Lufthansa Launches MemberScout, Real-Time Social Networking Solution
Written by Progress Software Corp
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Mobile application developed by match2blue on Progressr Apamar Business Event Processing platform
BEDFORD, Mass. & LONDON- Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS), a leading software provider that enables enterprises to be operationally responsive, announced today the launch of the air travel industry's first real-time, location-based social networking solution for frequent flyers. Launched by Lufthansa, the leading European airline, MemberScout enables its users to instantly swap, share or exchange knowledge and ideas. The application, available as an iPhone and soon also BlackBerry app, was developed by match2blue, the mobile application specialist, using the Progressr Apamar Business Event Processing (BEP) platform.
"Lufthansa has been incredibly focused and strategic with this real-time meta social networking application for its Miles & More members"
MemberScout harnesses the power of real-time technology to deliver a next-generation mobile social networking tool to the travel industry. Launched in November 2009 to Lufthansa's Miles & More members in a beta version, it is an instant information exchange through which participants offer each other help and advice, asking questions and providing information related to destinations and travel.
Match2Blue created the mobile application to support Lufthansa's customer relationship strategy, though rather than using the social network to push out information about flights, it has been designed as a `member-helps-member' service.
"Our vision is to help frequent flyers connect with each other to benefit from peer group advice," said Dr. Torsten Wingenter at Lufthansa. "Ultimately, it will support engagement with the Lufthansa and Miles & More brand, but is not a sales tool - we are helping the business community that flies with us to gain the benefits of being in that community, wherever and whenever they need to."
Stephanie Renda, Managing Director at match2blue, highlighted other opportunities. "Lufthansa has been incredibly focused and strategic with this real-time meta social networking application for its Miles & More members," she said. "The key for Lufthansa was to provide Miles & More members with additional benefits when abroad or anywhere in the world to help them find, engage or simply communicate desires or issues."
She continued: "The magic wand of real-time information opens doors to a number of similar solutions for the enterprise and travel industry. CRM tools, such as quality of service at the point of sale and staff appraisal provided back to the enterprise in real time, can provide a magnificent instant way of bolstering the fight against customer churn."
"Location and interest-based social networks are the next-generation for social networking," said Dr. Giles Nelson, Chief Technology Strategist at Progress Software. "They are able to cut through the noise in social networking platforms and provide instant, relevant content to specific communities. Enabled by Business Event Processing technology, it is great to see the vision become a reality at Lufthansa."
Nelson continued, "Imagine how essential the service could become to MemberScout members. For instance, you land in Heathrow and see updates on the quickest way into London that morning - so ensuring you make your meeting - as reported by other MemberScout members. The possibilities are limitless."
About match2blue
Match2blue is the leader in state of the art social networking and location services for brands and businesses. It is a premier mobile solutions provider, based in Mainz, Germany and New York, USA. The company has developed a one-of-a-kind mobile matching engine that enables interest based matching of people, locations, events and goods on the go, anywhere, anytime.
Furthermore match2blue has developed a number of sub-divisions that specifically cater to the needs of special interest organizations, e.g. one of their products is "match2green" for environmental organizations.
For further information please contact www.match2blue.com or call +49 69 40 8 957 62.
About Progress Software Corporation
Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) is a global software company that enables enterprises to be operationally responsive to changing conditions and customer interactions as they occur - to capitalize on new opportunities, drive greater efficiencies and reduce risk. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class infrastructure software spanning event-driven visibility and real-time response, open integration, data access and integration, and application development and deployment - all supporting on-premises and SaaS/Cloud deployments. Progress maximizes the benefits of operational responsiveness while minimizing IT complexity and total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at www.progress.com or +1-781-280-4000.
Apama and Progress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation or one of its affiliates or subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Mobile Technology Feature - Top 10 Business Apps for Android - Android has become one of the most popular mobile operating systems
in the world due to advanced software, competitive manufacturers, and an
app market that is filled with exciting and useful applications. Read
on for this fine Top 10 List compiled by tech writer, Blake Sanders
The Really Big List of Mapping, Geo location Mobile developer resources, APIs and Tools - The Mobile Ecosystem... no question that mobile is huge and
the opportunity for developers, in particular, geo developers! There's
loads of developer resources on the web so to help the developer,
here's a listing of just some of the fine dev resources, blogs,
toolsets and more to consider when developing or porting your app to a
smartphone or Tablet.
ArcGIS.com Mashup Tutorial with Flickr and Foursquare data-
Here's a simple "how to" tutorial on working with the free ArcGIS.com
to easily import KML or RSS data from Flickr and foursquare into ArcGIS
to create your own custom map mashup. ArcGIS.com has some recent
updates including support for KML, be sure to check it out!
Most Users of Free Photo Apps Say Adding Cool Effects is Most Useful - Adding cool effects
to photos was rated as the most useful thing by more than halfof
consumers surveyed using free online photography services, according to
CatchFree a free
online service that helps people find the best free mobile and web applications
to perform useful tasks.
Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Up Close - No Replacement for the iPad But Pretty Darned Sweet - As could be
expected, speculation and blogging is rampant with many stories and
pseudo "reviews" coming out, many of them touting the next "iPad
killer".
Mobile Developer Resource - MapQuest & The Mobile Worker - Facility management companies, surveyors, multi-level marketing,
insurance claims, pipeline companies, water utilities; all have field
workers who would benefit from mobile applications. Not only checking in
to work sites, but keeping a record of the work done
Flickr GPS Photo Tag Tip - Here's a tip for Flickr users who want to share their GPS information
with their photos. note, in order to do this you'll need to be
capturing photos using a GPS-enabled or GPS-aware camera (see you're
smartphone hardware settings to ensure that GPS or location sharing is
turned "ON)".
Mobile data usage in Canada to triple between 2010 and 2012 - Some interesting, yet not terribly surprising, numbers on mobile
usage coming out of Canada. According to a report summarized on
Techvibes, mobile usage is soaring, in particular, the smartphone
segment
Social Location Directory
Do you have a location-aware application, social location service or other location-sensitive service that you'd like to share with us? Please browse this growing directory of Social location Services and feel free to leave a link to your favorite service! See the Directory HERE
Suggested Reading
The Underground Guide To The iPhone:
The iPhone is – if I may say so – one of the greatest mobile
revolutions of the past decade. More and more, mobile phones seem to
materialize out of our wildest dreams. Because of the tight integration
of third-party applications, you can do nearly everything with your
device — be it gaming, working, fooling around, and of course phoning.
Good Mobile Messaging: Executives and professional field forces spend an increasing amount of time on the road tending to business.
Mobile Apps - Native or Web?:
You probably have a plan to build a mobile app, but you've struggled
with the basic question - Should I build it using open web standards
such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or should I build it as a native app
for the devices I want to target?
iBike Coach App- a new “Always On” feature always gathers data
Nike+ GPS App- for sports tracking, recording and sharing
Featured Events
Content & Apps for Automotive Europe 2012 (18-19 April, Germany)
will give you key insights on how in-vehicle connectivity is being
revolutionised as OEMs integrate dynamic content to stay relevant
throughout the vehicle life cycle.
Location Intelligence for Enterprise - Europe 2012, January 16-17, London Hear from Google, Jones Lang LaSalle, Tesco, Willis, Oracle,
ESRI, Microsoft, PBBI and many more as they debate the best strategies
for business models and integration.
Consumer Telematics Show 2012 (Jan 9, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, USA) is the most prestigious and
dynamic consumer telematics focused meeting for the automotive industry.
Held in Las Vegas on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES),
this year's senior-level speakers will include General Motors, Audi,
Toyota, Panasonic, Continental, Hughes Telematics, Gartner, KIA,
Mercedes-Benz and many more
Esri Dev Summit - The
Esri Developer Summit (DevSummit) brings together developers and GIS
professionals from all over the globe. March 26-29, 2012, Palm Springs,
CA