Small businesses get special Today at Apple sessions

A special Today at Apple series by and for small-business owners is coming in May to select Apple Stores, the iPhone giant said Wednesday. New “Made for Business” sessions will offer small business owners and entrepreneurs free opportunities to learn how Apple products and services can support them.

“At Apple, we know small businesses are the backbone of local communities, which is why we are constantly innovating to help at every stage of their growth,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail.

“Our retail stores provide only-at-Apple experiences such as community and education sessions, free Today at Apple programming, and ongoing support from in-store experts who help small businesses find the perfect technology to supercharge their work,” she added.

‘Made for Business’ Today at Apple sessions launch in May

The new programs start up during National Small Business Week in the United States. Six new Made for Business Today at Apple sessions will run throughout May in Chicago, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. After that, programming in will run in select stores worldwide throughout the year.

Here’s how Apple describes the new Made for Business Today at Apple programming:

Led by small business owners, the sessions will highlight how these organizations have used Apple products such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac — along with resources such as Apple Business Connect, Apple Business Essentials, and Tap to Pay on iPhone — to build their businesses, reach customers in new ways, and push their organizations forward.

So having small business owners lead the sessions lets them teach other entrepreneurs how actual businesses have used Apple products and resources to reach customers in new ways and more, Apple said.

New Today at Apple business sessions

An example of a business leading a session comes with Washington, D.C.-based Mozzeria, a Deaf-owned pizzeria. It was “founded with a mission to provide customers with a warm, memorable and visually captivating experience of Deaf culture,” Apple said.

Theodore Miller, the pizzeria’s director of National Operations, will lead a session at Apple Carnegie Library. He will show how the restaurant’s staff uses Apple’s accessibility features to assist clientele and build business.

“To build a truly inclusive and community-driven business, we must focus on putting people first. That means adapting our technology and practices to be more accessible. Apple’s innovations have been key in helping us boost efficiency and connect with customers,” said Miller.

“Whether it’s using Dictation on iPhone or iPad for speech to text in the Notes app, or enabling Live Captions for phone calls, Apple’s tools help bridge communication gaps and set higher standards for businesses in today’s fast-paced world,” he added.

Other resources for businesses

Apple also noted its other resources for businesses in Apple Store locations. Teams called Business Pros and Business Experts stand by to help. Here’s more information from the iPhone giant:

Whether a business owner is looking to learn which products and services are right for their team, or interested in expanding their use of Apple’s tools, Business Pros can help curate personalized solutions, facilitate easy purchasing and shipping, and help small businesses get set up with Apple resources:

Apple Business Connect, a free tool allowing businesses of all sizes to customize how they appear to more than a billion Apple users across Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet, Siri, and other apps.

With Business Connect, businesses can directly manage their information in the interactive Apple Maps place card, including creating Custom Action Links that direct users to their website or preferred platform and make it easy for customers to place orders, reserve a table, and more, right from the place card.

Apple Business Essentials, one complete subscription that seamlessly brings together device management, 24/7 support, and cloud storage. Business owners can easily manage the Apple devices in their organizations and scale up as they grow.

Tap to Pay on iPhone, which provides businesses with an easy, secure, and private way to accept in-person contactless payments. This includes contactless debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, using only an iPhone and a partner-enabled iOS app — no additional hardware or payment terminal needed. Tap to Pay on iPhone uses the built-in features of iPhone to keep business and customer data private and secure.

To get started with Today at Apple sessions, attendees can sign up at apple.com/today/groups.

Source: Apple