Mobile consumer voicemail service YouMail Inc. has expanded its offerings to include voicemail transcription, with text message ads deployed by ad networks including 4info and Jingle, known for 1-800-Free411.

This opt-in transcription service provides YouMail customers with human transcribed voicemail or automated transcriptions via SMS or email. The new transcription service lets consumers select human or automated transcriptions, provide feedback and correct transcriptions they receive to improve transcriptions of future voicemail.

"This in an upgrade to cell phone voice mail -- it's dramatically better than what's offered by the carriers," said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail.com, Aliso Viejo, CA. "Consumers can save time, and it gives them more choice in how they access their voice mail."

Consumers can get the YouMail service online at http://www.youmail.com or via YouMail's mobile Web site.

"We email consumers their messages in a format that's optimized for their mobile device, then they click on an attachment to access the message, which saves time," Mr. Quilici said. "Since the voice mail in consumers' email inbox, they can forward voicemails easily.

"You sign up online, put a code in and then all voicemails are routed through YouMail.com," he said. "W're giving consumers choice and flexibility in how they receive their voice mail."

YouMail offers personalized greetings as well.

"We've innovated around greetings, offering smart greetings that are personalized, every person who calls gets a personal greeting, which is pretty slick," Mr. Quilici said. "The YouMail community posts greetings that other members can use -- there are tons of these and every day a whole bunch are added.

"We also offer premium greetings that people can buy," he said.

YouMail also offers voice mail filtering and Ditch Mail, which plays a greeting, then hangs up, for consumers wanting to avoid a real estate agent or ex-significant other.

"A voice mail message can be reported as spam, which then goes automatically into a spam folder and you're not bothered," Mr. Quilici said.

There is a free-to-consumers ad-supported version of YouMail in addition to the various premium subscription versions.

Advertisers include Nationwide auto insurance, American Express and Avis.

For $3.99 per month, consumers can get YouMail's Read-It Text transcription sent as a single SMS.

This service is designed for users without smartphones to quickly decide what a voicemail is about and whether or not to retrieve it. This option provides 50 transcribed messages per month.

For $6.99 per month, consumers can get Read-It Select transcription delivered as an email.

This plan is designed to help users with smartphones avoid dialing their voicemail to receive messages. This option provides 50 transcribed messages per month.

For $9.99 per month, consumers can get Read-It Text Unlimited transcription that fits in a single SMS.

This service is designed for users without smartphones who receive a lot of voicemail. This option provides unlimited transcribed SMS messages per month.

For $17.99 per month, consumers can get Read-It Select Unlimited transcription delivered as an email.

This plan is also designed for users with smartphones who receive a lot of voicemail but who prefer email to SMS.

In addition to the opt-in transcription services, YouMail users can activate the Read-It Free plan at no charge.

Read-It Free offers automated transcription of voicemails from a pre-determined contact, like a significant other, with a limited number of messages in a given month.

The addition of the voicemail transcription feature comes off the heels of YouMail's recent regional carrier partnerships with IMMIX Wireless, a Pennsylvania wireless carrier, and SmartCall, LLC dba iSmart Mobile, a wireless carrier in Bozeman, MT.

Through these partnerships, SmartCall and IMMIX customers now receive YouMail as their primary voicemail service, giving them more control of their voicemail free of charge.

SmartCall and IMMIX customers will now have the option of YouMail's innovative transcription services, available for purchase directly from the carriers.

Furthermore, these partnerships allow IMMIX and SmartCall to differentiate their offerings to compete with larger, national carriers and increase ARPU through sales of premium services.

In addition to the new transcription service, YouMail has also partnered with the creators of the original Crazy Calls answering machine messages to provide users with another way to customize their mobile voicemail greetings.

There are several hundred premium greetings that are available for purchase by YouMail users for a fee of $1.99 per greeting.

Combined with YouMail's personal greetings feature, this lets users entertain family and friends while maintaining a professional appearance to other callers.

YouMail provides a free mobile phone voicemail service that lets consumers customize their voicemail experience.

YouMail offers control over every aspect of the voicemail experience: users can determine which callers get which greetings and when, how they are notified about voicemail, which callers can leave voicemail and how voicemails are picked up -- via e-mail, online, or over the phone.

The company has a growing set of distribution partnerships with mobile service and content providers.

YouMail Inc. is backed by Vantage Point Venture Partners and Tech Coast Angels.

Consumers can sign up for the free YouMail service at http://www.youmail.com.

"We've had sign-ups in the six figures and a couple of carrier deals -- we're growing our consumer base very quickly," Mr. Quilici said. "We let carriers sell premium services to their customers, and we provide a channel they can market to their subscribers.

"There's a lot of opportunity to market to their users, which is very interesting to these carriers, such as iSmart in Montana," he said. "Regional carriers have been competing on price and local customer service, but they've been getting crushed on technology because the big boys have more resources.

"This offers them superior technology and an opportunity to monetize and market to these people."

YouMail depends on word-of-mouth to spread the word about its mobile platform.

"YouMail is viral, it starts a dialogue and lets consumers forward their voicemails," Mr. Quilici said. "The people they send it to see it's from YouMail, and once you get forwarded a transcription, you can forward it on to someone else.

"The secondary promotional channel is the carriers -- it's a very easy way to get a bunch of people at once," he said.

YouMail claims to be an example of how third-party developers can enhance carriers' offerings.

"Apple has awakened people to how bad voicemail was, and as people become aware of what's out there, they become very interested in our third-party solutions, which is way beyond what's been there to date," Mr. Quilici said. "We've been using our own SMS ad space to sell our own services, eating our own dog food so to speak by serving house ads.

"We can use available inventory to market our own services, such as premium greetings," he said. "We see carriers doing something very similar -- serving mobile advertising to promote their products and services."