Kyle
A Boston area startup called Pingup aims to help cure the frustration from dealing with customer service agents and being put on hold by resorting to text messages. PingUp allows consumers to text businesses messages pertaining to their accounts and the nature of the company’s business.
For example, a cable company could use PingUp to allow their customers to text simple items like “Cancel HBO” or “Add Showtime” they could even go further and assist in scheduling appointments or set up a call back time so that the customer doesn’t have to wait.
The company was founded when co-founder and CEO Mark Slater had to spend an ungodly amount of time holding with his cable company for a question that required no more than two minutes to handle. It’s those kind of issues that drive call center frustration and customer frustration up.
We got a chance to interview Slater earlier this year.
PingUp has signed up over 550 businesses in the Boston area where it initially rolled out. They also have apps in both the Apple iTunes App Store and the Google Play store.
Cab companies, restaurants and service businesses across Boston have responded well to PingUp and have already implemented the service. A few different cab companies allow customers to book their cabs using PingUp rather than having to talk to a dispatcher. This of course makes it much easier to insure that the cab is going to go to the right location.
Restaurants allow customers to use PingUp to make reservations or get on call ahead seating lists. Other businesses use the service for customer service issues.
PingUp has just raised $4 million dollars in an equity round led by original investor Avalon. They plan on using the capital to expand to other markets including New York and San Francisco. PingUp already offers service in Miami in addition to the Boston area where they are based.
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Source: TNW
