Devon Blog

Tag: QR code

  • Why Paper Business Cards Are Dying (and What’s Replacing Them)

    In 2025, handing out a paper business card feels like handing someone a fax. While paper cards have served generations of professionals, they are rapidly becoming obsolete in today’s digital-first, mobile-centric world.

    In this post, we’ll explore the decline of traditional business cards, why professionals are moving on, and what’s replacing them: digital business cards powered by platforms like SnapCard.

    The Problem With Paper Business Cards

    1. They Get Lost or Thrown Away

    Studies show that 88% of paper business cards are discarded within a week. Whether they’re left in a drawer, tossed into a bin, or simply forgotten, the majority don’t convert into meaningful connections.

    2. They’re Static and Can’t Be Updated

    Your phone number changed? You got promoted? With paper, you’d have to reprint all your cards. That’s not only wasteful—it’s expensive and environmentally harmful.

    3. Limited Space, Limited Context

    A 3.5 x 2-inch card can’t show your portfolio, LinkedIn profile, Calendly, or recent projects. Today’s professionals need more than a name and title—they need a digital presence.

    4. They’re Not Contactless

    Especially in a post-COVID world, exchanging physical items isn’t always preferred. QR codes and NFC tap-to-share options are cleaner and safer.

    The Shift: What’s Replacing Paper Business Cards?

    🔗 Digital Business Cards

    Digital business cards offer everything paper cards can’t:

    • Real-time updates (never reprint again)
    • Interactive links to websites, social media, calendars
    • Smart contact saving (auto-add to phone or CRM)
    • Eco-friendly (zero printing, zero waste)
    • Contactless sharing via QR, NFC, or link

    Enter SnapCard: The Business Card, Reinvented

    SnapCard is a modern platform for building, managing, and sharing dynamic digital business cards.

    ✨ With SnapCard, you can:

    • Instantly share your card via QR code, whatsapp, text message, email or simply share a link
    • Include all your professional info, media, and social links
    • Make notes about people you meet
    • Set smart reminders and receive proximity alerts
    • Receive reminders to reconnect with a contact you haven’t been in touch with
    • Customize branding and design
    • Control privacy settings and analytics

    Whether you’re a freelancer, founder, or Fortune 500 executive, SnapCard adapts to your networking needs.

    Why Now Is the Time to Switch

    As more networking happens on LinkedIn, Zoom, WhatsApp, and Slack, your paper business card simply can’t keep up.

    With SnapCard, you gain a digital identity that’s:

    • Always up-to-date
    • Always available
    • Always one tap away

    Join the thousands of professionals making the switch and future-proof your networking strategy.

    Ready to Ditch Paper?

    Try SnapCard for free and create your first digital business card in under 2 minutes.
    👉 Get Started with SnapCard

  • What Is a Personal CRM (and How SnapCard Fits)?

    What Is a Personal CRM (and How SnapCard Fits)?

    A personal CRM is a tool that helps an individual organize, remember, and nurture their relationships over time, not a sales team pipeline. It acts like a smart digital Rolodex that stores contacts, context, and follow‑up reminders so relationships don’t quietly fade.

    Unlike traditional CRMs built for companies and revenue tracking, a personal CRM is lightweight, human‑first, and often mobile‑first, designed to support how you actually meet and remember people in real life.

    What does a personal CRM actually do?

    A personal CRM brings all your relationship context into one place so you don’t rely on memory or messy notes scattered across apps.

    Most good personal CRMs (should) focus on a few core jobs:

    • Store contact details (names, phones, emails, links) in one place.
    • Track when and where you met, and what you last talked about.
    • Let you add notes and tags so you can find people by “how you remember them”, not just by name.
    • Set reminders to reconnect so it’s easy to follow up at the right time, not months too late.

    The goal is not to automate spammy outreach, but to reduce the friction of being thoughtful and consistent with the people who matter to you.

    Key features of a personal CRM

    Most modern personal CRMs share a common feature set.

    • Contact organization: One place to store and organize people by tags, groups, or lists.
    • Interaction history: A timeline of meetings, messages, and calls so you can see where the relationship left off.
    • Notes and tags: Free‑form notes and flexible labels (e.g., “Met at Web Summit”, “Angel investor”, “Loves golf”).
    • Reminders and follow‑ups: Prompts to reconnect on a schedule that matches your intent, not just your inbox.
    • Privacy controls: You decide what to store and share; data is there to help you, not to sell or resell your relationships.

    A good personal CRM fits into your life quietly, so you can focus on conversations instead of admin.

    Why personal CRM matters for modern professionals

    Today, people meet more contacts than they can reasonably remember: at conferences, meetups, intros, and online. Most relationships fade not because we don’t care, but because context and timing slip away.

    A personal CRM helps by:

    • Keeping context alive (where you met, what you discussed, what you promised).
    • Making it easy to restart conversations without awkwardness.
    • Surfacing the right people at the right time, so you stay top of mind naturally.

    For freelancers, founders, salespeople, and multi‑hyphenate professionals, that can translate directly into more opportunities, better referrals, and stronger long‑term networks.

    How SnapCard fits into the personal CRM space

    SnapCard starts as a smart digital business card and grows into a privacy‑first personal CRM built for real‑world networking. It helps you remember where and when you met people, capture context instantly, and reconnect at the right moment.

    With SnapCard you can:

    • Share your digital business card in seconds via QR code, link, SMS, or email.
    • Automatically log where and when you met a new contact as they scan your card.
    • Add private notes and tags while the conversation is fresh.
    • Turn on “Keep in touch” style reminders so Snap nudges you periodically to reconnect.
    • Get contextual alerts when contacts are nearby or you’re back in a place tied to a past interaction (on supported plans).

    SnapCard is designed for people who meet others at events, conferences, and in daily life and want a system to help them keep in touch and for that system to feel human, not like a sales dashboard.

    Is SnapCard a personal CRM or just a digital business card?

    SnapCard is both a digital business card and a personal CRM. It begins with the frictionless exchange of contact details, then layers on notes, tags, reminders, and smart reconnect nudges so your network stays alive over time.

    If you want a tool that helps you go from “nice to meet you” to “we actually stayed in touch,” SnapCard is built for that journey.

    What if I still prefer paper business cards—can a personal CRM like SnapCard still help?

    Yes. A personal CRM like SnapCard doesn’t replace your paper cards; it makes them smarter. You can keep your existing habits at events and simply use SnapCard to capture who you met, where you met, and why they mattered, so you can follow up later without relying on memory or stacks of cards on your desk.



  • 10 Miles, 200 Business Cards, and One Big Idea: How SnapCard Was Born at ITB Berlin

    This March, I attended ITB Berlin, one of the world’s largest travel trade shows. Three days, 12 halls, over 10,000 exhibitors. It was electric — the kind of place where your next business deal, partnership, or career pivot could be hiding behind any handshake.

    By the end of Day 3, my phone’s battery was dead, my feet had clocked 10 miles, and my backpack was bursting at the seams.

    Not with swag.
    Not with brochures.
    But with paper business cards.

    Cards from travel tech founders, hoteliers from Southeast Asia, DMCs from Latin America, tour operators from Eastern Europe. I had a stack. All slightly different sizes. Most with no photo. Some with handwriting I couldn’t decode. A few with names I didn’t even remember meeting.

    I flew home from Berlin exhausted, optimistic — and frustrated.

    The Problem No One Talks About

    The real value of a trade show isn’t what you learn in a keynote or who you watch on a panel. It’s who you meet.

    But after 72 hours of rapid-fire networking and caffeine-fueled conversations, I found myself sitting at my desk the next Monday morning with a pile of paper cards… and no clear memory of who half of them were, where we met, or what we talked about.

    Some cards went in a drawer. Some went in the trash. A few, I forced myself to look up and follow up with — clumsily — on LinkedIn or email.

    And I kept thinking:

    Why is this still how we exchange contact information in 2025?

    What Should Have Happened

    Let’s rewind.

    Imagine I meet someone at ITB — let’s call her Anya, Head of Partnerships at a growing OTA in Poland.

    Instead of handing me a paper card, Anya shows me a QR code on her phone. I scan it. Instantly, I land on her SnapCard — a digital contact card with her photo, name, role, email, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn all in one place.

    I’m offered three choices:

    1. Add Anya to my SnapCard contacts (and get my own SnapCard in 30 seconds)
    2. Download her vCard directly into my phone
    3. Sign in to SnapCard web if I already have an account

    No app needed. No typing errors. No paper.

    If I already had SnapCard installed, I could tag Anya (“ITB contact”, “potential collab”, “follow up in April”), add a note (“spoke about affiliate integrations”), and even set a reminder to reconnect in 2 weeks. SnapCard would log the date, time, and GPS location of our meeting — so I could recall that we talked near Hall 5, by the Brazil booth, on Day 2 right after lunch.

    That’s how it should work.
    So we built it.

    From Problem to Product: SnapCard Was Born

    That post-ITB fatigue — and the realization that modern business networking was stuck in the analog era — sparked the creation of SnapCard.

    We wanted to solve the pain that every conference attendee, freelancer, founder, recruiter, and rainmaker knows too well:

    • The forgotten follow-ups
    • The lost context
    • The shoebox full of cards that never get digitized
    • The awkward “sorry, who are you again?” emails weeks later

    So we built a tool that made your first contact with someone feel like just the beginning — not a missed opportunity waiting to happen.

    SnapCard Today

    SnapCard is now used by professionals across industries to:

    • Instantly share a digital card with QR or link
    • Save new contacts with rich context: where, when, why you met
    • Add notes, tags, and reminders so your follow-up is thoughtful and timely
    • Keep your network organized without spreadsheets or clunky CRMs
    • Create multiple SnapCards for different roles or contexts (e.g., founder, advisor, investor)

    And if you’re at an event and meet someone else on SnapCard? You can mutually save each other with a tap — and never forget the moment.

    If You’re Going to Walk 10 Miles at a Trade Show…

    …make it count.

    Don’t come back with sore feet and a foggy memory. Come back with an organized, tagged, time-stamped pipeline of relationships that you can actually act on.

    That’s what SnapCard does.
    And that’s why we built it — at ITB Berlin, one paper card too many.

  • Why we’re building loyaltyENGINE?

    1. Why we’re building connectchief…
    2. Every business should build its ecosystem for growth
    3. Why did we create trustENGINE?
    4. Why we are building promoENGINE?
    5. Why are we building flexxWORK?
    6. Why we’re building loyaltyENGINE?

    Having a loyalty program is crucial for businesses of all sizes and industries. It offers numerous benefits that can help drive customer retention, increase revenue, and build brand loyalty.

    Here are some key reasons why every business should have a loyalty program:

    Customer Retention: A loyalty program incentivizes customers to continue engaging with your business. By rewarding their loyalty, you create a strong incentive for them to keep coming back. This leads to higher customer retention rates, reducing the need for constantly acquiring new customers and increasing the lifetime value of existing ones.

    + Increased Sales: Loyalty program members tend to spend more and make more frequent purchases than non-members. By offering exclusive rewards, discounts, or personalized offers, you can motivate customers to choose your business over competitors. This, in turn, leads to increased sales and revenue generation.

    + Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Loyal customers who are part of your loyalty program become brand advocates. They are more likely to recommend your business to their friends, family, and colleagues. Positive word-of-mouth marketing can significantly impact your business’s reputation and attract new customers, helping to expand your customer base organically.

    + Data Collection and Customer Insights: A loyalty program provides a valuable opportunity to gather customer data and gain insights into their preferences, behaviors, and purchasing patterns. This data can be used to personalize marketing efforts, improve products or services, and tailor the overall customer experience. Understanding your customers better allows you to make informed business decisions and deliver targeted offers that resonate with them.

    + Competitive Advantage: In today’s competitive marketplace, having a loyalty program can give your business a competitive edge. It differentiates you from competitors and creates a sense of exclusivity for your customers. A well-designed and rewarding loyalty program can attract new customers and retain existing ones, positioning your business as the preferred choice in the market.

    + Emotional Connection and Brand Loyalty: Loyalty programs foster a sense of emotional connection between customers and your brand. By consistently rewarding their loyalty, you build trust, strengthen the customer-brand relationship, and cultivate brand loyalty. Customers who feel appreciated and valued are more likely to remain loyal and become long-term advocates for your business.

    But traditinal loyalty programs aren’t exactly easy to run…

    • Tracking and Administration – Managing a physical punch card system requires meticulous tracking and administration. It can be time-consuming and error-prone to manually keep track of customer punches, verify their eligibility for rewards, and handle card replacements or transfers. This process becomes increasingly challenging as the number of customers and transactions grows.
    • Limited Customer Insights – Punch card-based loyalty programs often lack the ability to gather meaningful customer data. Without capturing customer information, businesses miss out on valuable insights that can help them understand their customers’ preferences, behaviors, and purchase patterns. This data is essential for making informed business decisions and delivering personalized experiences.
    • Lack of Flexibility – Traditional punch card programs typically have limited flexibility in terms of reward options and customization. This lack of flexibility may not align with the diverse preferences and needs of customers. It can also make it challenging to offer personalized rewards or adapt the program based on changing market conditions or customer demands.
    • Ineffective Communication – Communicating with customers and keeping them informed about program updates, rewards, or promotions can be challenging with a physical punch card system. Businesses often rely on manual methods like in-store signage, verbal communication, SMS or emails (and we know how much customers hate being spammed), which may not effectively reach all customers or provide consistent messaging
    • Limited Scalability – As a business grows and attracts more customers, managing a physical punch card-based loyalty program becomes increasingly difficult to scale. The administrative burden and logistical challenges can become overwhelming, especially when trying to provide a consistent experience across multiple locations or channels.
    • Inconvenience for Customers – Carrying physical punch cards can be inconvenient for customers. They may forget or misplace the cards, leading to frustration or missed opportunities to earn rewards. In today’s digital age, where customers expect convenience and seamless experiences, relying on physical cards can be seen as outdated and less user-friendly.
    Digital loyalty program platforms offer greater convenience, flexibility, and data collection capabilities, allowing businesses to deliver more personalized rewards, track customer behavior, and create a more engaging loyalty experience.

    We created LoyaltyEngine to help our clients harness the power of loyalty programs while helping eliminate the challenges with traditional loyalty methods like punch cards. A well-executed loyalty program is a powerful tool for businesses. It enhances customer retention, drives sales, generates positive word-of-mouth marketing, provides valuable customer data, creates a competitive advantage, and cultivates brand loyalty. By implementing a loyalty program on LoyaltyEngine, your business can establish a strong foundation for sustainable growth and success.

    What makes LoyaltyEngine so cool!

    1. Its completely digital – so its brings to you all the advantages of digital platform like promotion flexibility, data collection capabilities, personalizated rewards, and a more engaging experience for customers
    2. No punch cards to carry. No apps to install – Simply scan the QR code at the store and your loyalty points are right there for you to redeem.
    3. Your customers hate installing apps – so no app is required
    4. Your customers get too much email or SMS – so we do not send emails or SMSs. Customers can receive announcements from you when they scan the QR code (in the moment) or the ones who install apps can receive special promotions & announcements (opt-in only) within the app
    5. The end-users experience is completely personalized – your most loyal customers can get the most royal treatment 🙂

    Ultimately, and as its goes for everything with connectchief. You, the business owner are in control. We’re simply making software tools to help you supercharge your business!
    Try out our LoyaltyEngine for free for the first 90days.

  • Why we chose QR codes as the gateway to the connectchief platform

    The COVID19 pandemic taught us all to use QR codes.

    Here are a few reasons why QR codes are already widely embraced as a means of interaction:

    1. Contactless and Convenient: QR codes provide a touchless way for customers to access information or perform actions using their smartphones. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the contactless nature of QR codes became even more appealing.
    2. Ease of Use: Scanning a QR code is simple and requires minimal effort. Most smartphones have built-in QR code scanning capabilities in their cameras, eliminating the need for additional apps.
    3. Versatility: QR codes can be used for a variety of purposes, such as accessing websites, making payments, downloading apps, redeeming coupons, and more. Their versatility makes them applicable across various industries and use cases.
    4. Cost-effective: Generating and implementing QR codes is generally affordable and accessible to businesses of all sizes. It doesn’t require expensive hardware or infrastructure.

    connectchief runs in the cloud. So there’s little reason why our clients (businesses) need to invest in a tablet or other hardware for taking advantage of our platform. Simply generate QR codes on our platform, customize the designs to meet your businesses aesthetic guidelines and keep your focus on growing your business.

    We will keep our focus on building technology that is important for YOU – our customers so you can succeed with your customers. Have an idea for something we should build for your business – write to us

  • How you can grow your business faster with connectchief

    1. Why we’re building connectchief…
    2. How you can grow your business faster with connectchief

    Every business owner knows they need to innovate and grow their business. What isn’t clear is how to methodically go about doing just that…

    Growth comes from recognizing the need for change, effectively adapting to shifts in your environment, having strong customer insights and finally turning this information into better customer experience and service.

    Connectchief helps businesses to better engage with its target customers, improving the effectiveness of their marketing, and enables them to find new ways communicate their value propositions.

    The digital revolution has unleashed rapid and significant changes in how business is done today. A businesses ability to engage customers, understand their changing needs and to keep up with them determines its success and growth rates.

    The connectchief team deeply understands how technology can play a significant role for your business to grow. We’re been rapidly innovating and responding with creative ideas to help small businesses build a competitive edge. With connectchief every small business can –

    + Collaborate with other businesses to promote each other

    Any business can get started with connectchief for free. Once registered, identify and invite other businesses nearby to collaborate with you. Each business can promote coupons & offers form its partner businesses to its own customers. Referred customers are more likely to do business with you over those who were attracted simply through a discount or a one-off advertisement. Referrals can cost almost 10x less than traditional advertisements when it comes to finding new customers.

    + Engage with your customers

    At connectchief, your business receives a personalized QR code which is powered by our platform. We chose QR codes so you do not have to many any investments in buying equipment or other technology to grow your business. A simple QR code puts the power of the entire connectchief platform behind your business. Place that QR code (we call it our Scan & Connect system) within your premises to present customers with promotions, solicit their feedback, showcase your reviews, get customer reviews, make announcements and so much more. Better engagement translates into improved loyalty and more business.

    + Create promotions, discount coupons and vouchers for customers and business partners.

    Through connectchief, every business can also utilize our promoEngine to generate coupons & promotions that can be distributed to visiting customers on your website, in-store or even be distributed via other businesses that collaborate with you (your business ofcourse has to reciprocate with promoting those businesses as well).

    Businesses that use innovative ways to find new customers & to retain existing ones tend to grow faster. Those that continuously learn from customers to provide better service and products discover paths to greater profits and lasting loyalty.

    At connectchief, we’re committed to helping you power up your business with innovative, cost-effective and technology-powered approaches that have been afforded only to big businesses until now.

    Find your path to growth – register for free on connectchief