Sicap, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Swisscom Mobile which provides
software solutions for mobile operators, has announced the launch of
two payments solutions for operators. Reload Server offers a simplified
and consistent method for credit reloading, while Price Broker Suite is
a set of payments products that can be individually deployed or
combined to offer solutions for the management of loyalty, rating,
scheduling and revenue assurance.
The releases follow Sicaps strategic restructure into two dedicated
business units, Payments Services and Services Delivery Platforms, and
the recent acquisition of French company, Swapcom.
Mobile operators typically offer their end users many different ways of
reloading their prepaid account, which means that the solution
architecture is often based on several modules and interfaces in order
to handle different reload models, leading to inconsistencies and
increased support requirements for the operator.
Reload Server enables operators to handle all reload methods and reload
channels from a one centralised system. For the operator, this enables
a single customer care interface that provides access to all reload
transactions and allows for simplified maintenance and reduced support
costs. For the end user, Sicaps Reload Server offers one common user
interface and a single PIN code which can be used with any reload
method. Reloading credits can be carried out using whichever source of
funds the subscriber finds most convenient, including vouchers, credit
and debit cards, credit transfer and PayPal, and over any of the
various channels available, such as contact centre, USSD, SMS, WAP or
Web.
Price Broker Suite is aimed at operators who have difficulty upgrading
legacy billing systems a way to quickly launch cross-platform loyalty
schemes. Sicap says the solution provides flexibility and high
performance, as well as open interfaces, giving the operator the
possibility to customise the solution to their individual needs.
Restrictions imposed by operators legacy billing systems impact upon
real-time loyalty, considered one of the strongest customer incentives
as the user receives their reward or notification directly upon a
qualifying action. This causes a long time-to-market for promotions and
bonus schemes, if they can be implemented at all.
Price Broker Suite consists of four modules that can be deployed
stand-alone or as an integrated solution. These include Pricing
Manager; Revenue Assurance Manager; Scheduling Manager; and Loyalty
Manager.
The mobile industry is experiencing a period of evolution, with
traditional voice revenues in decline says Sicap Head of Product
Management, Christian Giroux. To ensure that they stay competitive,
operators need to ensure that they have the most efficient billing
systems in place in order to maximise revenues. Moreover, with the
average churn being close to 20%, a billing solution which incorporates
customer loyalty schemes and user-friendly credit reloading systems is
an invaluable element in maintaining a satisfied subscriber base.”