Johannesburg, 22 Jul 2022
As technology advances, globalisation is shrinking the world around us. It’s never been easier to chat with someone on the other side of the country and for enterprises, text messages remain a thriving form of communication. “Everyone across the globe is easily connected. Whether it’s from a work perspective or whether it’s with your friends and overseas family, the internet has made the world smaller,” says Yusuf Vahed, Cellfind’s messaging director. “In the enterprise world, the behaviour of customers is also shifting. How we shop, for example, is different. Not only do organisations need to change the way they communicate to stay ahead, they need the right tools to be able to communicate effectively with their customers.”
Direct and secure business-to-customer messaging
According to research conducted by Adobe, text messages have the highest click and open rates of all forms of communication, including e-mail and phone, but it’s important to differentiate between P2P (person-to-person) and ATP (application-to-person) text messages. “With A2P, an app or the server behind the enterprise sends the message to you,” explains Vahed. “From the marketing messages you receive on a daily basis to every time you log into the bank, those are A2P messages."
From an enterprise perspective, international SMS connects via SMPP or an SMS API – SMS API is the software interface that allows the enterprise to integrate with the SMS gateways. “The SMS gateway is what allows messages to be sent to handset devices,” adds Vahed. “A message that comes from a computer server to a device is not in a readable format that anyone can understand. When it gets sent via an SMS gateway, it gets translated into a language that the device can understand.”
Over and above being secure, another major advantage of SMS is that you don’t need the internet or data connectivity, unlike mobile apps. While any organisation that needs to send SMS messages outside of South Africa could benefit from using international SMS, Vahed highlights sectors such as insurance and banking as key, where enterprises can easily send notifications and one-time passwords to their customers via SMS. “In Africa, connectivity is not always prolific. A lot of the population still use feature phones so SMS is a key driver in being able to connect to those users,” says Vahed. “One of the biggest mobile uses in Africa is money transfers, especially among the unbanked population. People from Malawi or Zimbabwe (for example) that work in South Africa want to send money to their families back home and in order for that money to be received, the person on the other side receives an SMS with the confirmation of money transfer.”
That said, dealing directly with different mobile network operators (MNOs) could be challenging for enterprises. “Think about Africa as a continent. We have 54 countries and there are an average of five to six MNOs in each country. Trying to deal with each can be complicated,” he says. This is why dealing with an aggregator that takes the hassle out of dealing with the MNOs is the best enterprise solution – it’s like going to a one-stop shop that monitors traffic, integrates with the MNOs, understands the constantly fluctuating exchange rates, negotiates the best possible rates and has a network of partners throughout the continent. There is also the issue of compliance. “Each country has its own set of rules and regulations. A company in the text messaging space in Africa has to be at the top of their game, constantly researching and staying abreast of current legislation.”
Additionally, many of the networks across Africa are separating traffic into domestic and international. Domestic traffic is where the MNO views a particular brand as being local to that specific country. International is where the MNO classifies a brand with being headquartered outside of that particular country.
There’s no question that SMS is one of the most reliable forms of communication. Text messaging is not only the most used data service globally, it’s the most effective, with 95% of texts being read within three minutes of being sent.
Vahed’s recommendation for large enterprise organisations sending messages to multiple countries is to look for a partner who has direct connectivity to mobile network operators across regions, together with a powerful and dynamic routing engine, as well as 24/7 customer support.
Secure and cost-effective, international SMS – with a trusted messaging partner and platform – can be a powerful (and personal) way to talk to your customers, no matter where they sit in Africa.
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