This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.
Name: LucyPhone
Quick Pitch: LucyPhone is a free web-based solution and new iPhone app [iTunes link] that helps users avoid waiting on hold.
Genius Idea: LucyPhone saves you from painful on-hold music by waiting in the customer-service queue for you and automatically calling your phone back when an actual human being picks up and is ready to talk.
I always dread having a problem with the cable or Internet or seeing some sort of error on my bank statement because I know that, in addition to the usual hassle of having to get those situations fixed, I’m going to be stuck on hold waiting for a customer service agent listening to some terrible Muzak, or even worse an FM radio station that keeps cutting in and out.
That’s where LucyPhone comes in. Here is how it works:
1. Using the app or the website, enter the number you want to dial, or in the case of the iPhone app, select from a list of 1,000+ businesses that are already populated.
2. Give LucyPhone the number you want to be called back at. Go through the phone menu system and when you get put on hold, press **. At this point, your phone call will end but LucyPhone will continue to monitor the call.
3. When the operator comes back, your phone will ring and you can start your conversation. Get put on hold again? Just press ** and you can go about your business.
This video shows off the service:
We love this concept. Not only is it a time saver, it’s a sanity saver. There’s no more keeping the phone on speaker so you can roam around trying to do something else, no more killing your phone battery because your estimated wait time is 45 minutes and you don’t have a charger handy, and no more Michael Bolton over a bad connection.
While the app can be used from your web browser (you’ll get a phone call connecting you to the number you want to reach), we love using the iPhone app because it has a built-in directory of phone numbers. From banks to insurance companies to consumer electronics vendors, you can select from the list of numbers rather than trying to scour the Internet or your product manuals.
You can use the service without an account, but if you sign-up for one (they’re free), you can track your hold-time minutes and add your own numbers to the app.
LucyPhone is only available in the U.S. and Canada currently, but the guys who founded the company plan on bringing it to the rest of the world. We think this app is a winner.
Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines).”
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