Varolii Rolls Out Three New SMS Enhancements
Free to End User, Dynamic Two-Way and International SMS Deliver Superior Communication Results
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—March 23, 2010—Today at Interaction ’10, Varolii Corporation’s annual customer conference, the company unveiled three new SMS enhancements to the Varolii Unified Interact Platform™, including Free-to-End-User SMS, several new two-way SMS features and International SMS. Each new SMS feature is governed by Varolii ID™—the industry’s only mass personalization technology—to create tailored contact strategies based on each individual’s implicit and explicit preferences. Delivered as part of Varolii’s cross-channel communications capabilities, Varolii SMS blends with email and voice calls, creating a single conversation across all communication channels that will reach more customers in less time and give them options to self-serve or take other action. All of the SMS enhancements and features announced today are now generally available.
Getting Mobility Right: Using Smart SMS as Part of a Cross-Channel Communications Strategy
As more consumers embrace text messaging (SMS), many companies are adding text messaging to the email and voice calls they already use to interact with their customers. This approach is called multi-channel communications because each channel typically functions independently—often duplicating messages, creating confusion and irritating consumers. Multi-channel communications also add cost because more notifications are sent, but they rarely deliver better results because each notification is not personalized. By comparison, Varolii is a cross-channel communication platform which creates a single conversation across all channels to provide recipients with clear, easily understood options to self-serve or take other action.
Each conversation is tailored to each recipient using Varolii ID, which automatically analyzes each individual’s response history to customize the message and predict which channel combination will deliver maximum results and customer satisfaction.
By combining the latest SMS enhancements and Varolii ID, the Varolii Unified Interact Platform offers more personalization and self-service options than competing automated communications solutions. It provides multiple ways to interact with consumers to satisfy their demands for immediacy and flexibility, including full integration with contact centers. Using Varolii, organizations can deliver a superior customer experience, while achieving greater response rates at reduced cost.
The three major enhancements announced today include the following:
1. Free-To-End-User (FTEU) Text Messaging – Using Varolii, organizations can send text messages at no cost to their customers, even if they don’t have a text messaging plan. This is particularly important to ensure consumers aren’t surprised or angry about SMS charges on their mobile service bill. Unlike other FTEU SMS providers, Varolii FTEU SMS also keeps costs low for the sending organization by allowing recipients to self-serve, instead of being transferred to a contact center.
2. Two-Way Interactive SMS – Varolii is delivering five new features that ensure a rich communication via text messaging that's as effective as a verbal conversation with an agent.
- Two-Way Varolii SMS with Cross-Channel Follow Up – Organizations can use Varolii to send a short text message and allow recipients to take action by texting back a response. If it requires follow-up, the Varolii Unified Interact Platform will automatically trigger it over the most appropriate channel. For example, if a bank sends an SMS due to potential credit card fraud, the consumer can reply “confirm” to verify a legitimate purchase (which would end the interaction) or “deny” to flag the transaction. The “deny” response would trigger an immediate call from a fraud specialist and prevent additional fraud charges in mere minutes, rather than hours or days.
- Self-Service Varolii SMS – For added convenience and lower-cost interactions, companies can enable consumers to retrieve a personalized voice notification directly from a text message. This retrieved message provides in-depth information and self-service options so consumers can take immediate action with no additional time or cost incurred by the company. For example, a healthcare plan can send an SMS to notify a patient that his test results are ready. When the patient retrieves his test results, his mobile phone number serves as a PIN to ensure his personal health information isn’t released to the wrong person.
- Same-Day Contact Strategy Adjustments – When an organization is unsuccessful reaching an individual over one channel, the Varolii Unified Interact Platform can immediately switch to the next channel most likely to result in a live answer or immediate response. For example, if a consumer doesn’t answer a call requesting more information for a mortgage application, Varolii can automatically shift to an SMS message that same day, thereby ensuring the consumer responds sooner than if only a voicemail had been left.
- Consumer-Driven Preference Capture – The Varolii Interact Platform allows consumers to indicate their channel preference for future notifications. For example, after receiving a prescription refill reminder via SMS, a consumer could reply with “email” to receive all future reminders from her pharmacy via email.
- Landline versus Cell Phone Determination - Varolii also has integrated its land/cell determination service into Varolii SMS to ensure text messages are only sent to mobile numbers. Since customer records often fail to distinguish between a landline and mobile phone, companies often send and pay for text messages that have no possibility of getting through. Varolii’s land/cell determination service identifies mobile vs. landline numbers (including landline numbers that have been ported to a wireless service) to ensure SMS notifications are sent only to numbers that can receive them.
3. International Varolii SMS –Varolii also enables organizations to send an SMS to more than 200 countries globally. SMS messages are highly preferred among tech-savvy global consumers and provide a lower-cost alternative to international voice calls. Varolii International SMS can deliver messages in multiple languages and adhere to the mobile communications rules and regulations established by each country.
“Text messaging has become a mainstream method of communication alongside other channels, but you need smart text messaging if you are to deliver increased results without doubling-up costs,” said Jeffrey Read, executive vice president of Field Operations at Varolii. “By combining the personalization of Varolii ID and interactive, two-way SMS, companies get better results at lower cost, without adding to widespread consumer communication fatigue.”
For more information about the advantages of cross-channel communications over multi-channel, visit http://www.varolii.com/Products/Features/Cross_Channel_Communications.aspx. For more information about Varolii SMS, visit http://www.varolii.com/Products/Features/Cross_Channel/SMS.aspx.
About Interaction ’10
Varolii Corporation is hosting its third annual customer conference, Interaction ’10, March 22-24 in Scottsdale, Arizona. More than 100 customers, prospects and industry experts are gathering to share best practices for using intelligent automated communications to improve billing, payment and collections results; enhance customer retention and loyalty strategies; and effectively combat competitive and economic pressures. In keeping with its focus on measurable real-world results, customer-led case study sessions feature prominently on the agenda. For more information, visit
www.varolii.com/interaction.
About Varolii Corporation
Varolii is the market and technology leader in proactive outbound communications. Its on-demand communication software and services help organizations more effectively reach and interact with their customers and employees, getting the best result from every interaction. By automating the processes required for personalized communications such as flight cancellation notices, fraud detection alerts and prescription pick-up reminders, Varolii helps its clients reduce operational costs, increase contact center efficiency, and get more out of their existing IT investments. More than 380 companies, including many of the largest U.S. banks, airlines, wireless carriers, utilities, and healthcare organizations trust Varolii to send 4 million communications every business day. Varolii is headquartered in Seattle with offices in the Boston and Denver metropolitan areas. For more information, visit
www.varolii.com.
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