New iPhone App reinvents voicemail for New Zealanders
14th August 2014
When almost every method of communication has been simplified thanks to technology, voicemail has remained clunky and
cumbersome. But Touch Voicemail, a new iPhone app released by Hamilton company Bridge Point, promises to make retrieving
voice messages as easy as reading a text.
Touch Voicemail is the first app in New Zealand to streamline the way Kiwis manage their voicemail. Instead of users
calling their mobile provider and navigating through voice prompts to listen to messages, the app uses 3G or Wifi to
pull voicemail messages directly into their phone. The user can then view their messages onscreen and manage them
through the app.
“We found it strange and frustrating that everything on the iPhone was so easy, except for getting your voicemail
messages,” says Bridge Point Director Ben Wilson. “A lot of people really hate voicemail, yet it’s a necessary evil if
you get a lot of phone calls and messages.”
Uptake has been strong since the app was officially released in July, with particularly positive feedback from sales
professionals and tradespeople. “We’ve also found it’s been popular among those who travel a lot – once the messages are
on the phone, they can still be managed when the phone’s been turned to flight mode.”
Yet there is more to the app than ease of retrieving messages. For just $2.59 per month, or $24.99 per year, users can
not only store and share as many voicemails as they wish on their device, but they can also create and save different
greetings.
“Most people have a generic greeting message on their voicemail that is seldom changed,” says Wilson. “But Touch
Voicemail lets you save multiple greetings and set them depending on circumstance. For instance, if you’re driving, you
can create a message and let callers know that with a couple of taps. Or if you’re sick, you can tell people who to call
instead of you.”
Two versions of the app are available: the full, paid-for version, and a basic free version, supported by ads. Touch
Voicemail is available from the iTunes App Store at https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/touch-voicemail/id829418460?mt=8
ENDS