JAM IP, which specialises in contact centre consultancy and software development, has extended its OpenCONTACT suite with the launch of OpenCONTACT Mobile, which manages outbound SMS, MMS and WAP push communication for contact centres. JAM IP says the new product will allow contact centres to increase their use of outbound text communication, while cutting down on phone calling costs, and, the company says, provides the means for building sophisticated proactive contact strategies.
OpenCONTACT Mobile allows contact centres to harness the power of SMS, by combining voice and text communication into a single platform, providing contact centres with the same control over their outbound SMS and MMS messages as they have over their outbound calling. It also integrates with existing back-end systems and monitors contact centre activity and queues, then paces message delivery according to agent availability. These integration features are vital, according to research that JAM IP conducted with ContactBabel, as the major inhibitor for SMS uptake within contact centres is the lack of integration with existing applications.
OpenCONTACT Mobile uses complex and segmented list management, combined with templates, to automatically construct and send messages, and provides real-time reporting. It also allows customers to reply to SMS messages and receive an automated response back. JAM IPs research with ContactBabels shows that two-way communication using SMS is not wide-spread 55% of respondents stated that they do not allow customers to respond to an SMS.
The platform can be used for the delivery of a range of services, including appointment reminders; delivery confirmations; account updates and balances; tickets and barcodes for events and promotions; rich mobile content such as WAP sites; and marketing messages
JAM IPs research with ContactBabel found that many customers are giving their mobile as their prime contact number. As a result, almost 70% of contact centres outbound calling costs will be the result of calls to mobiles by mid-2008, signifying the need to move to other communication methods. SMS is the likely choice, as it is as ubiquitous and personal as the mobile while relatively inexpensive – costing only 5 – 10p, compared to an outbound phone call that can cost 3.08 (The 2007 Contact Centre Operational Review, ContactBabel). According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, SMS is an effective marketing channel with 90% of SMS messages being opened, compared to 25% for emails.
JAM IP notes also that SMS has cost-saving potential when it is used to provide proactive information to customers – the kind of information that customers would normally call into the contact centre to obtain, such as the status of an order or a loan application. According to ContactBabel, the average cost of an inbound call to a contact centre is 2.88. If an inbound call can be avoided by providing a proactive SMS message (costing 5 – 10p), the cost savings can be significant.
SMS is a killer contact centre application, says JAM IP Market Development Director, Suzette Bouzane Meadows. You can genuinely improve your customer service, while at the same time reducing cost. The potential for service has long been talked about, but it was difficult to realise because of the problems associated with integrating it with existing contact centre applications. Now with OpenCONTACT Mobile, the industry has the opportunity to fully exploit outbound SMS to complement its other activities, especially in the provision of an unobtrusive, one-to-one service.