Phonevite, a mass-messaging startup that launched earlier this year, is launching a new Express version of their product that makes the service even easier to use.
Photevite’s main service involves mass-broadcasting phone calls to groups, which has an endless number of possible uses. Clubs use the service to organize get-togethers and parties, while some school systems use it to notify parents when their children have ditched class. Users can send their messages to up to 25 numbers at once for free, or they can opt for a paid plan that allows them to call up to 2,000 numbers at once.
The new PhoneVite Express service makes the process even easier, allowing users to place a call without creating an account. To use it, you simply enter your own phone number, along with a list of the numbers you’d like to call. A moment later your phone rings and the system prompts you for the message you’d like to send to your friends.
Obviously Phonevite seems ripe for abuse – crank callers would like nothing better than to annoy 25 people simultaneously. The site tries to avoid this by requiring calls to be initially placed from a valid phone number (you can’t do it using your computer’s microphone). It also makes it easy for call recipients to opt-out of any future calls, and if too many people label your call as bogus, your account is terminated.
These measures are enough to mitigate most concerns, but today’s release of Phonevite Express makes it easier to place mass calls, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Sure, you can tell Phonevite to never call you again, but it’s just one more thing to deal with. Sometimes it’s a good idea to have a few hurdles in place for a service like this.
On the other hand, used properly, Phonevite Express could be a boon to friends looking to arrange impromptu get-togethers (enough so that I plan to use it myself). Let’s just hope it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Wow, this could be a great tool to integrate into our Doorbell app. On the other hand it could be a headache in terms of phone spamming. What do you TC readers think?
Could TC cover my search engine, http://www.z-portal.uni.cc/
Very cool idea. I think this could be very useful, actually.
This would be cooler if they offered an API
this is called an AutoDialer. Call centers have used this technology for years.
Though I like the Web 2.0 interface they’ve built.
Should make people put down a $300 deposit. YOU prank, you lose your deposit.
We are already providing our API to selected pre-approved partners.
Our system is not an autodialer in the traditional sense where it uses a regular phone line that places calls in a queue, with a big constraint on bandwidth. We use our experience building the largest, fastest-growing VoIP service (Dialpad, acquired by Yahoo!) to send the calls using VoIP (much more flexible, cheaper and with less worries on bandwidth/capacity).
Safety and regulation compliance are on the top of our priorities as we continue enhancing the service. Phonevite is intended to improve group communications for community organizations. Today, most of our usage is by schools, churches, youth sports teams, boy scouts, government agencies, etc., and of course individuals sending last-minute party reminders.
Thanks for your comments.
Gonna give this a try in my practice to remind patients that they have an appointment the next day. Will report back. Thanks TC.
How does this compare to Jott’s service? It seems like they offer similar functionality but this system specializes in voice messages while Jott specializes in email & text messages. Is that accurate?
@ John @ Phonevite
John, we’d like to take a look at the API to see how it would fit into Doorbell (see smins.com and getdoorbell.com). Any chance?
John, sorry that should be smibs.com.
Ohh Man! Jamaicans would love this one to death! We have over 90% penetration here and can’t seem to get enough!
Interesting that TC didn’t cover Blackboard’s $180M acquisition of The NTI Group.
Art, thanks for giving the service a try that way. We have several medical offices using Phonevite for appointment reminders.
Ryan, exactly, Jott is a service around email/text. Phonevite simplifies and delivers the message, in your own voice, straight to phones.
Peter, let’s take the discussion offline…. send me an email (make an easy guess on my address).
Ingrid, Jamaica? what kind of penetration are we talking about LOL?
Zach, good to find you here! I know dude… you guys are the gorilla in the market… but while NTI/Blackboard serves the large school/gov’t accounts, we are making the technology available to the small/mid-size community orgs. across America and the individuals involved in them.
I’ve got a prepaid cell. I’ll be pranking 25 people later today. Thanks!
haggie, hope you find more useful usages than pranking people. we have algorithms that detect abusive usage and such accounts/numbers are terminated without hesitation.
also, any abusive usage that is non-compliant with federal regulations can and will be reported to authorities.
Seems like a good idea and we like the ways they will make sure it doesn’t get out of control.
John,
Of course! That was a dig at TC for not writing about our acquisition. I applaud them writing about your post and wish they would focus more on startups such as yours! Good luck to you. Looks like you are off to a great start.
-Z
I think what Phonevite is doing is really great. I know there’s a handful of companies out there who do similar things but they have truly made it an easy to use tool. After having done some more research on the company, I realized that they were ex-Dialpad employees, the startup that mastered the VoIP technologies (GrandCentral guys were ex-Dialpad employees too) whose services I was a big fan of. I am a member of a church and we had to cancel our picnic at the last minute due to a thunderstorm and Phonevite really saved my day. Great job guys and congratulations1
I do office & house calls for computer repair. I generally email my clients a day in advance (of coarse not everyone checks their email daily). This will be useful in reminding my clients of their appointments. Will definitely give it a try, thanks John!
-AreJay
I have been using TextMarks (http://www.textmarks.com) for the hockey team I coach. I cant tell you what a time saver it is.
50 people get txt messeges about changes in schedule, game results or that the bus will be returning to school in 15 minutes for parent pickup.
You can send alerts right from your cell and can TXT your account and can get a auto reply as to what the last important info was. Messeges can be re- read or forwarded. Plus anyone can send a text to subscribe to your group automaticly
I can see where both services can be useful.
@steve (#22), Looks like Textmarks is Twitter only marketed in a completely different way; though it lacks XMPP integration. What am I missing?
This is awesome. My wife and I are about to have our first baby and we’re going to try this out.
It’s not perfect, but way better than a mass-blast email.
Rob
Minneapolis
I love phonevite.
I have used it and it works like a charm.
I really like the tracking that is done on the backend as well!
Hey John@Phonevite: Way to go! You beat me to this. I had this idea in mid 2002, and couldn’t get the funding, so it go back-burnered. I used to work for a subsidiary of Barry Diller’s IAC who bought evite way back when. My name for the service was darn close to yours too: Televite. Over the years though, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, so I finally rounded up some folks to build it out, and for a brief moment last year, Televite lived! (see http://jan.free...10make-that-11/ ). Unfortunately, the funding didn’t come then either, and the team went in other directions. That said, you better get movin’, cause I’m not giving up yet! Hope you don’t mind some friendly competition! Best wishes. Seriously: Kudos to you, and good luck!
Nothing like having your own personal auto-dialer.
Phonevite is Showing Off at Twiistup on July 17: http://twiistup.com
Needs ability to:
+ upload WAV (or high bitrate mp3). FLAC support would be awesome.
+ choose 1 to 3 simultaneous send options per contact: voice(mail), SMS, email
++ 50 numbers free like group2call
http://crunchba...pany/group2call
group2call also needs the first two