Mobile messaging company Air2Web Inc. has launched AirCare, a new customer care program that uses text messaging as a tool for customer service and support.

Mobile messaging is a highly personal way to inform and educate customers at the time and place where that communication is most relevant. AirCare uses the immediacy and interactivity of SMS to further its clients' goal of improving customer relationship management.

"Especially in 2009 with such a focus on cost savings and cost reductions, as opposed to revenue generation, we decided to take the low-cost channel, text messaging, and extend that into customer care operations," said Curtis Rapp, vice president of sales and marketing for Air2Web, Atlanta.

"This will deflect calls from call centers, which are expensive and not effective in many instances," he said. "It's valuable and timely, because it doesn't involve the phone tree we all get stuck in.

"Information can be provided more effectively with the SMS channel, and AirCare is the solution that provides that capability."

Air2Web is the mobile resource for brands including AT&T, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, Starbucks and UPS.

For example, the AT&T star services function uses Air2Web technology integrated into AT&T's platform to create a customer care process that provides customer-specific information.

It is designed to deflect potential call center activity and increase upsell revenue and customer satisfaction at a reduced cost.

If AT&T subscribers text in *BAL#, they get the number of minutes they have used that month.

If they text in *NEW#, they can find out if they are eligible for an upgrade to their phone.

"These are typical call center questions, and it's a great revenue opportunities for AT&T," Mr. Rapp said. "Plus, it costs much less delivering that information via SMS."

Starbucks tapped Air2Web for a mobile store locator application. Consumers can text in the ZIP code where they are currently located, which returns a list of the three closest Starbucks stores.

The AirCare managed service offering incorporates best practices developed with large enterprises over the past ten years to provide consumers with self-service options and offload more expensive alternatives for enterprises to interact with and serve their customers.

Utility customers can be notified of service interruptions, thereby avoiding large inbound call volumes.

Consumers can obtain account information or order status from financial institutions and retailers.

Busy consumers can be reminded of payment dates to avoid late fees and help improve enterprise Days Sales Outstanding, or DSO, metrics.

"People will open their phone and read their text messages -- compared to email, it has a very high impact," Mr. Rapp said. "For vendors, it's a much more effective way to share information as opposed to other channels."

An Aberdeen Group study of customer contact centers published in July 2008 found that 80 percent of best-in-class call centers are already leveraging text messaging, compared to below average performers at only 37 percent.

The study correlates higher customer satisfaction and retention results with "Unified Communications" strategies that include this increasingly popular method of communication across all demographics.

AirCare can be used for simple interactions such as alerts, order status, payment reminders, account information, transactions and delivery notifications, in addition to services such as authorizing bill payment or re-setting a password.

Air2Web claims that its toolset allows many of these capabilities to be implemented within 30 days.

Deeper integration with enterprise back-office systems can be accomplished through Air2Web's integration partners, such as Teradata.

"We integrated our technology into their platform so their customers can take advantage of SMS as a CRM tool," Mr. Rapp said. "SMS is an alternative form of interaction, and now it's part of their portfolio of how to interact with customers going forward."

Launched in 1999, Air2Web helps companies use mobile to connect with their customers.

Over the past 10 years, Air2Web has launched thousands of mobile marketing campaigns and integrated mobile technology into strategic business applications for customer care.

DirectText is Air2Web's gateway application into the carriers. CampaignPro is their mobile marketing application.

Air2Web offers companies the tools and technology to promote products and brands, improve the efficiency of customer service and enable mobile transactions.

"We want to leverage our unique strengths which include a tier-1 SMS platform with high-performance connectivity into all the major carrier networks and an application stack that has been in place for 10 years supporting some of the world's leading brands and their mobile marketing campaigns," Mr. Rapp said.

"We also have business process expertise with existing customers, partners and Air2Web resources in the customer care environment to integrate our leading-edge technology with best practices," he said.

SMS short code patent infringement
An undisclosed number of mobile marketing firms and SMS aggregators have received a legal letter from TeleCommunication Systems Inc. alleging infringement of short code patents (see story).

"We have seen the news of the lawsuits, but can provide no specific comment at this time," Mr. Rapp said. "We haven't been served or notified.

"As an application provider we respect the intellectual property rights of others and will ensure that we are not infringing," he said.

"As one of the market leaders in providing mobile marketing and customer care solutions, we take our leadership role very seriously to ensure that we are not infringing on intellectual property rights."

Air2Web does not seem to be worried that these lawsuits will be disastrous for the industry.

"With technological innovation there have been and always will be intellectual property questions to resolve," Mr. Rapp said.

"The mobile channel is so compelling from an economic and effectiveness perspective that we see no reason to believe that this specific situation will have a material impact on the industry," he said.