TalkTo – Communicate With Businesses Via SMS

Got a burning question about whether a local boutique has a dress in your size, or whether your gym has a squash court available to use at 7 p.m. tonight? You could call the business and wait on hold while an associate searches for the answer to your question, or you could use TalkTo and send an SMS message instead.

If you’ve got a question to ask, then TalkTo is an app that can save you time and frustration. Rather than calling a business directly to ask a basic question or make a reservation, click over to the TalkTo site and look up the business by name. Click on the name of the business you were searching for, and then type in your message. Wait a few minutes once you hit “Send,” and the business you’ve messaged will reply with an answer directly within the TalkTo site. To save even more time – and avoid having to sit at your computer while you wait for a response – enter your mobile phone number or email address. TalkTo will make sure your response is sent to whichever platform you choose.

The businesses you’re communicating with don’t have to use TalkTo, or even know what the web-app is, for you to get your questions answered quickly. TalkTo ensures that every user gets a timely response by having actual call center representatives call the establishments its users are messaging. Once these representatives are connected with an actual human being, they transcribe the responses they receive and send them back to TalkTo users via SMS, email, or on-screen messages.

Practical Uses:

• Find out how long the wait for a table is at your favorite restaurant
• Ask your hair stylish whether she has any last minute cancellations
• Find out what time the boutique in your neighborhood closes on Sundays
• Book a court for squash at the gym

Insider Tips:

• Enter your cell phone number to get a response via SMS
• iPhone and Android users can download the mobile app
• Business owners that “claim” their establishments can reply to customers from within the TalkTo app
• TalkTo recommends that users avoiding sharing personal information (like credit card numbers) when communicating with businesses

What we liked:

• People can avoid waiting on hold to get answers to basic questions
• Businesses can quickly communicate with customers and take reservations
• TalkTo users can find out where a product is in stock without taking the time to call multiple stores
• People can get responses pushed to their phones through the mobile app

What we didn’t like:

• In some cases, it can take more time to wait for a reply through TalkTo than to call a business and get an immediate response

Alternatives:

• None

Company Info:

• Launched: April 2012
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Founded by: Stuart Levinson and Riley Crane
• Web site: http://talkto.com

Costs:

• Free