Come November this year, a new one-stop-shop multichannel communication platform dubbed iSMART will be launched in Ghana to provide businesses and organizations with a suite of channels to engage their stakeholders at a very affordable rate.
The platform was designed by iSmart International Ghana Limited, a value-added service (VAS) provider licensed by the National Communication Authority (NCA). Their services include Bulk SMS, Bulk email, Bulk WhatsApp/Facebook Messenger, 2-Way Messaging, Toll Free Voice/SMS, Chatbot, USSD and Mobile Money Management.
iSmart is already connected to all the telcos in the country and terminates SMS traffic in Ghana for at least five global players in the telecom industry – Etisalat, Twilio, Mitto, BTS and IDT.
The platform is currently being piloted with two local companies – Bora Capital and Alldrugs Pharmacy pending the full launch in November this year.
When iSmart becomes fully operational, it promises to offer unique services to corporate institutions, SMEs, SACCOs (Savings and Credit Co-Operative Societies), schools and colleges, NGOs, religious institutions and many other organizations.
What is iSMART solving?
CEO of iSmart, Robert Oduro said the company believes that through technology, Africa will be a better place where businesses are able to ensure customer satisfaction in a more efficient and affordable manner.
“Businesses, organizations, small groups and religious institutions need simple but effective channels through which they can communicate with their customers, members and other relevant stakeholders. This helps to build customer and stakeholder relations and establish customer loyalty.
“iSMART gives you the platform to communicate effectively with your customers on a massive scale, through Bulk SMS, Bulk email, 2-Way Messaging, Toll Free Voice/SMS, Chatbot, USSD and Mobile Money Management,” he said.
Bulk SMS
Bulk SMS messaging, application-to-person (A2P) and person-to-application (P2A) SMS works for both B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) environments and is ideal for commercial brands as well as third sector, and public sector companies. It helps to increase customer engagement, promote products and services and delivers urgent notifications to your audiences.
Robert Oduro said SMS takes less than 7 seconds to reach intended recipient and 98% of SMS messages are opened, adding that Bulk SMS is a highly affordable channel suitable for daily communication with clients, and iSmart is poised to offer even much lower rates.
According to him, Bulk SMS also helps to build customer loyalty because it is very easy to configure the organization’s SMS to suit its corporate style and be able to capture the attention of the targeted audience.
Bulk Mail
Robert Oduro noted that recent industry studies have shown that 82% of companies are using some kind of email marketing technology. This means that businesses simply relying on just Gmail or Outlook, are already behind the curve and need to get on board via the right tools, which iSMART offers at an affordable price.
Bulk WhatsApp/Messenger
Beyond bulk SMS and email, iSmart also enables users to have access to the simple and inexpensive way of sending thousands of WhatsApp and Facebook messages with a single click from their personal or business account.
USSD Service
USSD, one of the few truly inclusive mobile technologies available, allows faster communication between the user and the client because it works on both smart and feature devices and can be operated without any form of activation taking place.
For a long time, according to Robert Oduro, USSD has been used only for applications such as checking airtime balance, but that has changed over the years as application developers have gone far beyond the original use cases and are now using USSD to place various applications in the hands of customers.
He said iSmart is provisioned to make the full benefit of USSD available to businesses and organizations at very affordable rates.
Toll-free Voice and SMS
Speaking of toll-free, the iSmart CEO said a toll-free number is an indispensable asset that helps business grow because it allows clients to call the business for free, while toll-free SMS also enables businesses and organizations to send text messages from their toll-free number to clients.
“A toll-free number inspires trust. Take advantage of this trusted channel on iSmart to enable two-way conversations and engage with more customers.” he said.
Chatbot (AI)
Robert Oduro noted that Chatbots have become a channel for businesses to reduce customer support cost significantly, while increasing customer satisfaction with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that can recognize customer intent, instantly provide information on any channel and never takes a day off.
Mobile Money Management
iSmart has also set up a Merchant Account API, which provides a single interface for businesses of all sizes to set up and manage a single business account for mobile money transfers and payments across all networks.
Robert Oduro said that interested persons can reach iSmart via toll-free number 0800-443-443 or short code *448# for assistance.
