Topic: New voicemail service launched

[Clive]

A voicemail service that will allow you to send the same message to multiple recipients has launched in the UK.

Sending a message using Pinger will only cost you the price of a local call no matter how many people you send it to or where in the world they are.

In London, for example, you can ring 0203 051 0982, enter the numbers of the mobile phones you wish to send the message to, then leave your message.

The recipients will then receive a text message informing them that they have a voicemail, which to retrieve they call a local number. They can forward that message on and respond to you with a voicemail of their own.

Messages can be up to five minutes long and once you have used a number once you can quickly send messages to the same person again by using a speech-recognition feature.

Pinger messages can only be received on mobile phones but are carrier-independent, so it doesn't matter who your network operator is or whether you are on a pay-as-you-go or pay monthly contract.

The service is intended to appeal to those who feel frustrated by the limitations of text messaging.

"Even people who love SMS get frustrated with the small amount of characters per text and the limitations that come from not being able to simply use your voice. You can't sing Happy Birthday in a text message," said Joe Sipher, co-founder of Pinger.

Other problems with text messaging, such as misunderstandings over tone and the need to have both hands free can be overcome using the service, Sipher told Web User.

But Sipher said that Pinger offered more than standard voicemail services.

"In some ways, it's very close to voicemail, in others, it's very different. It's like comparing Tivo to a VCR. Pinger has the opportunity to become a new communication tool," he told Web User.

Though the service has obvious business applications, Sipher said that more than 90 per cent of customers in the US, where Pinger launched in September 2006, were personal users.



www.pinger.com

[GillE]

What a wonderful marketing tool.

[Sandra]

Looks like another way to get lots of unwanted spam  

[Rik]

I can see some possibilities, but I wonder where the catch is?

[mistybear]

The recipients will then receive a text message informing them that they have a voicemail, which to retrieve they call a local number. They can forward that message on and respond to you with a voicemail of their own.

The person receiving the text message then has make a call to find out what the message is. It 's like other message services, you have to make a call, even though it's only a local call, they all add up, to find out what the message is. It's a bit like what "message bank" did for home phones, if you phone someone who doesn't answer the phone after so many rings, message bank takes the call and the caller can leave a message and the recipient has to call message bank to get the message and if you wish to phone them back, then that's another call. So the telco has guaranteed when you phone someone who isn't home, you will still pay for the call, and if you want to clear your messages that you received when you out, you'll have to pay to hear them, that's two calls and you still haven't spoken to the person you called or called you.    

[Clive]

Yes, they think of all sorts of ploys to get their hands on your money.  I don't get many voicemail messages but when I do I don't bother to collect the message because it's always spam.  My biggest annoyance is junk fax calls because it costs money to receive them.  I've had to unplug my fax machine and only reconnect it if I'm expecting a fax - which isn't very often these days!

[Rik]

What mobile network are you with Clive?

[Clive]

Orange Rik.  But I'm talking about BT voicemail where you have to dial a number in order to receive your "message".

[Rik]

I was thinking of the fax problem, Clive. Orange have an answerfax service. You are assigned a mobile fax number, it alerts you via SMS, you go to your answer machine and tell it what number to send the fax too. All the costs are inclusive, as a user, but people sending you faxes pay mobile rates rather than landline - it cuts down the rubbish amazingly well.

[Clive]

   That seems a good idea!  I'm subscribed to the fax version of tps and that cut the  junk faxes down quite a lot.  But a couple of months ago I had a spate of nuisance faxes which prompted me to switch it off.

[Rik]

I've used it for several years now, it got rid of 99% of the junk (and you can choose to delete iac).