By moving onto the local gateway and delivering open source mobile solutions across Africa, Tsoko Information Technology is providing a host of powerful and innovative solutions to enable its customers to harness the power of mobile marketing.

MAKING A MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION

Using a foreign SMS gateway can be a dangerous business. Above all, doing so reduces the protection offered by local laws such as the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, which exposes business users to any number of legal and reputational risks.

In light of this, Tsoko Information Technology has moved its entire operation onto the local Vodacom gateway and is currently in talks with MTN and Cell C to move onto their gateways as well.

The advantage of this move are numerous and far-reaching, as Botha Lebepe, chief executive officer of Tsoko Information Technology explains: “The benefits of this move are all encompassing, with all players – operator, customer and network provider – standing to gain. The move will result in improved customer service not only for our clients’ businesses, but for our own as well. Furthermore, the network providers themselves will see a significant increase in subscribers and subsequent revenue too,” he says.

PROVIDING BETTER SERVICE

CREATI VE • INN OVATI VE • BOLD Tsoko Information Technology Pty Ltd is a service consulting entity providing professional ICT services for private and public companies. Since its inception in 2007, the company has delivered world-class solutions – success attributed to being driven by true ICT experts. More recently, Tsoko Information Technology has incorporated Labour Broking and IT services into its portfolio, acting as liaison between client seeking skills and candidates with the relevant skills. The company specialises in sourcing and placing ICT professionals across all levels in any field of business. Tsoko Information Technology holds a creative, bold and innovative approach towards ICT and recruitment sectors.

Moving onto a local SMS gateway also means that Tsoko is now WASPA accredited, giving Tsoko’s customers further peace of mind that the services offered are reliable and complaint with local laws. “This will ensure that our service run more securely, closing the gap for criminal activity such as phishing scams and identity theft”, adds Lebepe.

Using the local gateway also means that Tsoko can now provide a direct service, free of international intervention. “By operating within the South African currency, we are no longer subject to fluctuating exchange rates, and this move has had a very stabilising effect on our business”, says Lebepe.

MOBILISING CORPORATE MARKETING

Yet another benefit of moving onto a local SMS gateway for Tsoko and its customers is that the company is now at the forefront of the mobile corporate marketing boom. “Mobile penetration is prolific in South Africa and throughout the rest of the African continent, making SMS- based solutions the most direct medium to communicate with staff, customers and other shareholders,” explains Lebepe, who points to recent statistics from the International Telecommunications Union that puts subscriptions for mobile phones in Africa above the 246 million mark.

“Forty-five million of these were in South Africa”, says Lebepe. “These statistics show that mobile is the preferred communications medium in South Africa and on the continent, and by 2011, SMS-based marketing will have become the dominant marketing communication channel for corporate users,” he predicts.

BOOM TIME FOR MOBILE MARKETING

There is no doubt that for companies wanting to build brands through mobile promotions, applications enable compelling campaigns. Using bulk messaging services, companies can send out 200 000 SMS notifications at one time, and these can be incorporated into a WAP push services that drive customers to specific websites. Live chat services are also available, enabling remote chatting, knowledge exchange and sharing.

SMS-based promotions range from multiple-choice quizzes to text-to-win competitions, while SMS data lists, SMS location-based services, SMS newsletters, SMS reverse auctions, SMS-to-email, SMS tickets and coupons, and SMS voting are all vibrant mobile marketing offerings.

AHEAD OF THE GAME

When it comes to billing, Tsoko is ahead of the game. “We utilise a billing SMS service that is the future of micro-payment and means that our customers can increase their branding while driving immediate revenues through these fund-generating systems,” adds Lebepe.

The key focus is to ensure that implementations are simplified, accessible and affordable, and to this end, Tsoko develops all its solutions using open source software. “Using open source software makes our business simple, allowing us to easily develop and maintain solutions according to our clients needs,” explains Lebepe, adding that the appeal of open source is that it is affordable, reliable, scalable, flexible and cost effective. “With open source you have a community of experts that develop solutions that will be admired by their peers. The key drivers are clean design, accountability, reliability and maintainability. This as opposed to commercial or closed software systems that are created by software developers motivated by a rush to be first to market and to have marketable features that support the need to charge high license fees.”

BOOSTING 2010 HOSPITALITY

The benefits of Tsoko’s move onto the local SMS gateway are being further realised as the country gears up for 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. “International clients on global roaming service will be able to receive communication from organisations using our SMS solutions,” explains Lebepe.

Tsoko’s 2010 focus will be on the South African hospitality industry, specifically on B&B accommodation and restaurants in the Gauteng, Bloemfontein, Limpopo and North West regions. “We will be offering a free service to participating organisations, with usage being the only charge,” says Lebepe. The service will give local B&Bs the ability to communicate with current as well as prospective customers about special offers and bookings in the lead-up to and during the main event. After the World Cup, these organisations will then be able to thank their guests for visiting the country and allow them to keep in direct contact with them about future promotions that my be of interest.

“The hospitality industry will be the frontline for international guests visiting South Africa for the first time in 2010, so it is imperative that we have efficient and reliable mobile communication solutions in place to ensure that guests are adequately informed and enjoy the best our country has to offer,” concludes Lebepe. “Tsoko is delighted to be at the forefront of this type of initiative.”

C O N T A C T

Botha Lebepe
CEO: Tsoko Information Technology
tel: 012 440 8860
fax: 086 561 2869
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.tsokosolutions.co.za