What is USSD?
We offer USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) short codes, which allows for the accessing of varying applications through mobile devices. This works by a customer using a short code to access an application on the network in an open session. Because this operates on an open session, the speed of communication is far quicker than SMS. Clients can get real time answers and access to your services with the press of a few buttons. USSD applications can include:
- mobile chatting
- mobile banking
- purchases and sales
- information requests
- giveaways
- promotions
- loyalty programs
How can a business use USSD?
Most businesses are looking for ways to improve their customer satisfaction and approval ratings, and this is another amazing way to do just that. Businesses can benefit with USSD through its low-cost integration, higher customer interactivity, and retention, and boosting sales leads. Using USSD services you can have customers enter their demographic information and can be stored into your database, putting your marketing department at a severe advantage over those businesses that do not use USSD services. This information will provide further insight to your sales department regarding customer behavior. USSD works by using short codes that usually start with a * and end with #. They are useable on any cell phone. Each code causes a specific action to occur and is unique to each business because they use 160* character systems.
How does USSD help with Boosting Sales Leads?
A business can use these codes to generate sales leads and better understand their marketing strategy. Some companies have used them by having a unique code for a product and prompting the customer to enter it to register their purchase or to enter a giveaway. The unique code would bring up a few questions on the menu and then end with thank you page. Those questions were designed better to understand the marketing behind the product and its effect on the customer.
Using that data gathered, it is easy to analyze a campaign and understand what works and what did not. These insights allow for better future marketing, or to adjust a current campaign to boost more sales leads on that product.
Higher Customer Loyalty & Retention
Customers who use mobile applications are often drawn to them by the perks they receive. Repeat customers of most business mobile applications stay because of discounts and savings offered by the company through the application and their loyalty programs. USSD services make it easy to apply those functions to the menus brought up by customers using shortcodes.
Having customers sign up for loyalty programs and offering them rewards is a great tool for customer retention and building brand loyalty. When a client has high brand loyalty, they will come to that company first for all their needs, rather than seeking out a competitive brand. They also become brand ambassadors, spreading their great experience with the company word of mouth to those they know. Building brand loyalty through USSD can greatly increase sales and new customers for any business.