If you’re wondering about reverse billed data benefits and if it’s worth considering for your business, you’re in the right place.
With over 22 million smartphone users in South Africa, you can be sure that your team, your audience, or your customers are among these. And you want them to engage with your brand in a friction-free manner, right?
The fact is, mobile engagement hasn’t quite matched these exciting numbers – and the reason lies firmly in data costs. This makes reverse billing a topic worth exploring.
It makes sense, but does it make business sense? Let’s find out.
What is Reverse Billed Data?
Reverse billed data is a smart system that allows an organisation to zero-rate the cost of accessing their online assets via mobile. Essentially, it throws open their doors to allow free admission to shop, chat, or interact.
Most banks in South Africa make use of reverse billing which allows their customer to jump onto their online banking app and top up electricity, data, or airtime – for free. It just makes sense. And with this in mind, many other industries are looking to reverse billed data to boost business and enhance customer experience.
Read our article on Reverse Billed Data FAQs for more in-depth information.
Reverse Billed Data Benefits to South African Businesses
The South African consumer faces several economic obstacles, including unemployment, poor rural telecoms, a rickety infrastructure, and a soaring cost of living. We’ll add to this a pretty high cost of data and limited access to Wi-Fi which makes communication, shopping, and even learning something of a challenge.
Reverse billed data solves some of these issues, boosting both the revenue and reputation of forward thinking businesses that offer it.
Increase Customer Engagement, Expand Audience Reach
Many South African businesses have noted the explosion of smartphone usage but have found that mobile engagement hasn’t followed the same exciting curve.
If you’re not charging an entrance fee to your site, you’ll naturally attract more customers – which means an uptick in website traffic. That on its own is a bonus. However, we’ve seen a surge of user-friendly apps that make it simple and easy to interact with a brand which many organisations have chosen to zero-rate.
This adds the money-making “anytime, anywhere” factor to your online assets; a clear win!
Lower Business Costs
“When a customer encounters a problem with your product or service, their first thought is no longer to pick-up the phone. Instead of speaking with a support representative, they now want to find the answers online themselves via an FAQ article, how-to video or a knowledge base.” Source
By removing the cost of mobile access, customers can now take their questions and concerns online as opposed to calling a customer service line or physically visiting a branch. This reduces the need for a costly customer service team and, as an added bonus, further reduces the time it takes to resolve an issue.
Happy customers mean repeat buyers and a healthy bottom line.
Enhance Quality of Life
We can’t discuss the benefits of reverse billing without touching on the socio-economic impact that it has had.
For example, consider this innovation. “CareUp is a free mobile app and responsive website (mobi-site) designed to improve early literacy through mobile messaging, audio files, activities and resources for preschool teachers and parents of children aged 4-5 years. The mobi-site has been zero rated by the major cellphone networks in South Africa.”
This is just one of many educational support tools that would not be available without the benefit of reverse billed data.
Where Do You Start?
It’s clear that businesses that have chosen to remove the cost barrier and are footing the bill for mobile access to their sites are on an upward trajectory. Will you be one of them?
If you have questions around reverse billed data benefits and how to get started, we invite you to chat with the Cellfind team. Our services are well-priced, stable, and easy to use. Please give us a call, we’ll be happy to assist you.
