New app lets opticians talk to patients

A new app has been launched to help opticians make contact with potential patients through social media.

Ivan_intro, fronted by Ivan the mole, uses new sentiment-driven response technology which mines Twitter for key phrases in conversations or mentions relevant to opticians. The app then automatically sends a personalised response from the user with contact details.

The free to download app, available for both Apple iOS and Android OS devices, comes pre-loaded with over 150 trades and occupations, and can be set up in six steps. Ivan_intro works continuously, unearthing leads for businesses. It also allows users to set a radius of up to 20 miles, keeping its mining of introductions local and focused.