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efficient, WildFlower’s LiveChat is inte- grated with Slack, and the team has a code to alert others when a customer’s needs have been resolved.
Take note: Be cautious of where the wid- get lives on the website, Guenther says. She discovered it was blocking custom- ers from adding items to the cart. She easily resolved the problem by moving it to a different part of the website, and the function is programmed to turn off when a customer adds items to the cart.
Cost: $20-$59/month (excluding cus- tom pricing options)
Also noteworthy: Tidio Customer support and sales chat tool for small businesses. Combines live chat, chatbots, and email integration in one simple dashboard. Known for its ease of setup and ability to automate FAQs or order status updates. Annual cost: $0–$300+
GPS Fleet Tracking
Verizon Connect What it does: A florist gets a last-min- ute, high-dollar order but doesn’t have enough product to fill it. Can their driver make a quick stop at the wholesaler on their way back? Verizon Connect is a fleet management platform that provides GPS tracking, fleet diagnostics, and driver safety solutions to optimize vehicle usage, reduce operational costs, and improve the efficiency of their delivery drivers.
Integrations: Verizon Connect integra- tions are designed to help businesses streamline their fleet operations by connecting with other critical systems including with route optimization, HR systems, fuel management, vehicle maintenance management, supply chain visibility and more.
Why florists love it: “It made driver effi- ciency so much better,” Terri O’Connor of Rose & Blossom in Washington State says of her experience with the devices in her three vans. She can also use it to see if she can take a last-minute order and get it delivered on time. “There is no wasted time.”
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Take note: Verizon Connect is designed with larger fleets in mind. For a florist with just one or two deliv- ery vans, it might feel too complex and feature heavy. A driver could feel like they are
being watched, O’Connor says, but she also says it can work to protect the driver, too, by showing just how busy they were throughout the day.
Cost: Verizon Connect does not pub- licly disclose its pricing.
Also noteworthy: Bouncie GPS tracker designed for small business fleets. Offers real-time location, driver behavior alerts, maintenance tracking, and route history. Annual cost: $216 per vehicle (device: $89.99 + $9/month service fee)
Human Resources
AttendanceBot What it does: It’s the busiest day of the week and your head designer doesn’t show up. A quick check through your emails shows that they requested the day off, but you forgot. AttendanceBot is an employee attendance and leave man- agement system that automates tracking of clock-ins/outs, breaks, and various types of leave, simplifying HR processes for businesses.
Integrations: AttendanceBot primarily integrates with popular team commu- nication platforms, including Microsoft Teams, Slack and Google Chat.
Why florists love it: It is great for man- aging time-off requests, Guenther says. She likes that it provides a timestamp, that she can block out certain days, and that it can show her a calendar of who is taking off so she always knows what staffing levels are.
Take note: If your team isn’t already using Slack or Microsoft Teams regularly, AttendanceBot might feel like overkill — or require a cultural shift to adopt.
Cost: Free; $15 per user per month
Connecteam What it does: A florist revised its policy on work hours, but when an employee is caught leaving early, they say they didn’t see the new policy. Connecteam empowers owners and managers to take control of deskless and remote teams with tools for communication, sched- uling, time tracking, and training and human resources information to stream- line operations and improve employee engagement.
Integrations: Connecteam integrates with a variety of apps, through both direct integrations and its Zapier. Connecteam also offers APIs for jobs, forms, and job scheduling, allowing developers to build custom integrations.
ON THE MOVE WildFlower Stem + Sundry uses the Bouncie app to monitor its delivery vans in real time — tracking everything from location to driving behavior. Each van has a name and personality, including the fan favorite: “Vanna White.”
FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/Aug 2025 |
WWW.SAFNOW.ORG
Why florists love it: O’Connor uses Connecteam for scheduling and com- munication with her 20 employees. Employees clock in and out using the
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