I truly love the Small Biz Technology blog posts by my good friend Ramon Ray.

Whether you love or hate Starbucks, you gotta admit that this is awesome and thanks Ramon for sharing:

Starbucks is launching new technology in their coffee shops. Believe it or not, this technology has nothing to do with the coffee business, but it WILL bring in more sales.

The technology is a new tabletop phone charging system. The technology is designed so that customers can set their cell phone down on a designated spot on the table, and the phone will charge up automatically, with no plugs, no cables, and no extra cost.

While Starbucks is launching the technology in San Francisco first, they are planning on dispersing over 100,000 table chargers to all U.S. stores within the next three years (an average of 12 per store).

If you’ve ever been low on juice, you’ll understand the lure of this new technology. Down to one bar and no cables with you? Well now you can stop by Starbucks to recharge – and of course while you’re waiting you’ll enjoy a $4 coffee, and maybe even a tasty baked good too.

In order to use the new technology, your cellphone must have wireless charging capabilities. Since many phones don’t have this feature (yet) certain accessories are available to give your phone the power of wireless charging. This includes external batteries or phone cases that have a supplemental, wireless-charging, battery. And guess what? Starbucks may end up selling those accessories too.

Brilliant!

While this costly new technology isn’t going to be a small business option any time soon, it does remind us about the importance of giving customers the technological solutions they are looking for. Staying innovative in regards to technology will help you better serve your customers and build loyalty.

Here at SmallBizTechnology we’ve talked about a number of ways your business can meet customer’s needs with technology – and reap benefits in terms of increased sales and free marketing. For example:

• Boosting your business’ local visibility by claiming you’re your listing on Foursquare
• Offering PayPal POS to allow customers to pay you with PayPal accounts
• Using Twitter hashtags for promotions, so customers can stay up to date and contribute to the conversation
• Using QR codes on products and in-store displays so customers can scan and get more information, sign up for offers, etc
• Encouraging Facebook check-ins with free WiFi

You’ll notice that each one of these examples is focused on giving customers what they want, increasing convenience, and going where your customers are, in terms of apps, technology and social media. It proves that – like Starbucks – there are many things you can do to give your small business a big boost with technology.

Would you like to contribute to the discussion? Then let us know – what innovative ways are YOU using technology to bring in more customers?