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Clickatell VP of Sales for North America Justin Williams shares an overview of a lively discussion with MEF Director of Programs James Williams and Simon Nainkin, Clickatell VP of Product Partnerships, around the hot topic of digital commerce in mobile messaging in the US.

Mobile messaging for business was envisioned by Clickatell back in 2000 when it developed the first API that could send text messages from a computer to cell phones. Since then, Clickatell has grown to cover 220 territories, over 1,000 networks, and 85% of the world’s population, reaching more than 5 billion SMS users. Today, Clickatell is the leading innovator and creator of vertical-specific, end-to-end commerce experiences across messaging apps. With messaging apps ingrained in our daily lives, Clickatell’s technology opens newfound opportunities for brands to connect and communicate with consumers.

James kicked off the webinar by pointing out that MEF members are especially interested in the power of mobile messaging, and this is not surprising. With 7.7 billion global citizens making use of a messaging app, compared to just 4.7 billion internet users, mobile messaging represents the most effective way of reaching customers, where they are on their mobile phones. Brands can build lasting relationships by scaling consumer engagement on a messaging app — providing interactive, responsive, and hyper-personalized experiences embedded in SMS, Apple Messages, Instagram, WhatsApp, or a consumer’s other preferred messaging app.

Placing the power of mobile messaging into a business context, Simon shared some powerful data to support why business leaders should be looking to Chat Commerce to help streamline their operations and boost their customer experience.

Companies should also think twice about simply rolling out a branded app as a quick digital fix… consumers spend 90% of their time in just 5 apps and that, according to Gartner, by 2025 80% of customer service companies will abandon their native mobile apps in favor of messaging apps.

He pointed out that research conducted by Clickatell showed that 83% of customers expect to deal with a business immediately once they had made contact, He also said that the most valuable resource for many customers is time.

In fact, almost half (47%) of consumers surveyed globally have quit doing business with a company because of poor customer service.

However, getting great customer service is not always easy, especially when dealing with call centers. A substantial 75% of surveyed customers expressed feeling frustrated when dealing with customer service agents, even if their problem had eventually been resolved.

Clickatell has found that one way to avoid the IVR frustration was the integration of chatbots into a business’s messaging app. When done well, chatbots can reduce the pressure on call center agents allowing them to focus on the more complicated requests and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Companies should also think twice about simply rolling out a branded app as a quick digital fix. Simon pointed out that consumers spend 90% of their time in just 5 apps and that, according to Gartner, by 2025 80% of customer service companies will abandon their native mobile apps in favor of messaging apps.

Creating a rich experience for your customers

We also took some time to outline why mobile messaging can help businesses meaningfully connect with their customers, explaining that it wasn’t simply a question of which communications channel is more engaging, but how technologies can be applied to make our lives easier and better.

By creating a richer, more contextual experience through additive technologies like AI, companies can gain a significant competitive advantage. For instance, companies can now monitor how consumers are typing. If they establish high levels of frustration, they can intervene with a discount or a coupon to appease them. Similarly, accessing previous engagement histories means resolution can be reached far faster.

The webinar focused on sharing insights on best practice and use cases, giving brand leaders real world, valuable information on how to get the most out of mobile messaging. Member questions also uncovered industry insights around which messaging apps were most appropriate for US businesses and how rich mobile messaging experiences can transform their omni-channel performance.

Justin Williams

VP of Sales, North America
Clickatell

MEF