How The Best Android Phone Revolution Was Started by Two Brothers
Online shopping has become like second nature to us. It is the most efficient and fulfilling way to shop — way better than getting all dolled up and traveling to a mall or nearby shopping complex. But do we know how it all began?
The modern customer is interested in a flawless and engaging online experience and is technologically sophisticated. We have moved away from being fascinated by the creative ways in which the aisle is packed or the offerings on the shelves.
Our interest now lies in Applications on our mobiles.
A group of South African friends made a revolutionary discovery that helped eCommerce grow to the scale it is known for today. Communication has evolved significantly since the first phone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.
Charles Babbage didn’t either when he created the first automatic digital computer. The 1990s saw an increased technological takeover that completely transformed the environment. At the moment, a growing number of people have both computers and cell phones in their homes.
The creators of computers and phones could not have possibly anticipated the situation we are in today.
HOW THE REVOLUTION BEGAN
Neither did the group of friends who created the integration app that digitally changed the eCommerce platform. It is no surprise that many website visitors and online consumers experience a variety of hassles when using online platforms.
Low product availability, difficult-to-navigate online stores, insufficient product information, and substandard search criteria are a few of these. The establishment of Clickatell was prompted by all of these pain areas.
A South African group of friends who were fascinated by technology from a young age ran into technological problems on the computer they were working on in an optometrist lab. As a result, a gateway that enabled seamless communication contact between the internet and the cellphone was created.
THE SMS API PROTOTYPE GETS A THUMBS-UP IN 1994
The messages provided by the computer are typically not compatible with the software built into the phones. How it works is that the SMS gateway interprets the message for us so that the mobile device can understand it. In the end, an application known as SMS API was invented.
In layman’s terms, an API is a platform, software, or piece of technology that allows two different applications to communicate with one another. Consider it an invisible wire connecting two separate gadgets so that we can use them.
The Bluetooth functionalities are a branch of this application. The SMS API from Clickatell is a software interface that bridges the gap between telecommunications carriers and the internet.
A four-line code was used to construct a gateway for sending SMS from the internet to cell phones. This transformed the purchasing experience, much to the delight of numerous online retail platforms such as Shopify. Online shops around the world have taken advantage of this technology and are now able to design and send out a large number of automated customized SMSs to their consumer database.
Furthermore, Clickatell’s idea added a new dimension to digital transformation by allowing online businesses to change and enhance the content of SMS messages. In addition to the statement, shops could display their website links. This would be utilized to attract traffic back to their website and gather client preferences through data analysis.
Because people’s tastes vary, the SMS API was also improved to ensure that those needs, and preferences are met when the SMS is sent. The API allowed shops to choose the time frame for sending SMS messages. As a result, internet businesses may now better target their marketing and advertising efforts.
This SMS API developed by Clickatell makes it feasible to send out random SMS messages about upcoming sales or newly delivered stock. The billion-dollar company’s SMS gateway also allowed internet businesses to receive immediate communication from their customers.
They could now communicate and transact with customers in real-time. Customer issues and concerns could now be addressed before being escalated. All of this increased consumer loyalty while also improving their experience.
SMS marketing is frequently expensive, but the application’s excellent open rates at a minimal cost reward online retailers with the highest returns on investment. The application is straightforward to use, making it a popular platform.
CLICKATELL INTRODUCES TWO-WAY AUTHENTICATION
Another advantage of the SMS API is the ability to secure access to specific platforms. As the world’s digital space developed and passwords became easier to crack, the program evolved to the point where it could be used to authenticate website visitors.
As a result, a two-way authentication procedure was developed. Two-way in the sense that a double-checking method is put implemented to verify the user. Simply put, it is a security system that requires two independent forms of identity to gain access to something.
This authentication mechanism, for example, would allow a computer to send an access code to the user’s mobile device, which would subsequently be typed into the website to give access. The authentication procedure, in addition to accumulating additional levels of security, helps to safeguard user identities from being hacked.
As a result, the user feels safe on the website or page and is prepared to engage in any way. Other websites utilize authentication to prevent unauthorized people from accessing their documents, files, and galleries. In this day and age, information security is critical.
$1.3 TRILLION CHAT DESK IS LAUNCHED
When they were fulfilled with their current invention, the group of friends moved on to transform communication on the website. We’ve all been on a website and wished we could speak with someone from that website or firm right away. We have all wished there was someone on the other side who would attend to us. well, the group of friends ensured that they also provide us with a solution to that problem. They, therefore, invented The Chat Desk.
A chat desk is the chat box that appears in the bottom right corner of a webpage. Typically controlled by a built-in management tool. Think of it as a small person there to help you in your time of need; and have all your queries answered instead of clicking around the website.
This boxed window allows for real-time user interaction. This covers some of the same capabilities as the SMS API and helps online shops improve their operational efficiencies. The only difference is that it happens on the computer.
The benefits of Clickatell’s chat desk go far beyond simply providing clients with speedier service. It includes assisting with customer acquisitions by attracting new consumers or first-time site visitors. This will eventually boost the conversion rate of the retailer.
Call centers are among the industries that have benefited from this idea. Call volumes were lowered, and employees could respond to consumer complaints on the website instantly, minimizing customer irritation. The invention also made it easier for team leaders to monitor the performance of their team members by checking the amount queries attended to.
Better customer service makes a business stands out from the rest, it gives them a unique edge and informs their customers that they have something different to offer.
VARIOUS PLATFORMS THRIVE DUE TO THIS INVENTION
Mobile consumers can now communicate with businesses on their own time and through the channels of their choice. The Clickatell SMS platform has delivered billions of messages and is utilized by over a thousand network providers worldwide. Because of Clickatell’s creation, companies like Telegram and Whatsapp are thriving today. Also stemming away from this invention is the Facebook Messenger, Drift, and WeChat.
Finally, Clickatell laid the groundwork for what is known as Chat Commerce. A commercial technique for businesses to communicate with their customers through chat. The major role is to thoroughly guide the consumer and to ensure that they have a pleasant shopping experience. Customers and retailers both benefit from this platform.
Furthermore, it is believed that the secret to becoming an entrepreneur is to identify something you enjoy or love to do, excel at it, and then see if you can turn it into a business. Pieter de Villiers and his colleagues must have believed in this philosophy as they worked to uncover and solve technology challenges that were a source of frustration at the time.
Their determination to excel ensured that they overlooked all setbacks and focused on solving the problem at hand. Using their patent as a foundation, they have laid the groundwork for many platforms to emerge.
We’d probably still be caught in the frustration of what we now term simple online transactions if it hadn’t been for Clickatell’s invention. Nobody knows what the future holds for retail, but one thing is certain: retail is changing.
