A well-run conference is like a two-way mirror. On one side, the curated content must reflect the genuine interests and aspirations of those who participate, quenching their thirst for personal inspiration and professional growth.
On the other end, the conference lens must allow the content programmers to see how their audience is tuning in. Done […]
Incoming Chamber Chair and WTIA Vice Chair, Heather Redman, On Taking the Lead
If it’s a Monday, you’re likely to find Heather Redman in her office at Seattle venture capital firm, Flying Fish Partners, working to help launch local portfolio companies like Ad Lightning, Otto, Element Data or Tomorrow “The Trust Fund for Everyone.” On a Wednesday, she might be discussing an apprentice […]
When Fierce Conversations was published in 2002, (a new edition was just released in May, 2017), it rocketed up the best-seller list and made Susan Scott one of the most sought-after self-improvement and HR counselors and keynoters in America. The rocket sled was propelled by the notion that authentic, unadulterated, face-to-face communication had the power to transform our lives and our work, and […]
For the first time in its 33 year history, the Washington Technology Industry Association has evaluated and ranked the candidates who are vying to become the next mayor of the city of Seattle.
Summaries of each candidate — based on in-person interviews and the written responses to questions posed by the trade group — have […]
Last week, Senator Maria Cantwell held a Seattle Town Hall meeting with FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, the only Democrat currently serving on the commission, to sound the alarm that Net Neutrality may be the next domino to fall in the Donald Trump era of stripping away almost any type of regulation protecting the […]
Inside the Amazon-Whole Foods Acquisition
If Alexa can order it, AmazonFresh can deliver it, or you can pick it up at “Will-Call” or zip through the automated, express check-out process, sans-cashier, from your closest Whole Foods Market store, why would you want to do your grocery shopping anywhere else? That’s the billion dollar question Amazon is […]
A Hackathon to Brainstorm How to Best Brief Top Government Decision Makers Awards $10,000 in Seattle
Media culpa! The headline of this article has been “trumped up” in order to win your attention. Okay, it was also done to make a point. America’s confidence in the information it receives from numerous sources is under assault. The drumbeat […]
In an era of government where words seem to have become estranged from their literal meaning, where “alternative facts” and “fake news” hang like funnel clouds swirling around the U.S. capitol, and where the House of Representatives can pass a bill affecting millions of Americans without first knowing how much it will cost or […]
Amazon’s CEO issued his annual Letter to Shareholders this week, an affirmation of the very best practices in fostering a forward-thinking corporate ecosystem.
The 2017 letter begins with the question Jeff Bezos has contemplated “everyday” for the last two decades —“What does Day 2 look like?” The founder explains it […]
Optimizing On-Demand Air Travel, Ground Transportation, Health Care Operations, and HR Staffing — from the Inside-Out.
Frequent flyer Ed Iacobucci was growing weary of the downtime he routinely suffered in business air travel. Instead of gaining valuable face-time with colleagues and customers, the inefficiency of airport layovers and a myriad of other logistical challenges meant costly delays.
Was a 24-hour investment really necessary for a […]
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Oct 12 2017
Give Yourself a Higher Pay Grade
Paperless Billing, Cardless Cash Create Easier Ways to Pay
With all of the payment options competing for a share of your electronic wallet these days, it’s easy to feel your pay grade, or “how to pay” grade, slipping under a steep learning curve. Android Pay. Apple Pay. Samsung Pay. Amazon Pay. PayPal. Venmo. Mint.
Two Seattle-based offerings are seeking to build on the positive relationships they have established with their customers with payment services that are super simple and designed to win consumer trust along with their transactions.
HomeStreet Bank has announced a Cardless Cash feature that allows customers to securely withdraw money from an ATM using only their smartphone. Designed to increase convenience and prevent card skimming, customers can use the HomeStreet Bank mobile app (iPhone | Android) to withdraw cash from participating ATMs. As a user, you simply tap the Cardless Cash button in the HomeStreet Bank mobile app and select the amount. A ‘QR’ code appears on the HomeStreet Bank ATM. Your smart phone scans the QR code and dispenses the cash. There is no need to carry an ATM or debit card to use the machine.
“Cardless Cash is the next evolution of mobile banking,” said Mark Mason, CEO and President of Seattle-HQ’d HomeStreet Bank. “As one of the first banks to offer the service, our customers are reaping the benefits of added convenience and security.”
Seattle’s doxo has rapidly grown to become the leader in consumer-friendly, one-stop online and mobile bill paying convenience, having just surpassed the 30,000 mark of payable billers within its network—more than any other bill paying service nationwide.
“Passing 30,000 payable billers is an important milestone for the company, especially after we surpassed two million users in May,” commented doxo CEO and Co-Founder Steve Shivers. “The most compelling service we provide to our users is the ability to pay all of their bills from a single, secure, mobile-friendly account. We’ve also developed unique and proprietary systems necessary to map the entire billing industry—an industry that represents over 50% of all consumer household spending.”
doxo allows payers to use any combination of credit, debit and bank cads and accounts to pay their bills. There is no need for a stored-value account.
The award-winning doxo mobile app lets you organize, manage and track all your payable accounts in one place. doxo also includes a bevy of money management features letting you link your email accounts for easy organizing and archiving in the program. You can also take snapshots of your receipts and upload them to your very own virtual file cabinet on doxo. A convenience fee can apply to some credit card transactions.
A doxo Speed Bump
Since doxo uses its 2.5 million members to crowdsource where they pay their bills, the company has sometimes encountered confusion when municipal utilities discover their name and logo on the doxo Website for bill pay purposes without knowing it. Such a speed bump is the virtual equivalent of having a product go viral and annoying the seller.
“We allow companies to claim their business profile and add their own FAQs and other content. They can then monitor everything on their own dashboard. They can even launch their own eBilllng program if they are like the 60% of service providers who cannot be paid online via desktop or mobile.” — doxo CEO Steve Shivers
Recurring payments make up over 50% of a household budget in these United States. Is it any wonder that Jeff Bezos is an investor in the company?
Among the major pay platforms, Apple was inclined to delay the debut of Apple Pay inside of its iMessage app, originally scheduled for the release of iOS 11, until later this Fall. The big, and pretty obvious, difference between Android Pay and Apple Pay is that Apple’s service cannot be used on Android phones or watches; it is only available on iPhones and Apple Watch devices. Otherwise, it works much in the same way that Google’s service does, as both use NFC hardware to pay for items at POS terminals. Samsung Pay is available on a number of recent Samsung-based smartphones, along with its Gear S2 and Gear S3 smartwatches. The biggest difference is that Samsung Pay, in addition to supporting NFC-based terminals, can also use Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology.
The race between banks, credit unions, mobile platforms and paperless, electronic bill paying services, as well as P2P friend and family money swapping services, will likely be won not by the swift, nor even by thrift, but by the trustworthiness of the partner in the transaction.
Once again, Seattle is pointing to the easiest way to pay! [24×7]
