Telecommunications giant MTN South Africa and global customer engagement company Clickatell have teamed up to launch a service enabling customers to engage with MTN through popular chat application WhatsApp.

The new MTN Chat offering, as part of the telecommunications operator’s digital business enhancement ambitions, will enable customers to initiate the purchase of airtime and data bundles within their WhatsApp chat session.

The service will also eventually offer access to customer support and self-service options, including account upgrades, account management and low balance alerts through WhatsApp.

“Clickatell understands that mobile operators are under increasing pressure to deliver excellent customer service over the digital channels their customers prefer,” Clickatell founder and CEO Pieter de Villiers says, noting that chat as an interface is the “next big step” in making brands more accessible to their customers.

Chat commerce allows for on-demand, real-time transactions to take place on the customers’ preferred communication channels.

Clickatell’s Touch Flow and Connect platforms make it possible for MTN to unify its communication channels, customise user workflows and connect to internal systems.

This can unlock an increase in transactional volumes and attract and retain customers by offering convenient opt-in services over a secure, convenient two-way communication channel.

Clickatell, an authorised WhatsApp Business solution provider, offers an easy, secure and convenient way of giving users control over their accounts through WhatsApp, a platform they already have an affinity for, says MTN South Africa corporate affairs executive Jacqui O’Sullivan.

Clickatell customers using WhatsApp Business solutions include Absa Bank, GTBank, First Bank of Nigeria and United Bank of Africa, all of which have successfully deployed chat banking capabilities on WhatsApp across Africa.

Clickatell’s low-effort, high-return offerings can propel mobile network operators onto a digital transformation road that differentiates them from their competitors, De Villiers says.

“Businesses have already informally started using WhatsApp for customer engagement. With the Clickatell integrated solutions, they now have the technology backing to actively engage with their customers at scale,” he says.

Clickatell’s turnkey solutions have enabled its early access customers to go live on WhatsApp in days or weeks.

“It is imperative that companies focus on improving their self-service experiences in order to retain and grow their customer bases,” De Villiers says.

With over 1.5-billion people in 180 countries using WhatsApp every month, delivering chat commerce experiences on WhatsApp is one of the most efficient ways of reaching most of the consumers who can immediately benefit from the services offered on the channel.

“There is no doubt that this solution is perfect for mobile network operators around the world where WhatsApp is frequently used,” De Villiers concludes.