TNW’s Apps of the Year: Path Talk will change the way you talk to businesses

In our Apps of the Year series, The Next Web team shares personal recommendations for our favorite apps of 2014. 

It’s not often an app comes along that completely changes the way I do things every day, but Path Talk was one of those magical apps for me in 2014.

Path Talk is a messenger app, but along with the ability to message your friends you can message businesses too. It sounds like something you wouldn’t want (who wants to message businesses?!) but it’s actually incredible.

Instead of calling the restaurant, you can simply message them to reserve a table. You could message the corner store to see if the product you want is in stock. The possibilities of what you can ask are endless.

The first time you use it, you’ll feel like you just invoked some sort of magic by not having to call up and wait on hold just to see if there’s a table.

Businesses can sign up to Path Talk to respond to messages directly from customers, which ultimately makes it easier for them to handle over having to answer the phone all day.

The best part, however, is that Path Talk works with any business, even those that aren’t signed up. Path actually calls the businesses on your behalf if they’re not onboard, for free.

It’s not often a new app gives you a glimpse of the future, but Path Talk sold me when I could reserve a table in a matter of seconds with just a few messages from my phone.

➤ Path Talk | iOS | Android

  You can see the rest of the ‘Apps of the Year’ recommendations in this series here