Riding the Whirlwind

Strategic Interactive Marketing for the Insurance Industry

Key Points:

Pagers and PDAs come in a wide variety of forms and prices from under £100 upwards.

Newer PDAs run a mini form of Windows software.

5 .5 Pagers and PDAs

5.5.1 Pagers range from simple bleepers to those with the short and long message. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) range from electronic address books through to palm size portable computers able to run word processing and spreadsheet applications as well as send and receive faxes and access the Internet (via a telephone). New versions are able to run a mini version of the Windows software called Windows CE. PDAs cost from £100 to £800.

New PDAs run MS Windows CE.

5.5.2 Pagers and PDAs can interface with Smart-cards, which look like plastic credit and debit cards, but contain memory and processing power. By securely holding personal information and digital money Smart-cards provide:

• persistency between transactions.
• an audit trail that the user can view.
• a personal profile that can be used to personalise services.
• a cost effective means of making low value transactions.

Users will be able to use them in other devices such as ATMs, kiosks, home PCs, cash registers, telephones, and mobiles.

New services are using pagers and PDAs, especially for time critical applications.

- A Range of Value Added Services -

5.5.3 Powerful pagers and PDA devices enable companies to offer sophisticated value-added services to attract and retain customers, or as a means of generating additional revenue streams:

• Virtual Financial Manager communicates changes in the price of stock or the value of a personal portfolio according to rules specified by the user. The user may also select to receive the information via e-mail, fax, or telephone.
• electronic cheque books that keep accurate track of expenditure by linking to ATMs and retail cash registers.
• up-to-date news on pre-defined topics (e.g. financial news) - a service company continuously scans the electronic media, such as Reuters, and then compiles a personalised report. (see Andersen Consulting's / SkyTel's CSTaR NewsFinder prototype).
• investment portfolio valuations updated at pre-defined intervals combined with buying and selling facilities (an idea based on a similar Internet service offering).

Wide functionality and low cost will make these devices ubiquitous.

6m pagers in Europe and growing at 35% p.a

- They Will Become Ubiquitous -

5.5.4 One interviewee suggests that these devices should not be dismissed. Their wide range of functionality, ease of use, and affordable price, will make them ubiquitous.

	Facts & Figures About Pagers
	6M in Europe
	120m pagers world-wide
	35% growth last year.
	200m forecast for year 2000
	2 x World Wide Standard Proposed
	Ermes
	9,000 characters - 2 x A4 pages of text
	direct link to computers
	European wide use via GSM system
	6 month's battery life (cf 2 months with today's pagers)
	665,000 subscribers in France
	only system with international ratification
	FL*X
	US Motorola developed
	cheaper for service providers to set up
	only short messages
	in use in 120 countries

...... Modems have doubled in speed in the last year and rumour has it that BT is considering free local calls......