Cellpoint Connect and VoodooVox launch first mobile IVR service to be
deployed in the U.S
Cellpoint Connect, provider of user oriented mobile services and VoodooVox , the sole
provider of interactive voice response technology (IVR) for radio, today announce the
launch of a joint mobile IVR technology venture.
Callers of VoodooVox’s IVR service now receive intelligent offers for ringtone
downloads whenever they call a radio station’s request line. VoodooVox’s 400+
customers receive calls from tens of thousands of rabid music fans each day; with the
integration of Cellpoint’s ringtone technology, those callers can be offered and transact
for ringtones right over the phone. With no need to leave the phone to access a Web or
WAP site, the purchasing process is fast and seamless.
“We’re tremendously excited to be able to offer on-demand ringtone sales to our callers,”
Nick Branstater, COO of VoodooVox stated. He added, “We’ve sold ringtones on our
phone lines for years, but Cellpoint is the first company with the technology and
relationships needed to allow us to sell ringtones right over the phone. The radio stations
we work with drive a great deal of call volume from music fans and because of this we
are able to monetize that volume by selling callers what they want. We expect the vastly
improved process to have a significant impact on our revenues from mobile content.
Ringtone sales are one component of VoodooVox’s larger strategy to develop its
customers’ IVR systems as a promotional and marketing channel, turning passive
listeners into active customers. “Our customers are very excited by the additional
revenue we are able to bring to them through on-phone marketing opportunities like
ringtone sales,” Branstater noted.
A rather interesting concept especially as we are beginning to see more and more artists
turn to the mobile phone in hopes of building, or expanding, their fan base. “There’s a
burgeoning market in the U.S. for mobile music,” James Schildknecht, Director of