Manage Your Incoming Calls Better with the Mobile Receptionist App

Monika Jansen Mar 30, 2012 Tweet

If you’re an app developer, getting your app approved by Apple is a big deal. Their vetting process is super strict – for a reason, of course – but it can also be really frustrating to play by someone else’s rules. After all, entrepreneurs play by their own rules. Add to this the scenario of being told over and over that something couldn’t be done, and, well, you suddenly have a very determined entrepreneur on your hands.

This was the exact experience of Kyle Cooper and Dony (yes, spelled with a “d”) Williams. For over a year, the team looked for an app developer to create a sort of intelligent receptionist – it would notify callers of incoming calls and remind you to call them back – but each software/app development company they approached said that it couldn’t be done because Apple was too restrictive, so building the functionality was impossible.

Cooper and Williams approached web design and dev company Nerdy Dragon, and Jason Dodd said, “Sure, we can do this.” So they proved all those naysayers wrong, founded a company called Life Simplefyed, and built the Mobile Receptionist app, which is a great app for super busy people – not just startup founders and salespeople. Think doctors, politicians, moms…the list is endless.

The app is so simple: When you ignore a phone call, it sends the call to Mobile Receptionist, where the caller hears a customized greeting such as “You’ve reached Monika’s receptionist. She is currently on vacation in Hawaii, but your call is important and she’ll call you back when she gets a chance.” In addition to the voice greeting, a custom SMS message is sent to the caller, such as “Thanks for your call! I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.” But that’s not all! A notification is sent to the app user, reminding them to call the person back.

So, in essence, it notifies callers that their call is important and reminds the app user to call them back. The team is currently working on further enhancements and intelligence, such as integration with your calendar and CRM, custom messaging to the caller, and calling queues, among others. You can find out more about what’s next at our Tech Cocktail Boise event on Tuesday, where Mobile Receptionist will be a showcased startup.