emails or if their email provider send us a demand that we stop delivering emails to that address.
(Some of you may recall a major incident last year where a large percentage of SASSIE shop offer emails were blocked by a major spam blocking service for 2 days. The improvements we made to our “undeliverable email address” detection have kept our email running smoothly since then.)
Over time, some shopper databases have built up a significant amount of undeliverable addresses, so we have added a line to the AutoScheduler to reflect how many email addresses our system is legally permitted to send email to.
We have NOT changed anything about the email sending functions – we are simply providing your schedulers more accurate information about what is being sent. This will also be reflected in the “SASSIE EMAIL COMPLETE” email that your schedulers receive after the session has been completed.
2) Shop Notifier: A Faster, More Effective Way to Schedule Shops! (COMING SOON)
We have been closely monitoring the effectiveness of email as a method of sending shop offers to shoppers over the years, and our concern has grown as studies indicate the declining success rate of email across the internet more broadly. In response to this trend, we have proactively created a new method of contacting shoppers using mobile app technology that we expect to release before year’s end.
“Shop Notifier” is a FREE mobile app for iPhones (approved by Apple’s iTunes Store last week) and Android devices:
We’ll send more details on Shop Notifier after we conduct our final tests, but here’s how it will work:
Your schedulers will create sessions EXACTLY as they always have.
Our AutoScheduler will send emails to matching shoppers EXACTLY as it does now.
In addition, our AutoScheduler will ALSO send an alert to all matching shoppers who have installed Shop Notifier on their mobile devices.
Shop Notifier alerts will be zapped directly to shoppers’ mobile devices, reaching them much faster than the shop offer emails.
Shoppers can then apply for shops on their mobile devices.
Shoppers can set “Alert Frequency” and “Blackout Periods” to prevent Shop Notifier from disturbing them too frequently or during inconvenient times of the day or night.
With Shop Notifier, your schedulers and SASSIE’s autoscheduler will be more effective than ever!
Employee Spotlight: Ryan McClure
Meet Writer Ryan Mclure:
What does he write? Software. And, you know, novels. The usual.
What kind of novels? The old “computer scientist by day, sports writing jock by night” cliche? Too obvious. This software wizard pens sci-fi/fantasy fare. (First book out 11/25!)
Experience: Previously worked in the video game industry, writing scripts and support software for art departments. This included developing in-house, custom-built PHP task management software and numerous internal custom-scripted tools that comprised the entire game art pipeline.
First Impression of SurfMerchants: “I could tell from the job posting alone that the company had a great cultural vibe to it, which the interview process further reinforced. It’s a fantastic feeling to walk into work and think, ‘Ah, these are my kinds of people!’” …“Also, the PR person is incredible. Gifted, even.” (he didn’t actually say this, but he was thinking it)
Activities/Interests: Enjoys crafting digital models of spaceships…and hosting parties.
Dark Secret: “I’m actually an art major.”
Art. Software. Novels. We’re changing his name to “Triple Threat” McClure.
