Mobile Marketing Magazine

Flytxt Rolls Out Latest Version of Neon

Flytxt has launched the latest version of its mobile marketing platform, Neon. Flytxt says it delivers a step change in marketing agility and effectiveness, compared to existing marketing systems, enabling mobile operators to run closed loop marketing campaigns within minutes, from a single web desktop, without the help of IT specialists.
The entire marketing loop, comprising of behavioural analytics, segmentation, campaign execution, ROI tracking, reward fulfilment and reward confirmation, is automated in real time in a single integrated platform. 
“With existing marketing systems, it takes days or weeks to draw in necessary subscriber intelligence, design, run and analyse campaigns,” says Flytxt Co-founder and Senior Vice President - Product and Technology, Thomas Schuster. “They are too slow and unsuitable for the real-time medium, mobile, and the dynamic and diverse marketing environments of mobile operators. The latest release of Neon addresses the above challenges and shortens campaign cycles to the point where it is quicker to test a campaign concept than to debate it in a meeting.”
A major part of the new release is the centralised inventory management function, which gives mobile operators complete control and visibility over their marketing inventory across channels. Neon automatically manages and intelligently maximises the return of all marketing impressions, and at the same time increases customer satisfaction, as communication frequency limits are automatically and centrally enforced.
“This version of Neon sets a new benchmark in mobile marketing as it transforms marketing agility for operators and allows scaling marketing processes across different product teams, business partners and advertisers with a single centralised technology,” says Schuster.

Location, Location, Location

Kevan Christmas, Digital and Mobile Consultant at The Collinson Group, argues that real-time, location-based marketing via the mobile offers a new opportunity to enhance the power of loyalty programmes  

There has been an increasing level of interest and debate in the topic of real-time, location-based marketing, and this will only increase as Google and Facebook enter the space in a serious way.
That said, I have been surprised at how little of the conversation has focused on the opportunities this new technology creates for brands with established customer loyalty and reward programmes. 
For example, the mobile social network/game Foursquare has been in the news after signing up its first national UK brands - Debenhams and Domino’s Pizza. The app detects Foursquare users’ whereabouts, and when they visit the store or restaurant they gain points for ‘checking-in’.
Brands get involved by offering deals to users based on, for example, the number of times someone checks in to their local branch. Businesses get increased footfall, and ideally, a network of brand ambassadors who will pass on recommendations. The consumer gets great deals that are relevant not only to who they are, but where they are, such as Debenhams giving Foursquare members a free cup of coffee in the restaurant when they check in

Engaging consumers
So it’s no secret that Smartphones and branded applications are an incredibly cost effective way of targeting and engaging consumers. By creating tools which engage and add value that your customer base can download and use on a regular basis, you can integrate with their lives in a way that advertising never has.
The iPhone is clearly the leader with respect to the app marketplace. While some point to the iPhone’s still relatively low penetration of the overall mobile market (at around 2%) and even of the Smartphone market (14%), it is quickly starting to grow in a market that will also continue to grow exponentially. It is also worth recognising that the iPhone already accounts for 50% of all mobile web traffic. 
At Collinson Latitude we have a lot of experience working in the travel sector, and some of the software we are developing illustrates the potential of the next generation of apps that can use a Smartphone’s GPS capabilities in a way that enables brands to hit a moving target.
We are about to release a product that offers travellers a web-based suite of services that help them plan, prepare and manage their whole journey. The capabilities include itinerary planning, destination content, check-in services, and miles management, as well as airline timetables and flight status texts – it’s a travel toolkit. It’s also enabled with an iPhone application, so travellers will be able to carry on planning and managing their trips on the move, even when offline, avoiding expensive data roaming charges.

Customer journey
The key insight here is that loyalty programmes should connect with all the different stages of the customer journey (in every sense of the word), from planning to booking, and from departure to arrival. Mobile technology can actually be viewed as a very direct way to plug in to that journey, wherever the customer may be.
What this means is that we already have a good idea of where the customer is going to be and when, as well as knowing how much loyalty or reward currency they have. This can be matched against the various outlets that reward programmes have affiliate marketing relationships with. Also, as the customer loyalty programme provider, you already have a huge amount of customer data, including payment information. As a result, the mobile device could actually be used, even offline, to facilitate some of the purchasing processes.
Say, for example, the customer uses a mobile app to find the nearest hotel where they can spend their loyalty points; they could actually book a room and check in via their Smartphone. A key principle of properly developed reward programmes is that they use as much customer insight as possible to make sure that the services and products offered are exactly what the individual wants and needs. This data should be used not just to meet customer expectations, but to exceed them.
It’s also worth noting that there is a lot of trust inherent in the relationship you have with your customer base, which retail partners can benefit from. Furthermore, because the customer’s payment details are not held on the mobile device, but rather, by you as the programme provider, no sensitive financial data needs to be transmitted. This resolves a major consumer fear and barrier to location-based marketing.
Another capability that mobile offers is to push messages onto the customer’s device. Relevance here is absolutely crucial; it’s a disruptive technique that can increase engagement with the right insight, but can easily irritate if the correct principles are ignored. There is a clear benefit, however, to being able to message a customer to let them know that now they’ve touched down, there is a restaurant nearby where their reward points are worth double.

Intelligent monitoring
This ‘intelligent monitoring’ is a key part of our development strategy. Previously, we’ve been able to narrow down the offers made to customers according to their pre-arranged travel plans, but now we will be able to target people, based specifically on where they are, with this next level of customer insight. So whilst you have a captive consumer waiting in duty-free, this can be directly integrated with your loyalty programme, offering them ways to redeem their points just as they are walking past a retail outlet you are partnered with. Moreover, based on their itinerary, specific products could be offered that are relevant to where they are going.
Utilising these highly accurate GPS capabilities will also create new data, with new patterns emerging of how your loyalty customers behave when on the move. It’s effectively an entirely new way to observe consumer behaviour, and should potentially lead to us being able to pre-empt customer needs specific to where they are.
Just as your communications with the customer must be relevant to what the customer actually wants, however, so must your offerings match your brand values and the specific objectives of your loyalty programme. That could be seeking to reward and encourage high spenders; prompting low users to spend more; motivating your customer base to use more of your wider service and product offerings, and so on.
Finally, I think there is a real opportunity for reward programmes to use peer-based social media capabilities. So instead of the app just saying: ‘Here are the five nearest car hire outlets where you can earn or spend loyalty points’, it could say: ‘Here are the top three in your vicinity according to ratings provided by your fellow Gold Card-holding members’. Providing scores, notes, suggestions, related recommendations and so on from a group of people who have similar tastes, aspirations and levels of affluence creates a great deal of trust and authority. Obviously, companies like Amazon have been doing this for years, but connecting it with your reward programme via mobile technology takes the concept to an entirely new level of relevance, utility and engagement.

Nine Multimedia Unveils Mobile CRM Tool

Nine Multimedia has launched a mobile marketing CRM Solution called Nine Mobile. It’s an online tool that enables marketers to send special offers, coupons, video, audio, text, alerts and notifications to consumers’ mobile phones. It also enables users to quickly and easily create and change a company’s mobile website apps and landing pages using the online Smartphone Web App builder.  The web apps are compatible with any mobile phone with a web browser. Nine Mobile can also manage a customer database, collect leads to a database, track conversion rates, measure ROI, and integrate seamlessly with a company’s existing enterprise systems.
There’s more information about the solution here.

Orange Switzerland Selects MCTEL for Self-care Solution

Orange, the second largest mobile operator in Switzerland, has selected MCTEL to deploy its USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Services Data) browsing solutions on its network and to deliver an attractive suite of services to its mobile customers.
As the number of subscribers increased, Orange was looking for an alternative to IVRs and Call Centres that was both cost-efficient and satisfying for its customers. Orange Switzerland chose MCTEL USSD solutions to create the most convenient self-care solution for its pre and post-paid customers.
MCTEL has provided Orange with a reliable USSD platform, and developed a suite targeted services for the network’s subscribers. The Monaco-based software firm  aggregated all relevant USSD services into a single menu based service - an easily- configured USSD portal - that gives access to different services in an easy and seamless manner. By dialling a simple, easy-to-remember code (e.g. *123#), Orange subscribers enter the USSD Customer Care portal and are invited to explore a wide-variety of services, including Credit Balance Check, Last Call Information, Recharge Me and Call Me Back.
“By selecting the MCTEL USSD solutions, we clearly chose the right strategy,” says Orange Switzerland PrePay Product Manager, Federico Quevedo. “Our subscribers are far more involved and interested in our new USSD services. We are very pleased that we found a better self-care alternative to IVRs”

AIM Solutions Powers O2 Ireland 'Treats' Promo

Customer loyalty firm AIM Solutions has partnered with Telefónica O2 Ireland to devise and implement the operator’s new b2c ‘Treats’ initiative.
O2 has 1.7 million customers in Ireland who can choose from a range of travel, lifestyle and leisure ‘Special Treats’ which can be redeemed at over 1,000 destinations across Ireland and a further 1,500 worldwide. Eligible customers will be sent an SMS to advise them that they have been awarded a Special Treat and give them instructions on the simple mechanism to choose and redeem their reward.
AIM Solutions supplies travel and leisure incentives and promotions to blue chip companies. In addition to providing the usual agency services of creativity, sourcing and design, AIM also extended its fulfilment service and created a customised version of its ‘unique burning code’ software, to allow O2 customers to be automatically identified and directed to the correct landing page on the O2 site. From there, they are able to select the reward voucher of their choice online, download it and print it out. Their claim code is also ‘burnt’ into the voucher, making it unique and countering any potential viral over-redemption issues. Full redemption statistics are also available, so that O2 will be able to see exactly who has downloaded which Treat and when.”
“To suitably reward O2’s customers, we have recruited a large number of partner suppliers to deliver these rewards and offer something for everyone, virtually on their doorstep,” says AIM Solutions Managing Director, Simon Kent.

Xtract Upgrades Social Links

Xtract, which provides social intelligence-based analytics solutions, has announced an upgrade to its flagship social intelligence platform, Social Links. Social Links enables network operators to analyse the behaviours and interactions of mobile subscribers within the network, helping them to monitor and identify the best targets for revenue-generating, targeted messaging campaigns.
Key benefits of the new platform include product launch capabilities for totally new kinds of products, increased personalisation features, and new dashboard reporting functionality, enabling operators to effectively monitor churn virality across the mobile network. Social Links is already helping operators worldwide and in one recent case gave the selected operator a percentage product take-up almost four times that of the competition.
Xtract notes that mobile subscribers increasingly seek to engage with more applications and enriched services, and says that this presents a major revenue-generation opportunity for operators. On the other hand, churn continues to be a major threat, especially in volatile pre-paid markets. Randomly or poorly targeted marketing will result in a lost opportunity in both cases. Xtract has seen several examples in pre-paid markets, where incentivising subscribers, who were not going to churn, with campaign offers actually destroys secured revenue. Another recent phenomenon has been to launch new services to subscribers with SNA (social network analytics), but relying only on non-contextual influencers to drive the launch virally – leading to failure.
Xtract believes that successful targeting relies on the operator’s ability to analyse a combination of a mobile subscribers’ propensity to do something, combined with their influence within the fabric of the network. The analysis of mobile subscribers’ social context aware propensity to do something, combined with their influence, has proven itself in Xtract’s Social Links platform, the company says.
It enables operators  to effectively harness key influencing factors of customer pull and target even subscriber groups that have traditionally been more challenging to reach, particularly the pre-paid market, which makes up 77% of global subscriber share. Social Links also allows operators to benefit from the value of demographic prediction capabilities in targeting pre-paid subscribers, as well as the power of predictive social network analytics (SNA) in churn prevention, new product launches and the top-up marketing required for operators to retain a loyal pre-paid subscriber base.
“Over the past 12 months, we have witnessed a shift in industry perception in the value of social network analytics, as the idea has evolved from initial hype and buzz of conception through to a mature, valuable network asset,” says Xtract Product Marketing Manager, Mikko Röntynen. “As a result, many operators are beginning to recognise the business benefits of analytics as a solution to unlocking the gates to previously untapped revenue. As leader in this continually developing space, Xtract is ideally placed to forge the way in driving increased awareness of its value and benefits. Our platform allows us to build further on the success of our pioneering technology, enabling mobile operators to expose and harness the value of subscriber network interactions and drive valuable revenue opportunities through a combination of greater understanding, sophisticated product marketing and targeted, personalised campaigns.”

Buongiorno Rolls Out Mobile Loyalty Program for Proximus

Mobile entertainment firm Buongiorno has announced the launch of a loyalty program for Belgacom’s prepaid mobile customers (Proximus) in Belgium, called Play&Gold. The service, which launched on 28 January, uses the same CRM platform that Buongiorno already uses successfully with Telefonica O2 Top-Up Surprises in the UK and Telecom Italia Mobile.
Buongiorno applies its proprietary technology and know-how to improve network operators’ CRM systems. Operators implement Buongiorno’s real-time solution, called Intelligent Mobile Marketer (IMM), to better understand their customers, reward loyalty with prizes redeemed in real-time, and in turn increase retention and customer satisfaction.
Play&Gold offers Proximus customers an instant reward every time they top-up their account with €15 (£13) or more. Once a customer has recharged their mobile account, they receive a text message containing a unique code and directing them to the relevant Proximus website to discover and redeem their prize.
Depending on the amount topped-up, the customer is eligible for different prize pulls: Silver or Gold. Everyone who tops-up more than €15 is eligible to play, and everyone that plays is guaranteed a reward.
Rewards are varied and changing. They include mobile-related prizes such as free texts or voice minutes, as well as physical prizes such as digital cameras, shopping vouchers, cinema tickets, race day tickets and spa experiences. Every recharge of more than €15 grants the Proximus customer a prize and each Euro recharged gives the chance to win the grand prize of a home cinema system, with the draw taking place in February.
IMM, is playing an increasingly important role within operators’ offerings, says Buongiorno. “Due to the heightened competitiveness of the market and challenging economic conditions, operators are increasingly seeking ways to reward and retain valuable customers, putting them first and improving their direct relationship with them.
“Within the European operator market, we recognised a need for our partners to find a new way to differentiate themselves by motivating and rewarding their customers,” says Adhish Kulkarni, Buongiorno’s Global Head of Products and CRM. “Buongiorno invested in developing a unique CRM platform, and this investment has now enabled us to become the specialist CRM partner as we roll it out for more operators, supporting them in developing bespoke reward programs, increasing ARPU and reducing churn of loyal customers.”

Incentivated Powers BA Flight Info Service

Mobile agency Incentivated is launching an SMS flight information service for British Airways, to give passengers, and those dropping them off and picking up from airports, the latest flight information on their mobile phones.
British and American passengers can use the service whilst roaming in other countries and access information on all BA flights. BA says it plans to extend the service to other nationalities. The mobile offering will complement BA’s flight information call centre service, which handles 1.5 million incoming calls each year.
The service, available for UK- and US-registered mobile phones, enables users to get up-to-the-minute flight information for yesterday, today and the next five days. Users text D for Departures or A for Arrivals followed by a space, the departure date of the flight (in the form DDMMYY or MMDDYY for the US) and the British Airways flight number (eg BAXXXX) to 60747 in the UK, 70615 in the US.
A spokesperson for British Airways says:
“BA has used outbound text messaging as a reliable, cost effective channel to send immediate flight disruption alerts and check-in reminders to our passengers and communicate with staff for five years. It’s a logical extension for us to launch this inbound FAQ text service for all flights.”

WIN Unveils Enterprise Communicator

WINplc, which provides interactive mobile entertainment and information services, has launched Enterprise Communicator, a web-based mobile CRM communications platform specifically designed to help its corporate customers communicate more easily and effectively with field service teams, branch offices and customers.
WIN’s Enterprise Communicator will help the company’s corporate customers interact with their own customers or staff using text messaging, multimedia messaging, voice push, email and other mobile communications services, to relay information such as stock updates, delivery information, renewals or payment reminders.
In addition, says WIN, the Enterprise Communicator will help its customers build interactive marketing campaigns, promotions and competitions. The solution also incorporates a range of features to measure campaign effectiveness. 
The web-based interface can also draw information direct from CRM systems, either manually or automatically via ftp, and can use this information intelligently to communicate easily and effectively a whole host of service or support information.
“Our new Enterprise Communicator is designed to make things easier for our customers and better for their customers,” says WIN CEO, Graham Rivers. “Delivery and waiting time information, bank account transactions, travel information or the status of stock orders can all be sent using the Enterprise Communicator. It is a fast, accurate and reliable way to deliver customer or staff updates.”
The platform is compatible with any CRM system that can handle Excel or CSV file formats. Automation is provided through the use of ftp, and messages can be sent direct to the mobiles of customers and field support staff via SMS, picture messaging, email or voice. The solution also provides management with vital feedback on campaign success and allows the building of large databases of customers, with opt-in support for further campaigns.
WIN notes that as a web-based solution, there are no large capital costs upfront for customers switching to Enterprise Communicator, or from WIN’s previous Enterprise Manager platform. Customers can quickly begin to launch and run CRM information services using the platform. New service features are already planned to the platform and will be seamlessly introduced, says WIN.

20:20 Mobile Signals an End to 'Naked Bluetooth'

20:20 Mobile has announced the launch of a range of “Smart” Bluetooth broadcasting solutions. The solutions enable direct communications to mobile phone users who have opted in to receive Bluetooth messages.
Traditional Bluetooth messaging systems, described by 20:20 Mobile as ‘Naked Bluetooth’, work by detecting when Bluetooth is enabled and broadcasting the same message to everyone. The 20:20 solutions allow businesses to cross reference against off-site user databases, such as loyalty schemes, and then broadcast a tailored message to the mobile user while they are within range.
“Bluetooth broadcasting has moved a long way from the early systems where anyone that had Bluetooth enabled received the same message,” says 20:20 Mobile UK Managing Director, James Browning. “With the ability to send tailored messages instantly consumers, can now receive offers and promotions that they will want and are based on their own habits. Imagine walking into your supermarket and receiving a discount based on the products that you buy.”
As part of the Bluetooth development programme, 20:20 Mobile says it has worked with a number of mobile manufacturers and Bluetooth device providers to ensure seamless integration and compatibility of the system.
“One of the biggest challenges with Bluetooth broadcasting has been that the systems have a very limited range. The systems that we have developed can now quickly talk to a remote database and decide what message to broadcast to the mobile user,” says Browning.

Telenor Deploys Volantis Platform

Mobile operator Telenor has deployed Volantis’ Mobile Content Storefront platform to consolidate its content delivery portals across Norway and Denmark.
Using Volantis Mobile Content Storefront, Telenor has centralized its portal services infrastructure and deployed a single portal to deliver a compelling mobile user experience to its subscribers, including support for the launch of new products and promotions.
By combining its fragmented infrastructure from three portals into one, Telenor was able to increase business agility and drive higher data usage. With a single, consolidated platform, says Volantis, Telenor can lower its cost of operations, launch new services more rapidly, consolidate subscriber behavior data, improve market analysis, and plan campaigns more efficiently, in order to drive higher revenue.
Telenor had already been using Volants Mobile Content Framework for several years, with great success. With the addition of Volantis Storefront, Telenor plans to deliver a full range of dynamic media content that is tailored to subscribers' individual interests, and which adapts automatically to the ever-increasing variety of mobile handsets available today.
According to Volantis, Storefront will allow Telenor to integrate new third party content services more efficiently; consumers will be able to quickly and easily find and buy new data services, using personalization features and social media. At the same time, business users will gain greater control over portal operations, which will help speed new offerings to market, while reinforcing the Telenor brand. In future, Telenor will also be using Volantis Storefront to consolidate its portal infrastructure in other regions.

Mobile Self-service a Hit, says Nuance

Nuance Communications has released the results of independent consumer research that reveals a huge consumer appetite for customer service delivered directly on the mobile handset. In a representative survey in Spain, consumers were asked to trial Nuance Mobile Care, which enables customers to resolve common customer enquiries directly on their mobile handset instead of calling a contact centre. Over half of respondents (59%) said that mobile handset self-service would be their preferred channel, compared with 34% who  would choose to deal with a customer service agent and 1% who favour web self-service.
The study, carried out by marketing insight consultancy Added Value, found that users felt more positive about the brand providing the mobile care service. They perceived it to be a reliable company that provides good customer service, and develops the best solutions for its customers, as well as being one that helps make customers’ lives easier.
With less than 1% of respondents needing customer service help when using Nuance Mobile Care for the first time, says Nuance, the survey illustrates how easy the application is to use. This was a major advantage over an alternative mobile handset self-service application that was also tested as part of the research. According to Nuance 66% of users were unable to successfully launch this second application without assistance. 
“With increasingly time-pressured lifestyles, solving service issues quickly and efficiently is of utmost importance to mobile phone consumers,” says Added Value Associate Director, Tom Wells. “In the past, this has been the preserve of speaking to a customer service agent, but this research shows that Nuance Mobile Care is a credible and preferred alternative. This positive customer experience has the potential not only to increase overall customer service satisfaction, but also enhance the reputation of the network provider who implements Nuance Mobile Care.”
Nuance Mobile Care helps customers to automatically resolve common problems directly on their mobile handsets, reducing overall calls to the live call centre and allowing the agents to help customers with issues that deserve their attention. Customers are able to make account enquiries and pay bills directly on their handset. Customers simply dial customer care, and instead of placing a call, the application opens automatically on the phone display.
The survey follows large-scale commercial rollouts of Nuance Mobile Care handheld self-service software with Vodafone Group, T-Mobile U.S. and MetroPCS.

Maximizer Extends Mobile CRM Footprint

Maximizer Software, which provides CRM and mobile CRM solutions, has expanded the footprint of it Maximizer Mobile CRM offering via three new channel partners: Kilobytes Data Solutions, The Weston Group, and Nubison.
Kilobytes Data Solutions is systems integrator addressing secure wireless and wired IT needs for businesses in the greater Toronto area. The Weston Group is a UK-based technology solutions providers focused on wireless and wired voice and data solutions, partnered with O2, Orange, T-Mobile UK, and Vodafone. And Nubison is a Chilean mobile solutions and services provider and BlackBerry Alliance Member. These new reseller partners will focus on adding value to their mobile customers with Maximizer Mobile CRM.
Maximizer Mobile CRM gives professionals instant access to information in the field, including customers' history, leads, sales opportunities, dashboards, customer service cases, documents and schedules. According to Mximizer, the solution enables organisations to reduce staff downtime and increase field productivity; increase customer face time by reducing time spent on office administration; build customer intimacy by reviewing up-to-date customer details before a meeting; and improve real-time visibility into sales and staff activities.
There’s more information about Maximizer Mobile CRM here.

Mobile Distillery Supports The French Revolution

Mobile technology firm Mobile Distillery is supporting the French Government’s drive to offer  free services and information via all mobile phones to French citizens. The Proxima Mobile initiative aims to bring a range of information such as health advice, citizen and consumer information, and even the details of the CO2 footprint of consumer products, to all people in France. Mobile Distillery is supporting the project by offering a free version of its Celsius automatic porting technology, tailored to Proxima Mobile, to ensure that all information can be relayed to the widest possible range of handsets.
Mobile Distillery is offering all Proxima Mobile projects free access to a Celsius licence, including NFC and Bluetooth modules, Alembic for Celsius, BlackBerry and Android. Included are also two days’ training to automatically optimise each application for each phone using ‘Parametric Development’, as well as the automatic porting to as many phones as possible – iPhone and Windows Mobile porting are optional. Parametric Development is a technique developed by Mobile Distillery which allows a single source code to automatically generate optimised code for each handset, without resorting to using the least common denominator. Instead, executable code can be created which can use the maximum of each handset’s possibilities.
“This initiative, launched by the French Minister of State Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, is a great way to bring mobile services and technology closer to the public,” says Mobile Distillery CEO, Vincent Berge.“This is the first time we’ve come across such a project and (we) are proud that France is leading the way. If it’s a success it would be great to see it rolled out across other European countries, including Britain.”
Any company interested in the Mobile Distillery offer for Proxima Mobile should email [email protected] to claim their free Celsius software, before filing their Proxima Mobile application. Those projects chosen by Proxima Mobile will be given the free licence and dates for training.

Banks and Networks Lead Mobile CRM Charge

Banks and mobile operators lead the way in mobile customer care and user experience. That’s the conclusion of a study conducted by mobile marketing and customer self-service solutions provider Movidilo.
Having carried out a sector breakdown, the company, which offers multimedia customer care solutions for the mobile interface, found that banks and mobile operators are more likely to invest in mobile self-service solutions for their customers over other industries.
“The beauty of the mobile is its ability to make life easier for the customer,” says Movidilo VP, Martin Gossling. “Multimedia mobile technology lets consumers access the key services they need via content delivered to their mobile phone, and can take away the hassle of lengthy calls and online searches which aren’t practical every time you need to top up your phone card or check your bank balance.”
The stufy found that the insurance and utility sectors seem to be less aware than banks and mobile operators of the potential for mobile customer experience tools to ensure customer satisfaction. Movidilo notes that user-friendly mobile customer care technology for these companies can provide a better service for the customer, allowing them to access their claims and gas bills via the mobile at a time convenient to them, for example.
“In difficult times, the added extras such as a positive user experience make a big difference, especially in a ‘dog eat dog’ world like insurance where only the fittest will survive,” says Gossling. “It seems these industries are failing to reap the mutual benefits of customer care, and are no doubt suffering high churn rates.”

Telstra in Logical Move

Business Logic Systems, which delivers customer intelligence, marketing automation and customer loyalty solutions for mobile network operators, says it has helped Australian mobile operator, Telstra, increase recharge rates and treble campaign productivity. By automating the campaign process using InTelestage Campaign Manager, Telstra was able to save costs by minimising the number of people required to implement a campaign, and significantly reduce the time taken to launch promotions.  
Telstra implemented InTelestage Campaign Management to combat the challenge of communicating effectively with pre-pay customers, who are not required to provide any personal information upon joining the network. The solution enables operators to run fully-automated, targeted, two-way SMS marketing campaigns from the desktop. 
Telstra ran an initial campaign aimed at rewarding profitable customer behaviours, in the form of a 10% bonus every time they recharged Aus$30 (£15) or more. The solution responds to pre-set criteria and responds by immediately sending a text message that thanks the customer for their recharge and confirms the bonus.  
According to Business Logic Systems, the InTelestage Campaign Management solution was so successful in driving up recharges that Telstra has opted not to run any TV ads, and now simply communicates with pre-pay customers via targeted SMS campaigns. By automating the entire campaign process, Telstra was also able to significantly reduce costs and the time required to implement a campaign, driving up productivity. 
“It’s amazing how quickly and easily we can create new campaigns” says Telstra’s Anne Baker. “In a competitive pre-pay market, it is essential for us to be able to react quickly to changes in customer behaviour. “Before, the process was lengthy and resource-intensive. With InTelestage Campaign Management we have been able to streamline our marketing processes and now it’s all very simple and straightforward.”
Business Logic Systems says its InTelestage portfolio empowers mobile operators to build more profitable customer relationships by unlocking the value of real-time behavioural data. Solutions include Campaign Management, Real-time Campaign Management, Customer Lifecycle Management, Lucky Draw, and Revenue Optimiser.

Faith Puts Faith in SMS

Mobile Interactive Technology (MIT), the operational technology business that is part of Mobile Interactive Group (MIG) has been selected by high street retailer Faith to power SMS marketing campaigns to its opted-in database of 50,000 customers. The deal will see Faith license MIT’s MIDAS platform, enabling the company to manage all its SMS mobile marketing activity in-house.
Faith’s SMS marketing will fully integrate and support all campaign activity surrounding the launch of the new Faith website, which went live at the beginning of the week, and will also inform customers of New Season collections; raise awareness of sales and promotional activity; drive footfall in-store throughout the UK and online by delivering mobile redemption codes and supporting discount promotions; and build consumer loyalty to the Faith brand by supporting awareness and applications for the Faith VIP card
Talin Vartevanian, Head of e-Commerce at Faith, says:
“Our customers are continuously craving the latest sale offers and information from their footwear store. Adopting mobile and integrating SMS was the perfect solution for us. There is no cost to our consumers, with all being kept informed of marketing and promotional activity, as well as receiving exclusive offers to use online and in-store.”
MIT notes that SMS alerts, delivered by its SMS Gateway, have a wide range of uses, including internal and external news, announcements, promotional offers, and marketing services. All MIT products are supported by MIT’s operations, client services and technology teams.

Tor Homes Rolls Out Mobile Appointments System

Affordable housing provider Tor Homes is introducing a new system to improve the way housing repairs are organised. The housing company’s 3,000 tenants will benefit from the system, which aims to give tenants a specific date and time when someone will call to fix a repair. It will also reduce repair waiting times and cut down on travelling and fuel costs.
The company, based in Totnes, South Devon, has awarded a 5-year contract to Brighton-based ROCC Computers, an authorised 1st Touch partner, to supply 1st Touch mobile technology, integrated with ROCC’s contractor management system. The company won the contract against stiff competition from other suppliers. The new equipment means that residents don’t need to stay at home all day, waiting for the problem to be fixed.
Members of the direct maintenance team, who are responsible for carrying out the repairs, will be given their first job before they leave home. Using the 1st Touch Mobile solution on their PDA, they will log on in the morning and travel to their first appointment straight from home.
John McCue, Tor Homes’ Business Maintenance Manager, is responsible for rolling out the new system to the 70-strong workforce, and is looking forward to it being up and running.
“We regularly consult our tenants on how we can improve our services,” says McCue. “They said that when they reported repairs, the lack of a definite appointment was causing frustration. This new service is aimed at tackling that cause of dissatisfaction.
“Prior to the introduction of the 1st Touch mobile technology, team members would pick up their job tickets for the day before setting out on their day’s work. This could mean inconvenience for tenants with short notice of appointments and the need to re-schedule the job. Each job will now be planned on a route so that the appropriate person, such as a plumber, is sent to the nearest property.”
Tenants will receive a text, sent to their mobile or landline, to confirm the appointment time.
The system started in June with the gas servicing team and will be rolled out to the rest of the direct maintenance team by September.

Visa Trials Instant Alerts Service

Visa Europe has embarked on a trial of a new mobile service that sends instant confirmation of a card transaction to the cardholder’s mobile when they use their debit, credit, or prepaid card. The notifications provide increased peace of mind by instantly sending the time, location and amount of each transaction to the handset. Consumers will be able to choose to receive the alert via an SMS or email on any mobile device, or to an application downloaded to a Smartphone.
Visa is currently trialling the real-time alert service with its staff in the UK and working closely with member banks through which it will make the technology available to consumers.
“With Visa’s mobile alert service, we want to offer cardholders the reassurance of knowing, in real-time, exactly where and when their card is being used,” says Sandra Alzetta, Senior Vice President of Innovation and New Product Development at Visa Europe. “If something looks suspicious, this will give them the power to put a stop to any fraud taking place on their cards.
“We have chosen the summer holiday season to test this proposition, as it’s the period when people travel most. Feedback from our current pilots indicates that consumers often receive the alerts before their cards are even handed back to them at the point of sale. This real-time capability makes Visa’s solution unique.” 
Visa says that in the future, cardholders may be able to customise the format and content of alerts to fit their individual needs. For example, instant conversion into the user’s home currency while abroad will make it easier to keep on top of budgets.

The Mobile Channel

Condor Ferries has hired mobile agency Incentivated to provide a text service to keep passengers informed about any disruptions to their journeys this summer. The service will provide passengers on both sides of the Channel with SMS alerts about departure times and sailing conditions. 
Condor Ferries has been working with Incentivated to provide a text message service to passengers since the end of October 2008. Condor operates fast cat ferries between Poole and Weymouth to Jersey, Guernsey, St Malo and Cherbourg. Each year it carries some 900,000 passengers and 200,000 passenger vehicles.
The SMS service is used to notify customers of any changes to the schedule and updates about sailing conditions. It enables Condor staff to send out bulk messages to a target list of recipients from the customer database and complements existing telephony services and the Condor website.
“Condor Ferries contacts customers by SMS message and phone advising them of important changes to sailings which affect them personally to minimise any inconvenience and allow them to modify their travel plans should they wish,” says Condor Ferries’ Operations Manager, Capt Fran Collins. “These texts and calls are a key part of our customer service programme and a significant investment on Condor’s part in infrastructure and staff time: we believe we set an industry-leading standard in providing proactive updates to passengers.”

Incentivated and RAPP Launch Bowtime Loyalty Campaign

Cider brand Strongbow is launching a mobile loyalty campaign to reconnect with customers who took part in last year’s multiple award winning 6-month ‘Bowtime’ campaign. 
Bowtime is Strongbow’s new through the line communication idea which was seeded in through 2008 and integrated into the wider above-the-line campaign in 2009. In 2008, mobile was the core channel used, as the campaign was managed and delivered by RAPP and mobile agency Incentivated.
Over 80,000 customers signed up for the campaign, which included mobile barcodes and a pub locator, on-pack promotions, and a promotion on social media site Flirtomatic. All participants were entered into a 4-month CRM campaign, featuring free pint and festival ticket offers, MMS animations and ‘wind-up-a-mate’ promotions.
The campaign prompted a 39% response rate, and following the campaign, research conducted by Millward Brown among those who had received the CRM activity versus those who had not, showed that the campaign had a statistically significant impact on purchase. For the CRM group, claimed purchase increased by 44%, and brand preference increased by 8%. This compared with decreases in claimed purchase of 4% and decreases in brand preference of 10% for those who had not received the CRM messages.
This will be the third year that Strongbow has used mobile to connect with customers. The loyalty campaign, which launches on 10 July, integrates mobile, email and web elements. A series of text & win competitions invites drinkers to win 60 prizes a day for 60 days, including both high- and low-value prizes like JVC DVD Home Surround Sound Systems, Tangent DAB Digital Radios, iPod nanos, iPod docks and Sharp 19” LCD TVs, as well as Strongbow-branded merchandise.
Strongbow has been building a detailed CRM database, including customers’ interests, consumption behaviour, ages, mobile numbers, email and postal addresses. This information will be used as the basis for targeted outbound campaigns in 2010.  
“The Bowtime campaign proved that mobile is an exciting and effective way to connect with our customers, providing interesting and engaging branded content and competitions,” says Strongbow Brand Manager, Fiona Seath. “This creates a platform for us to deepen customer relationships and build loyalty throughout the peak summer months.”
Incentivated Commercial Director Robert Thurner says that in 2009, the company is witnessing a growing number of clients focusing on the rich data mobile delivers and converting it into highly targeted and relevant campaigns which keep their brands front of mind.
“I expect this will pave the way for more expansive, integrated campaigns as market conditions improve later this year,” he says.

WaaKao Launches Cool SMS Alerts

Web based SMS messaging gateway and enterprise service provider My-Cool-SMS has announced a partnership with WaaKao, an interactive information portal dedicated to the promotion of art and culture, political commentary, music and parties in Taiwan.
The partnership is based on a free SMS notification service that informs subscribers of upcoming events, such as music concerts, art exhibitions or political forums. After subscribing at the WaaKao website, users select event categories for which they will receive free notifications. The service will then automatically alert them via SMS when matching events are about to take place. Subscribers are also eligible to exclusive guest list invites and will even receive taxi directions on their mobile phone. Subscribers can change categories and events they are interested in at any time, and can also unsubscribe if they decide they don’t want to receive future notifications. The service is free to WaaKao subscribers.
WaaKao helps event organizers to promote their parties and events via SMS notification, email marketing and advertisements on WaaKao.com. In order to protect the privacy of subscriber data, information will not be shared with the event organizers but it will be managed by My-Cool-SMS using the company’s secure data facility.

Premier Inn Uses Mobile to Reduce No-shows

UK hotel chain Premier Inn has deployed Rapide Communication’s enhanced text service to send guests booking confirmations, reduce no-show rates, increase dinner bookings, and provide maps and directions. The service is an extension of the Booking Confirmation Service provided by Rapide Communication, which sends out reservation details to around 1 million customers every year. 
Since Premier Inn launched the Booking Confirmation Service, 3% of the message recipients have used it to book meals, while 13% of guests have requested and received maps and directions. The technology has also helped Premier Inn to reduce its no-show rate by almost 20%.
Premier Inn required a technology that provided a booking confirmation text message, yet also added value to their guest’s experience with the hotel. Hotel guests now receive a text reservation reminder on the day of arrival, which also offers directions to their hotel, and an option to book dinner.
Should a guest request directions, Rapide Communication send a text message to their mobile phone, including satnav co-ordinates. If the directions are insufficient, a second text message provides a colour map of the hotel’s location. The enhanced automated text service also provides the guest with an opportunity to book dinner at the local (parent company) Whitbread restaurant by text.
Rapide Communication’s automated SMS, mobile Internet and voice services allow companies to communicate with a large number of people with either one message, or a series of messages. The latest range of services also allow ‘conversations’ to take place, where message recipients communicate with the automated service to gain more information. The company’s technology automates processes such as bookings confirmations, reminder distribution, sign up, payment and feedback.

Dialogue Powers Community Text Service

Randwick Council in Australia has launched a community text service, with the help of mobile agency, Dialogue Communications. The service provides local residents with information on Council services, ranging from playing field status, local road works and events, instantaneously via the web or SMS. Residents can also report issues, such as potholes and illegally dumped rubbish, to the Council by sending a text.
Using Dialogue’s Mobile Applications Portal (M.A.P) authorities are able to create different mobile campaigns quickly and easily to keep local residents informed about what’s happening in their area.
“Our mobile applications allow authorities and institutions to quickly and easily communicate with their communities, whether it be residents or commuters, says
Dialogue CEO, Hugh Spear. “The other advantage is that the portal can be set up quickly, so changes can be made by the authorities without a large investment of time or money.”
Dialogue is currently providing community text services to more than 40 Councils and Police Forces in the UK. Customers include the Hampshire Constabulary, which is using Dialogue to enable the deaf and speech impaired to report emergencies via text messaging; East Riding of Yorkshire Council, for the reporting of benefit fraud; and East Dunbartonshire, for Youth Community services.

Carrier IQ Launches IQ Insight Experience Manager

Carrier IQ, which specializes in Mobile Service Intelligence solutions for wireless carriers and device vendors, has launched IQ Insight Experience Manager to its Carrier IQ suite of analytics products.
According to Carrier IQ, the solution gives wireless carriers and mobile device manufacturers “an unprecedented, objective view into what is actually happening on mobile subscribers’ devices”. This includes quality of service, application usage and the related experience, as it occurs, at the point of delivery and use. 
“A rich understanding of the overall customer experience is increasingly viewed as the key differentiator in the mobile market,” says Carrier IQ CEO, Mark Quinlivan. “Experience Manager gives service providers, device vendors, and application and content developers the ability to offer compelling products and services that customers truly value based on a vast amount of objective data. Experience Manager can directly contribute to enriching the overall customer experience and thus the mobile companies’ success in this extremely competitive market,”
IQ Insight Experience Manager uses data directly from the mobile device to give a precise view of how the services and the applications are being used, even if the phone is not communicating with the network.
The solution can be applied by Carrier IQ’s existing customers to their own deployed base of handsets which already have the company’s core technology embedded in the device, and it can also be applied to new devices as they are introduced. In total, Carrier IQ’s core technology is currently embedded on more than 35 million handsets globally.
Using Experience Manager, Carrier IQ conducted extensive trials over several months with multimedia devices across North America and Europe that included thousands of users across 40 operators. Some of the key findings of critical interest to different mobile market players are:

• Interest decreases in complex multimedia applications after as little as two days.  Thereafter, those applications had very little or no usage.
• Features that attracted the most extensive use throughout the trial period were Call History, Contacts, Camera, Internet Browser and Media Player. 
• During phone calls, the top features that were used simultaneously included SMS, Camera, Bluetooth and Calendar.
• Only 15% of camera use resulted in sending an MMS.
• The majority of users listened to MP3 audio and viewed MPEG-4 video files during the evening.

Nuance Study Finds Consumers Keen on Outbound Messaging

Nuance Communications has released the results of research carried out by research firm Harris Interactive. The study, commissioned by Nuance, surveyed 622 UK residents aged 18 or over who had received some form of proactive communications in the last six months. It found that consumers are enthusiastic to receive proactive communications, mostly by email or text message, from pre-selected companies to deliver “imperative information”.
Nuance says the findings illustrate that not all calls and messages, even at home or in the evenings are frowned upon. The Harris study found that over 80% of consumers surveyed wanted to be alerted when there is a threat of fraud, or a home visit from a service technician is cancelled. The most common outbound messaging services are order status and account information, but as consumers become more engaged with electronic communications, Nuance believes the applications for outbound messaging will grow, as other business segments want to keep their customers informed.
Research findings include:

• 87% are receptive to receiving a proactive communication from a company with whom they do business if they allowed you to opt-in to receiving this service.
• While the majority felt their permission is needed before proactive communications about  marketing or sales promotion are sent, a significantly lower percentage felt they needed to give permission to receive proactive communications about outage notifications, order status, and travel status updates.
• Most respondents would not pay for the convenience of proactive alerts.
• 48% had received a proactive alert by SMS or text messaging, reflecting a significant opportunity in the future.

Nuance says the findings indicate demand for a full end-to-end customer care solution from enterprises wanting to deliver a superior experience to its customers, adding that with inbound and outbound solutions, as well as an on-device mobile solution, its customer care products provide the customer tools to help drive a consistent, user friendly consumer experience at every touch point. With text messaging on the rise and the availability of automated customer service solutions to ease call centres and alert consumers of imperative information, Nuance says it is well-positioned to ensure that customer service evolves to meet and exceed expectations for consumers as well as the enterprise.
 “The private and professional lives of today’s always-on generation of consumers, is far busier and more complicated than ever before,” says Nuance General Manager, Northern EMEA, Ian Turner. “Proactive outbound messaging can make their lives easier through measures such as timely reminders or helpful information alerts. This service is not invasive, and it has been well received by consumers who have come to value its efficiency. From an enterprise perspective, the survey results from Harris Interactive are especially compelling for those companies looking to reduce agent costs, while still delivering an exceptional experience for their customers.

Mobile CRM Made Simple

Christian Wettre, President of CRM company W-Systems Corp, offers advice to businesses looking to choose a mobile CRM system for their field sales force 

Mobile CRM is rapidly becoming a must-have for field sales and service organisations as they realise the tangible ROI that can be achieved through reducing office-based administration and enabling personnel to manage routine tasks and real time reporting ‘in the field’. But with a growing number of mobile CRM solutions available, many organizations are in danger of choosing over-complex applications or irrelevant mobile extensions of existing CRM systems. My advice is as follows: Keep it simple, both for the mobile users, and for your IT administrators.
According to the Gartner Group, there are just under 60 million mobile workers who are away from their workstations for at least 20% of the working week. And with recent reports suggesting that mobile CRM will grow to 20% of total CRM revenues by 2010, many organisations are now revisiting their current CRM provision as the ‘virtualization’ of business processes and procedures draws ever closer.
The reality is that more and more mobile devices are able to access the Internet, and with an increasingly mobile workforce, flexible work patterns and a rise in ‘home office’ workers, it is clear that there is a demand even in small and medium sized companies for a new ‘virtual’ office hub, where information can be shared and analyzed across all channels of the organization in real time.

wMobile Version 1.8 Released

W-Systems Corp has announced the release of version 1.8 of its wMobile Mobile CRM product. wMobile is a mobile phone client for the GoldMine CRM system. The new version adds team-based graphical monthly, weekly and daily calendars to the application, displays equally well on any phone from BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone to Palm and, according to W-Systems President Christian Wettre, has “pushed the envelope of what is possible in mobile application”.
With the latest graphical team calendars, wMobile users can now interactively access any team member’s calendar via their mobile phone and with new dynamic time zone support, any user can specify the time zone they are operating in and have schedule activities translated on the fly to display in the context of their current location. There’s a short demo of wMobile’s group calendar functionality here.
“wMobile 1.8 illustrates a leap forward in the usability of mobile web applications,” says Wettre. “By offering a parity in user experience across all major phone operating systems, we are enabling our customers to freely choose the mobile phone device most suitable for their users, without concern for model and operating system obsolescence.”
wMobile recently completed its 200th customer installation last month. One of these customers, Kevin Reichley, Vice President of Sales for Ticomix Inc., says:
“With wMobile we have been able to fulfill a need for our small to mid-size customers to mobilize their CRM processes. The product sales cycle is very short because wMobile is inexpensive and provides great value, and implementation is quick and easy. I use wMobile to access my GoldMine daily, so it's a pleasure to endorse and sell a product that I really believe in.”
wMobile provides wireless mobile access to the popular GoldMine Corporation Edition and Premium Edition, and is compatible with Microsoft IIS Server 5.0 or higher, Microsoft .NET Framework and most mobile devices, including BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm Treo, iPhone and Symbian based phones.
The application provides wireless interaction without synchronization, meaning that no data resides on the phone should it be lost or stolen. wMobile includes a number of innovative features such Proximity Contacts, which offers the ability to quickly identify all nearby contacts, such as customers and prospects. wMobile reduces the burden on organization IT resources by deploying mobile CRM as a server based web application with no application or data synchronization between server and mobile client.

SMS Solution Targets Contact Centres

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 IP’s research with ContactBabel’s 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 IP’s 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.”