Multi-Tech Shipping Turnkey SMS Server Appliance

Multi-Tech® Systems, Inc., a leading data communications and telecommunications technology company based in suburban Minneapolis is now shipping the company’s turnkey SMS server appliance. The SMSFinder™ SMS server comes in a compact and self-contained chassis that can be desktop or wall mounted. It is equipped with an Ethernet® interface and a quad-band GSM cellular modem that is carrier-approved for use in most parts of the world. Up to 600 SMS messages per hour from the new product can be used for tasks such as basic notifications, situational alerting and advertising campaigns. The model SF100-G single port SMSFinder Server has a 20,000-entry address book, supports sorting, searching and group set-ups, and is currently available at an MSRP of US$999.00.

“The use of SMS communications in small to medium sized businesses is a new technology with applications providing opportunities to both users and resellers,” states Mike Kydd, Vice President of Sales for Multi-Tech Systems, Inc. "You probably are already familiar with SMS notifications as they relate to larger organizations such as airlines using sophisticated SMS servers to notify groups of customers when flight schedules change. On the SMB side, notification applications for SMSFinder might include letting customers know when items have arrived that were out-of-stock when purchased, rain-checked or special ordered. Technical support departments could also use SMS notifications concerning repair requests using return messages for confirmations.

"Alert messages from marketing could be used when selling any sort of perishable product. You may need the ability to initiate a short selling promotion to field sales personnel to move a certain product before it is unusable. SMS also could be used when non-safety related recalls are initiated and you need to contact customers. SMS would be a natural in these situations because they are quick, efficient and inexpensive.

"But the killer app is probably going to be advertising. The key to this application for SMBs is that any advertising is on an opted-in basis which means only people who want the SMS advertising, and sign up for it, receive it. It is a desirable way to target market customers for restaurants, retail merchants. SMS is ideal to reach the late teen to middle age demographic for special deals. Such advertising is timely, reaches the highly mobile audience, is inexpensive and most importantly it is very personal.

“The use of SMS communications in businesses of all sizes is just materializing. It provides a spam-free way for businesses to communicate with its customers, prospects and employees. We saw what basic emailing did for business and now SMS could do the same thing. It is a technology that can change the way businesses communicate at every level and organization size.”

Multi-Tech Systems is an ISO 9001:2000 certified global manufacturer of telephony, Systems has 75 U.S. patents and numerous international patents. Contact Multi-Tech in the U.S. at 800/328-9717 or +763/785-3500, via fax at +763/785-9874, EMEA at T: +(44) 118 959 7774 (UK) or T: +(33) 1 49 19 22 06 (France), or via fax at F: +(44) 118 959 7775 (UK) or F: +(33) 1 49 19 21 00 (France) or at http://www.multitech.com.