(A column highlighting scientific, technological, engineering and design innovation in Africa)
BoxBuzz is an alert system that sends text messages to the mobile phones of owners of post office box addresses when they receive a letter or package in their boxes. The use of post office boxes is particularly prevalent in Africa, where there is no door-to-door delivery of mail.
Maximus Ametorgoh, founder and chief executive officer of the information technology firm PopOut, developed BoxBuzz in 2012, with a view toward “reviving” the postal delivery system by adding speed and technology to it in a simple and cost-effective way. “There is no need for post office box owners wasting their time to come and open empty boxes in anticipation of letters or parcels. Time is money,” the website, myboxbuzz.com, proclaims.
BoxBuzz, which is owned by PopOut, allows post offices to use their own computers and Internet connection to create alerts for box owners, based on an uploaded file of active box addresses. The alerts can be scheduled for delivery or sent instantly via the web, text message, or USSD app.
Box owners pay a fixed annual subscription fee for the basic BoxBuzz service, or for the premium service, which comes with instant alerts. For a small fee, subscribers who do not have the premium plan can check their inbox at any time via a “short code” – a special telephone number that typically is significantly shorter than regular telephone numbers.
Upon receiving alerts, box owners can request direct delivery to their home, office or any location, using the mobile app or USSD protocol. The key feature of BoxBuzz is that is works even when broadband Internet connectivity is limited nonexistent, Ametorgoh says.
Among potential applications, BoxBuzz can be used to manage “pigeon hole” mailboxes, such as in offices, schools, apartment buildings, and by businesses to alert customers when their merchandise is ready for them to pick up.
BoxBuzz was among the top 40 African startups launched at DEMO Africa 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya, in October. PopOut plans to develop additional services for the mobile app, including rentals of post office boxes, mobile money services, and event alerts. The company reportedly is in talks to introduce the platform to Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and China.
Ametorgoh said in an interview with HumanIPO that the director of posts at Ghana’s Ministry of Communication has recommended BoxBuzz to the government and the platform should become operational by June 2014.
