Have you been sharing Props? What are you waiting for?
Props was launched last July to focus on thanking people for their service and better understanding the impact of our interactions. It offers a great way for employees in the service industry to gather feedback and data about their performance. At the same time, employers are able to use this information to figure out how to reward their employees and determine who’s excelling.
Read our first blog about Props to learn what it means to give “props” and how the feedback you send encourages good service. In this blog, we’ll be focusing on the updates since launch.
Spreading positivity further
The idea for Props started with the experience of founder George Goodwyn and his wife, Sarah, while in a doctor’s office. It’s not surprising then that the app has expanded to include anyone working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic (healthcare workers, nurses, doctors, first responders, and the like). The core mission of spreading encouragement and positive feedback to people working excellently hasn’t changed, if anything we need to continue that support.
There’s been a lot of change and this has impacted how we interact with each other and the economy. We’ve still got to support our local businesses who have chefs, cooks, bartenders, servers and many more positions in our service industry. Now more than ever are props to that industry going to help. Although we will be less inclined to dine out due to the importance of social distancing, it doesn’t mean we can’t continue to support restaurants through ordering curbside delivery or buying gift cards.
What else is in the update?
Location, location, location. What does that mean? Props now has Business Profiles! Any business owner can download the app and claim their business (sometimes employees are already on the app and using their employment location for businesses that are currently unclaimed). By claiming or adding their business, owners and managers can see the great work their employees are doing.
Business owners and managers can even upgrade their business profiles to premium after claiming them. The benefit of doing so allows them to further promote their business in the mobile application and highlight the amazing work of their employees.
Wait…how do I reset my password?
One of the things we didn’t talk about in our release of the app is how convenient we’ve made it to reset your password. Traditionally, password resets are done through a website portal reset that requires an email address.
Instead of sending that verification process through an email, our team built the app so you receive the password reset information via a six-digit text message. This solution worked best for Props since the primary application is mobile rather than web, and we see more applications using this process in the future.
It makes it easier to verify if the phone associated with an account is requesting the password. We can achieve secure verification through texting thanks to integrating with Twilio. While text messages are generally more expensive than generating emails, the UX benefit and the low frequency of users that reset their passwords clearly outweighs the cost.
Props for all
Coming together as a community is more critical than ever. Thanks to resources such as #BhamStrong and ALtogether we are showing how fast we can work to create community based solutions. In all that’s happening, we need to remind the people who are working for and serving us through this hardship are experiencing challenges of their own. We need to support them and that’s the role Props will play in this moment and going forward, providing us a way to recognize the people who make our days great.