Chikka Corporate

Chikka: 10 and Now

July 28, 2010

As Chikka celebrates its 10th year anniversary, Chief Imagination Officer Dennis Mendiola remembers the time when Chikka was just an idea to improve customer service for the online community when he and his business partners were running a small e-commerce business.

As with all great innovations, it was this idea that eventually paved the way for the development of an Internet-based PC-to-mobile instant messaging application that the Filipino community has learned to embrace and value.

“Over the years, we’ve been getting emails from Chikka users around the world, telling us how much Chikka means to them,” CIO Dennis Mendiola said. “We provide an easy and cost-efficient way for Filipinos all over the world to communicate, and we’re working hard to develop new services and applications that would address their communication needs better. What makes us unique is that we provide universal access to Filipinos worldwide so they can stay in touch on any communications platform at affordable rates.”

Chikka: Then and Now

The first Chikka Text Messenger was released in 2001, and it was the world’s first PC-to-mobile instant messaging application, combining the cost-effectiveness of the Internet and the universality of text messaging. Uniting the sea of SMS users with an online instant messaging community, Chikka has since then, served over 68 million Filipinos worldwide.

One of the things that make Chikka successful is its ability to adapt to the changing environment. These days, people have so many options for communicating with friends and family. Even though these technological environments aim to make lives easier, it has also caused confusion among people, especially those who aren’t technologically savvy.

As a company that prides itself on being innovative, Chikka aims to provide a simpler way for people to be able to communicate without having to take a lot of unnecessary steps. Focusing on their core strength of communication technology, the company has been working on projects that will provide communication tools suited to the rapidly-changing and evolving communications environment.

Chikka has developed a new Chikka application that allows Chikka users to get more reliable access to the Chikka Messenger and greater value for money. The company will also be releasing the official Chikka application for the iPhone, and is currently at work to make the application available to other smart phones including the Blackberry and Android. As part of its aim to provide universal access across all communications platforms, Chikka is working on building partnerships with other instant messaging application developers.

Providing various wireless applications to over 30 mobile operators in twelve countries including the US, UK, Italy, Hong Kong, Guam and Philippines, Chikka has also diversified; developing applications for mobile content, commerce, and corporate solutions. According to the company, Chikka Messenger, now with over 68 million registered users since 2001, is probably the most widely-used and viewed Internet and mobile-based communications tool by Filipinos worldwide.