Tool: Directions via text message

Editor's Note: Tuyen Ho emailed this comment to me. Sounds like a very useful tool for small business people. I'd love to get feedback from anyone who tries it.

Hi Becky,

I read your 1/18 blog post re: Gene Marks "can't make these technologies work" piece. You mentioned a few mobile services like Jott. I'd like to tell you about Dial Directions (www.dialdirections.com).

DIR-ECT-IONS is the first nationwide free phone service for 'directions assistance'. Any cell phone user can dial D-I-R- E-C-T-I-O-N-S (347-328-4667); tell the voice-activated service their starting address and destination (address, business, or local event); and instantly receive a driving directions by text message. The service is free and works on all cell phones - no web plan or GPS needed. Only your carrier charges apply.

Here's a demo of the service: http://www.dialdirections.com/video_demo.html

Small business owners have shared wonderful stories about how they use Dial Directions:

• Owners tell their new customers to use it to get point-to-point directions to the owner's store/business, especially when someone rings them up and wants specific directions from a particular address (e.g. one UHaul franchise asked us for our free stickers and postcards about Dial Directions for his customers who are moving into a new neighborhood and need navigation assistance when they're on the go)
• Wedding and other social event planners turn their event into a destination by plugging in the event's name and address at our website. After that, the organizers simply tell attendees to dial D-I-R-E-C-T-I-O-N-S, ask for the event name and provide any starting address.
• Sales, delivery and contractors without access to a computer or GPS use just call D-I-R-E-C-T-I-O-N-S from their cell phones for navigation assistance
• Real estate agents tell their homebuyers to use D-I-R-E-C-T-I-O-N-S to help see multiple open houses without the need for pre-printing maps

Hope this is useful to you and your readers.

Regards,

Tuyen

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