Product Review: Seconds of Life® Visitor Manager

Last Updated on Sunday, 26 July 2009 21:27 Written by PaisleyRaven Foxclaw Monday, 01 June 2009 08:25

The art of doing business in Second Life is a tricky one. There will be many times when you are not available when patrons wander by your establishment. Luckily, Second Life offers options to fill the gap. You can use bots, of course, but Linden has recently put new rules in place concerning bots. Bots as greeters or assistants in your store are still allowed. Another option for tending customers in your absence is a greeter.

Greeters are nifty little gadgets that can be as simple as saying hello to visitors to giving gifts and notifying owners and officers of a visitor’s presence.

Second Life entrepreneuress Laronya Decosta created the Seconds of Life Visitor Manager. As the product name indicates, it is far more than just a Greeter. It offers landmarks, note cards and even gives gifts to your visitors just for coming by. The entire package covers just about everything a business owner would need in a Greeter.

The Visitor Manger is currently available in four versions, the most recent of which includes all the bells and whistles Laronya has thus far created to make this one of the most versatile all in one gadgets I have yet to encounter. She has a version for just about every business budget and need level.

The centerpiece of the Visitor Manager is the Greeter. Here, you can configure the gadget to send you, the owner –and any managers you add to the list- an instant message when you have a visitor. In that IM you can add a teleport SLURL™ so you can personally greet your visitor or simply pop in to make sure the customer can find what they came for. It is beyond useful if you happen to be expecting someone. You will know right away when that person arrives, and step right in without an unprofessional delay.

 

The Greeter comes in several forms, from a small welcome sign to a large digital sign with a visitor counter and a spot for your visitor’s profile picture. The Greeter can be set to greet each visitor and show the picture. This feature can be delivered in chat, and also in hover text over the greeter. Each visitor gets a menu with options including a survey.

You aren’t limited to the traditional Greeter with the SL™ Visitor Manager. Laronya includes a selection of objects to fit your business needs and style. If you would rather not have a visible Greeter cluttering your décor, Laronya offers invisible prims you can use so your customers never even know where the welcome is coming from. Instructions for configuring these objects are included with the packaging.

 

 

 

Each piece is modifiable, so you can change the colors, textures and size. The digital Greeter comes with a remote to change the color scheme to a list of presets also included with the package.

The instructions are broken down into sections to walk you step-by-step through the set-up process. It can be daunting at first, especially if you have never tangled with a gadget as sophisticated as this. I recommend patience and a careful study of the directions for the components you plan to use before every rezzing the Greeter. There is a Quick Set-Up included, which covers the basics in clear and concise language.  I had my first Greeter up and running within 30 minutes.

Another feature of the Visitor Manger that impressed me is the Online Status Indicator. This part of the package is separate from the Greeter, but integrates seamlessly with the entire system. You can configure the Indicator to use your profile picture when you’re online, or any other picture you chose when you aren’t. Floating text informs your visitor of the last time you were online. This is useful, especially if your visitor has a limited timeframe. Knowing when you left the grid can help them schedule future visits to coincide with your time in Second Life as well as theirs.

The Visitor manager also has a Group Only/Non-Group Only and Group Invite feature. This is also configured in the Greeter. The Group/Non-Group feature lets you decide if you want the Greeter to welcome everyone, or just members of a certain group. The Group Invite is included in the Visitor Menu that pops up, offering the Invite button for up to 10 groups.

Tailored for business, the Greeter includes an email feature. The email sends daily statistics on your visitors. You can also have this information delivered in-world by entering the Owner Menu. Stats for overall, daily and recent visits are at your fingertips. You can also have the information sent directly to your email, and to your chosen managers, keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to traffic.

You can also configure the Greeter for teleports. It does not matter if that location has a Greeter or if the location is on another SIM. You simply include the SLURL of the location and the customer receives a landmark when they select the corresponding button. After the teleport, the menu remains open, so the user can immediately visit another part of your business. 

There are at least a half dozen more features included with this Greeter. As jam-packed with features and surprises as the Visitor Manager is, I must mention the support offered by Laronya’s Second’s of Life group. If you have questions or concerns about the Manager, she or others who have purchased the product are available to assist you.

Laronya’s Seconds of Life Visitor Manger is the absolute all-in-one gadget: a greeter, a teleporter, landmark and note card giver; a gift giver; an online status indicator, group inviter, visitor alert system and more all in one complete package. There is nothing like this available anywhere else for the price, or with the support and the detailed instructions needed to operate this advanced business tool. Laronya Decosta has solved a great deal of many business owners’ concerns with this single versatile product. Stop by her store to see it in action. I have no doubt you will agree that it is indeed the best Greeter in Second Life.