Increased Demand for Enterprise Messaging During Crisis Response Reflects Shift Towards Trusted Mobile Engagement Across ANZ

Sydney – 6 May 2020 - The shift from traditional enterprise environments to remote-based working is fuelling global demand for mobile alerting and crisis management, according to Australian based Soprano Design, a global leader in cloud-based enterprise messaging solutions.

Soprano continues to work closely with mobile network operators and resellers to better inform and support their enterprise and government customers during this period of uncertainty. This is being made possible through its Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS), designed for omni-channel enterprise messaging via SMS, email, voice and IP. 

During the lockdown period, Soprano has seen increased demand with usage of its messaging service up by 15% in March versus February, and 23% versus the same period last year. 

Soprano’s Company Founder and Chairman Dr Richard Favero says there has never been a more critical time for businesses and Governments to be able to deliver an increasing volume of secure, relevant, and consistent information in a safe and familiar environment. 

“Right now, our need to communicate has never been greater. Working closely with our telco partners across Australia and New Zealand, we continue to support businesses and Government organisations to ensure their mission-critical communication is delivered securely and efficiently. We are also identifying where we can use our technologies to lend a hand. In Singapore, we’re assisting with business continuity planning, as part of the Government’s SGUnited initiative. In other APAC markets, our Smart Messaging Suite is being deployed without charge for select NGOs, Government and healthcare agencies.” 

He acknowledges the immediacy and pace of change has seen some organisations needing help with developing and executing appropriate mobile messaging solutions. 

“This could include changes in the way we confirm a doctor’s appointment, make an online grocery order, reflect a change in mortgage repayments or acknowledge our awareness of a safety alert. The world has changed in a very short space of time from the way we work to the tools and technology we’re using to enable this rapid shift to effectively reach audiences from outside the traditional office ‘bubble’.” 

He continues, “Our new way of working has revealed the urgency for companies to re-imagine what it means to be in the hands of their staff and customers, literally and authentically – and not just by text. WhatsApp Business and rich communication services (RCS) have offered logical connection points for companies and customers to meet and communicate time-sensitive information.” 

Looking forward, Dr Favero says now is the time for enterprises to start thinking about what their future might look like as companies start planning for recovery and eventually growth. 

Business analyst 451 Research has conducted a global survey on the impact of the current pandemic to the future of work. Among the findings are indications that physical distance will be an ongoing feature in the future of work, with 38% of companies surveyed planning to expand their remote working policies while 22% will be reducing company travel and 16% will pare back event attendance. Additionally, almost two thirds (64%) of large organisations are planning to invest in more communication and collaboration technology than they did prior to the pandemic. 

Favero comments, “This crisis has forced many businesses to rethink how they operate across all aspects of their business. One of the key focus areas will be finding ways to strengthen customer and employee engagement through the delivery of more meaningful communication. Those businesses capable of both pushing appropriate messaging out and allowing customers to respond will be in a strong position.” 

“As socially isolated workforces continue to seek ways to improve efficiencies, enterprise messaging is an integral part of the technology mix, communicating time-sensitive information across a range of sectors including retail, finance, health and government.”