Source: Engadget | Opera's latest browser update will show you how much you're being tracked
- The Surprising Way ‘The Office’ Inspired the New ‘High School Musical’ Series on Disney Plus Showbiz Cheat Sheet
- Disney Plus Warns Users Older Movies Have ‘Outdated Cultural Depictions’ Yahoo Entertainment
- Before you sign up for Disney+, this calculator adds up the ‘true’ cost of your streaming services MarketWatch
- New Streaming Services: Everything You Need To Know HuffPost
- How Disney’s War With Netflix Changed TV Forever Vanity Fair
- View full coverage on Google News
- Stocks dip as China slowdown deepens, German economy weak Investing.com
- Alibaba readies $13 billion Hong Kong listing before the end of November CNBC
- Asian markets mixed after China data disappoints CNN
- Hong Kong’s risk of ‘total collapse’ pushes economy deeper into the red Nikkei Asian Review
- Hong Kong is my home, but I fear going back again The Globe and Mail
- View full coverage on Google News
- Career diplomats withstand grilling at partisan impeachment hearing Fox News
- Key Moments From the First Public Impeachment Hearing The New York Times
- See impeachment witnesses’ response to Trump’s all caps tweet CNN
- Opinion: Trump impeachment hearing was a lost day for Democrats Los Angeles Times
- Republicans’ Best Defense Is a Bad Offense The New York Times
- View full coverage on Google News
- Australia bushfires: Death toll rises as communities remain on alert BBC News
- As Australia Burns, Its Leaders Trade Insults The New York Times
- 4 Dead As ‘Tinder Box-Like Conditions’ Fuel Catastrophic Bushfires In Australia NPR
- Australia’s firefighters need concrete support, not just the PM’s ‘thoughts and prayers’ The Guardian
- Governments have ignored the warnings of fire chiefs on bushfires. There is no more time to waste The Guardian
- View full coverage on Google News
- Man convicted of fatally shooting store clerk in plot to steal beer put to death in Georgia Fox News
- Georgia execution: Ray Jefferson Cromartie executed today for 1994 killing; Supreme Court rejects appeal CBS News
- Georgia executes man for store clerk’s killing in 1994 Los Angeles Times
- Georgia inmate executed Wednesday night insisted he wasn’t a killer Atlanta Journal Constitution
- Georgia executes convicted killer who was denied DNA test NBC News
- View full coverage on Google News
Source: Engadget | Stanford publishes its massive Apple Watch heart-rate study
The Surprising Way 'The Office' Inspired the New 'High School Musical' Series on Disney Plus – Showbiz Cheat Sheet
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | The Surprising Way 'The Office' Inspired the New 'High School Musical' Series on Disney Plus – Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Stocks dip as China slowdown deepens, German economy weak – Investing.com
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | Stocks dip as China slowdown deepens, German economy weak – Investing.com
Yodel.io, an Austria-founded startup that’s developed a “digital receptionist” to help SMBs and other small teams handle in and outbound phone-calls, has picked up $1 million in “pre-seed” funding. It brings total funding to just over $1.8 million.
Backing this round is EXF Alpha, the fund of the European Super Angels Club, and various other unnamed European angel investors. This investment will be used to establish a New York office, in addition to the startup’s existing presence in Vienna, London and San Francisco.
In development since 2016 and a Seedcamp alumni, Yodel’s tech acts as a digital phone receptionist that plugs into popular team chat applications such as Slack, Zapier, and Drift to help SMBs handle calls more efficiently. The idea is to provide these small and medium-sized businesses with call-handling technology more akin to that typically available to larger enterprises but at a price they can afford.
It is similar thinking to Google’s recently launched CallJoy, although Yodel argues its product is better and says it is already used by over 2,000 SMBs in 30 languages across 47 countries.
Yodel and CallJoy both offer the ability to transcribe calls, manage inbounds through “human-like” answering, log calls, tag calls and record calls.
However, in addition, Yodel says its tech also allows for customisable canned responses, and that its AI is able to ask for a reason for the call and then process calls accordingly. Other features include call conferencing, and the ability to send and receive SMS messages.
“SMBs are stuck with old school phone systems that lack flexibility,” explain two of Yodel’s co-founders, Nina Hödlmayr and Mike Heininger, in an email. “At the same time, customers of SMBs don’t receive the support they expect via the phone, they want the processes and systems of the multinationals, without considering the backend costs.
The pair argue that by using Yodel, less well-resourced companies can offer voice calls for customers, which they argue is still the most direct channel. “This is an effective way of increasing sales and having fewer unsatisfied customers,” they tell TechCrunch.
“The caller receives a better experience by being greeted from a digital voice assistant and getting forwarded to the right team member. The company views all information in one place without needing to switch tools. This is also a main benefit for distributed and modern teams. Each bit of information is shared and can be collaborated on which improves decisions and overall internal knowledge”.
Operating a typical SaaS model, Yodel charges per “seat” per month. This includes a phone number per user, unlimited inbound minutes and call credit for outbound calls. There are additional fees for more outbound minutes and additional phone numbers. Depending on features the subscription is with $25 per month or $35 per month.
Source: Tech Crunch Startups | Yodel.io is a digital receptionist for SMBs taking calls
Johannes Reck from GetYourGuide to talk about reaching unicorn status at Disrupt Berlin
November 14, 2019Earlier this year, GetYourGuide raised a gigantic $484 million funding round with SoftBank’s Vision Fund leading the round. Now that the German startup has reached a valuation well over the $1 billion mark, it’s time to look back at the company’s impressive trajectory. That’s why I’m excited to announce that GetYourGuide co-founder and CEO Johannes Reck is joining us at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin.
At first, people started booking flights and train tickets on online platforms. Then, they started booking hotel rooms and Airbnb apartments. But going somewhere is just step one. You also need to figure out what you’re going to do when you arrive in a city you don’t know.
GetYourGuide lets you book experiences, from sightseeing tours to tickets for attractions and others. Behind the scene, the company operates a marketplace that matches third parties with travelers.
But the startup now wants to go one step further and build a catalog of “Originals” tour experiences, such as a ‘GetYourGuide Instagram Tour of Bali’, which is probably a lot more appealing to young travelers compared to traditional travel agencies.
GetYourGuide’s metrics are mindboggling. Back in May, the company offered 50,000 experiences and had sold 25 million tickets in total. And I’m sure those numbers are even higher today.
The startup has a shot at becoming a cultural phenomenon and influence the way we travel — just like Airbnb did with its peer-to-peer rental platform. And I can’t wait to hear Johannes Reck tell us how to grow such a big marketplace with everyone’s best interests in mind.
Buy your ticket to Disrupt Berlin to listen to this discussion — and many others. The conference will take place December 11-12.
In addition to panels and fireside chats, like this one, new startups will participate in the Startup Battlefield to compete for the highly coveted Battlefield Cup.
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Johannes Reck is the Chief Executive Officer at GetYourGuide. He leads the company’s long-term vision and strategy.
Johannes co-founded GetYourGuide in 2009 while attending the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and has grown the company into the leading booking platform for incredible travel experiences.
Under Johannes’ leadership, over 30 million tickets have been booked to date via the GetYourGuide website, mobile app, and partnership network. GetYourGuide has raised over $650M from investors such as the SoftBank Vision Fund, Battery Ventures and KKR. Johannes leads GetYourGuide’s 550-person global team from its headquarters in Berlin, Germany.
Johannes originally hails from Cologne, Germany and holds an M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Source: Tech Crunch Startups | Johannes Reck from GetYourGuide to talk about reaching unicorn status at Disrupt Berlin
Career diplomats withstand grilling at partisan impeachment hearing – Fox News
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | Career diplomats withstand grilling at partisan impeachment hearing – Fox News
Australia bushfires: Death toll rises as communities remain on alert – BBC News
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | Australia bushfires: Death toll rises as communities remain on alert – BBC News
Man convicted of fatally shooting store clerk in plot to steal beer put to death in Georgia – Fox News
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | Man convicted of fatally shooting store clerk in plot to steal beer put to death in Georgia – Fox News
Class cancellations for Friday, November 15, 2019.
Source: GMA News Lifestyle | Class cancellations for Friday, November 15, 2019