[March 03, 2015]

Pingup Awarded New Patent for Messaging a Business

Pingup, the provider of the industry's first mobile API that enables directories and software providers to easily add booking capabilities to business listings, today announced it has been awarded a new, key patent for its method for "managing user chat experiences with businesses." The patent allows users to communicate in multiple ways with businesses including text, and the utilization of "robots" to make an automated payment or a booking with local businesses in a seamless and convenient manner.

Local businesses, especially those that are services-based, increasingly recognize the importance of messaging as the new medium of connecting and engaging with customers in the manner they want. Recently, major players in the local business market, including Google and Facebook, have announced plans to test their own live chat capabilities.

Pingup provides an open API which consolidates local businesses into one unified digital marketplace, enabling listings providers to quickly and seamlessly capture a consumer's intent to buy and connecting them with businesses as soon as they are ready to book a service or schedule an appointment. This process unlocks never-before-seen revenue for both the directories themselves and the SMBs that leverage these listing tools.

"Our goal has always been to help busy people get things done by shortening the distance between consumers and local businesses, and we are pleased one of our first technologies was recognized by the U.S. Patent Office," said Mark Slater (News - Alert), CEO and co-founder. "While this early product offering enabled consumers to message businesses directly, we've adapted our focus to provide an even more seamless experience through our programmatic appointment booking API. This direct task completion capability has huge potential to transform scheduling for local businesses and we're excited to be part of this market evolution."

The patent is registered with the U.S. Patent Office as 8,965,976.

About Pingup

Pingup is transforming online booking into everywhere booking by enabling consumers to schedule service appointments with local businesses across popular websites and mobile apps. Pingup consolidates "live" appointments inventory from top scheduling providers into a unified digital marketplace via its robust and simple-to-use REST API. With over 20,000 merchants on its platform, Pingup continues to add thousands of businesses each month. The company is headquartered in Boston's Innovation District and backed by Avalon Ventures. For more information, visit www.pingup.com.

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