Startups use mobile space to innovate, grow
JumpForward puts NCAA rules at coaches’ fingertips; ReadyPing serves notice when diners’ table is ready
Ann Meyer Minding Your BusinessApril 26, 2010
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The proliferation of cell phones has pushed Brian Duggan's business in a new direction.
He and a partner launched JumpForward in 2007 to help high school athletes navigate the college recruiting process, but they soon discovered a larger market in providing a mobile software tool that helps college coaches manage communication with prospective recruits.
JumpForward is one of a growing number of Chicago startups responding to the proliferation of smart phones, offering innovative solutions and new marketing strategies. Fueling the innovation is a growing recognition that smart phones can do a lot more than make calls. Tapping the mobile space can enhance customer relationships and boost revenue and profits.
"It's an intensely powerful way to communicate with your audience. The fact that it's in your pocket represents a very personal relationship," said Peter Morano, chief information officer at KeyLimeTie, a Chicago interactive software design and development firm that has seen demand for mobile strategies grow.
JumpForward came up with its concept after noticing the challenges facing college athletics recruiters.
"Kids don't use the phone anymore," preferring to text or use Facebook or Twitter, said Duggan, company president. "Universities were gasping trying to manage all these new forms of communication."
With NCAA regulations limiting the number of contacts a coach can have with a prospective player, JumpForward created a way to increase compliance.
"If any coach tries to proceed with communication with an athlete that's noncompliant, we block it," he said. "We have a mechanism in the engine that understands the NCAA rules and applies it to (all forms of) communication."
The new service helped fuel 200 percent revenue growth for the company, Duggan said. JumpForward, which has 19 employees, plans to double its work force this year as it expands by rolling out a mobile communication tool for high school and athletic club coaches, allowing text messages to be blasted to team rosters instantly.
The mobile platform's main appeal is the ability to cost-effectively communicate with customers wherever they may be, said Michael Becker, North America managing director at the Mobile Marketing Association.
"The innovative capability out of startups is what is enabling and empowering" larger companies to jump in the arena, Becker said.
The immediacy of mobile phones spurred the launch of ReadyPing Inc., a new Chicago provider of text-message paging software for restaurants and other businesses that ask customers to wait for service.
Joe Sprovieri came up with the idea for the business after he and his wife were at a restaurant that ran out of pagers.
"They told us to come back in 15 minutes, and they might have pager," Sprovieri said. "As a customer, I hate waiting for anything."
The experience got Sprovieri thinking there should be a better way.
After a year of testing and development, ReadyPing launched its software this month, allowing restaurants to send a text message to customers when their table is ready. So far, he said, 98 percent of customers like the convenience of getting a text, though the system also allows for phone calls.
"If they don't want to wait around the restaurant, they can venture down the street until their table is ready," Sprovieri said.
Restaurants pay 5 cents per text message on top of a $49 monthly subscription fee to use the software, which also helps them manage their wait lists. Besides restaurants, Sprovieri is targeting hotels, salons, doctors offices and other businesses.
But one of the fastest-growing segments of mobile software has been apps designed for such devices as the iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Worldwide, consumers are expected to spend $6.2 billion in 2010 in mobile application stores, according to Gartner, an information technology research firm. That's about 10 times the forecast for mobile advertising revenue, Gartner said.
Apps provide a convenient, mobile platform for all types of content.
KeyLimeTie developed a water-usage calculator app for Sloan Valve Co., designed to educate customers "and give them a fun tool to play with," said Chris Pautsch, chief executive of the firm. "They (wanted) a tool reps could use in the field when demonstrating their products."
Susan Diamond plans to launch an iPhone prayer-a-day app in June to support her new business, Prayables.com, an online community that aims to empower women by delivering daily prayers.
"I want the iPhone app to be a revenue source on its own," Diamond said. The entire database of prayers will be available on the app for 99 cents.
"It's just not all about Web sites any more. It's having all these prayers at your fingertip as you go about your day."
Susan Diamond, prayables.com 847-945-2850
Chris Pautsch, ceo and Peter Morano, chief information officer, KeyLimeTie
Michael Becker, North America managing director, Mobile Marketing Assn., 408-316-2531
Joe Sprovieri, founder and ceo, ReadyPing, 312-399-8099
Brian Duggan, president, JumpForward, 773-426-8773; 866-499-0564
But iPhone apps aren't necessarily the best tool for all businesses, Morano said. Some might find sending a coupons via text message more effective at getting customers to buy, he said. Customers can access coupons when they need them. "It's an intensely personal way to communicate with your audience," Morano said.
KeyLimeTie, Tim Courtney Director, Marketing and Brand Strategy
o: 630.598.9016 | m: 630.890.2347 | f: 630.390.3425
tim.courtney@keylimetie.com
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Mobile technology: Startups create on-the-go solutions using mobile technology
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1 comment:
I would like to start out by simply stating that I am not here to taint the name of any company, but to inform the readers that there are better products than the software Readyping has to offer. Readyping uses SMTP gateways to send text messages. This means that the user has to enter the customer's cellular carrier (T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.) in addition to their phone number, and the customer cannot respond to the messages that he receives.
QLess, on the other hand, is a much more full-featured product that offers interactive, reliable SMS, as well as support for voice calls, for users that are not comfortable with SMS. Customers can choose which communication method they prefer, and even switch back and forth. No other product offers that ability.
QLess is also interactive, meaning that customers can request an up-to-date estimate of their wait time at any time, they can respond to any text message they receive with a variety of options, including the ability to request more time if they are not ready yet.
QLess is also versatile enough to work anywhere that people are waiting in line, and is deployed at restaurants, DMVs, colleges, retail stores, doctors' offices, etc.
Check out QLess at http://waitinginlinesucks.com for more info.
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