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Channels

What are channels? Phone Numbers, Sender ID, Shortcode, USSD Code

Diviniah Mbaire avatar
Written by Diviniah Mbaire
Updated over 5 months ago

What is a channel?

A channel is a specific medium or method used to facilitate interactions between businesses and their customers. Channels enable the delivery and reception of messages, information, or services through various formats, such as SMS, voice calls, messaging apps, or interactive codes. Each channel serves a distinct purpose, catering to different communication needs and engagement strategies.

Channels available on Mteja

- Virtual Numbers (IVR & WhatsApp):

  • Cloud Call Centre: This channel leverages virtual numbers to offer advanced cloud-based call centre services, enabling businesses to manage and route inbound and outbound calls efficiently. Customers can interact with the system through voice commands or touch-tone inputs, ensuring seamless communication and support.

  • WhatsApp: Virtual numbers can also be used for WhatsApp for Business accounts, enabling businesses to engage with customers via messaging, share updates, and provide support.

- Sender ID (SMS): This channel allows businesses to send SMS messages with a customised sender name (up to 11 characters) instead of a phone number. This enhances brand recognition and ensures that messages are easily identifiable by recipients.

- Shortcodes and Keywords (Two-way SMS):

  • Shortcodes: These are short, memorable numbers (typically 5 digits) used for mass SMS communications, often for marketing campaigns, voting, surveys data collection or competitions.

  • Keywords: These are specific words or phrases that recipients can text to a shortcode to interact with a service, participate in promotions, or request information. Keywords enable two-way communication between the business and the customers.

- USSD Codes: This channel allows businesses to set up USSD codes for interactive services such as surveys, customer feedback, or information retrieval. USSD engagements are accessible via simple dialling codes on mobile phones.

- Airtime: This service does not use a channel as it is a top-up wallet and disbursement setup, allowing for direct transactions without a specific communication channel.

To get started with these services on Mteja, customers need to contact Mteja’s support team on support@mteja.io to acquire the necessary resources and guidance.

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