The Voxer Walkie Talkie App: Making Messaging Fun

11/11/19 • 12 min

Voxer is a push-to-talk walkie talkie app for communicating in real-time, in a way that’s fun. If you don’t like texting and Siri’s voice-to-text leaves you sending unintelligible messages—this may be the app for you. In this mini-poddy episode of Wingnut Social, Darla and Natalie gush about the app and how useful it has been for them.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

[1:35] Voxer basics
[4:05] How is Voxer better than Siri?
[6:15] For those who hate texting or typing
[6:40] Take-backs allowed
[7:15] How does it help designers?
[8:55] Nitty-gritty details

Resources & People Mentioned

Voxer is THE Walkie Talkie for adults

Natalie reminisces about her childhood when she and her friends would play with Walkie Talkies. It was the coolest thing as kids. She even brought it into her teenage years—with a CB radio in her truck. Voxer allows you to revisit your childhood in a fun yet functional way.

The free version of Voxer allows you to communicate with up to 5 people in a chat. The pro version? Darla reports that it allows up to 500 people to interact. You can sync the app with the contacts in your phone, or pick and choose those to add to the app.

Practical applications for designers

There are so many logistics involved when it comes to install days, photoshoots, and simple communication with vendors and clients. The app makes communication fast and efficient for a designer. It can apply to other industries as well, such as first-responders and those in hospitality.

Your voice and intonation come across correctly, as opposed to leaving someone guessing with a text message or email communication. Were you sarcastic? Angry? Joyful? Guess no more. It makes communication with clients fun and engaging. Even better—if you accidentally record something better left unsaid, it can be deleted if the receiver hasn’t listened to it yet.

Darla and Natalie chat about the other details that make this app so enjoyable, so keep listening!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Darla’s Interior Design Website
1-877-WINGNUT (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)

Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn

Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

[1:35] Voxer basics
[4:05] How is Voxer better than Siri?
[6:15] For those who hate texting or typing
[6:40] Take-backs allowed
[7:15] How does it help designers?
[8:55] Nitty-gritty details

Resources & People Mentioned

Voxer is THE Walkie Talkie for adults

Practical applications for designers

Darla and Natalie chat about the other details that make this app so enjoyable, so keep listening!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Darla’s Interior Design Website
1-877-WINGNUT (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)

Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn

Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com

Previous Episode

The Inside Scoop: Guest-Starring on an HGTV Design Show with Brenda Thompson

What do you do if you’re approached to be a guest on an HGTV design show? While it’s every designer's secret dream, is it something you really want to tackle? The upsides can be enormous—increased exposure, potential growth in clients due to the exposure, and the potential to be featured again. But are there downsides?

Here to chat with Darla and Natalie in this episode of Wingnut Social is Brenda Thompson of HouseLift Design. After years in the business management world, 5 years ago she took her love for designing warm and inviting spaces and launched her business. Earlier this year a production company reached out about a local opportunity—to hear about her adventure, listen now!

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

[0:55] Upcoming event and announcements
[4:45] Brenda Thompson of HouseLift design
[5:50] Landing an HGTV design show gig
[13:00] What the process is like
[16:30] The uncertainty involved in the day-to-day
[23:50] Handling a budget and timeline
[27:25] Advice for young budding designers
[31:10] How’d she handle the camera?
[37:10] Would she do it again?
[39:35] What up Wingnut Round
[42:10] How to connect with Brenda

Connect with Brenda Thompson

Brenda’s LinkedIn
HouseLift Design
Brenda on Instagram
HouseLift Design on Pinterest

Resources & People Mentioned

Being on a design show is a whirlwind experience

Within two days of a production company reaching out to Brenda, she was signing a contract to be a guest designer on House Hunters Renovation. She had never experienced anything like this before—there was so much involved behind the scenes that you never would’ve guessed.

She was given 10 days to pull together contractors, have samples in hand, and design plans in place.

She was given a budget that demanded she be creative with her costs—so she had to leverage some favors. After many late nights, her team pulled together and designed a space that left both the producers and the homeowners ecstatic.

The reality of being a design star

Being in the limelight is a fun experience, but it isn’t necessarily all that it’s cracked up to be. Scheduling camera days and dealing with all the moving parts involved can be overwhelming. It left Brenda drained and exhausted. She also had to turn away potential clients until the project was wrapped up.

For someone with zero prior experience, being on-camera is a whole new world of intense.

Each particular day of shooting was focused around something major: showing the homeowners the design plans or even showing a kitchen counter-top arriving. Brenda never anticipated the number of times they’d have to reshoot a scene. Trying to appear natural and at-ease on your 10th take of a scene is a lot. She noted it was hard to remember what you’ve said and not appear robotic while repeating it (again and again...and again).

To hear more about her journey, listen to the whole episode! Also, follow Brenda on social media to find out when her episode will air on HGTV!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Darla’s Interior Design Website
1-877-WINGNUT (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)

Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn

Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com

Next Episode

The Mindset Behind Posting Project Minimums for Your Design Business with Christine Lin

A project minimum might be a concept you’ve toyed with if you’re in the interior design industry. When you need to bring in some Benjamin’s to run your business it can be an appealing option. But how does it affect your business? Will you see a decrease in leads or clients? Thankfully, Darla and Natalie’s guest Christine Lin will shed some light on the subject.

Christine has been in the design space for only two and a half years, but she’s already making waves in the San Francisco Bay Area. One year after she launched her firm she decided to implement project minimums. To find out what that looks like for her and how it’s impacted her business, listen to the whole episode of Wingnut Social now!

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

[0:55] Going to Disney World!
[3:10] Project Minimums with Christine Lynn
[7:20] The scope of Christine’s first projects
[10:40] Taking the leap: Setting a minimum
[12:50] The basics of markups
[16:50] How did inquiries change?
[18:20] Advice for new designers
[19:20] The Form + Field Intake process
[21:50] Setting realistic budgets
[27:30] The pros of an office space
[32:35] What up Wingnut!
[36:00] Connect with Christine

Connect with Christine Lin

Resources & People Mentioned

Business of Home
Alana Frailey Interior Design
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Does a project minimum make sense for your business?

When you’re just getting started, it's imperative that you take the work that comes your way to build a portfolio. But as you’ve adjusted and begin to settle into the niche you desire, do you toy with the idea? According to Christine, there is a point where you need to stop taking on small projects that don’t net any profit.

You have to be able to cover your overhead expenses.

Are you covering the costs of your office? What about paying your staff? Christine also notes that setting a certain minimum cost will determine the types of projects you receive. She loves large projects where she gets to renovate and design an entire home. Setting a design fee minimum of $10,000 and a budget minimum of $50,000 helped weed out the smaller projects. It allowed her to focus on what brought her joy.

How did a project minimum budget affect her business?

When Christine implemented her project minimums, she didn’t experience a gap in clients or loss of business. Instead, she started getting leads for larger projects that fit her vision and expertise. She will accept lower project budgets on a case-by-case basis if it piques her interest—such as the project she did with Ayesha and Steph Curry.

Christine is clear about her project minimums on her website and in her contact form. She enjoys vetting client inquiries and answering their questions. She often finds that when she speaks with them she is also educating them on costs (which can be quite high in her area). The process allows her to help adjust expectations while also feeling out if the project would be a great fit.

Her take it or leave it approach suits her and her business continues to thrive. Listen to the whole episode for her insight on the topic, acquiring an office space, and more!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social