Enterprise VAS
SMS, USSD and voice, scoped to your requirements.
Value-added services are rarely off the shelf. We start by understanding what you are trying to do, then build and run the channel that fits — on our platform, or integrated straight into yours.
What we mean by VAS
Value-added services are the channels that reach a customer where they already are: a text message, a shortcode they dial, a phone call they do not have to wait in a queue for. In a market where most handsets are not smartphones and data is an expense rather than an assumption, these are not the fallback channels. They are the main ones.
What we build on them is rarely off the shelf. Two organisations asking for “a USSD service” usually want two different systems. So we start by understanding what you are trying to do, then build and run the channel that fits — on our platform, or integrated straight into yours.
SMS Integration
Wiring SMS into the software you already run — core banking, ERP, CRM, billing, ticketing, or something a previous vendor built. Integration is over REST APIs or SMPP, depending on what your systems speak and what volumes you send.
- REST API and SMPP bind options
- Registered alphanumeric sender IDs
- Per-message delivery reports and failure reasons
- Scheduling, throttling and queueing for large sends
- Templating and personalisation from your own data
- Webhooks into your systems on delivery events
USSD Services
Menu-driven services on a shared or dedicated shortcode, working on the simplest feature phone with no data connection at all. The customer dials, navigates a menu, and your back office answers in real time.
- Shared or dedicated shortcodes
- Multi-level menus and session state handling
- Mobile network operator connectivity and provisioning
- Live integration with core banking and back-office systems
- Session timeout, retry and error handling built in
- Usage analytics and drop-off reporting per menu step
IVR
Interactive voice response for enquiries, balances, confirmations and support routing — so the calls that do not need a person do not reach one, and the calls that do get there faster.
- Keypad and voice-prompt call flows
- Recorded prompts in English, Chichewa or both
- Language selection at the start of the call
- Business-hours routing and out-of-hours handling
- Queueing, callback and agent hand-off
- Call volume, duration and outcome reporting
Custom applications on USSD and IVR
The channels are the easy part. Most of the value is in the application that runs on them — and that is what we build. Some of what clients have asked for:
- Balance, mini-statement and transaction history enquiry
- Account opening and KYC capture in the field
- Loan application, status check and repayment
- Airtime top-up and bill payment
- Field data collection for NGOs and agriculture
- Surveys, polling and voting
- Competition and promotion entry
- Member verification and PIN management
Two-way and shortcode services
Outbound messaging is a broadcast. Two-way flows make it a conversation: keyword shortcodes so customers can reply, opt in, request information or trigger a transaction by SMS — with the responses routed into your systems rather than into an inbox nobody reads.
Hosting and managed operations
We run these services, not just build them. That covers hosting, mobile network operator liaison, monitoring, capacity planning and support once you are live. Where policy requires the service to sit inside your own environment, we deploy it there and hand over with documentation and training.
Nothing is quoted before it is understood.
There is no price list here on purpose. Message volumes, operator agreements, integration surface and compliance obligations differ for every organisation, and quoting before we know them helps nobody. Every VAS engagement starts with a conversation.
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Requirements discussion
We sit down with your team to understand the use case, the audience, the volumes and the systems it has to talk to.
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Solution design & scope
Channel mix, call and menu flows, integration points, timelines and a written scope — priced against what you actually need.
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Build & integrate
We develop the application, connect it to your systems and the operators, then test it end to end with you before anyone dials in.
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Launch, host & support
Go-live, hosting and day-to-day operations, with a local team on hand as volumes grow and the service evolves.
Questions
Questions we get asked.
What does an enterprise VAS engagement cost?
There is no price list, on purpose. Message volumes, operator agreements, integration surface and compliance obligations differ for every organisation. Every engagement starts with a requirements discussion, after which we price against a written scope.
Can you integrate SMS into a system we already run?
Yes — that is the most common request. We integrate over REST APIs or SMPP into core banking, ERP, CRM, billing, ticketing and bespoke applications, including systems built by other vendors.
Do we need a dedicated USSD shortcode?
Not necessarily. A shared shortcode is faster and cheaper to launch; a dedicated one is better if the service is central to your brand or expects high volumes. We advise on the trade-off during scoping.
Can an IVR system handle Chichewa prompts?
Yes. Call flows can carry recorded prompts in English, Chichewa or both, with language selection at the start of the call.
Do you host the service or do we?
Either. Most clients have us host and operate the service, including operator liaison and monitoring. Where policy requires it, we deploy into your environment and hand over with documentation and training.
How long does it take to launch a USSD or IVR service?
The build is usually the shorter part. Timelines are driven by operator provisioning and the integration into your systems, both of which we map out during the requirements discussion so the date is realistic.
Start with the problem, not the channel.
Tell us who you need to reach and what they need to do. We will tell you whether that is SMS, USSD, voice, or something you have not considered — and what it takes to run it.