Infobip, a global cloud communication company for businesses and a leader in omnichannel customer engagement, recently concluded a partnership with communications solutions provider Ocular Technologies to provide the Johannesburg-based company with WhatsApp for Business Application Programming Interface (API) capabilities.

Ocular Technologies is a specialist customer engagement and digital solutions provider that has been operating in the market since 2003. It provides a range of cloud-based communications applications and solutions to organisations across various industry sectors – from insurance to emergency services.

Pommie Lutchman, Founder and CEO of Ocular Technologies.

Pommie Lutchman, Founder and CEO of Ocular Technologies, explains that the company’s decision to partner with Infobip was prompted by the need to extend its digital communications offerings to include new channels popular with today’s consumer, in particular WhatsApp for BusinessThe company was also looking to improve its chatbot platform that it delivers across various messaging and chat apps.

“These are capabilities that our existing customers are increasingly asking for, so this partnership is really an enhancement of our existing product and service portfolio. The value proposition is that we are now able to provide our customers with the WhatsApp for Business API, as well as a simple bot-building platform, that is very quick to market,” says Lutchman.

Covering all parts of the enterprise

“We can now offer our customers an outbound messaging capability that can be used for services such as debt collection or telesales, in addition to our existing offerings. This means that we now have platforms that cover all parts of the enterprise.”

Lutchman says that Ocular Technologies’ need to integrate the WhatsApp for Business API into its product portfolio was driven by the increasingly ubiquitous nature of the chat app, which has essentially become the de facto standard for bringing people together.

“What makes WhatsApp an attractive avenue is its personal nature as a chat app. Everyone has it and uses it daily. WhatsApp is probably the best option for business communication in South Africa right now, as it is real-time and asynchronous, meaning that customers can communicate with brands if and when they want to.”

He adds that Ocular Technologies’ decision to partner with Infobip was prompted by Infobip’s vast experience and proven track record in delivering an end-to-end WhatsApp for Business API solution. “Infobip’s solution offers us a unique selling proposition that dovetails well with the rest of the technologies that we offer. It gives us the opportunity to engage with the customer on one avenue to cross sell three, four or five other different capabilities within the same environment.”

Scope to expand partnership

Phumelele Mzizi, Partnership Development Manager at Infobip.

Phumelele Mzizi, Partnership Development Manager at Infobip, says that while Infobip is currently providing its WhatsApp for Business API solution to Ocular Technologies, there is scope to expand the partnership in the future, specifically around Infobip’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings.

“This project underscores the value of an omnichannel approach as part of the digital transformation strategy for customers within the contact centre space. A key aspect of delivering a successful customer experience is having a 360-degree view of the entire customer journey,” says Mzizi.

He adds that the partnership is in line with Infobip’s philosophy to grow and innovate through partnering with specific platform partners that offer services within niche environments. Ocular Technologies’ focus on the contact centre vertical plays well into Infobip’s strategy of providing solutions within that market segment.

“The biggest thing for us is going jointly to market with Ocular Technologies and bringing the best solutions and experiences to our customers within the context of the contact centre space. It is a great partnership and we are looking at growing it stage by stage as the relationship progresses,” concludes Mzizi.