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Archive for February, 2025

Kiehl’s Unveils “Pubic Display Type”: The Font We Never Knew We Needed, but Apparently Do

February 8th, 2025 No comments

Kiehl’s has responded to censorship of their intimate care ad by launching a bold new font made from real pubic hair, dubbed “Pubic Display Type.” The move aims to challenge beauty standards…

Categories: Designing, Others Tags:

Pixel Pressure: The Real Stress Behind Being a Freelance Web Designer

February 7th, 2025 No comments

Web design may seem like a dream job, but it’s packed with hidden stressors like endless client revisions, tight deadlines, and the constant pressure to stay relevant. This article dives into the biggest challenges advanced designers face and offers practical strategies to manage stress and keep your creativity alive.

Categories: Designing, Others Tags:

GitHub Copilot Brings Mockups to Life by Generating Code from Images

February 6th, 2025 No comments

GitHub Copilot’s new Vision for Copilot feature allows users to upload images like screenshots or diagrams, which it then turns into code, making design-to-code transitions smoother. A

Categories: Designing, Others Tags:

Container query units: cqi and cqb

February 6th, 2025 No comments
1200px by 500px rectangle showing that 50cqmax is equal to 50% of the larger size.

A little gem from Kevin Powell’s “HTML & CSS Tip of the Week” website, reminding us that using container queries opens up container query units for sizing things based on the size of the queried container.

cqi and cqb are similar to vw and vh, but instead of caring about the viewport, they care about their containers size.

cqi is your inline-size unit (usually width in horizontal writing modes), while cqbhandles block-size (usually height).

So, 1cqi is equivalent to 1% of the container’s inline size, and 1cqb is equal to 1% of the container’s block size. I’d be remiss not to mention the cqmin and cqmax units, which evaluate either the container’s inline or block size. So, we could say 50cqmax and that equals 50% of the container’s size, but it will look at both the container’s inline and block size, determine which is greater, and use that to calculate the final computed value.

That’s a nice dash of conditional logic. It can help maintain proportions if you think the writing mode might change on you, such as moving from horizontal to vertical.


Container query units: cqi and cqb originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

Categories: Designing, Others Tags:

OpenAI Gets a Fresh Look: New Logo, Custom Font, and a More Human Feel

February 6th, 2025 No comments

OpenAI has unveiled its first-ever rebrand, introducing a custom typeface, a refined logo, and a more cohesive visual identity to create a balance between high-tech precision and human warmth.

Categories: Designing, Others Tags:

7 Best Phone Answering Services in 2025

February 6th, 2025 No comments

In today’s hectic corporate environment, answering every call is important for maintaining a company’s reputation. Phone answering services play a key role in helping businesses manage incoming calls, boost customer satisfaction, and improve productivity. For customer-service focused businesses, these services can effectively handle inquiries, organize meetings and process payments. 

Missing calls can lead to lost business and frustrated customers. Studies regularly show that companies that utilize reliable phone answering services experience a significant increase in customer retention and happiness. Whether it’s a small business wanting budget-friendly choices or a big company requiring 24/7 support, the right phone answering service can greatly improve daily operations.

What is a Phone Answering Service? 

A professional phone answering service answers company calls. Companies can choose between live receptionists or advanced AI technologies for these services. Phone answering services fall into three categories: 

  • Live Agents: Trained professionals answer calls and queries. 
  • Automated Systems (IVR & VoIP): IVR systems provide call routing and self-service options. 
  • AI Agents: Smart, human-like communication helps organizations perform better while preserving a personal touch. 

Criteria for Choosing Phone Answering Services 

When choosing a phone answering service, companies should consider several important factors to find the best option for them: 

  • Usability: Choose a solution that’s easy to set up and matches your business. Setting up virtual or live phone answering services should be simple and need no technical knowledge. 
  • Pricing: Companies should choose a service with flexible price options that match their budget and size. Affordable phone answering services are ideal for both startups and small businesses, but larger companies may need more advanced plans with more features. 
  • Customer service: Businesses and global operations requiring constant contact should provide 24/7 service. 
  • AI & Automation: AI can streamline and automate calls for certain businesses, offering a cost-effective solution to manage high call volumes with minimal staffing. 

Best 7 Phone Answering Services in 2025

Businesses need effective phone answering services to avoid missed calls in today’s fast-paced environment. Here are the top 7 phone answering services, each with distinct advantages for businesses.

1. Jotform 

Overview
Jotform’s AI phone answering system uses smart AI agents and customized templates. Due to its user-friendly interface and ease of use, Jotform offers businesses high-volume automated phone answering services without sacrificing quality.

Best For 
SMBs seeking scalable AI-integrated and affordable phone answering services. This is for companies that need quick setup and customized solutions.

Key Features

  • AI-powered phone answering
  • Custom industry templates
  • Smooth Jotform form and workflow integration

Limitations

  • It may not work well for large enterprises with extremely particular responding needs

Plans/Pricing

  • Starter: FREE
  • Bronze: $34/month (Billed annually)
  • Silver: $39/month (Billed annually)
  • Gold: $99/month (Billed annually)
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

Pro/Cons

  • Pros: Cost-effective, easy to set up, AI, customizable templates.
  • Cons: It may not scale well for large businesses with complex needs.

2.RingCentral

Overview 

RingCentral offers configurable cloud phone and call management. One platform with audio, video, team chat, and fax are suitable for all sizes of enterprises. 

Best For

Designed for enterprises and teams seeking a flexible unified communications solution.

Key Features

  • Cloud-based phone answering
  • Video conferencing and team messaging features
  • Voicemail transcription and call forwarding

Limitations

  • Some users report issues with call quality during peak hours
  • Pricing can be high for small businesses

Plans/Pricing

  • Core: $20/user/month (paid annually)
  • Advanced: $25/user/month (paid annually)
  • Ultra: $35/user/month (paid annually) 

Pro/Cons

  • Pros: All-in-one communications tool, high scalability, robust integrations
  • Cons: Pricey for smaller teams, occasional call quality issues

3. CallHippo

Overview

CallHippo’s cloud-based phone answering allows organizations to set up local or worldwide customer service lines. It automates incoming call routing and voicemail.

Best For 

Ideal for companies seeking worldwide presence, local phone numbers, and efficient call management.

Key Features

  • Automatic call forwarding
  • Call analytics and reporting
  • Integration with CRM tools

Limitations

  • Limited advanced features in lower pricing tiers
  • Basic call features in the cheapest plan

Plans/Pricing

  • Starter: $18 Per User/Month
  • Popular: $30 Per User/Month
  • Ultimate: $42 Per User/Month
  • Enterprise: Talk to Us 

Pro/Cons

  • Pros: Global coverage, customizable options, CRM integrations
  • Cons: Limited features on lower tiers, basic interface

4. Grasshopper

Overview 

Virtual phone answering service Grasshopper is cloud-based for small enterprises. It enables call forwarding, voicemail, and personalized greetings and is easy to set up and operate. 

Best For 

Small companies who want a professional, affordable, and easy-to-set-up phone system.

Key Features

  • Customizable call forwarding and voicemail greetings
  • Virtual business phone numbers
  • Call screening and call blocking

Limitations

  • Lacks advanced features like video conferencing
  • Limited integration options compared to competitors

Plans/Pricing

  • True Solo: $14/month for one user, phone number, and extension.
  • Solo Plus: $25/month for unlimited users and three extensions 
  • Small Business: $80/month for unlimited users and extensions

Pro/Cons

  • Pros: Easy to use, affordable, and good for small businesses
  • Cons: Lacks advanced features and integrations

5. Ruby

Overview

Ruby personalizes businesses with real virtual receptionists. These services handle inbound calls and personalize help.

Best For

Ideal for small businesses seeking personalized phone response with real receptionists. 

Key Features

  • Live virtual receptionists available 24/7
  • Customizable call handling
  • Appointment scheduling integration

Limitations

  • Higher price points compared to automated services.
  • It can be overkill for businesses with minimal call volume

Plans/Pricing

  • Great for startups: $245/month (50 minutes per month) 
  • Great for one-person businesses: $385/month (100 minutes per month) 
  • Up to 200 receptionist minutes: $705/month (200 minutes per month) 
  • Great for small businesses of all kinds: $1,695/month (500 minutes per month) 

Pro/Cons

  • Pros: Personalized service, high-quality receptionists, 24/7 availability.
  • Cons: Expensive for small businesses, limited scalability.

6. AnswerConnect

Overview

AnswerConnect is a phone answering service designed to provide businesses with 24/7 live answering and promptly handle all calls.

Best For

Businesses require around-the-clock call answering, with a focus on customer service.

Key Features

  • Call forwarding and message taking
  • Customizable greeting options
  • Secure data handling

Limitations

  • Pricing is higher than automated services
  • Limited integrations with CRMs

Plans/Pricing

  • Entry: 200 minutes $350 per month + $49.99 setup fee 
  • Growth: 300 minutes $395 per month, no setup fee 
  • Standard: 400 minutes $575 per month + $49.99 setup fee

Pro/Cons

  • Pros: High-quality live answering, round-the-clock service, customizable greetings
  • Cons: Higher cost, limited CRM integrations

7. Abby Connect

Overview

Abby Connect is another premium live call-answering virtual receptionist. Businesses needing expert phone handling can use its high-end customer service.

Best For

Small to medium-sized businesses that need top-tier customer service with live agents.

Key Features

  • Call screening and message taking
  • Detailed reporting and analytics
  • Virtual assistant options

Limitations

  • Pricing may not be suitable for businesses with limited budgets
  • Lacks some automation features

Plans/Pricing

  • Essential: $329 per month; Up to 100 minutes 
  • Professional: $599 per month; Up to 200 minutes 
  • Growth: $1380 per month; Up to 500 minutes

Pro/Cons

  • Pros: Professional call handling, 24/7 availability, custom solutions.
  • Cons: Higher pricing, fewer automated features.

Choosing the Best Service for Your Business 

When selecting the best phone answering service, consider factors such as your business development goals, customer contact needs, and budget.  Jotform’s AI phone answering solution is cost-efficient and effective for startups and organizations who wish to avoid live phone answering services. Ruby and AnswerConnect offer services with genuine people if personal customer interaction is important. 

A reliable phone answering service can enhance your response time, improve efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction. Whether you opt for a virtual, business  or AI-based phone answering service, the right tool can help your organization to stay competitive and meet customer expectations.

Featured Image by Austin Distel on Unsplash

The post 7 Best Phone Answering Services in 2025 appeared first on noupe.

Categories: Others Tags:

Excellent 10+ Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies in 2025

February 6th, 2025 No comments

While it may seem to be admirable, it could turn out to be extremely difficult to rely solely on your own creativity when building a website from scratch. In truth, the ability to build a great website usually depends on the tools you use and in the underpinning those tools help you create. Creativity is still key, but in this case it is the creativity of the designers of those very tools.

To complicate matters, the bar is raised as far as what constitutes a great or “stunning” website in 2025. The definition of “stunning” is no longer solely about its aesthetics. It’s mostly about a website’s efficiency, responsiveness, and adaptability.

From Trafft White Label to WoodMart, the themes and plugins discussed in this article offer the efficiency, responsiveness, and adaptability that is needed to build a competitive and future-ready website.

1. Trafft White Label – Scheduling Solution for Digital Agencies

The essential: The White Label option offers agencies a fully branded, premium booking solution without the time and cost associated with developing software from scratch.

Want to see this plugin live? Click on the video.

Trafft White Label users can add value to their service offerings and generate revenue by providing a robust appointment management system while maintaining their own branding. They also benefit from using Trafft by not having to develop the software from scratch and putting in the time and expense involved in doing so.

The end users profit from having an in-house booking solution that  –

  • is easy to set up and operate.
  • manages the bulk of their administrative tasks.
  • eliminates the costs associated with operating a manual booking system.

Trafft’s Divine Beauty and Spa template provides a good an example of where you can experience the power of Trafft’s booking solution firsthand and how easy it would be to customize it for use by any services-providing business.

Customer avg. grade: 4.9/ 5 Capterra, 4.7/ 5 G2

Client review: “Great tool, exceptional service! Trafft has been intuitive to use and implement. I love the look and feel of the program and how it integrates into my websites. All of my support emails have been responded to promptly and with care to provide as much help as possible. I can’t wait to see how the company continues to grow and improve this tool. I have tried many scheduling tools, and Trafft has been the easiest and best to implement. Thank you!”

Immediate help via: YouTube videos, Documentation

Check Out Trafft White Label

 2. Amelia – Feature Rich Booking Plugin for Appointments and Events

The essential: Amelia’s intuitive interface enables appointment bookings to be managed with minimal effort.

Want to see this plugin live? Click on the video.

The Amelia WordPress Booking plugin’s ease in navigability and flexibility makes it indispensable for optimizing business operations and driving growth. Consequently, Amelia has received recognition from industry website users among the thousands of businesses it powers.

  • Amelia has introduced “Packages”, a game-changing top feature users can use to bundle multiple services into cohesive packages to create a streamlined and convenient booking experience that benefits both the business and its clientele.
  • Extensive customization options enable businesses to tailor the system to meet their needs. The Tarot Card Reader demo site with its visually captivating and intuitive interface.
  • Thanks to WooCommerce integration, Amelia provides multiple payment gateways that send invoices and offer online same-day payments.

Customer avg. grade: 4.9/5 on Capterra, 4.7/5 on Trustpilot

Client review: “Amelia is a great booking tool that has a nice look and feel right out of the box. It is a bit overwhelming at first because of the many settings you have but the customer service support is great. I can’t recommend this plugin enough.”

Immediate help via: YouTube videos, Documentation

Check Out Amelia

3. MapSVG – WordPress Interactive Mapping Plugin

The essential: Map SVG maps can feature all the complexity you want.

Want to see this plugin live? Click on the video.

MapSVG offers much more that giving its users the ability to access a map. It is, given the selection of customizable templates that work in concert with its database, what users can do with a map. Access to these  templates allows users to create information windows and maps of any complexity they need. That is what makes  MapSVG unique among and a step or two ahead  of other mapping plugins.

You have at your fingertips:

  • The ability to display data from WordPress posts, the MapSVG database, CSV files, and APIs.
  • 56 USA and 132 Worldwide vector maps in the database.
  • A Form Builder for creating custom mapping content and if adding a directory next to a map.
  • Access to drawing tools for adding clickable areas on images plus the ability to assign custom content to multicolored maps.

Customer avg. grade: 4.5 / 5

Client review: “A fabulous WordPress plugin that gets more feature-rich and powerful month-by-month. Not to mention excellent support and good response times. All-in-all, a 5-star solution for maps on WordPress.”

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos, AI assistant (live chat embedded in the plugin)

Check Out MapSVG

4. Uncode – Creative Theme Known for Its Attractive Concepts

The essential: With Uncode you can make a site that shines.

Want to see this template live? Click on the video.

Uncode is primarily for web designers and creative enthusiasts who are drawn to it because of its uniqueness in allowing them to tailor every section of a design to fit their special needs.

Another reason is the number of advanced features it has to offer including its 100+ demos or concepts. Check out Uncode’s Classic Twilight Restaurant concept and you will see why.

Features that contribute to Uncode’s attractiveness include:

  • A Wireframes plugin with its 750+ section templates that can also be used for prototyping and other purposes.
  • An enhanced Page Builder accompanied by 85 professionally designed modules.
  • A Content Block for creating replicable sections of content that can be integrated into web pages.
  • A Dynamic Elements and Options feature that allows access to data from diverse WordPress sources to create custom templates.

Uncode is Compatible with popular plugins like WooCommerce, WPML, HubSpot, and more, and offers free, consistent, and stable updates to ensure compatibility with standards & trends.

Customer avg. grade: 4.89/5 on 3.352 Reviews

Client review: All is really good!!! Easy and complete!!”

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos, Facebook Group

Check Out Uncode

5. wpDataTables – Best WordPress Table Plugin

The essential: wpDataTables makes the process of data visualization and representation quick, easy, and effective.

Want to see this plugin live? Click on the video.

To call wpDataTables feature rich is an understatement. It has 60+ powerful data management and visualization features to start with. It also has addons that extend its functionality even further. wpDataTables is the ideal solution  for anyone who needs to present data in tables or charts.

WooCommerce integration is a key feature in that it makes wpDataTables an excellent choice for those who want to optimize an online store by including informative visual data presentations.

WooCommerce integration makes it possible for wpDataTable to:

  • Create or customize product tables like that shown in the Airline Carbon Offsets
  • Use customizable product tables to augment store functionality.
  • Simplify tasks to improve user experience.

wpDataTables also makes exploring and analyzing data easier with its robust filtering, sorting, and search functionality.

Customer avg. grade: 4.6/ 5 WordPress

Client review: “I’ve been using it for a while, I like its ability to compile a spreadsheet from multiple sources and I’d like to highlight its performance and filters. The finished list can be easily exported to different formats. Support is simply incredible, patient, dedicated and helpful. I would recommend the wpDataTables plugin to everyone with a clear heart.”

Immediate help via: YouTube videos, Documentation

Check Out wpDataTables

6. LayerSlider – Next-Level WordPress Slider and Animation Builder

The essential: LayerSlider transforms websites with stunning animations and powerful features, turning ordinary pages into extraordinary experiences.

Want to see this plugin live? Click on the video.

LayerSlider’s versatility makes it easy for users to design animated web content that leaves a lasting positive impression on visitors.

It is particularly noteworthy of the way in which LayerSlider has used the scroll effect to a web designer’s advantage. You’ll see this special effect put to use in newer templates like the Fashion Trends template that also makes clever use of the hover effect.

Other LayerSlider features include:

  • Add-Ons: Include advanced features like counters, countdowns, error pages, and maintenance mode to elevate your website.
  • Project Editor: Experience a clean, easy-to-use interface with live previews, Google Fonts support, an extensive icon library, and millions of stock images and videos.
  • Professional Templates: Find a wide array of slider, popup, and website templates that are fully downloadable and simple to adjust to your style.
  • Unique Effects: Utilize pre-designed transitions, animation options, and visual effects for impactful, high-quality results.

LayerSlider provides unparalleled flexibility and creative control, whether you’re a designer, marketer, or site owner.

Client review: “The scroll effects make my page come alive – it’s like magic seeing the animations unfold as you scroll.”

Immediate support options: Built-in help in LayerSlider, Ticket System, and Product Manual

Check Out LayerSlider

7. Slider Revolution – WordPress Plugin for Creating Professionally-Crafted Visuals

The essential: Slider Revolution makes it easy to create websites that leave the competition in the dust.

Want to see this plugin live? Click on the video.

You can’t afford to have your website designs blend in with everyone else’s, which is why you need an innovative solution. While it’s not always easy to consistently adhere to the forefront of web design in your work, Slider Revolution with its ultra-modern templates for sliders, hero page templates, and single-page websites, can help you do so.

Slider Revolution addresses a level of agility and adaptability that makes it possible for any of its users to cope with ongoing changes in web design trends and practices..

Scroll through Slider Revolution’s Creative Portfolio Website slider template for example. Potential visitors just don’t come across websites like this one every day.

  • Easy-to-digest tutorials accompany the individual templates.
  • Some of these template designs work best with their intended layout whereas others can be transformed to fit almost any purpose.
  • The templates are optimized for speed and responsiveness.
  • It takes but a few clicks from the editing panel to customize content.

The Slider Revolution team adds ultra-modern, responsive, and fully-loaded templates to its library every month.

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos, Ticket Help Desk

Check Out Slider Revolution

8. Blocksy –  Versatile and Super-fast WordPress WooCommerce Theme

The essential: Blocksy gives you all the flexibility you need to create professional-looking websites.

Want to see this template live? Click on the video.

Blocksy’s total integration with WooCommerce means that you can use this responsive and SEO-ready theme to create any website you have in mind irrespective of its use or niche. In the event you could use a little help in getting a project underway or would simply like to get it off to a fast start, a starter site like Pottery should give you more than a few ideas on how to proceed.

  • Blocksy’s standout feature is a Header Builder that makes it easy to craft a header that reflects your brand. Each of the header elements offers a range of customization options that allows you to design a header that is user-friendly and engaging.
  • professionally-crafted Header Pro Elements give you unlimited header design possibilities. All are carefully crafted to match Blocksy’s original design language.

Customer avg. grade: 5/ 5 from 835 reviews

Client review: “Blocksy is a gem! In this era where user experience, be it for the developers or the end users (website visitors) reigns supreme,  Blocksy is moving the goal posts forward with its focus on versatility, performance, and impeccable design. Blocksy’s attention to user-friendliness, consistency of admin area design which translates to easiness on your eyes, and overall ergonomics,  is second to none.”

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos

Check Out Blocksy

9. WhatFontIs.com – Free AI Powered Font Identifying Tool

The essential: WhatFontIs accurately identifies fonts in seconds using AI.

Want to see this tool live? Click on the video.

WhatFontIs is fast and accurate, easy to use, and you can use it right from the browser or browser extension. WhatFontIs’ audience ranges from first time font searchers to seasoned professionals looking to identify prepared font examples or fonts from any image.

WhatFontIs is not designed to do anything and everything. It does one thing and does it exceptionally well. It  will compare the font in question against the million or so different fonts in its database and come up with a match in 10 seconds or less 90+% of the time.

  • Submitting a font is easy, and with a Chrome extension it is even easier to do. With the extension it’s simply a matter of clicking on an image containing the font you intend to submit.
  • Once the font is submitted, the AI-powered search engine goes to work to identify the font and 60 closest matches to that font.
  • WhatFontIs provides the font name and the name of a website where the font might be purchased. WhatFontIs does not sell fonts.

Immediate help via: YouTube videos

Check Out WhatFontIs

10. Mobirise AI – Prompt Powered Free Website Builder

The essential: Mobirise enables users to create responsive and visually stunning websites using prompts instead than relying on coding.

Want to see this builder live? Click on the video.

Mobirise AI is designed to generate tailored content, stunning images, and customized layouts based on your specific prompts. When using this free AI-powered website builder you will experience a seamless website creation process that, by combining automation with your personal touch, makes acquiring an online presence easy and effective.

Mobirise AI website builder works as follows:

  • You initiate the process by submitting your design ideas in terms of simple textual descriptions.
  • Prompt Mobirise AI and it will create an initial cohesive website structure.
  • You continue to feed Mobirise AI with more detailed textual descriptions followed by prompting until you have created an initial design to your liking.
  • It then becomes a matter of refining and adjusting various aspects of your initial design using the AI website builder with its drag and drop functionality to position pre-made blocks to fit your desired layout.
  • You can then customize block-by-block by replacing placeholder text and images with your own unique content.
  • Once you are satisfied, you are ready to publish your website.

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos

Check Out Mobirise AI

11. XStore – Online Store Building WooCommerce Theme

XStore is an all-in-one WooCommerce and WordPress website building solution with no plugins required.

Want to see this template live? Click on the video.

For starters, XStore is customizable, super-fast, and user-friendly. This WooCommerce and WordPress website building solution can boast of a host of other standout features as well, like the fact that it is fully integrated with Elementor Booster Sales. Many of its users will point to its Full Site Builder as its top feature in that it has enabled them to fully customize key page areas like headers, footers and checkout, cart, and product pages.

XStore also features:

  • AMP for WooCommerce that dramatically improves mobile loading times.
  • 130+ pre-built websites including this customizable and responsive Furniture website example.
  • A Grid layout that ensures precise webpage alignment within Elementor. Elementor PRO is not needed when working with the XStore theme.
  • A built-in mega menu that provides a user-friendly option to highlight deeper content on your site.
  • A Product Variation Gallery complete with stunning animations and hover effects.
  • A Child Theme with files.

XStore also fully supports RTL and features full AJAX shop and pagination.

Customer avg. grade: 4.85 / 5

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos

Check Out XStore

12. Litho – A Modern, Highly Customizable, Multi-purpose Elementor WordPress Theme

The essential: Litho can be used by agencies, companies, and freelances to create any type of website, portfolio, or blog.

Want to see this template live? Click on the video.

Litho is a multi-purpose theme that can be used to design any type of website for any type of client. Litho’s host of impressive website building tools and features include:

  • Full compatibility with Elementor.
  • The Litho section builder that can be used to customize most page items using Elementor-like header, footer, mini header, archive page / post template, page title and promo popup. Note that in most themes users can only change a page’s body content.
  • 200+ creative elements, a library of 300+ templates, and 37+ home pages that include Litho’s Home SEO Agency one-page website template that features an layout with many potential uses.
  • A free of cost premium Slider Revolution plugin.

The Litho theme is WooCommerce ready and WPML compatible.

Customer avg. grade: 4.94 / 5

Client review: “Perfect! The theme is so full of options, I love it. And I’m so happy with the support, they are always ready to help. 5 stars both to the templates and the support team!”

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos

Check Out Litho

13. Essential Grid – Innovative WordPress Gallery Grid Plugin

The essential: Essential Grid will speed up your workflow when you are creating a grid system that meets your requirements.

Want to see this plugin live? Click on the video.

Essential Grid users will never tire of telling you how their choice among 50+ fully customizable grid skins has helped them organize and speed up their workflow. These 50+ skins are known for their layouts including the one you’ll find in the Clark Gillies Blog Grid for WordPress with its minimal and functional design. The optional lightbox will also make it a solid pick for a portfolio showcase.

Essential Grid also gives you –

  • A choice or mix of even, masonry, and cobble layouts.
  • The capability to build your own skins with the visual editor.
  • One-time only content and sourcing uploading from Social Media sites. The need to go back and forth between your website and the Social Media site to upload information has been eliminated.
  • Clean code that promotes fast page loading.
  • SEO with deep linking and pagination to achieve higher site ranking in the search engines.

Customer avg. grade: 4.8/5 on Trustpilot

Client review: “Immediate help – solved it quickly.”

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos

Check Out Essential Grid

14. WoodMart – Popular and Fully Customizable WordPress WooCommerce Theme

The essential: WoodMart’s pre-built websites and customization options makes it easy to build the perfect website.

Want to see this template live? Click on the video.

Its wide range of functions and customization options that make it easier for its users to build their websites has made WoodMart  one of the most popular themes around.

With WoodMart, a single click is all it takes to get a project underway when you choose and import a responsive demo like the attractive WoodMart Energy example with its impressive imagery and informative text. Since these demos are almost unbelievably easy to customize, you can have a site up and ready to launch in no time, irrespective of the type of product you will be selling.

Thanks to Woodmart’s full customizability of its demos you can design your website any way you want. Choose the fonts and colors that appeal to you and will appeal to your visitors and change the design of product descriptions to fit your needs.

There’s even more to like.

  • WoodMart’s offerings include a custom layouts builder and product- and customer-centric features that include shop, product cart, and checkout pages.
  • Size is never an issue as far as a store’s website design is concerned.
  • New demos and pre-built websites are released on a monthly basis.
  • A White Label option is included for developers and social integrations are included for Marketers.

Customer avg. grade:4.95/ 5

Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos, Support forum

Check Out Woodmart

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Website designers and builders certainly appreciate the large number of free web design resources that are ready for the taking it. What they don’t appreciate quite so much is the challenge involved in finding one or more that meet their unique requirements in such a large number of potential candidates. Worse yet, the theme or plugin selected must also enable them to design and build websites that will not only be able to engage visitors but be future ready as well.

Did you come across a theme or plugin that could elevate your 2025 projects to the level you would like? If you did not find what you need, you have hopefully gained a better understanding of what to look for as you continue your search.

Categories: Designing, Others Tags:

Revolutionizing Post-Purchase Journeys with SaaS Tools

February 5th, 2025 No comments

Post-purchase engagement is vital for building loyalty and driving repeat sales, ultimately increasing lifetime value. 

While the fundamental principles to stay in touch with your customers remain the same — providing support, ensuring they are happy with their purchase, etc. — the way companies do it has evolved drastically.

Today, when every buyer expects speed, seamlessness, cost-effectiveness, and personalization in every stage of their purchase journey, doing it all can be challenging.

Particularly, B2C and D2C businesses such as eCommerce stores and FMCG brands, due to the sheer volume of sales and supply chain complexity, may struggle to optimize their post-purchase engagement efforts.

Fortunately, you can navigate these roadblocks with easy-to-use and highly scalable SaaS solutions.

In this article, let’s look at four categories of SaaS tools that’ll help you streamline different aspects of your post-purchase customer engagement operations.

1. Customer Service Software

Customer service software enables businesses to answer customer questions, resolve complaints, and provide support. This ensures satisfaction beyond purchase because the buyers will feel valued and respected.

These solutions bring capabilities, such as ticketing systems, AI chatbots, and knowledge bases, which allow customers to reach out to businesses whenever they need any help. 

You can also save a ton of resources. For instance, automated ticket management ensures all queries are effectively captured and answered, reducing the administrative burden on your team.

Modern customer support tools also bring omnichannel capabilities, enabling teams to be responsive across platforms. This responsiveness earns customers’ trust as they can get consistent support that respects their communication preferences.

In the long term, you can boost customer retention and loyalty, earning repeat business and maximizing customer lifetime value. 

Common customer service solutions include Zendesk and HubSpot Service Hub, which offer comprehensive features to help you engage with your buyers post-purchase. These options also come with robust integrations, making their adoption smoother.

Keep in mind that your needs and preferences determine which customer service software is ideal for your team. Consider evaluating any popular alternative to Zendesk to find the right fit for your requirements by looking at factors like average ticket volume, team size, and pricing.

2. Distributor Management System

A distributor management system (DMS) helps you handle vendor relationships, optimize inventory, and streamline the supply chain. Your business can ensure the efficient transfer of goods and products from manufacturers to warehouses to customers with a DMS.

These solutions enhance post-purchase customer journeys by keeping them informed at every stage of fulfillment. Data like stock updates, order location, and delivery timelines are easily accessible to your buyers, offering peace of mind and establishing transparency.

You can integrate any modern distributor management system with communication tools such as email to elevate operational agility as well. Customer support representatives, for example, can immediately fetch order details without asking the frustrated buyer to speed up resolution.

Another advantage of leveraging DMSs is actionable insights. You can recognize bottlenecks, identify better routes, and forecast demand fluctuations better. This translates to faster deliveries, fewer delays, and increased customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, options like Beatroute and Unicommerce bring automation capabilities into your workflows, leading to operational efficiency. There will be fewer manual errors, enhancing data-centric processes like inventory management and order allocation for eCommerce and FMCG companies.

3. Email Marketing Tools

Email marketing tools help organizations send personalized messages to customers related to their purchases. Tailored emails such as order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery notifications elevate the post-purchase journey through transparency.

Beyond transactional emails, you can send personalized product recommendations, loyalty rewards, and re-engagement campaigns. The best part is that you can group the audience into various segments based on factors like product preferences and order volume.

The latest email marketing software have automation capabilities enabling you to run drip campaigns. These campaigns play a critical role in customer nurturing and open up cross-selling and upselling opportunities.

Real-time analytics from email marketing tools tell you whether your messages resonate with your customers. Data points like open rates and click-through rates reflect the persuasive capacity of your emails.

Leading solutions like Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer all the aforementioned capabilities and robust integrations with other business software. You can easily integrate them into your eCommerce platform or CRM with a few clicks!

4. Returns Management Solutions

Sometimes your customers would send the product or good back to you when they are dissatisfied in exchange for reimbursement. This process should be managed efficiently to protect buyer trust and identify the underlying causes.

To streamline this critical part of your business, you can leverage returns management solutions that ensure hassle-free retrievals. This software also collects additional information from your customers to help you recognize where the product fell short.

Modern return management tools offer self-service return portals to empower customers to manage their returns easily. This also enables your team to get an in-depth understanding of which offerings on the catalog are failing to meet customer expectations.

Moreover, businesses can set flexible return options, send real-time updates, and communicate with disgruntled buyers to offer additional support through returns management solutions. This encourages your customers to come back, boosting the lifetime value.

Popular options such as Returnly and Narvar offer comprehensive return management capabilities to eCommerce and FMCG brands. Leveraging them will streamline a critical aspect of your B2C or D2C business, freeing up resources for other strategic initiatives.

Wrapping Up

Post-purchase customer engagement is a vital component of building brand loyalty and maximizing lifetime value. B2C and D2C brands, particularly businesses in eCommerce and FMCG industries, can leverage various SaaS solutions to maximize such efforts.

Customer support software ensures you are always there for your buyers to answer their questions and register their complaints. Distributor management systems optimize delivery processes by enhancing vendor relationships and offering real-time inventory tracking.

Email marketing tools allow you to send tailored messages to your buyers. These messages could include transactional emails like order notifications and shipping updates or promotional emails like personalized product recommendations.

Finally, returns management solutions turn a pain point into a loyalty-building opportunity. You can quickly capture details about a damaged or dissatisfying product or good and reimburse the customer appropriately.

All of the aforementioned software helps streamline workflows to elevate customer trust in your brand and provide you with more visibility into your buyers’ minds, enhancing the post-purchase engagement efforts.

Featured image by Andrea Piacquadio

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How Everything We Know About SEO Is Full of Lies

February 5th, 2025 No comments

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How Automated Identity Verification Improves Customer Onboarding

February 4th, 2025 No comments

The investor landscape has transformed into a fast-moving digital economy where businesses, specifically in fintech, must focus on customer onboarding success. When a customer initially interacts with a company through their first experience, this creates a foundation for their entire business relationship. 

Traditional record-based onboarding and manual ID comparisons result in tedious document processing that leads people to abandon their application paths between registration and completion. Automated identity verification represents a transformative solution that simplifies registration procedures and strengthens both security measures and regulatory compliance.

The following piece examines how automated identification verification reshapes customer sign-up processes while discussing its essential advantages for contemporary digital enterprises.

What is Automated Identity Verification?

Businesses across fintech and e-commerce, alongside healthcare and the gig economy, require identity verification as a fundamental step in the digital age. Today’s demands for high-speed operation and security requirements in regulated environments outstrip the ability of manual document and physical verification methods.

The implementation of automated identity verification through artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and optical character recognition (OCR) technologies represents today’s advanced solution. 

Through their joint operation, these technologies allow businesses to validate identities at lightning speed and with exceptional accuracy while maintaining complete security. This process typically involves:

  • Document Verification: Document verification is the first step in the automated identity verification process. It involves using OCR technology to scan and analyze government-issued identification documents, such as passports, driver’s licenses, and national ID cards. According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the identity verification market is expected to grow from $10.9 billion in 2020 to $21.8 billion by 2028.
  • Biometric Verification: User verification relies on either facial recognition or fingerprint scanning methods used to connect faces to the identifying information in the profile. Once the document has been verified, the next step is biometric verification. This process ensures that the person presenting the document is its legitimate owner.
  • Data Cross-Checking: The final step in the automated identity verification process is data cross-checking. This involves validating the user’s information against trusted databases and credit bureaus. Systems use trusted databases together with credit bureaus to verify user-input information.
  • Businesses reduce manual processing requirements through step automation, thus allowing them to perform authentication checks instantly.

The Challenges of Traditional Onboarding

Before diving into the benefits of automation, it’s important to understand the pain points of traditional onboarding methods:

Time-Consuming Processes

Multiple jurisdiction operations dramatically increase the time it takes business stakeholders to do identity checks manually to several weeks. Waiting times within the application process lead to unhappy customers who drop out of the process.

High Risk of Human Error

Human mistakes commonly appear when manual protocols handle documents and produce incorrect data entries. Problems due to these mistakes both create compliance problems and damage brand reputation.

Fraud and Security Risks

Businesses remain at risk of identity theft, synthetic fraud, and additional malicious activities when they lack robust identity verification systems. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported 5.7 million cases of Fraud and Identity Theft as of July 2023.

Poor Customer Experience

Customer frustration during onboarding increases when processes take too long and require repeated information entry, which raises customer exit rates and reduces business revenue.

How Automated Identity Verification Solves These Challenges

Automated identity verification delivers a smooth, protected, and rapid onboarding solution that resolves the identified challenges. Here’s how:

Faster Onboarding

Automated identity verification enables quick completion of identity authentication within seconds. Users can ensure swift electronic verification by providing a screenshot of their ID documentation followed by a selfie photo that automatically matches their identifier. The rapid pace of verification represents a vital competitive edge for fintech companies whose main appeal comes from expedited service access.

Enhanced Accuracy

AI-powered data systems maintain absolute accuracy in analyzing documentation with biometric information, thus minimizing the chance of human mistakes. A combination of sophisticated algorithms helps catch fraudulent documents alongside image tampering indicators and red flags that bypass visual detection by humans.

Improved Fraud Detection

An automated system checks user data against worldwide watchlists, CT Bureau databases, and external reference databases to detect suspicious actions. Applications get flagged for a second review by the system whenever user IDs show evidence of theft or when biometric authentication fails to match legitimate data.

Regulatory Compliance

Fintech operations exist under regulations that need businesses to comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) security standards. Automated identity verification systems help companies follow these requirements by enabling precise record maintenance and audit path generation.

Better Customer Experience

The removal of onboarding friction allows businesses to deliver a pleasant customer experience, which boosts conversion rates—higher customer satisfaction levels resulting from the growing conversion rates

Real-world applications of Automated Identity Verification

The implementation of automated identity verification systems takes place throughout numerous industries to boost user onboarding while protecting security standards. Here are a few examples:

Fintech and Banking

Through automated identity verification technology, Revolut and Chime enable rapid, safe customer onboarding for their respective financial services. These organizations enhance their service by cutting down KYC and AML operations, which allows fast account creation and availability of financial services.

E-Commerce

Identity verification systems on marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay operate to combat fraud while securing platform safety. Sellers must confirm their identity as a precondition to post their items available on the website.

Gig Economy

Uber and Airbnb, along with other platforms, leverage identity verification to create trust among their user base. Both drivers and hosts must verify their identity to access income-earning opportunities on the platform.

Healthcare

The platforms make sure patients maintain their authenticity through identity verification methods to protect sensitive health data while adhering to governing HIPAA regulations.

The Future of Automated Identity Verification

Technology evolution will transform automated identity verification practices into next-generation solutions. Here are some identity verification trends to watch:

Blockchain-Based Verification

The decentralized approach of blockchain enables secure identity data storage alongside tamper-resistant verification functions. The system would fundamentally change businesses’ KYC and AML compliance management.

AI-Powered Risk Scoring

Through analysis of user actions and transaction patterns, advanced AI programs deliver instantaneous risk assessment for users. Organizations can modify their verification method according to anticipated risk levels through this approach.

Global Standardization

Standard identity verification procedures are likely to advance due to the increasing adoption of digital identity systems in different countries. The standardization would simplify platform scalability across international customer bases.

Conclusion

To compete effectively within the digital era, businesses must recognize automated identity verification as an essential tool. Computerized technology delivers benefits to companies and their consumers by simplifying onboarding processes while strengthening security features with better customer experience features.

Combination with automated identity verification technology makes companies successful in both gaining and keeping customers and meeting regulatory needs as the fintech industry develops. The future of onboarding exists now through automated processes.

Featured image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

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