CHALLENGE

Scaling support while maintaining personalized, conversational approach

UME, a Brazilian fintech innovator, is on a mission to democratize access to credit, particularly for underserved communities. Operating in 12 Brazilian states, UME facilitates purchases at over 300 partner stores, with nearly 100% of credit requests and approvals managed seamlessly through their mobile app.  

However, as demand surged, UME faced challenges scaling its customer communication while preserving the personalized, human touch crucial for building trust and fostering financial well-being.  

Long support queues and a lack of integration with chatbots and AI solutions hampered personalization and operational efficiency, especially in crucial areas like credit recovery.  

UME needed a more agile, effective, and scalable solution to handle growing demand while delivering empathetic experiences that would improve customer satisfaction and drive business growth. 

Building trust and accessibility with conversational messaging and omnichannel solutions

UME partnered with Infobip to obtain a comprehensive conversational experience platform that addressed all its scalability, personalization, and omnichannel automation needs. Enabling them to connect with customers in a way that is both efficient and empathetic. 

Our customer engagement solution, Moments empowered UME to orchestrate personalized customer journeys across multiple channels, including SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, push notifications, Email, and WhatsApp Business Calls.  

By intelligently routing communications based on individual customer preferences, UME ensures that customers receive information and support through their preferred channel, fostering a sense of accessibility and understanding.  

In addition, our customer data platform, People CDP, played a crucial role by intelligently segmenting and personalizing messaging based on individual profiles and interaction history. 

UME leverages RCS as its primary channel for proactive communication, including transactional messages, payment guidance, and debt prevention. SMS serves as a reliable failover. WhatsApp is strategically used for customers with existing debt, focusing on debt collection, answering customer inquiries, and driving engagement within a 72-hour window. And Email is used to respond to certain queries and for one-way marketing messages. 

To further enhance customer support and streamline operations, UME implemented AI-powered chatbots on WhatsApp and RCS using our chatbot building platform, Answers. The chatbot was easily integrated into OpenAI’s ChatGPT API’s.   

Customers can easily check credit limits, generate invoices, get answers to their questions, and even renegotiate debts through these conversational interfaces. 

Also, our CX Consultancy team collaborated closely with UME to help fine-tune processes, flows, and journeys, maximizing the impact of the platform.

“Infobip is more than just a technology provider; they’re a true partner,” adds Padovani. “They understand our business and our customers, and they’re committed to helping us build a communication strategy that is both effective and empathetic.” 

The RCS loan journey 

UME utilizes RCS for proactive communication, aiming to empower customers with information and prevent potential debt issues.  

RCS is used to proactively reach out to the customer and offer them personalized loans, payment due dates, available payment options and support for delays.  

UME leverages rich cards and quick reply buttons within RCS to make it easy for customers to access their account details, review their purchase history, and set up payment reminders. 

A few days before a payment is due, customers receive a personalized RCS message reminding them of the upcoming due date and offering various payment options. They can tap a quick reply button to access their digital invoice or choose to set up automatic payments directly within the RCS conversation.  

If a customer misses a payment, they receive a friendly reminder via RCS with tailored payment solutions and links to relevant support resources.  

UME also uses RCS to promote new features, offer personalized deals, and gather customer feedback through interactive surveys. The conversational nature of RCS allows for a two-way dialogue, enabling customers to ask questions and receive immediate support, all within the same interface. 

Providing support via WhatsApp 

WhatsApp is primarily used for onboarding customers and supporting those who are facing challenges with their payments or have outstanding debts. UME’s WhatsApp strategy focuses on quick onboarding, empathetic debt collection, providing support, and resolving customer queries.  

The WhatsApp journey begins after a customer’s credit is approved. They receive a welcome message, outlining their credit limit, payment due dates, and available payment options.  

When a customer falls behind on their payments, they receive a personalized WhatsApp message acknowledging their situation and providing assistance. UME leverages WhatsApp’s interactive message templates to present different debt renegotiation options, allowing customers to choose a plan that suits their current financial circumstances. 

Customers can also initiate conversations with UME through the WhatsApp chatbot to ask questions about their account, payment options, or any other concerns they may have. 

If the chatbot is unable to answer a specific question, the customer can easily connect with a human agent for further assistance. UME also uses WhatsApp to send transactional messages, such as payment confirmations and updates on debt renegotiation plans.  

The 72-hour window engagement strategy ensures that UME remains in close contact with customers who are facing financial difficulties, providing timely support and helping them get back on track. 

Recognizing the importance of human connection, especially when dealing with financial matters, UME pioneered the use of WhatsApp Business Calls for personalized support. Customers can seamlessly transition from chatbot interactions to voice calls, enhancing trust and customer satisfaction. 

Double the support capacity and 30% cost reduction

The combination of these solutions and services transformed the way UME interacts with its customers, improving response times, communication, personalization, and user satisfaction. This led to impressive results: 

• 30% reduction in platform costs through integrations and centralized management
• Doubled debt renegotiation capacity through chatbots and AI
• 80% of chatbot conversations resolved without human assistance
• 50% reduction in campaign execution time due to segmentation and automation
• 156% improvement in payments from customers without outstanding debt
• 30% increase in invoice requests via RCS, with nearly 95% conversion compared to 60% for SMS
• 46% conversion rate on WhatsApp
• 100% conversation rate for debt collection via RCS, compared to 60% for SMS, demonstrating increased customer engagement and trust
• 54% cost reduction in debt collection by utilizing RCS