First SMS activated mobile agent network in Europe
Objectives
Cut operational costs such as vouchers, shrinkage and distribution
Remain competitive and innovative
Retain market leadership
Attract new subscribers
Why Macalla
Proven results worldwide
SecureMultilingual
Results
Reduction in the costs associated with supporting voucher based
prepaid subscribers
Delivery of services that enable increased subscriber convenience
Ensure that Vodafone remains at the forefront of innovation and
creativity therefore retaining competitive advantageProgression towards greater use of mCommerce
“It completely bypasses traditional voucher, POS and ATM systems. The Macalla system is ideal for a country like Romania with a large, widely dispersed population and point of sales. By including the smaller and non-traditional retail outlets we are bringing recharge capability closer to our subscribers, allowing them to purchase variable amounts. This brings innovation to our dealers and agents whilst reducing our prepaid business overheads.”
- Andreea Stanescu, Senior Director, Consumer Market,
Vodafone Romania |
Background
Vodafone is the leader in mobile telecommunications and one of the strongest companies in Romania. It has over 8.5 million customers and the network covers 95% of the Romanian population. Vodafone provides roaming in over 135 countries through 295 operators.
Objectives
Vodafone Romania wanted to deploy new and innovative ways for re-charging prepaid subscribers accounts using mobile phones and internet technology. The company embarked on a significant initiative which launched SMS activated prepaid top-up. Vodafone wanted to introduce a Romania-wide service whereby authorised mobile agents could provide prepaid top-up services using standard mobile phones as the point of sale device.
Additionally, the service enabled subscribers, at their convenience, to purchase airtime directly from Vodafone with payment coming straight from their bank account.
How it works
The Macalla Platform was selected to provide the backbone for the pre-paid services as it is fully secure, proven and reliable.
The application securely connects an agent of Vodafone to their internal IT infrastructure and billing systems. When a customer requests a top-up from the agent, the agent sends a secure text message from his handset to the Macalla Platform. The customer then pays the agent. Once the transaction is authorised, the customer's account is credited and the agent's is debited. Both the agent and customer receive confirmation of this transaction via SMS.
Results
The Macalla Platform enables Vodafone to offer prepaid mobile phone recharge for cash through an extended network of dealers and agents. It uses the agents' mobile phones as the Point of Sale (POS) terminal for the recharge transactions and removes any need for scratch cards, vouchers, traditional POS devices or landlines to operate the service.
Because of this, Vodafone significantly reduced its delivery costs. It enables both higher margin and smaller value top-ups, extends its retail channel to include sole traders, small shops, kiosks and other outlets in a manner not previously financially viable. It also increases their subscribers' ARPU (average revenue per user).
