TextChat Product Allows Businesses to Interact with Consumers Via Text Message

admin    Text Message Marketing, Text Messaging     auto dealers, Dealer Text, Text Marketing, TextChat

Advanced Mobile, LLC, a leader in “Driving Mobile” through its Cars2Go Services for auto dealerships, announces the introduction of its Dealer TextChat TM platform and its 24/7 Managed Services feature.   Dealer TextChat TM is the latest addition to its Cars2Go services.

Dealer TextChat allows businesses to chat with customers via text.

With Dealer TextChat TM, auto dealers are able to have 2-way communications with customers and prospects via text message/SMS.  Users can now text message the dealership’s sales or service personnel.  Dealers can, in turn, send and receive text/SMS messages from the convenience of their desktop computer, smartphone, or iPad.  Now, consumers have another choice in how they communicate with a car dealership.

Text chat sessions can be initiated by the user from either:  a keyword and short code; an iPhone or Android App; a mobile website; the HTML dealer website.  The dealer can either have one of its staff respond to the text/SMS inquiry or use the 24/7 Managed Services feature in which a trained agent will respond on behalf of the dealership.  All Dealer TextChat TM communications are archived and can be exported via ADF to any dealer CRM.

For example, a consumer is on a dealer’s  app or mobile website that is designed specifically for the auto dealer.  The consumer chooses to ask a question about a particular vehicle via the Click to Text option.  The text message arrives in the Dealer TextChat TM system.  The dealer now can either have an employee  respond to the inquiry or it can utilize the Managed Services in which a Cars2Go TextChat agent will respond on behalf of the dealership.

In the past, the auto dealer responded to the inquiry via a return phone call.  Many customers found this more intrusive than effective and were turned off by the return phone call.  With TextChat, the auto dealer can easily communicate with the customer or prospect from his desktop computer to the consumer’s cell phone.

For those dealers that do not want to have staff assigned to handle such inquiries, Cars2Go is now offering a turnkey 24/7 Managed Service solution that will handle the interaction for you.  When the TextChat communication progresses to the point of a legitimate lead, the customer contact information is turned over directly to the auto dealer staff.

“The fact of the matter is that many folks simply do not want to talk on the phone these days, said Bret Dunlap, CEO of Advanced Mobile.  “They would much prefer to text rather than talk.  Dealer TextChat TM gives auto dealers the tool to engage their customers in a text dialog, but from the convenience of their PC.”

Advanced Mobile, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, is an industry leader in providing mobile solutions to auto dealers.  Over 1000 auto dealers in the United States use its Cars2Go Services that include:  dealer iPhone & Android apps, custom mobile web sites, text message marketing, custom QR Codes, and Dealer TextChat TM.

Baylor Comes Under Fire For Emergency Text Message System Use

admin    Text Messaging     Baylor, emergency text message

A recent emergency text message system use by Baylor University had many students scared and their fears were reasonable based on the message that was sent.

While our emergency text message system can be also be used for general campus information, it is recommended that the two be kept separate.  If that is not possible, it is at least best to note that this is not an emergency message in some fashion.

Baylor students received these text messages last Wednesday. After confusion stemming from the first message, the university sent a second text message of clarification.

Auto Dealer Apps and Mobile Marketing

admin    Mobile Apps, mobile marketing, Text Message Marketing, Text Messaging     auto dealers, car dealers, Mobile Apps, mobile marketing, mobile web, text message marketing

Advanced Mobile Solutions offers its Triple Play for auto dealers. This unique mobile marketing product provides a mobile web site, text message marketing, and a mobile app for car dealers.

Stereo Retailer Drives Sales with 84444.com

admin    mobile marketing, Text Messaging     marketing, sales, stereo, text message

Darrel Dickinson, Stereo Designs

“When I put a message on my sign outside or my newspaper ad I get text responses. Customers come into the store with their phones open to the text message and want the special offer,” said Darrell Dickinson at Stereo Designs in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in a story told to industry web site 12 Volt News.

Dickinson has discovered the power of mobile marketing for retail stores like his. With a young male demo, it couldn’t be a better targeted way to reach his customers who are most likely to be buyers.

The Ardmore, Oklahoma store has already directly attributed at least one sale to the mobile marketing. One morning, Dickinson decided to give away some koozies that were gathering dust in the back room of his store via a text message promotion. 35 customers came into the store that day with the text message promotion and one bought a radio.

Read more about Stereo Designs and its mobile marketing campaign with 84444.com at 12 Volt News.

Thanks for the publicity 12 Volt!

A Proper Text Message for Radio Stations

advanced34    media, Text Messaging     radio, text message

Advanced Telecom Services’ Bob Bentz explains how to make a proper text message response to P-1 listeners of radio stations.  Radio text messaging is a big part of the mobile marketing business of Advanced Telecom Services and its subsidiary Spark Network Services.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ_K4YmG3j8&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

National Letter of Intent Day Today

advanced34    900 Numbers, mobile marketing, Text Messaging     900 Numbers, Alyssa Dunlap, Barry Brunetti, college football recruiting

Today is National Letter of Intent Day.  It’s the day when college athletes sign their binding

Barry Brunetti, #3 ranked QB by Rivals.com, has committed to West Virginia.

commitment to play collegiate sports at the university of their choice.

There was a time when this was the single biggest day of the year at Advanced Telecom Services. 

Advanced Telecom Services, with the help of some great college sports publications like Gator Bait at the University of Florida, helped make the day a huge success.  It is said that in the South, and especially in the Southeast Conference, there are two seasons — college football season and college football recruiting season.  It is the first Wednesday in February when details are released by major universities to announce which high school athletes have signed for their universities.

There are still some universities that release their college football recruits by 900 number, but more are starting to do it now by text message alerts.  Many universities are tweeting their recruits as the letters arrive.  For the most part, the 900 numbers were replaced by the internet which could not only make the announcements, but could also allow you to see the athlete scoring a touchdown for his high school team.

You can read more about the days of 900 numbers and college football recruiting in an article published today at Fanhouse.com.  Interviewed in the article is David Stirt, who began his 900 number here at Advanced Telecom Services when he was the publisher of Gator Bait magazine.

While this day may not be as important for Advanced Telecom Services financially as it once was, it is still very important for a very personal reason.  Alyssa Dunlap, daughter of ATS co-founder Bret Dunlap, has signed her collegiate letter of intent to play lacrosse at Vanderbilt. 

Congratulations Alyssa!

Premium SMS on Deal or No Deal

advanced34    mobile marketing, Text Messaging     deal or no deal, interactive television shows, premium sms, text message voting

If you thought ‘Deal or No Deal’ was only a game show, you are mistaken. Ask various economists, psychologists and statisticians, who vouch for the academic value of one of the most popular show on American television. These people described ‘Deal or No Deal’ as an experiment to understand people’s decision making behavior. This game involved participants, whose decision making abilities were put to test and they could win billions of dollars. The game became so popular that its various versions were adapted in over seventy countries worldwide. It was also developed as a video game and that too sold like a hot cake.

The most striking feature and the reason behind the unmatched popularity of this show was the use of the biggest premium SMS service in USA. It allowed viewers to participate in the show through SMS from wherever they were and win huge cache of money. The pattern became so popular and user friendly that it set a benchmark for interactive television shows. Since then, many different shows on television took to premium SMS services route to attract viewership.

Mind boggling figures

‘Deal or No Deal’ turned out to be the shot in the arm for premium SMS service worldwide. It triggered viewer interaction through a means as short and simple as an SMS. The figures below speak for them.

• In 2006, premium SMS services revenues were $273 million in USA alone.
• Almost 80 percent of this revenue was from the various mobile contents.
• $35 million was generated through text message voting and text message sweepstakes.
• Deal or No Deal garnered nearly half of premium SMS revenues in the first quarter of 2007.
• Various premium SMS services are able to reach more than 90 percent of mobile users in the US.

Mobile marketing and premium SMS

Not only television shows, but business houses now are also subscribing to mobile marketing technique like premium SMS. This service allows players– in this context, consumers- to participate in various SMS campaigns. These campaigns are intended to pass market information to consumers.

Mobile marketing through premium SMS service can be specially designed to suit customer preferences and choices. Generally, premium SMS is offered to customers without any charges. However, they may be charged for using premium SMS if it involves prize money. Premium SMS can offer text message sweepstakes by asking mobile owners to participate by text message voting. It has evolved as the best amalgamation of mobile advertising and interactive marketing.

Given the time constraints and busy schedules of the people, mobile marketing through premium SMS is going to be the latest tool on the communication platform. Its undemanding character, unlike telemarketing calls, and round the clock accessibility makes them very user friendly and effective.

Text Message Voting Chooses British Olympic Ski Team Goggles

advanced34    Company News, Cool Stuff, mobile marketing, Telemedia, Text Messaging, United Kingdom     2010 Vancouver Olympics, Adidas, Advanced Telecom Services., British ski team, mobile marketing, Olympic ski team, premium sms, text message voting

In just a month, the sports world will come together in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.  And,

Text messe voting will choose the ski goggles for British ski team.

Advanced Telecom Services will be there.

Well, in a way.

Advanced Telecom Services has been chosen as the service bureau for the Adidas Olympic Ski Goggles Design contest.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for designers around the world.

Designers are able to customize a pair of Adidas iD2 goggles to be worn by a British athlete competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics.  The public will vote via premium SMS text message in the UK and the USA for the winning goggles.  Text message voting will identify the top 10 finalists.  The finalists will each receive several pairs of the iD2 Adidas ski goggles to implement the actual design onto the goggles and then return the sample to Adidas.

Adidas will choose the ultimate winner from the ten finalists.  The winning design will be implemented on the ski goggles worn by a 2010 Winter Olympian from the British ski team.

Advanced Telecom Services is proud to be associated with an internationally recognized brand like Adidas.  It is also an honor to be associated with the British ski team and the Vancouver Olympics.

At Advanced Telecom Services, we have the Olympic spirit.