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Patronus Leverages Bandwidth App Platform, Gives Campus Students a Modern Way to Get Home Safely
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
- Sensors - GPS
Applicable Industries
- Education
Use Cases
- Public Warning & Emergency Response
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
Patronus was founded in 2013 with the aim of modernizing the way students access emergency help on college campuses. The company believed that the existing standards, which included blue call boxes and running to the nearest landline phone, were outdated considering the ubiquity of mobile phones. After a year of product development and user testing, Patronus was in search of a voice and messaging API partner that could help it evolve with future versions of the application. The company wanted a platform provider that would help tackle challenges as they arose and could scale for what was poised to be a significant growth story.
About The Customer
Patronus is an everyday safety service that provides enhanced emergency calling on college campuses. The company leverages the ubiquity of mobile phones among students to offer a simple yet powerful app that allows users to get in touch with the nearest authorities more quickly than ever before. The app uses GPS technology to transmit the caller’s location and can also notify friends or loved ones when the user is 'on their way', keeping everyone updated throughout the travel episode. Founded in 2013, Patronus has grown its reach and is now on 80 campuses nationwide, with requests from 450 additional campuses across the country.
The Solution
In 2014, Patronus approached Bandwidth for help in enabling voice calling in the latest version of its application. Bandwidth offered access to a large inventory of local phone numbers across the continental United States, readily available whenever a user needed to make a call. It was also the only provider in the market with both an easy-to-use voice and messaging API platform and control and ownership of the underlying carrier network. This meant a level of high-touch support that was unmatched among platform providers. As challenges arose or the Patronus developers hit a critical decision point, the Bandwidth team was right there working to figure out next steps together. At one point during testing, the Patronus team found that certain calls were not going through as planned. Instead of spending multiple days going back and forth with service tickets, emails and 'trial and error' solutions, the Bandwidth team got on the phone with Patronus and spent 36 hours in constant communication with multiple resources involved—until the team worked out the bug together.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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