Banks boost CRM with Uniserver SMS

Johannesburg, 02 Apr 2004

Orion Telecom`s Uniserver SMS product, a solution aimed at the insurance and financial services sectors, is being adopted by several players in these fields, including Nedbank.

The Uniserver SMS offering is an extension of customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives, allowing targeted messages that provide accurate and relevant information directly to clients.

"Uniserver SMS delivers SMS messages directly to GSM networks from the originator`s premises without having to connect to a central bureau system - providing improved security for sensitive customer information," says Ian Purves, business development manager at Orion.

"With a built-in Web-server and database where all records are stored and from where all reports are generated, the solution gives businesses complete control of their SMS marketing and communication campaigns."

He says that while e-mail solutions may work for clients who have PCs, they effectively ignore the far larger market of mobile users.

Purves states that effective SMS communication must not fall into the bracket of spam, but must rather add value in the corporate communication mix as an integral component of a customer relationship management strategy.

Nedbank`s Treasury Division has begun enhancing its communications with clients by implementing the Uniserver SMS solution.

"Uniserver SMS will become an invaluable additional communication channel, allowing us to provide an improved service to our clients," says Moss Brickman, head of international derivatives at Nedbank`s Treasury Division.

"The trading environment often depends on split-second timing. With this product we will be able to notify clients immediately when certain levels are reached or breached, while we will also be able to inform clients by beeping them if a particular customer system is down."

He says Nedbank also plans to expand its use of the service to send clients important financial information, such as indices at the end of the trading day and notification of successful trades.

South African life assurance company, Client`ele Life, has also used Orion`s service to streamline the operation of its systems.

As the company provides its services to the entry-level of the insurance market, keeping costs to a minimum is key to its ability to provide affordable services, it says.

"Client`ele uses Uniserver SMS to advise clients when their debit orders are due, allowing them to ensure that sufficient funds are available in their accounts, which increases our collections, as well as saving the client money by avoiding returned debit orders," says Fergus McCloskey, executive director at Optimise IT, the company`s in-house technology department.

"Furthermore, the system allows Client`ele to notify clients of updates or changes to policy details, and advise clients of new products or services, and has done a great deal to assist in keeping costs down.

"SMS communication has surpassed e-mail, voice and traditional mail as the channel of choice for millions of South Africans, and Uniserver SMS equips businesses to take advantage of the enormous potential of this medium to keep in contact with clients and employees, says Purves.