Frequently Asked Questions
Enterprises and organizations increasingly have widespread and highly mobile customers and employees. Efficient and real-time scheduling of customer services, tasks and appointments becomes difficult and leads to bad utilization of resources as well as low customer satisfaction. Equally, measuring customer satisfaction or employee satisfaction in real-time is a challenge. The BookIT iSMS solution enables an interactive dialogue between the organization and their customers or employees - all with the goal to improve the business.
What is it really about? Can you describe a real business case?
A successful business case is Finnair’s check-in service. A frequent flyer books a ticket using traditional means: Travel bureau, phone, Internet etc. Before the flight Finnair sends an iSMS asking for confirmation and making it possible to check-in by responding to the message. The traveler responds when convenient, confirms the trip, reserves a seat and gets the gate number - in less than a minute. At the airport he walks straight to the gate without queuing.
So how does this work ?
Finnair has renewed the check-in process and integrated BookIT SW with the legacy application. The application knows that the customer uses the new service and initiates the interactive dialog at time for check-in. As SMS is widely used, no training is required and the service is available for large user groups on any mobile phone and any network. Simplifying and streamlining check-in has resulted in significant reduction in no-shows and cost savings for Finnair. For their customers it is a convenient way to check-in, avoid queues and get information about the flight.
What other industries can benefit from the solution?
Industries providing ”semi-regular” services to consumers and enterprises have a challenge to manage demand and supply. Examples are car repair and maintenance, delivery services, medical and dentist centers, travel industry etc. In these industries customer interaction is typically triggered by sporadic needs and tasks. Initiative is mostly left to the customer which leads to low and late visibility of demand. Hence services and tasks are not optimally scheduled. Seasonal peaks in demand are also difficult to meet and lead to selling “no” or unhappy customers.
Haven’t these industries developed Internet services to improve customer interaction?
Leading companies have invested in process renewal with Internet technology. The objective has been to enhance service, save costs and free human time for more value added tasks. While this is the right direction, it leaves a blind spot and underutilized business opportunities with the increasing number of highly mobile customers and the need for real time interaction. The BookIT iSMS solution complements these solutions with an efficient interactive dialog for mobile users. The BookIT iSMS solution is modular and follows a layered architecture which separates the business logic from the access and presentation technology. Internet and mobile services can be interlinked in a multi modal way e.g. reservation on Internet, confirmation with mobile phone.
Who is BookIT? What do they offer?
BookIT Ltd is a software company offering server-based middleware as well as a worldwide two-way SMS and MMS connectivity service. This is the foundation for developing innovative customer interaction and field force management solutions using the iSMS. The SW and service is sold to the enterprise. No purchase or action is required from the end-user – entry threshold is extremely low for the user.
What is the BookIT middleware? What is unique in the BookIT iSMS solution?
BookIT’s iSMS is based on the patented Dynamic Dialog Matrix™ which includes unique session management functionality to link applications and mobile phones in a managed way. It is based on industry-standard messaging technology and thus works with any phone in any mobile network. User authentication is embedded and automatic in BookIT iSMS solutions.
What do you mean by iSMS?
There are two important aspects. First, we use normal SMS to send and receive messages. This means that it works on all phones and all networks without installing SW or configurations to the phones. All user responses are given by selecting from predefined choices using the “single button” principle. Everybody used to send and receive SMS, can intuitively take the services into use without training.
Second, the iSMS is an enhancement to the application. A typical need is to confirm an appointment to a doctor in order to avoid no-shows. The application initiates the request and establishes a session with the user i.e. it is a push service. BookIT DDM technology manages the flow of SMS messages between the application and users so that right responses are linked to the right application even if several simultaneous sessions are established. The authentication of users is secured so customers do not need user names, passwords or special authentication procedures. Plain SMS messages cannot provide this functionality, but an iSMS can be used successfully for building business processes that require interaction with customers or employees.
What do you mean by a push service? What are the advantages?
Typical applications are resource planning and customer management. A push service can be built when a customer or employee is registered as a user and has provided his mobile phone number. The service can now initiate the dialogue with the customer when required. As the application knows the tasks and data related to the customer i.e. the context, the dialogue with the customer can be kept simple and to the point. There is no need for the user to learn the service logic and remember service codes or numbers.
What are the typical services and applications that benefit from iSMS?
Scheduling appointments is a mass service in healthcare. The patient can book the appointment with a doctor or dentist using phone, Internet, during earlier visit etc. and at the same time provide his mobile phone number. When the appointment approaches a request to confirm is sent to the phone. The patient can confirm, ask for a new time or to be called. Cancelled times can also be offered to patients in a queue. This reduces no-shows and makes it possible to fill cancelled times lots. Compared to a call center approach it is more efficient and cheaper. Patients avoid queuing and also feel that the doctor cares.
Motiwell, a healthcare company, provides services to improve the well-being of large organizations. Typically, employee surveys are done once a year on Internet, corrective actions are implemented, but follow-up is difficult. iSMS provides a fast and reliable way for interaction with selected personnel groups to measure the results. The enterprise defines 3…7 questions. Motiwell sends iSMS messages, collects answers and analyses them. Close to 80% response within one day has been achieved in groups with around 500 employees worldwide - significantly more efficient then with web based systems.
Skanska, the global construction company, have inspectors on construction sites who record failures, dangers etc. The application now sends iSMS work orders to workers on the construction site and they report the status of the corrective actions. A simple traffic light system (red, yellow, green) shows the status of action in real time in the back end application. Again correction times have been reduced from several days to a couple of hours. Safety has been improved at construction sites saving costs and potentially lives.
Can pictures be used instead of SMS in applications like Skanska?
Yes, Skanska has used the BookIT solution also with MMS to send pictures of the failures. The corrective action is then verified with a new picture – this replaces SMS messages.
What are the true benefits to the end users?
The end users will get improved services and self service opportunities e.g. improved flexibility to schedule customer services, tasks and appointments – less queuing.
What are the benefits to the enterprises?
There are many overall benefits:
1. Improved utilization of equipment & resources
2. Lower resource needs in call centers
3. Improved customer services and customer friendliness
4. Increased customer satisfaction
5. Opportunity to up sell services and products.
The cases discussed above give good evidence of the benefits, but each case has its own key areas for improving the business and customer satisfaction.
If you want to establish service, what is required?
BookIT or a service provider operates the service center for session management and sending/receiving messages. BookIT middleware is also installed on a server within the enterprise for interfacing with the legacy systems.
What has been the challenge in setting up the services?
Biggest challenge and opportunity is to analyze and renew the business processes. The iSMS technology exists and is in production use by many organizations.
Will this complicate the business processes?
No actually it is the other way around – renewing often also means streamlining and focusing on the essential data. A simple and easy to use process will be preferred by the users.
What is the role of system integrators?
System integrators have a key role to support organizations to develop and implement the solutions based on iSMS. They can also increase their own business through:
1. Service revenue from developing new customer interaction processes and
2. Revenue from delivering and integrating mobile solutions
What is the role of operators? Is the service tied to a specific operator?
Operators have a key role to provide value added communication services for enterprises and organizations. íSMS is a mass service that works on all phones. It gives the operator an opportunity to broaden the portfolio and to develop and secure long term business with key accounts. Operators can also host the iSMS service center and provide a premium priced service per transaction.
The iSMS can be hosted by an operator, but the services implemented by an organization will work on all phones and networks – just like SMS.