Santa Monica, CA (PRWEB) July 07, 2014
CallFire, the cloud-based text and voice communications platform that enables organizations to reach their target audiences by phone in real-time, today released a list of the most inventive current uses for SMS. The list highlights this year’s most unexpected uses of text messaging services for consumers, as well as the companies who are pioneering these innovations .
And the award for most creative uses of SMS goes to…
1. Finding Lost Pets: Using IVR (interactive voice response), those who have found a lost pet can simply type in the missing animal’s ID tag, and a text message will automatically be sent to the pet’s owner with the finder’s contact information to schedule a reunion. Individual counties like Snohomish County are implementing IVR systems to reunite pets with their owners, as well as companies such as MobiPet, which immediately sends out a photo alert by text or email to all registered veterinarians, animal shelters, and pet owners within a 30 mile radius when notified of a lost pet.
2. Instant Valet: Hate to wait? Parking customers can now use text messaging to alert the valet to pull their car up ahead of time, alleviating sidewalk time in the process. Valet services can set up easy text services that allow customers to request their car by simply sending a text message.
3. Courtside Service: No one wants to miss a big play at a sporting event by heading to the concession stand mid-game, but lines are notoriously long during halftimes and breaks. Some venues have alleviated this issue by enabling fans to text food requests straight from their seats, ensuring that fans don’t miss a second of the action. Stadiums like Oracle Arena in Oakland are also using text to resolve a number of game day problems, including seat maintenance or cleanliness issues, disorderly fans and unruly behavior, spills or other hazards in the bowl, lost and found, and more.
4. Hotel Concierge: Gone are the days of rummaging through lost and found boxes, or frantically calling multiple customer service representatives to track down a charger left in a hotel room. Some tech-savvy hotels now send a text message to customers who left something behind, or to communicate general information. ARIA in Las Vegas even allows guests to check out by sending a text message.
5. Door Entry from Anywhere: Working with electronic door services, homeowners can equip their residence with smart doorknobs that can be locked and unlocked through SMS. Users text an authentication code, which triggers a signal to unlock or lock the door -- anytime, from anywhere. Numerous companies offer this service, including Lockitron and Goji Smart Lock.
6. Finding the Lowest Gas Price: Some stations are using SMS to alert customers when gas prices are scheduled to go up. Super Stop USA in St. Paul, Minnesota saw a rush at the pumps, and an average 20% response rate each time the notifications were sent.
7. Song Identification: Despite the popularity of song ID apps like Shazam, radio stations are still inundated with phone calls from listeners who want to know what song just played. Some stations, like Power 105.1 in New York, have now enabled SMS services to allow listeners to text in to get recent song titles, in turn increasing the amount of open lines for contests and on-air callers.
8. School Truancy: Gone are the days when children could forge a note or make a phony call and get away with skipping school. More and more schools, including the Du Quoin School District, are setting up services that automatically send a text alert to parents when their children are marked absent.
About CallFire:
CallFire is a Text and Voice platform that enables businesses to communicate with customers, drive revenue, and increase sales. CallFire makes telephone messaging simple. CallFire products include Business Text Messaging, Voice Broadcast, Toll Free Numbers, Local Phone Numbers, Call Tracking, IVR, Power Dialing for agents, and more. Call analytics enable CallFire’s 200,000 users to reach customers more efficiently. To learn more about how to grow your business, visit http://www.CallFire.com.
i Note: The Most Unexpected Uses list looks at a wide range of companies that use different SMS services. CallFire did not require the selected companies to be customers to be considered for acknowledgment.