Viber – Enriching Communications for Consumer Preference
Today, the engagement game isn’t just about reaching consumers. It’s about reaching them over platforms they are already accustomed to using, about not losing them because you don’t have the right way for contact.
When Viber, one of the world leading messaging apps with over 750M users, introduced their new A2P (Application-to-Person) technology, it seemed like a perfect fit for the Infobip platform. Allowing enterprises to tap into that user base, with an ability to communicate over a platform which its users have already chosen as their go-to communications channel, seemed like a gapless transition.
Adding Viber as an Infobip communications channel fuels our vision of enabling companies to run their mobile-first communications based on customer preference – all through a single, centralized platform.
According to the Journal of Electronic Commerce Research studies showed that, to deploy the best possible consumer experience, companies must pay close attention to the factors and the consumer behavior that lead to channel preference.
Viber engagement for the non-stop consumer
Consumers now use more digital channels than ever before, and more than you might expect. Eight years ago, 78 percent of consumers used at least one online channel when prospecting. During 2014, 88 percent did—and four in 10 wanted even more digital interactions than what companies are providing.
Today, most of them seek quicker resolution and fewer hassles—and if companies don’t revolutionize how they do communications, consumers will simply move on. In a research conducted by Accenture Strategy, nearly two-thirds said they use online channels across sales, marketing, and service because of their speed and convenience, while just over half said they have become more impatient and want their buying decision process to be fast with minimal effort.
This is where Viber shines. Companies using Viber’s service message technology can send rich content messages with images, buttons and up to 1000 text characters in any language, offering a more engaging experience for the consumer on the go.
Viber messages not only represent a way for enterprises to personalize communication towards customers, build brand awareness and deliver actionable content over a familiar medium. Offering a wide array of engagement options – Viber messages can function as transactional, promotional, and support text, images, buttons, and links all in the same message.
And the benefits don’t stop there. Any Viber user can easily opt-out from the communication through the Viber app, which comes on iOS, Android and Windows Phone 10 making it a perfect solution for cross platform consumer communication. At the same time, companies can get actionable insight into how users interact with communications confirming when a message is sent, delivered and whether the message has been seen by the recipient.
And, since messages are sent to customer mobile phone numbers, companies can use their existing customer data to engage users over Viber.
Powering omni-channel communications with Viber
According to Accenture Strategy, consumers between 18 and 34, those who have grown up immersed in digital technologies, are two to three times more likely than consumers older than 55 to want use more digital interactions than companies currently support.
By adding Infobip OMNI to the mix, the Infobip platform enables you to automate your mobile communication through preferred channels, such as Viber, and create a unique client experiences using the unique features of every other channel, including SMS, Voice, email, and push notifications.
This is an ideal way to introduce a new communication channel on Viber while retaining the best-possible delivery rates for your business communications.
Since Viber is available as part of OMNI, there is a backup plan in case the initial Viber message doesn’t get to your intended recipient. As a failsafe, OMNI allows you to set up other mobile channels as a fall back option, and make sure your important communication is delivered in a timely fashion.
For example, OMNI allows for an SMS message to be automatically generated every time when your user doesn’t receive the Viber message. This can happen for a multitude of reasons – maybe your user doesn’t have the Viber app installed or has no Internet access to be able to receive the message, ensuring delivery. This is an ideal way to introduce a new communication channel on Viber while retaining the best-possible delivery rates.
Three years ago, about half the customers already shifted a portion of their spending from existing to new providers, because companies weren’t able to offer an engaging solution to their needs. Today, this number has risen exponentially. OMNI and Viber solve this problem for your company communications.
