Automotive Web site and inventory service provider Seritas and medical domain name registrar Max.md have have deployed the mClass SMS platform for use in their customers' sites.

Gold Mobile, a provider of mobile enterprise applications and services, recently announced the launch of mClass, an enterprise-class ASP software server that enables large multi-location businesses to scale the configuration and use of SMS applications. The mClass platform configures thousands of locations and database interfaces with contextual and pattern-matching intelligence.

"The overall strategy is to enable businesses that have hundreds or thousands of locations, call centers or databases to use mobile to quickly and cost effectively roll out mobile across their enterprise and manage all of those in a single environment," said Bob Gold, founder/CEO of Gold Mobile, Clark, NJ.

"This gives each branch manager some autonomy, while giving the central office visibility into all of its locations, so it can do tracking and analysis across the entire enterprise," he said. "A lot of people have been piloting mobile, trying it out, but how do you scale it?

"This lets businesses have one management system that allows them to extend mobile to all their locations."

Gold Mobile mClass provides visibility, management and custom configurability to route SMS and other message types to and from any mobile phone and to any desktop, call center, fulfillment center, helpline, interactive screen or application/database such as CRM, inventory or real-time data feeds.

"Our mobile Web site inventory solution is now unique to the automotive industry," said Scott Greger, CEO of Seritas, Kansas City, MO, in a written statement.

"Since integrating our Web site application to mClass using the Gold Mobile API, we've been able to easily configure, implement and manage our new mobile Web inventory solution for our dealership customers nationwide, and have even added a mobile video option," he said.

Seritas builds Web site and has an inventory package for car dealerships.

Dealers can create promotions for a specific vehicle with a back-end interface that downloads inventory right to a consumer's phone.

When you go to one of their car-dealership clients' Web sites, all of their inventory is mobilized.

A mobile phone icon appears next to each vehicle.

When a consumer clicks on an icon, a form opens up asking consumers to enter their name and phone number to receive a promotional offer.

"It sends car inventory and the offer to their phone and contacts the sales department immediately with the lead info," Mr. Gold said.

Consumers can get information sent to their phone or request to speak to salesperson immediately.
That consumer's information is routed to salesperson or call center in real time. That salesperson can text or call the consumer back.

"Within 20 seconds a car dealership could be placed in touch with a consumer, and they have the opportunity to continue marketing to that consumer going forward," Mr. Gold said. "They can deploy these mobile services to a few hundred car dealerships in a matter of a week.

"It's very powerful, because it allows Seritas to see all activity, and the car dealership can use the analysis, tracking and management system on their own," he said.

Gold Mobile's target clients are businesses such as retail chains, restaurant franchises, car manufacturers and their dealerships, hotels, fitness clubs and consumer goods companies with thousands of brands, branches and/or retailers.

The Gold Mobile mClass system features a "Bi-directional Enterprise Service Transport," or BEST, communications facility that integrates older communications protocols such as email with SMS, IM, MMS and VoIP-IVR across any enterprise application.

The mClass configuration and database management functionality is built using industry standard protocols such as LDAP allowing for rapid large enterprise scalability, according to Gold Mobile.

The company claims that, using mClass, a company can deploy mobile solutions across its entire enterprise of hundreds or thousands of locations in a matter of weeks.

Additionally, mClass can maintain a "session" between a customer service rep or application and a mobile consumer, allowing an interactive dialogue.

It also provides "pattern-matching" intelligence, letting companies deploy mobile applications that respond with contextually relevant messages based on the ability to match a response to certain words or phrases in the conversation.

Since multiple SMS conversations are tracked and managed simultaneously, reductions in time are achieved when processing mobile customer requests.

Each conversation is individually logged and archived, providing access to all records.

The system processes basic and complex CRM demands, spanning from account inquiries to obtaining approval for critical services and parameter-based alerts.

It is intended as a tool for service-oriented businesses to increase customer responsiveness.

Gold Mobile is an enterprise mobile application solutions provider, with a suite of mobile applications and development tools.

Its flagship Mobile Command Center integrates and manages mobile marketing, mobile enterprise CRM, mobile video and multimedia, development tools for WAP sites and real-time reporting.

The Gold Mobile platform supports carriers and networks throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Max.md is used by more than 7,000 doctors, clinics and hospitals.

"Max.md is the fastest growing global domain in the healthcare industry -- .md certifies that you're a real doctor and provides a secure Web and email environment," Mr. Gold said. "How do all of their customers add a mobile component?

"We've just been selected as their mobile platform, so their clients can get the .md domain for mobile Web/WAP sites and add text messaging to their email product," he said. "They have both Web and email platforms, and now they also have a WAP site and SMS, which they can quickly scale out a mobile piece to all of their 7,000-plus .md customers.

"They can now sell mobile to all of their customers."