What are the Top 4 Benefits of SMS Marketing?

 

Plenty of new businesses are launched every day. To fight the competition and grab a permanent position in the market, business owners require promoting their business well. Conducting advertisement campaigns, hoardings, bill boards, printing pamphlets and distributing them by visiting customers are pretty strenuous and time consuming as well. Rather one can choose to send SMS to all the leads and try to promote the product. These bulk SMS techniques are highly beneficial as investment cost is less but results are multiple. How? Here are the top four benefits of SMS marketing which you should know to give your business the desired boost:

 

Customization

 

Rather than calling every lead, explaining them with the business motive, benefits and plans, one quick SMS can be drafted within 160 letters and sent to multiple recipients in one go. These easy to read and catchy messages can pass the message to the receiver in a much better way. These messages can also be customized to different groups as per their liking to generate a huge customer base.

 

Impact

 

Proverbs have more impact than moral stories. What can be conveyed through a short message will reach the audience in a quick and engrossing way than print outs or long emails. Drafting such bulk SMS messages is an art and there are creative copy writing experts who can design enjoyable and attractive messages for audiences in no time.

 

Clear and readable

 

SMS is a quick way to convey any message as these are clear and readable. Everybody can easily understand such messages and get the information at a glance. Also no one hesitates to open and read a SMS and hence its open rate is very high in comparison to emails or paper brochures which are too length and boring to go through. Thus no matter how much customers try to ignore, they tend to read one of the many SMS’ and finally get the product information.

High conversion rate

 

Be it sending personalized SMS, or organizing SMS polls, creative contests, the rate of participation is always more compared to other mediums thereby attracting more customers. In contrast to email or phone marketing, SMS marketing results in good turnover of leads into customers and thus more conversion rate is achieved.

 

Country like Kenya where many mainstream businesses are progressively adapting technological advancements to diversify their GDP growth, SMS marketing techniques are greatly helpful. As every household owns mobile phones at present, connecting to common man via forums like bulk SMS Kenya is a wise move by the business owners. Also with zero cost involved, sending bulk SMS to customers and updating them with every business idea paves way for the loyal customers. With such innumerable benefits, SMS marketing is one of the best ways to take one’s business to its peak! So, business owners! call up today, book an appointment and get bulk SMS marketing started  to grow the business by leaps and bounds and get more customers with each passing day.

Points to Consider while Selecting a Provider of Bulk SMS in Kenya

                     Points to Consider while Selecting a Provider of Bulk SMS in Kenya

 

Bulk SMS marketing strategy is a technique in which business promoters take their new features, amazing offers etc. to their customer base via SMS services. With every individual owning a mobile phone these days, these short message service based marketing techniques reach the customer quickly and also help them to reply back swiftly. There are plenty of bulk SMS service providers in developing countries like Kenya, but the trick is in choosing the right one which can bring in profit for the business in the best way possible. So, how does a business owner chooses his third party vendor? Here are few points to ponder while choosing SMS API bulk SMS service provider who can help to grow any business in the most accelerated way:

 

Reliability

 

While choosing your bulk SMS provider, you need to check the reliability factor. They should have a market value, reputation and more importantly they should be trust worthy. Instead of subscribing to the cheapest SMS provider, choose the one which gives you 24*7 network and fool proof service. After you should remember, when it comes to cost versus performance you should consider performance over the other factors.

 

Speed

 

Always go for a SMS service provider which is speedy and consistent. Check the available service providers in the vicinity who have uninterrupted network and see what they offer in their package. Speed with which the message reaches the customer and the network availability are the prime factors that you need to consider while selecting a provider of bulk SMS in Kenya.

 

Quick setup

 

If you are choosing your own SMS provider, make sure you select the one who comes with a quick set up and easy operations. You should be able to register fast in the system, create a good SMS and send to a list of customers within less time. A quick setup is extremely important to boost up your business.

Nominal Cost

 

Cost is a deciding factor. Choose the service provider who comes with an optimal cost loaded with plenty of features. If you get more message limit and more customer support from a branded service provider for a slightly better cost, you still can opt for that easily.

 

Customer support

 

Customer support is an important feature that has to be checked before subscribing to the service provider. In case of network breakdown or any other technical support a fast and experienced customer support is very important. As such bulk SMS service providers should be selected based on their 24*7 availability which will help to run the promotional campaigns smoothly.

 

It is always a good idea to do a complete research before choosing the service provider from the neighborhood locality so that you are benefited the most. Get the complete quotation from each service provider, compare and contrast their features and make your choice. So, whenever you wish to make your business more visible in Kenya, more prominent among your competitors, go for bulk SMS Kenya based promotional strategy from the most trustworthy service partner and build a brand!

IVR Technology – Advantages & Disadvantages to Look out

 

IVR Technology, also known as Interactive Voice Response technology is undoubtedly very useful for the businesses to reap profits by increasing their customer base. Whether be it managing internal customer routing, simple and basic customer service or to detect misdials, it can do them all in a cost effective way. All that a company needs to do is to attach a single IVR number to all the numbers. By keeping technology and customer experience in mind, most of the leading voice companies in Kenya build their IVR accordingly. Find out the advantages and disadvantages of IVR Technology below:

 

Advantages:

 

• Provides self service – Having an active IVR technology, customers can easily perform and make their own transactions without having to talk to anybody else. This is going to create happy customers who enjoy getting self served and often get impressed by the way the smart set up has been done. This process is not just time saving but also less expensive to live person interaction.

 

• Varied menu options – IVR Kenya lets customers talk to the concerned person having the expertise to solve their problems. With a wide range of menu choice options, the IVR transfers the callers to the expert dealing with the respective area of query.

 

• Speed and accuracy – The callers can derive easy solutions to their problems through this speedy method. IVR helps the customers with desirable information in the fastest way possible with the help of this effective tool.
• Great source of information – Regardless of whether the employees are busy, not available or facing an outrage, the IVR informs the callers about the long wait and also provides with the option to call back later.

Disadvantages:

 

• Speech – At times, it becomes haywire as the desired person cannot be reached due to the difficult navigation. If people can follow properly the given instructions, open up their ears and listen, then they can directly speak with the right customer care person live in no less time.

 

• Too many options –Many companies allot and put in way too many menu levels and choices of options that make it easy for the caller to get lost. There are certain callers who get frustrated and end up pressing any number or simply hang-up without getting a solution to their issue. So, the best way to resolve this would be to keep the options limited and simple.

 

• Poor management – At times people get misled due to the wait time that stretches on for quite some time. If the executives are busy, making it clear to the callers and giving them an option to contact alternatively via mail or web will be the better idea. Too much of la-la-la music irritates the caller even more.

 

IVR system is therefore the most effective tool of marketing in today’s world and also in the business sector of Kenya. If the IVR technology is used effectively and in the right way efficiently, it can deliver a promising and a flawless customer experience besides building a stronger base of organizational competence.

IVR System: Every Single Call is Now Attended at the First Ring

                           

Have you been receiving complaints from your customers that their calls are not being attended to or they have to wait for a long time before the calls are answered?  That can be really frustrating; both for you as well as for your customers. Ideally, you would want to have a system which would ensure that every single call is being responded to at the first ring. This issue can be easily taken care of by incorporating the IVR mechanism into the system. With the help of the IVR technology, you can ensure that every single call is now attended at the first ring. Companies are rapidly installing the IVR system into their system and countries like Kenya is not lagging behind in this at all. IVR Kenya has helped the companies to serve their customers in a much better way.

Proper Routing of Calls

When the caller calls up, he listens to a welcome greeting. Then he is given quite a few options to choose from. Some of his basic queries can be answered by the IVR itself.  In the case of more complicated and serious matters, the IVR would route the call to the proper department. If that department is not available at that point of time, it would inform the customer and would give him the option to wait or to call back later. The bottom line is, an IVR system ensures proper and systematic arrangements of calls and improves the level of communication between the customer and the company. The leading voice companies in Kenya offer excellent services to help their clients serve their customers in the best way possible.

Attending High Volumes of Calls

It is no longer a major issue to handle a high volume of calls for any customer care department. As this is an automated system, it is capable of handling an innumerable number of calls without any effort or problem. What is so impressive about this system is the fact that it can attend to multiple calls at the same point of time. This helps the companies to address many customers at the same point time, which helps to improve the level of satisfaction of their customers. The customers need to wait for long to get the proper solution of their problems.

Simple yet Perfect

From the customer’s point of view, the IVR is a very simple solution to their problems. All they need to do is to call up the number and follow the instructions. As it has clear cut menu options it is really very easy to understand and follow. Also, apart from being simple, this system also delivers its services with absolute perfection.

IVR is the best solution when it comes to offer advanced and expert customer service. Missing calls of the valued customers or not attending them can turn out to be really problematic for the businesses as they might lose their reliable clients.  So, to make each and every caller happy by responding to their call it is better to opt for the IVR technology.

 

How Bulk SMS Supports the Mobile Marketing Strategy?

                      

Think big to grow big! This is the motto of every business entrepreneur as he works day in and day out to grow his business. There are many ways to promote business among customers in Kenya to make it popular like print media, advertisements, social media etc. but mobile marketing strategies are some of the easiest, quickest and responsive ways of converting leads into loyal customers. Many mobile marketing strategists prefer to use bulk SMS as the tool for promoting business. Why and how bulk SMS supports the mobile marketing strategies? Here are the answers-

 

Customized promotion

 

Through bulk SMS, the business promotions can be customized in the most attractive way. While there is a restriction in the message length, the creators come with intuitive ideas that will make the lead open the message, read through with interest and then take their decision. It helps one’s brand to get into the consumer’s hands quickly and efficiently overpowering all other competitors in the market.

 

High open rates

 

Bulk SMS is one of the mobile marketing strategies that come with high open and conversion rates. One cannot ignore SMS like an email and refrain from reading it as many smart phones come with auto read facility. Also as these tacky SMS’ reach the leads repeatedly, the customers might get compelled to go through them and could show some immediate interest and reply back to the SMS which will increase the conversion rate.

 

Builds opt-in database

 

The Bulk SMS strategy builds a dedicated opt-in customer database which is one of the prime requirements of mobile marketing strategy. It not just builds but through constant updates it strengthens the opt-in customer base as well. In this way it supports the mobile marketing strategies in a great way.

 

Exclusive brand awareness

 

Through bulk SMS, the business gets developed into an exclusive brand by reaching to the customers on a greater level within a very short tenure. The SMS can focus on pointers which will increase the brand awareness to a large extent. The SMS are always up to the point and do not beat around the bush. As such, the crisp and to the point messages hit the targeted customers and drive the customers to the store with their tag lines and surprise stocks.

 

Improves Loyalty

 

Mobile marketing strategies are adopted to retain the existing customer base and bring in new customers in plenty to reap the maximum profits from the business. With bulk SMS marketing, the business related information reaches the customer 24*7 and improves loyalty among the existing customers. The potential customers become long-time reliable customers thus boosting the business prospects for the company.

 

A strategy that aims to reach customer whenever they want by using mobile to their full advantage is the mobile marketing strategy. There are numerous cheapest bulk SMS companies in the market in Kenya that promises best customer connectivity and abundant growth in business. Choose the best one today and reap profits tomorrow!

How Bulk SMS Service Works? A Step by Step Guide for the Beginners

 

Running a business is not an easy job. The proprietors have to come up with innovative business concepts, arrange infrastructure for manufacturing, adapt to novel ideas for packaging and most importantly work day and night to promote the end product to create a brand name. Among the marketing techniques, mobile marketing strategies are the most cost effective and easy to use ones. If you are a business owner and you wish to learn how to use the SMS API bulk SMS services here is a step by step guide for beginners who wish to subscribe to bulk SMS marketing strategies to grow their business day by day.

 

Check for the best service providers

 

Remember you are in look out for the best bulk SMS creation and sending API that suits your business. So, you should check all the related aspects like pricing, the range of operation, the number of SMS that can be sent during a month’s tenure and several other things that are associated with it. With this ground work, you shall cross your first step of choosing the bulk SMS service providers.

 

Open your account

 

Once you finalize the bulk SMS provider, you should open your account and create your login credentials. It will require a unique ID and password identification factors. Once you are done with this step you can log-in to your account and start with process of bulk SMS creation and can send to the prospective customers.

Play around with the API

 

Once you log-in you will see the API interfaces that will contain options like compose, forward, add contacts etc. Whether you buy a bulk SMS service exclusively for your usage or use a third party re-seller based service you should play around with the API to understand how the SMS is composed and delivered to the customers.

 

 

Post or Schedule

 

When you have learnt the basics of drafting bulk SMS, you can type your message and send it to the customers mentioned in the list you have uploaded. The process is easy to operate and manage without any hassles. You even get a chance to schedule your messages so that it reaches the customers at specific time intervals.

 

There are many SMS API’s which gives you facility to upload message contents from text file, excel file etc. Similarly some service providers allow you to test run where in you can send bulk SMS and verify the operation. This is how a basic bulk SMS Kenya service works where you can set up your own bulk SMS service, schedule updates with suitable time gap, follow the leads with interesting contests, polls, freebie offers etc. to keep their interest invested. With so many advantages of this technology, it is time for you to wake up and call the best bulk SMS service provider in Kenya immediately and plan your promotional activities. With short messages to attract customers, be ready to rock and roll!

 

 

Features of the Interactive Voice Responsive System

 

Interactive Voice Responsive Systems are the leaders of automating customer requests for a business. These systems have helped many businesses in Kenya and many other countries across the globe to actively grow and progress with their amazing technological features. These features are inbuilt into these systems to enhance customer engagement, add more value to the service and also to reduce the turn-around time of the customers. Here is the list of the technically advanced features that makes the IVR an intelligent and cost effective addition to any business. Go through these and get inspired:

 

Multiple language support

 

One of the prime and most important features of IVR technology is that it can support multiple languages to suit the customer’s choice. This is extremely beneficial indeed as it enables the customers to choose the language option as per their requirement and preference. One can easily select their language options in the very beginning and register their request after understanding the procedures well.

 

Voice activated dialing (VAD)

 

Voice activated dialing or VAD is another effective feature of the IVR technology that benefit the customers as well as the business. In the IVR systems, with voice activated dialing feature embedded, after routine inquiries the call is switched to a customer service representative. This reduces the waiting time of the customers and also of the representative as he or she gets all the required credential details of the customer on the screen. To avoid customer wait time and page more customers the VAD is an attractive feature indeed.

 

Data privacy maintenance

 

The IVR systems that are used at banks, medical centers and other corporate houses require the customer key-in data to be confidentially maintained as maintaining the privacy of data is a basic and must requirement. With IVR system this can be effectively done by businesses. Many leading voice companies in Kenya have suitable encryption available in their server which encodes the customer details and stores them for further usage. This maintains the data privacy practice well and anonymity of sensitive data is achieved.

 

Progressive dialing

 

Most of the IVR in Kenya are intelligent systems than predictive dialer machines which detect different line conditions and take automatic call decisions like switching the call to a customer service representative, putting the customer on hold until the previous caller hangs up,   diverting the call to a voice mailer box, connect to a fax tone and several others.  This intelligence helps the business to attend all customers and keep them engaged without any grievances.

 

These are some technical features of current IVR systems that are available in the market. Also with cloud based IVR in the market, service providers can hire systems and servers from the cloud and optimize on their investment cost to reap the maximum benefits and profits in turn. IVR is thus a technologically superior and efficient method to handle customers, promote business and grow! Hire the best IVR service provider for your business right today and race against time to win!

Create a Better Image for Your Company with an IVR System

More organized you are a better image of your company you would portray to the rest of the world. What exactly is meant by being organized? Well, it is not only about the internal operations of your company which you carry out behind the scene. It has much to do with all those stuff which take place at the forefront, communication being one of them. The entire business fraternity is based on proper and effective communication. Communication is the basis of customer service. Therefore, the better communication mechanism you have, better would the reputation and image of your company. Here comes the importance of the IVR system into the picture.

IVR technology in Kenya

There are many companies in Kenya, which have deployed the IVR technology into their system. These companies belong to telecom, service sectors and different other spheres. With the incorporation of IVR into the system, they have felt the difference. Now, they can easily organize thousands of incoming calls they attend on a daily basis and most importantly, they are now able to answer the customer queries relentlessly and with utmost accuracy. This is possible because the entire operation is automated and there is no human intervention. IVR in Kenya is one of the key reasons for the success of the service sectors in the country.

What are the Key Features of the IVR system?

Here are some of the key features of the IVR system that you must know:

• It comes with applications generators which have inbuilt debugging capabilities
• The system come with drop and drag functionality
• It offers flexibility to the entire communication system
• It is accurate and can go on and on without any errors
• The system can be used for advertisement and multiple messages can be played

How it improves the quality of communication?

With a good and well planned IVR system, you can certainly improve the quality of your business communication. Being the user you can easily operate the interface and play around it to get a complete hold over the system effectively. It serves many purposes which include the following:

• Greet the callers nicely and prevent misdials which can be malicious or accidental
• Informing them about the latest development in terms of the company’s products and services
• Allows the users to switch from one department to another whenever necessary
• It allows automating the customer support department
• The calls can be prioritized based on the importance of the call
• In case of any special assistance calls are forwarded to the concerned person to resolve the issue.

Apart from these, it serves various other functions that result in customer satisfaction. In short, IVR Kenya has made a huge difference for the companies in terms of their business achievements.

To conclude, it can be said that IVR is the best option when it comes to handling numerous customer calls. So, without making any more delay, decide on the best IVR service provider and incorporate this technology into your system.

 

 

Bulk SMS Service vs. Phone Call – A Brief Analysis

Ever since the telephone was invented, marketing and business promotion achieved a new dimension. Customers could be reached from a distant location and the message could be conveyed. However, there are certain drawbacks when it comes to conduct marketing campaigns via phone calls. Over a period of time, with the introduction of mobile phones, a new concept came into the picture, the SMS sending technology. Very quickly, SMS services were introduced in order to carry out the marketing campaigns and business promotional activities. Bulk SMS service is a modified form of the SMS technology which enables the business houses to spread their reach over a wide domain. Like other countries bulk SMS, Kenya has picked up the pace in the last couple of years. In this context the common question that arises is which one is better and more effective- Bulk SMS or Telephonic call. Well, here is a brief analysis of the same:

Drawbacks of Telephone Marketing

As mentioned, there are certain drawbacks which can be associated with the telephone marketing. Here are some of the glitches of telephone marketing:

• Expensive: Telephone marketing has proved to be very expensive. Moreover, the ROI or the return on investment is on the lower side.
• Time Consuming: It is a time-consuming It takes a lot of time to call up people individually and then carry out the marketing skills.
• Rejection: The rate of rejection is on the higher side when it comes to telephone-marketing.
• More manpower: The involvement and requirement of man power is more in telephonic marketing. As a result, the cost on human resources is also more.

Why is Bulk SMS an Excellent Option?

Bulk SMS services have replaced telephone marketing at current times. There are various reasons as to why it has become so popular. Some of the reasons are listed out here:

• Cheaper: It is much cheaper when compared to telephone marketing. Some of the cheapest bulk SMS companies have been rendering excellent services in different countries of the world.
• High ROI: The ROI or Return on Investment of marketing through bulk SMS services has proved to be quite high compared to that of telephonic marketing.
• Crisp and Precise: With the bulk SMS services, crisp and precise messages can be delivered to the targeted audience. As a result, it becomes easier for them to comprehend the essence of the message.
• Wide Range: Through bulk SMS services, a much wider range of audience can be reached. Thousands can be delivered the same message simultaneously, which helps to save a lot of money.

Who is better- Telephone or SMS?

Considering the drawbacks and the benefits which can be derived from both of these technologies, it can be safely concluded by stating that bulk SMS service is much more efficient and effective compared to the telephone when it comes to marketing.

Having known the advantages which you can get by incorporating the bulk SMS service into your marketing mechanism, it is but obvious that you must vouch for it without giving any second thought. So, try it, you won’t be disappointed.

Bulk SMS- Making Business Marketing Easier

Business promotion is one of the areas which simply cannot be ignored. This is one aspect which acts as a driving force for any business. In the absence of a well-planned and scientific marketing mechanism, a business might collapse. On the other hand, the companies which have deployed a systematic and well-structured marketing system would invariably thrive. There are many ways to achieve the marketing objectives; one of the latest is the bulk SMS system. This is gaining rapid popularity among the business houses, whether big or small, owing to the astounding advantages and benefits that it offers. Check out here to know in detail:

It has made Life Easier for the Marketing Teams

This is one process which allows the companies to reach out to thousands and make their presence feel. With the help of this technology a brand name can be built within a short period of time as it assists the companies to reach out their customers through their mobile phones. Among the African countries, Kenya is a name which is worth mentioning which has excelled others in reaping huge profits by adopting this technology on a large-scale basis. Over the years, the country has witnessed tremendous development in the field of business and commerce. Bulk SMS Kenya is one of the key aspects of their marketing mechanism to reach the targeted consumers.

Why use Bulk SMS Service?

There are many reasons for which bulk SMS services have become so popular in the marketing fraternity. These aspects of this mechanism make it one of the most indispensable tools for marketing. Here are some reasons why the bulk SMS service should be used extensively:

• Speedy Process: The process is very speedy and fast. Messages can be sent across quickly to thousands of recipients and it reaches their system just in a few seconds.
• Cost Benefit: It comes with huge cost benefits. The entire process is relatively cheap and hence, the companies don’t have to bear additional expenses on the account of marketing.
• No Spams: Unlike email marketing where the chances are the emails might get filtered as spam, in case of bulk the SMS system, the message is sure to reach the recipient.
• Meaningful Conversation: The idea of the marketing campaign could be conveyed to the target audience in few words, which makes it a medium for meaningful conversation.

Apart from these, there are many other reasons which have made this marketing system such an effective one.

 

It offers a Global Reach

This is an era of globalization. Companies these days target customers from all over the world. In order to accomplish their objective, they rely on the bulk SMS services. There are multiple companies offering excellent services related to SMS API Bulk SMS in Kenya and over the last couple of years they have garnered huge name and fame for catering quality services.

At the end, it can be safely concluded by stating that bulk SMS service is one of the most efficient and effective means to achieve marketing objectives. Go ahead and incorporate it into your system and see the difference by yourself.

 

 

 

Best Reasons to Get an IVR System for Your Company

Are you wondering why would you want to have an IVR system installed in your company? The reason is simple! It helps to make the business dealings much easier for you. There will be no need for you to manually handle thousands of call which you receive on a daily basis. This automated system would do the work for you by shouldering down all the responsibilities of attending the calls of your customers. Apart from these, there are other reasons which have compelled companies from all over the globe to switch to the IVR mechanism, Kenya is no different! The leading voice companies in Kenya are offering excellent services to the companies operating in different spheres. Find out the best reasons to get this system here:

What are the Advantages of using an IVR System?

There are numerous advantages which the IVR system has to offer. Here are some of them for you to go through:

• It improves the efficiency of the Customer Service Department: The IVR system can be configured in such a manner that almost all the common queries of the customers can be answered by the automated system. The customer care executives can concentrate on more complex and important issues related to this sector.
• It cuts down Operational Cost: In many companies, the entire customer care service is being conducted by the IVR technology itself. There is no human intervention whatsoever. This helps to cut down the operational cost to a great extent. As there is no human resource needed the business can save a good amount from this sector and can invest in other areas.
• Increases Professionalism: When the customers call up and they are greeted by a well-polished voice with perfect pitch, then it creates a good impression. Besides, everything is pre-organized and as a result proper information is delivered when prompted. All these factors put together help to improve the professionalism.
• Customer Satisfaction

When the customers can get hold of the information in precise and clear   terms without going through a lot of explanations, it certainly helps to improve the customer experience and as a result the businesses get more and more happy and contented customers!

Is there any Substitute for IVR?

In simple terms, there are no substitutes for the IVR system. This system has been designed and developed in such a manner that it can itself attend to thousands of calls and convey accurate and correct information to the callers whenever required 24*7. Besides, it can transfer the calls to different departments where human intervention is required.

IVR technology has certainly added an extra dimension to the customer service fraternity. Most of the companies which deal with a large number of customers have incorporated this system and are more than satisfied with the results. If you are planning to setup an IVR system for your business in Kenya, then you should go for it at once. IVR Kenya will not disappoint you at all!

Add New Dimensions to Your Marketing Strategy with Bulk SMS Service

 

Marketing is the key element when it comes to the success of any business. A new, yet very effective tool has been introduced into the marketing mechanism, which is bulk SMS service. Kenya is one nation in Africa which has made tremendous development over the last couple of decades in the field of business and commerce. The government, public and private sectors in Kenya has been using the bulk SMS service to good effect in order to add more edge to their marketing campaigns. If you are interested to perk up your business and marketing strategies as well, then you are in the right place. Read out here to know how bulk SMS Kenya can add new dimensions to your marketing strategy:

 

How Bulk SMS Service has revolutionized the Marketing Fraternity 

 

Marketing is all about reaching out to the mass. Letting them know about the brand, product and the company along with other relevant details. Companies spend millions towards their advertisement campaigns which in turn adds to the price of the product or services they sell or render. The businesses have always been looking for new means of marketing which would help them promote their goods and services at a relatively lesser cost. The bulk SMS mechanism has proved to be very effective in this regard. It has served a dual purpose; it has helped to cut down the advertising cost to a great extent and at the same time it ensured that the purpose of marketing, which is to reach out to the mass, is being met.

 

A few Technicalities

 

Bulk SMS service allows the business enterprises to deliver bulk SMS through SMPP, easy HTTP, and website interfaces. Additionally, bulk, group or single SMS can be sent without the help of any browser interface whatsoever. All these messages are forwarded instantly to their destinations. The Bulk SMS system uses a very user-friendly interface which consists of message creation, data management, composing a single message and then delivering it to multiple recipients’.

 

Bulk SMS Service is a Necessity

 

Any individual or business house that is looking to simultaneously broadcast multiple messages can benefit a great deal from the bulk SMS mechanism. Though it can also be used for delivering single messages; the primary function of this technology is to send bulk SMS quickly using a very simple technology. The user just needs to open an account and create messages as per requirement to send them to the potential customers or recipients.

 

If you deal in large-scale production or services and wish to reach out to thousands at a single go, then there is no better alternative than bulk SMS service. If you are a resident of Kenya and have a business there you are luck y enough as some of the cheapest bulk SMS companies  can be found in Kenya who cater fast, efficient and customized bulk SMS service.  Just incorporate this technology into your system and see the difference on your own!

 

Bulk SMS- A Reliable Way to Put across Your Message to a Huge Audience

Effective and reliable communication mechanism determines the success or failure of any business. Not only business or the profit-seeking enterprises, the governments too at times intend to address the people on various important issues. There has always been an issue when it comes to reaching a huge audience at the same time, with the same message. However, with the advent of the bulk SMS services, this issue has been taken care of and these days, thousands of people can be reached using a very simple yet effective technology.  Kenya is one country which has used this technology to a great effect and it has helped in the process of business promotion in this country to a great extent. Bulk SMS in Kenya has proved to be very effective in putting across messages to a huge audience in a short period of time. Want to know more? Here you go:

Reliability and Coverage

These days, there are numerous companies which are offering quality bulk SMS services. These companies have very well designed and stable networks which ensure the reliability of their services and at the same time makes it secured. When it comes to the coverage, they provide their services across a wide span of area. Some companies confine their coverage within a certain geographical region, whereas others have a much wider span and are spread all across the globe. SMS API Bulk SMS is one such reliable mechanism that gives more reliability and coverage.

Business Promotion

The bulk SMS mechanism has proved to be very useful and efficient when it comes to promotion and marketing. Not only business promotion, it can also be used quite effectively to convey any important message to a huge audience just in a jiffy. Talking about business promotion in Kenya, the bulk SMS services have proved to be very effective indeed in doing the same with perfection.

It’s 2 Main Features

Though, there are many features which can be attributed to this technology; the 2 most pertinent features which make it so effective are mentioned out here:

• Cost Effective: This technology uses a very simple mechanism which makes it quite reasonable in terms of price. As a result, different organizations can avail this service in order to facilitate their marketing efforts. Being inexpensive starting from start-ups to small business and big business houses, this technology is suitable to serve everybody’s purpose.
• Wide Reach: These days, mobile phones have become indispensable and every other person own a phone. As such in order to reach people at an individual level, there is no better option than the bulk SMS service. It is capable of delivering the same message to thousands at the same time without giving any kind of effort.

If you are planning to add more edge to your marketing efforts in Kenya, then considering its effectiveness the most reliable and efficient means would be to go for the bulk SMS services. Use it to believe it!

 

Best Reasons to Get an IVR System for Your Company

Are you wondering why would you want to have an IVR system installed in your company? The reason is simple! It helps to make the business dealings much easier for you. There will be no need for you to manually handle thousands of call which you receive on a daily basis. This automated system would do the work for you by shouldering down all the responsibilities of attending the calls of your customers. Apart from these, there are other reasons which have compelled companies from all over the globe to switch to the IVR mechanism, Kenya is no different! The leading voice companies in Kenya are offering excellent services to the companies operating in different spheres. Find out the best reasons to get this system here:

What are the Advantages of using an IVR System?

There are numerous advantages which the IVR system has to offer. Here are some of them for you to go through:

• It improves the efficiency of the Customer Service Department: The IVR system can be configured in such a manner that almost all the common queries of the customers can be answered by the automated system. The customer care executives can concentrate on more complex and important issues related to this sector.
• It cuts down Operational Cost: In many companies, the entire customer care service is being conducted by the IVR technology itself. There is no human intervention whatsoever. This helps to cut down the operational cost to a great extent. As there is no human resource needed the business can save a good amount from this sector and can invest in other areas.
• Increases Professionalism: When the customers call up and they are greeted by a well-polished voice with perfect pitch, then it creates a good impression. Besides, everything is organized and as a result proper information is delivered when prompted. All these factors put together help to improve the professionalism.
• Customer Satisfaction

 

When the customers can get hold of the information in precise and clear   terms without going through a lot of explanations, it certainly helps to improve the customer experience and as a result the businesses get more and more happy and contented customers!

 

Is there any Substitute for IVR?

In simple terms, there are no substitutes for the IVR system. This system has been designed and developed in such a manner that it can itself attend to thousands of calls and convey accurate and correct information to the callers whenever required 24*7. Besides, it can transfer the calls to different departments where human intervention is required.

IVR technology has certainly added an extra dimension to the customer service fraternity. Most of the companies which deal with a large number of customers have incorporated this system and are more than satisfied with the results. If you are planning to setup an IVR system for your business in Kenya, then you should go for it at once. IVR Kenya will not disappoint you at all!

Add New Dimensions to Your Marketing Strategy with Bulk SMS Service

 

Marketing is the key element when it comes to the success of any business. A new, yet very effective tool has been introduced into the marketing mechanism, which is bulk SMS service. Kenya is one nation in Africa which has made tremendous development over the last couple of decades in the field of business and commerce. The government, public and private sectors in Kenya has been using the bulk SMS service to good effect in order to add more edge to their marketing campaigns. If you are interested to perk up your business and marketing strategies as well, then you are in the right place. Read out here to know how bulk SMS Kenya can add new dimensions to your marketing strategy:

 

How Bulk SMS Service has revolutionized the Marketing Fraternity 

 

Marketing is all about reaching out to the mass. Letting them know about the brand, product and the company along with other relevant details. Companies spend millions towards their advertisement campaigns which in turn adds to the price of the product or services they sell or render. The businesses have always been looking for new means of marketing which would help them promote their goods and services at a relatively lesser cost. The bulk SMS mechanism has proved to be very effective in this regard. It has served a dual purpose; it has helped to cut down the advertising cost to a great extent and at the same time it ensured that the purpose of marketing, which is to reach out to the mass, is being met.

A few Technicalities

 

Bulk SMS service allows the business enterprises to deliver bulk SMS through SMPP, easy HTTP, and website interfaces. Additionally, bulk, group or single SMS can be sent without the help of any browser interface whatsoever. All these messages are forwarded instantly to their destinations. The Bulk SMS system uses a very user-friendly interface which consists of message creation, data management, composing a single message and then delivering it to multiple recipients’.

 

Bulk SMS Service is a Necessity

 

Any individual or business house that is looking to simultaneously broadcast multiple messages can benefit a great deal from the bulk SMS mechanism. Though it can also be used for delivering single messages; the primary function of this technology is to send bulk SMS quickly using a very simple technology. The user just needs to open an account and create messages as per requirement to send them to the potential customers or recipients.

 

If you deal in large-scale production or services and wish to reach out to thousands at a single go, then there is no better alternative than bulk SMS service. If you are a resident of Kenya and have a business there you are luck y enough as some of the cheapest bulk SMS companies  can be found in Kenya who cater fast, efficient and customized bulk SMS service.  Just incorporate this technology into your system and see the difference on your own!

 

5 Ways IVR Technology Benefits Your Business

With IVR technology built-in in a business, the customers hardly need to speak to any human being; they don’t have to face the trouble of explaining the problem to the service professional, no fights, no arguments and their job gets done efficiently. This is the power of IVR systems that have been instrumental in keeping most of the complaint cells active, easy to operate and efficient in service. Unlike human intervention, the chances of errors are also less with IVR based operations. Here is the list of top 5 technological benefits of adapting to an IVR set up for any business venture. Have a look on them in order to get enlightened:

 

Automation

 

Automating business requests and complaints with the help of an IVR system makes the processing easy and simple. It also helps more customers to connect and register their requests rather than waiting to talk to a customer care service agent.  With IVR, every customer call gets recorded and action is taken on an urgent basis.

 

Efficiency improvement

 

Installing an IVR improves the efficiency of the business. IVR messages can be updated time to time to promote the business among the customers. While you dial through an IVR system, you are mandated to answer every query posted and automatically go through an efficient routine which helps the service provider to understand the details and help the customer in a better way.

 

Promptness

 

IVR based businesses are more prompt in answering every customer call as it gets scheduled in a sequential order. There is no chance of missing any request there by every customer is promptly replied and their queries are resolved. As such every customer remains satisfied and happy with the service provided by the company and your business continues to be in their good book.

 

Value for money

 

Setting up an IVR system is a value addition for any business venture as it helps them to reduce the cost of manual labor to a great extent. Also with you typing and feeding all the required information into the system directly, the chances of miscommunication is very less thereby adding more value for money.

 

Bulk traffic handling

 

Often businesses face problems related to handling bulk customers at a time and the customers have to wait in the queue for long hours. IVR system can be used by innumerable customers at the same time there by felicitating bulk customer handling. This is one of the most easiest and convenient methods to handle bulk traffic and at the same time get all the required information without any hassles.

 

With such huge benefits, the IVR technology helps any business to work in complete order and avoid chaos. For countries like Kenya, adapting to a conducive business environment is imperative to growth and prosperity. IVR Solutions in Kenya by Connect Media is the best technique to take your business to the next level. With cloud based IVR available where you need not invest money for setting up the hardware like system and servers, it has  become the easiest and quickest way to grow your business. So think big and go IVR!

5 Key Points You Should Know about Bulk SMS Technology

 

Bulk SMS mobile marketing strategy is the best way to promote business ventures to create a brand name within a smaller time frame. Bulk SMS in Kenya has been quite a popular way of promoting business all over the country with its highly conducive and amicable environment. At present when every customer owns a mobile phone, SMS can reach quickly and cannot escape the eyes of the customer at any cost. Here are five key points that you should know about bulk SMS technology to understand how it works and creates a huge customer base for the business own. Check these out for your understanding:

 

Quick and efficient

 

Bulk SMS technique is by and far the most efficient and quick way of conveying promotional information to the customers. It is short and the rate to read a delivered text message is also very high with many smart phones coming up with auto read for SMS. While users check emails once a day, they cannot miss SMS at any rate and hence it reaches customers faster as well compared to mails.

 

Content oriented

 

The bulk SMS technique completely relies on content for the best results. What is drafted as a big fat email should be converted into a 160 character SMS that is attractive to read and easy to understand for all the receivers from any background. Hence Bulk SMS technology is fully content-oriented and relies on the content for its victory.

 

Less in cost

 

Compared to the e-mail marketing or social media marketing, setting up a bulk SMS marketing strategy is much lesser in cost. It is quite inexpensive than the other options and hassle-free as well. All one needs is a simple SMS API with basic browser settings. With cloud computing in its peak, one can even get a server on the cloud to host the messages delivery.

 

Simple to use

 

Learning how to draft and send a short message via bulk SMS API is very easy. Even people who do not have much experience in handling computers can learn this technique easily in few days’ time without anybody’s assistance. Users can learn this just by playing around with the interface on their own.

 

Time and resource efficient

 

Bulk SMS based mobile marketing strategy saves a lot of time for the customer and resources for the sender. While reading an SMS might just take lesser than a minute, creating and sending the SMS across a client list too takes very less time. Thus, this technology optimizes on time and resources to a great extent

 

With every passing day, competition is getting very high among business owners in Kenya. To beat their counterparts, each one has to identify their marketing strategy and the most common, easy to reach and high conversion rate technique is that of the bulk SMS strategy. So, if you are running your business and are willing to build a brand around, opting for bulk SMS Kenya is the ideal choice for you! Grab your phone and call the nearest service provider right now!

Tracking of Garissa Terror Attack Mastermind – Mohamed Muhamud

Mohamed Mohamud, also known as Dulyadin or Gamadhere,  a former teacher of a Madrassa in Garissa is the leading mastermind wanted by the Kenyan government. He is believed to be behind all the terror attacks that have been conducted by the al- shabab terror organization in the north-eastern region of Kenya. Being reported he joined al-Shabaab about 15 years ago.

 

It is being reported that the terror organization attacked the Garissa University at dawn, after intelligence agencies in the country had notified that a the deposed Somali based terror group al-shabab was planning to attack one of Kenya’s higher Institutions of learning.

 

The Kenyan Intelligence Agency NIS had gotten wind of a planned terror attack on one of Kenya’s Universities and duly sent out terror alerts warning students to stay vigilant throughout. However, despite the aforementioned the attack wasn’t thwarted in time, leading to the loss of 147 innocent souls.  In some quarters in the local media houses it’s being reported that the terror alert was even being dismissed off as an April fools day prank.

The mastermind behind this atrocity — Mohamed Mohamud –shown above– is a Kenyan, who is widely believed to have extensive links to the Dabaab refugee camp, which is being denoted to act as a safe haven for the al-shabab militia and act as a pool which provides a life line support for recruitment and incitement for local youths to be radicalized, and recruited into al-shabab.

 

Last month Mohmud was named as the person who had sent 12 al-shabab terrorists to plot an attack against the Kenyan parliament in Nairobi. Shortly before Christmas, Kenyan police had circulated images of two terror suspects with a reward offered for any information leading to their arrests. One of them was Mohamud.International Media houses are also claiming the terror susect as being subject to asset freezes in Britain.

“He commands the militia along the border and is responsible for cross-border incursions in the country,” police said.

Police said he became a principal at the Madrasa Najah Islamic School in Garissa between 1997 and 2000 where his “extremist tendencies became more manifest”.

 

The Garissa attack has similarities with that of Nigeria based terror group Boko haram, where at the height of their power where on the night of 14–15 April 2014, Boko haram attacked a government run Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State and kidnapped 276 female students. Boko haram is a terror organization based in Northeastern Nigeria that wants to institute an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria and is in particular is fiercely opposed to western-style modern education.

However, Mr. Raad Zeid al Hussein a senior official with the UNHCR believes that he has received credible reports to indicate that the Chibok girls may have been massacred by Boko Haram as they were retreating from a multinational onslaught on there held territories in north east Nigeria. He indicates that various reports which arrived at his department in Geneva showed that the recent recovery of territories in northeastern Nigeria “has brought to light macabre scenes of mass graves and more obvious signs of killings by Boko Haram”.

These reports include the “…murder of the wives of combatants, women and girls actually held in slavery,” he said without elaborating.

It won’t be very surprising to denote that the terror organization that is Al-shaba might have well taken this inspiration to attack such a soft target, especially a learning institution as their counterparts Boko haram did in Chibok. We can only and pray that the 140 Km porous border Kenya shares with Somalia is tightened up, as the majority of the incursions al-shabab has made into Kenya are based on the Northern parts of Kenya, as shown below, indicating they are very comfortable with the geography in this region.

To compound all this, it is being reported a city lawyer has stirred controversy on his Twitter social account indicating that the Garissa terror attack is actually the work of local politicians.

Mr Ahmednasir Abdullahi tweeted

“The attack in Garissa is obviously the work of Kenyan Somalis. Let us not blame Somalia’s Al-Shabaab. This is local,” .

“Let us be truthful to ourselves. Kenyan Somalis and their leaders must stop the senseless killings in northern Kenya. Full stop,” he said in another tweet.

Below are more tweets from Twitter indicating it might just have been a locally planned and executed attack.

 

 

 

 

 

iPhone 5: A Tale of Market expectations

Silicon Valley’s brightest star Apple, has sold a mammoth 5 million iPhone 5 devices all within three days of its debut. However, its stock fell due to it failing to meet a market sales expectation of 8 Million devices. To compound the predicament, the company proclaimed on Monday that it ran out of its initial supply of iPhone 5 devices, which has piqued many market analysts chiefly as the company is the world’s most valuable company with $117 Billion in cash reserves.

The shortfall in the devices and rising market demand culminated into a riot breaking out in its Foxconn factory in China, involving over 2,000 factory workers all due to the massive demand for the smartphone, Foxconn is an overseas outsourcer in China located in Taiyuan, 320 miles from Beijing that builds gadgets for the Apple Corporation.

 

Tim Cook Apple’s CEO said the company is ‘’working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone’’.

The expectations for the iPhone 5 were so immense that they could not have been realistically met, leading to the company’s stock falling by 1.7% to rest at $688.64.

Further thwarting matters, the early adopters of the iPhone 5 are grumbling that the device has faulty Wi-Fi connections and scratching on its aluminum casing, coupled with confused weather reports generated by the voice-activated Siri assistant.

Nevertheless, the iPhone 5 is by far the most groundbreaking smart phone in the market today, with the closest competitor Samsung Galaxy s3 being given an almighty whooping from builds quality and ergonomics to quality display.

12 Amazing Facts about SMS and Cell Phones

 

A week ago 20 years back, on 3rd December 1992 the First Ever SMS Text Message was sent by a 22-year-old test engineer known as Neil Papworth for Sema Group in the UK, sent through a personal computer to send the message “Merry Christmas” to the phone of Richard Jarvis via the Vodafone network.

It is a long way back but SMS Technology has exploded into one of the most dynamic, popular and reliable  platforms in the world. Below are some unbelievable facts that will blow your mind away!  Neil who refused to take credit for the exponential growth of SMS was recently quoted as saying, “I didn’t invent SMS, I just sent the 1st. So kudos to all those GSM guys who worked hard to produce the standards we used for the implementation…”

 

 

12 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SMS and cellphones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. It actually takes 26 hours for the average person to report a lost wallet. While it ONLY It takes MERELY 68 minutes for the average person to report a LOST PHONE.

 

2. There are 6.8 billion people on the planet 5.1 Billion of them own a CELL PHONE, but did you know ONLY 4.2 billion OWN a toothbrush.
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. It takes 90 minutes for the average person to respond to an email. It takes 90 seconds for the average person to respond to a text message.

 

 

4. Mobile users across the globe sent a total of 6,100,000,000,000 text messages last year – that works out to an average of 200,000 text messages every second. 

5. 91% of all U.S. citizens have their mobile device within reach 24/7.

 

6. On June 12th, Whatsappnew hit a new daily record of 27 Billion Messages in a single day, yes that is a BILLION in just 24 hrs! With 10B+ msgs sent (inbound) and 17B+ msgs received (outbound).

 

 

7. With Four billion mobile phones out there, 86% of mobile users said that they receive or send at least one text message per week, though often it is much more.

8. There are actually more mobile phones on the planet than there are TVs in the world today.

 

9. In some countries, there are more mobile subscriptions than there are people.­, well you could be wondering how could this be? Well some people have more than one phone.

Microsoft Crosses the Rubicon

Microsoft has finally crossed the Rubicon with its Windows 8 Operating system and there is no turning back. This is the first time Microsoft has made a touch-screen control the top priority, though the system can still be switched into the familiar desktop mode that allows for control by keyboard and mouse. Microsoft is attempting to wrestle the strangle hold Apple Corp. has on the software and gadgets market with its iPhone 5 smartphone. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that,

“We are trying to re-imagine the world from the ground up with Windows 8,” Ballmer told The Seattle Times.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer better be right about the revolutionary operating system in this do or die moment for Microsoft, as the stakes could not be any higher for this yesteryear technology giant, or Microsoft may never recover from a poor performance in this new age of tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices.

“This is going to be his defining moment,” said technology industry analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy. Ballmer’s “legacy will be looked at as what he did or didn’t do with Windows 8. If Windows 8 is not a success, a lot of people will be looking for Microsoft to make a change at the CEO level.”

Windows 8 which has been launched hot on the heels of the iPhone 5 has been designed for use on mobile phones, tablets and PCs with the purpose of providing a common look and feel.The strategy could either be a success across the board for all its Windows 8 platforms or a catastrophic failure, that in the course of time cast doubt in the fortunes of once the most valued technological giants of all time, only time will tell.

Apple Rattled by Samsung’s Buzz

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the eve of the launch of the new Samsung S4, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing slammed Android S4 Operating system. Stating that,

“Android is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn’t as good as an iPhone,” Schiller told the Wall Street Journal. He added: “When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with,” he said. “They don’t work seamlessly together.” Not content with just that comment, Schiller also told Reuters that many Android users are stuck on out-of-date software. “Over 50 percent are still on software that is two years old.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

His remarks come on the heels of Apple’s stock hiting a one year low, coupled with being out-sold and outmanouvered by Samsung for the past 12 months. With its slipping grip on the market, Apple is losing its zeal as Samsung generates a buzz, greatly suggesting that Apple will have an ardous task of sustaining its market position and appeal, as the dominant force it once was, especially in the great abscence of its iconic and visionary late CEO, Steve Jobs.

Further stating that, “With their own data, only 16 percent of Android users are on year-old version of the operating system,”, As “Over 50 percent are still on software that is two years old. A really big difference.”

Moreover, according to the WSJ, he also shared company data indicating four times as many customers had switched to iPhone from Android during Q4 as the reverse, of which many commentators would like to get hold of that data that Apple claims, but only time will tell of which of this two tech behemoths will outlast the other.

 

Microsoft Announces Upgrade for its Mobile devices to Curb Road Accidents

Microsoft Announces Upgrade for its Mobile devices to Curb Road Accidents

Microsoft has announced an update on its mobile devices that will help to curb accidents caused by distractions from texts and calls while driving.

The feature being introduced by Microsoft will automatically silence incoming calls and texts thus ensuring that the motorist will remain focused on the road, albeit, this will not mean that teenage drivers will be unable to send texts or receive incoming phone call while on the road.

The World Health organization indicates that:

• About 1.24 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
• Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people, aged 15–29 years.
• 91% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low-income and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately half of the world’s vehicles.
• Half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
• Without action, road traffic crashes are predicted to result in the deaths of around 1.9 million people annually by 2020.
• Only 28 countries, representing 416 million people (7% of the world’s population), have adequate laws that address all five risk factors (speed, drink-driving, helmets, seat-belts and child restraints).

It further goes on to state that,  “There are few global estimates of the costs of injury, but an estimate carried out in 2000 suggest that the economic cost of road traffic crashes was approximately US$ 518 billion. National estimates have illustrated that road traffic crashes cost countries between 1–3% of their gross national product, while the financial impact on individual families has been shown to result in increased financial borrowing and debt, and even a decline in food consumption”.

Never the case, the Driving Mode will automatically silence incoming phone calls and texts, this will work in tandem with a Bluetooth device connected to the phone, while in the car. An additional feature, which shall come with the upgrade will enable the phone to auto-reply to any incoming phone calls or texts, by indicating one is busy driving and will get back to the recipient a Lil later.

Jack Wilshere

Kevin Pietersen in Twitter row with Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere

Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere has embroiled himself with Kevin Pietersen,  after the manner of the latter’s response to a question on eligibility of Manchester United youngster Adnan Janujaz to represent England.

Kevin Pietersen had tweeted to Jack Wilshere: “Interested to know how you define foreigner…? Would that include me, Strauss, Trott, Prior, Justin Rose, Froome, Mo Farah?”

Wilshere replied: “with all due respect Mr Pietersen the question was about Football! Cricket, cycling, Athletics is not my field!”

Pietersen then wrote back: “same difference.. It’s about representing your country! IN ANY SPORT!”

Wilshere ended the exchange by suggesting the two were actually in agreement, saying: “@KP24 I agree thats exactly what i was saying….”

Although Jack Wilshere has really tried to clarify his own views on who is eligible to represent England, he has found himself in a sticky situation that will be difficult to untangle himself from.

Chairs are like Facebook

Analysis of Chairs are like Facebook Ad!

Humans are awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lN-NaHcOeII

Nokia 920

Nuggets of History on Abraham Lincolin – John F. Kennedy: Coincidence?

  -Nuggets of History on Abraham Lincolin – John F. Kennedy: Coincidence?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did You ever know that:

– Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. While John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
–  Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
–  Both were shot in the back of the head in the presence of their wives.
– Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.
– Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
– Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy.
– Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
– Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
– Lincoln was shot in the Ford Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln, made by Ford.
– Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse. Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran
and hid in a theater.
– Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

Essar Kenya Seeking $250 million in Bank Loans

Essar Kenya Seeking $250 million in Bank Loans

Essar Kenya also known as YU is seeking bank loans worth $250 Million in an attempt to fund its network upgrades and remain competitive, as its competitors consolidate their positions in data and voice offerings.

“As a loss making company we have relied on shareholders for the bulk of the Sh40 billion ($470 Million) yu has invested since its entry in Kenya four years ago,” Madhur Taneja, the country manager of Essar Kenya told the Business Daily in an interview Thursday.

 

“We are racing ahead of time by raising the $250 million which will need new markets and upgrade our infrastructure,” added Mr Taneja.

The company is 20% owned by local businessmen Peter Kibiriti and Jos Konzolo, and 80% by India’s Essar Group. The Essar Group took control of YU in September 2009, when it raised its stake from 25% to 70% after it bought the controlling stock from Econet Wireless.

This is a bright sign that the Kenya based company will turn around its prospects, as two months ago there were reports widely reported that indicated that Essar was contemplating exiting the Kenyan Telecoms Market. According to India’s Financial Chronicle the exit was prompted by tough operating environment that has seen mobile revenues decline. Though yuMobile Country Manager,Madhur Taneja did not confirm or deny an impending sale, he indicated its local operations are unlikely to be affected by any transaction meant to raise capital.

 

The company has its eyes set on investing in LTE (4G) in Kenya along with Government. “To meet these future investment needs, we are evaluating an opportunity to raise capital, BNP Paribas has been appointed for the purpose,” said Taneja adding this can either be through equity or debt.

NSA

Confirmed: The NSA spies on you

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a well-known fact that security agencies around the globe are most at home working their magic in dark alleys, behind the scenes, in anonymity, in secrecy, among shadows and the National Security Agency could not be any different. They have been so successful in their dark arts of collecting information that they scoop millions of personal information per day, and save it for eons fueled by their deep-seated efforts to profile each and every living soul on this side of the solar system.

Unbelievably the NSA collects half a million buddy lists and in-boxes A DAY!!! Edward Snowden, the CIA Whistle blower currently living in Russia alleges that the NSA harvests around 250 contact lists per year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edward Snowden who was last week awarded the Sam Adams prize for integrity in intelligence in Moscow. The award is issued by a group of former intelligence and US law enforcement officials who have become critics of government surveillance programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Washington Post reported that, “During a single day last year, the NSA’s Special Source Operations branch collected 444,743 e-mail address books from Yahoo, 105,068 from Hotmail, 82,857 from Facebook, 33,697 from Gmail and 22,881 from unspecified other providers, according to an internal NSA PowerPoint presentation. Those figures, described as a typical daily intake in the document, correspond to a rate of more than 250 million a year“.

It goes further to state that:

“The collection depends on secret arrangements with foreign telecommunications companies or allied intelligence services in control of facilities that direct traffic along the Internet’s main data routes.

Although the collection takes place overseas, two senior U.S. intelligence officials acknowledged that it sweeps in the contacts of many Americans. They declined to offer an estimate but did not dispute that the number is likely to be in the millions or tens of millions.

A spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the NSA, said the agency “is focused on discovering and developing intelligence about valid foreign intelligence targets like terrorists, human traffickers and drug smugglers. We are not interested in personal information about ordinary Americans.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Other hand Julian Assange, the mastermind behind WikiLeaks, had this to say about  secret surveillance programs conducted by the United States of America.

“Every time the press embarrasses the security establishment, shows they have been acting unlawfully, against what they have said to Congress or to the media, they trot out this old canard, that some speculative harm sometime in the future might happen, when we’re discussing harm that is happening right now, as a result of these abusive programs,” 

Adding that:

“It’s a threat to U.S. democracy and to democracy more broadly in the West to have a surveillance apparatus on every single person that would have been the dream of East Germany,” Assange said.

“What type of place is Western democracy going to be? Is it going to be a place with a collapsing rule of law, with mass surveillance of entire populations?” he asked. “The West is becoming a place where the best and the brightest, who keep the government, hold the government to account, are ending up in asylum or in exile in other countries. We’ve seen that before with dictatorships in Latin America, with the Soviet Union, and it’s time it stops.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a different note Yahoo which is one of the biggest targets of NSA due to its lack of encryption of it’s users’ connections said on Monday that it will start encrypting these connections using SSL technology in January, according to the Post.

This will be doing too little too late by the one of the web leading giants as by now the NSA may already have collected most if not all of its users’ email and other personal details, without forgeting that the NSA has already – at least partially compromised SSL in some way, but the encryption will provide a safeguard that shall curtail the NSA’s spying activities.

 

Google+

 

Scarlett Johansson is Named The Sexxiest Woman Alive, But is She?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Scarlett Johansson was again named by Esquire Magazine the Sexiest Woman Alive but we beg to differ.

Maybe it all boils down to what one’s definition of Sexxy is,  If I understand Sexxy correctly it should mean someone sexually attractive or exciting. Someone seductive, desirable, alluring, toothsome, sensual, sultry, slinky, provocative, tempting, tantalizing.

Which at some level she is actually she is very beautiful woman,  but the Sexxiest Woman Alive? Cmon, I thoroughly doubt it.

No disrespect whatsoever but there are numerous women who are way Hotter than Miss Johanssen, will just name a few and let you be the Judge.

1. The Blazing Hot Gina Carano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are very few women on this planet who are hotter than Gina Carano, by far one of the hottest girls in movies and TV!
                                                      

2. The Sensual and Exotic Vanessa Hudgens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exotic Hudgens rose to prominence playing Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series.  You really shouldn’t imagine this, but just imagine waking up in the morning and next to you she is silently asleep like an early morning ocean  breeze fast asleep like a kid, with her arms on top of you.. Please don’t imagine it

 

 

3. The Silky Penelope Cruz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are no words to describe Penelope… She is simply Stunningly HOT!!!

 

4. The Seductive Salma Hayek

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salma is one of those women who are graceful and Sexxy all in one swoop, she is one of the most desirable and alluring women alive!

5. The Foxxy Sofia Vergara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The curvaceous Colombian Sexpot,…Beyonce got nothing on you Baby….

Somali Pirate Kingpin “Big-Mouth” is Nabbed by Belgium Police in Holywood-style Operation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somali Pirate Kingpin Mohamed Abdi Hassan was lured to Belgium by undercover officers masquerading as filmmakers wanting to make a documentary about his crime exploits in the high seas that would “mirror his life as a pirate”.

In 2009, Somali pirates released the Pompei’s crew after 10 weeks ordeal of living in deplorable living conditions after a ransom of $3 Million was paid, by being dropped by a parachute.

 

Federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle said: “[He] one of the most important and infamous kingpin pirate leaders, responsible for the hijacking of dozens of commercial vessels from 2008 to 2013.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pirate Kingpin who is also known as “Afweyne” or Big Mouth, was arrested once he arrived at Brussels airport on Saturday with another suspect identified as Mohamed M. A. or “Tiiceey”, federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle told a news conference.

‘(He’s) one of the most important and infamous kingpin pirate leaders, responsible for the hijacking of dozens of commercial vessels from 2008 to 2013.’ Delmulle said.

‘Too often, these people remain beyond reach while they let others do the dirty work,’ Delmulle told reporters.
“After patiently starting a relationship of trust with Tiiceey, and through him with Afweyne, which took several months, both were prepared to participate in this (film) project,” Delmulle said.

According to the American One Earth Future foundation Somali piracy in 2011, cost the world economy a whooping $7billion.

This is no longer the case as AMISON led by Kenya eventually captured the crown jewel of Al-shabaab Militia, that is the port of Kismayu, which was in the hands of the Al-shabaab militia that provided the fuel to both the militia and the pirates plying the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the northwestern Indian Ocean to conduct their activities unfettered.

Teen Sells an App to Yahoo for Kshs.2.4 Billion!

Teen Sells an App to Yahoo for Kshs.2.4 Billion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick d’Aloisio, a 17 year old teen prodigy has sold a mobile app to Yahoo, the search giant. The mobile news app which has been very popular for the past one year is reported to have cloacked up to one million sales, works by condesing content from around the web and is very handy for mobile phone users.

“To me, Yahoo is the best company to be joining right now because it’s one of these classic Internet companies,” D’Aloisio said in an interview. “With new leadership from Marissa Mayer, Yahoo has a strong focus on mobile and product, and that’s the perfect fit for Summly.”

Check out the following video courtesy of CNN:

In Pictures:Pillow Fighting in Trafalgar Square

In Pictures:Pillow Fighting in Trafalgar Square

Thrones of revellers descended on Trafalgar Square which seats at the epicenter of London on Saturday armed with fluffy pillows to square it out in a huge pillow fight, marking the International day of Pillow Fighting. The event was also marked in other cities around the world including Rio, New York and Paris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trafalgar Square sits at the epicenter of London where hundreds of people fought each other with pillows with feathers flying left right and center in one of London’s main tourist attraction sites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The event was organised by Urban Playground Movement with similar events being organised in other cities around the world.

AT&T and T-Mobile enable roaming after Hurricane Sandy Causes Cellular Outages

AT&T and T-Mobile enable roaming after Hurricane Sandy Causes Cellular Outages

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Sandy has caused massive destruction to cellular service and wired Internet, TV, and phone services in addition to knocking out the New York City data centers out of service, Sandy, a tropical cyclone that severely affected portions of thurricane-sandyhe Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, with winds spanning 1,100 miles and a damage of at least $20 billion being left in its wake, with estimates of losses caused by business interruptions expected to rise beyond $50 billion, With all major service providers such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Sprint acknowledging cellular outages.

AT&T released a statement stating: “As we continue to closely monitor our wireline and wireless networks for service disruptions, we are experiencing some issues in areas heavily impacted by the storm. We are in the initial stages of performing an on-the-ground assessment of our network for damage, and crews will be working around the clock to restore service. We are deploying personnel and equipment as soon as it is safe to do so.”

T-Mobile acknowledged that its “customers may be experiencing service disruptions or an inability to access service in some areas, especially those that were hardest hit by the storm.”

Verizon Wireless noted on Tuesday afternoon its customers may be experiencing service issues and that about 94 percent of its cell sites were up and running. Also indicating that its non-wireless services receiving the brunt of the destruction, “The storm surge from Hurricane Sandy has resulted in flooding at several Verizon Central Offices in Lower Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island causing power failures and rendering back-up power systems at these sites inoperable,” Verizon further noted that. “While these sites are currently on battery power, the inevitable loss of power requires that all equipment at these sites be powered down to prevent damage. Customers that are served by these central offices will experience a loss of all services including FiOS (voice, Internet, video), high speed Internet, and telephone services. Some customers may experience intermittent busy signals while attempting to dial 311 service for non-emergency calls.”

To the relief of most customers of AT&T and T-Mobile, the two service providers have agreed to enable roaming on their networks to customers of both companies in the heavily impacted areas of New York and New Jersey Sates and where capacity is available and for subscribers with a compatible device. With their subscribers being able to make their calls to call their loved ones as they normally would but their calls being carried by whichever network is operational at the time of making the call. This will be a seamless transition for their customers with no extra charges being levied or any stipulations required for the transition from one provider’s network to the other.

 

Cognizant and Monitise Form a Strategic Alliance

Cognizant and Monitise Form a Strategic Alliance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cognizant and Monitise have today announced a mobile money alliance that will enable financial institutions be able to exploit mobile money opportunities around the globe, as they leverage on this platform, consequently lowering the total cost of ownership, utilize sophisticated mobile money commerce solutions and innovative mobile money payment solutions.

“Mobile is, without question, the channel of the future,” said Alastair Lukies, Chief Executive of Monitise Group. “Our strategy involves extending our Monitise Enterprise Platform to the world’s leading banks and payment companies to help them improve and expand their customer relationships. As money becomes increasingly digitized amid exploding demand in the highly-competitive mobile money space, we look forward to collaborating closely with Cognizant to support financial institutions across the world in developing strategic, effective, and timely mobile services.” “Mobile technology has the potential to significantly change consumer-facing industries,” said Mahesh Venkateswaran, Managing Director, Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud at Cognizant. ”

Cognizant’s expertise in financial services coupled with Monitise’s leading mobile money platform, the alliance is expected to aid financial institutions around the globe to fully exploit the mobile money opportunities within the mobile money market, by leveraging on the sophisticated and highly intelligent platform.

Google Kills Reader

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google has announced that it will kill off one of its flagship products, the Google Reader by 1st July. Google Reader is an aggregator of content that is served by web feeds through which users can pull together their favorite Web content in one place. This is in keeping with its “Spring Cleaning”, that begun around 2011, which has put the kibosh into a litany of 70 products. This is despite the large following Google Reader has enjoyed since its inception in early 2005 by Google engineer Chris Wetherell and launched on October 7, 2005, through Google Labs. Google Senior Vice President Urs Holzle said in a post that Reader was gradually losing popularity with the masses.

“While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined,” Holzle wrote in a post, on the official Google blog.
“It’s been a long time since we have had this rate of change — it probably hasn’t happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago,” he wrote. “To make the most of these opportunities, we need to focus — otherwise we spread ourselves too thin and lack impact.
Some of the additional products on the chopping board include:

Apps Script which will be deprecating the GUI Builder and five UiApp widgets in order to focus efforts on Html Service.
CalDAV API will become available for whitelisted developers, but will be discontinued for other developers from September 16, 2013. .

Google Building Maker will be retired on June 1 which has helped people to make three-dimensional building models for Google Earth and Maps.

Google Cloud Connect which is a plug-in to help people work in the cloud by automatically saving Microsoft Office files from Windows PCs in Google Drive, will no longer be available as of April 30th.

For the Blackberry users who would like to continue tu use Google voice, Google recommends they use their HTML5 app, which is more secure and easier for us to keep up to date.

Google is also deprecating their Search API for Shopping, which has enabled developers to create shopping apps based on Google’s Product Search data.

This is very commendable by Google especially in this age of tweets and Facebook likes, as it will ensure they doesn’t spread too thin until they lose their market focus. Consequently, focusing on fewer products and thus having a bigger impact on the market, that eventually leads to customer satisfaction.

 

Mobile Money Propels need for Financial Services

A study by Visa indicates that the availability of Mobile money like M-pesa, Iko-Pesa and Airtel money, etc, generate mobile money offered by Connect Media through USSD Servicess a demand for financial services. The study conducted in six developing countries indicates that consumers are already highly aware of mobile money services – and the ability to make payments or send funds simply by accessing an account on their mobile phone. Nearly 90 percent of consumers surveyed by Visa expressed interest in making use of these services in the future.

The Visa Mobile Money study was conducted among 2,500 consumers and had analyzed the financial services needs and expectations of mobile money the consumers, mobile money agents, and merchants in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan. The results reveal that consumers’ needs for financial services are far more sophisticated than previously believed and go well beyond the established transaction set offered by mobile money services today. The study also found that awareness of mobile money is sky high, in Pakistan awareness of mobile money lies at 89%, in Ghana, awareness was at 93% with MTN identified as the most known mobile money provider, while in Bangladesh 53% of the consumers are aware of mobile money and identified bKash as the leading brand. Furthermore, the study indicates that consumers have complex, sophisticated financial services needs such as sophisticated behavior to set money aside for education, healthcare, emergencies and life events. With the majority of consumers surveyed intending to use mobile money to send money to family members (81%), pay utility bills (56%) and save money for their family (52%).

The Study also shows ease of use, trust and lack of interoperability are barriers to adoption were a key finding with respondents to the study citing ease of use (64%), lack of trust in mobile money providers and agents (55%), and lack of interoperability with other mobile money services (28%), as primary barriers to adoption of Mobile Money.

The respondents who had to have a phone also indicated that it is essential to ensure mobile money services are easy to use and offer a transparent fee structure is in place and there is a need to build an extensive mobile money agent network. As not having prevalent accessibility to mobile money agents is ranked as a key barrier to the adoption of mobile money. In order to propel adoption to new heights, there is a need for cash and customer service to be readily accessible to meet expectations, as 54% of consumers cited quick and easy access to cash as a key benefit of mobile money. This coupled with security concerns associated with carrying cash and the need to quickly send money to family members living far away are among the key drivers for mobile money adoption.

Hannes van Rensburg, CEO of Fundamo and Group Country Manager, sub-Saharan Africa, Visa Inc. stated that,

“Thanks to the mobile money community, millions of previously unbanked people are now able to make basic electronic transactions such as person-to-person and bill payments. Our potential for driving far reaching social and economic change, while at the same time growing transaction volumes in developing countries, is significant. But we’ll limit that potential if we don’t learn to stop and really listen to our customers,”

The Visa study suggested that how successful mobile financial services are will always be determined by how deeply a mobile money provider understands its customers and tailors the service to the needs of consumers and mobile money agents – from service menus, to marketing and education. The Mobile Money which can be offered on USSD Platforms such as Connect Media offers, will help bank the vast majority of un-banked population in the developing world.

Ten years five months ago to the day, the world’s first mobile financial service in a developing economy was launched by Celpay in Zambia in 2002 powered by Fundamo, a Visa company. This revolutionary service has drastically changed the way financial services reach consumers, such as has been demonstrated by M-pesa offered by Safaricom and Airtel Money offered by Airtel.

Buongiorno closes security hole

Buongiorno closes security hole

The Italian based mobile Ecosystem Player and mobile applications developer and manager, which was recently acquired by Japan’s NTT DoCoMo co. has closed a security hole that had allowed malicious Premium Rate Subscriptions, to be injected into its state of the art systems.

This is after consultant Mark Hole discovered he could subscribe to SMS premium Rate Services, after using a plugin in his Mozilla browser to simulate transactions carried out by an Apple’s I phone. The eagle eyed consultant had contacted his mobile subscriber Orange to complain of phantom charges of one point five pounds charged on his monthly bill, but was rebuffed by being told he must have been responsible, of which he contacted Buongiorno and filed a complaint with the firm. A spokesman for Buongiorno told the BBc that, “There was a bug in the system, and when it was found out, we very quickly moved to pin it down, find out what happened and stop it from happening again”.

Moving Towards A Digital Future

Smart Phones have played a major role in the rise of social media as a business force. Now, thanks to Facebook, we have had a much needed warning that to succeed with social media means putting work into social media.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Facebook floatation was one of the most eagerly anticipated share issues in recent times. The launch was sullied by technical difficulties and as we write the share price has fallen by 18% from its original mark. US watchdogs are also investigating claims that some investors were not provided with up to date information which may have indicated that the company was overvalued.

One of the claims relates to information provided to the US regulator, the SEC in advance of the flotation. This indicated that although the number of people accessing Facebook via smart phones and tablets was growing, revenue streams were not keeping pace. This was attributed to the Facebook priority of growing the user base ahead of developing its social media offering and amounted to a quasi-profits warning with Facebook admitting that the switch away from PCs and towards other platforms “may negatively affect our revenue and financial results”.

Without pre-judging the outcome of any investigation, it is certainly true that to maximise the benefit from new technology requires spending some time in developing the best ways to utilise the technology to meet organisational needs. This is one reason why Connect Media encourages its clients to try before they buy. This means that not only can a business explore the optimum telephone mix for their needs, they can also spend time in researching set ups and telephone call pathways before committing to the new service.

For example, automated switcboards are so much cheaper than manual switchboards that it can be tempting to simply take up every function on offer. This means that you may find yourself awash with features but unless they actually enhance your service offering they are a waste of time. Starting with features which your business may actually need such as caller divert will enable you to work on and set up divert patterns which work with your business model. Then over time you can add in other features such call recording, answer phone services, caller recognition or company information lines which will enhance the offering.

As you step through the various services, taking time to pre-test and explore their parameters will mean that you finish up with a telephone service which you have designed to maximise the benefit to your organisation. Yes, digital systems do have a lot to offer businesses but only if businesses take time and care to make the most of them.

No Health Risks Are Associated With Mobile Phones and Other Wireless Networks

No Health Risks Are Associated With Mobile Phones and Other Wireless Networks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Norwegian experts report has established that there are no health risks associated with mobile phones and wireless networks and further aver that no further research is required on the topic. Consumers over the years have been weary of low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones, may cause adverse health effects, especially the incidence of cancer. Mobile phones, wireless phones and networks, mobile phone base stations, broadcasting transmitters and other communication equipment emit low-level electromagnetic fields; that the committee evaluated the power of their fields, of whether they pose a health risk and found none to exist.

The committee further studied the threshold limit values as per the current regulatory practice. The committee further provides advice to authorities about risk management and the prevailing regulatory practices. The report indicates that the threshold limit values for electromagnetic fields around transmitters used in mobile phones, and other devices should be the same as those recommended by the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection.

The electromagnetic fields that are usually generated by the antennas in mobile phones and other wireless devices transmit radio signals are referred to as radio-frequency fields (RF). Those particular threshold values are based on fields above a certain power that can cause the heating of body tissues, and the report has consequently indicated that there are no adverse health risks as per the electromagnetic fields set under the international commission.

The threshold limit values for these electromagnetic fields are 50 times below the level that can cause heating of human tissue or stimulation of nerve cells, which consequently can cause adverse health risks. Due to a public outcry, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Transport and Communication commissioned the expert committee to carry out the research, with the expert committee chaired by Professor Jan Alexander.
Previous studies carried out on the same have concentrated on the risk of cancer in the head and neck of the potential victims, through use of the radio transmitters such as mobile phones.

The study concentrated on people who have used mobile phones for a long span of time, i.e. 20 years and above. The scientific evidence indicated that cancer registries have not increased or even observed in tumors caused by leukemia and lymphoma, in the population the research was conducted, since the first time mobile phones were used. This will come as a welcome relief to many people who have always been fearful of the potential health risks that might be associated with mobile phones and other wireless devices in vogue.

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Securing Mobile Communications

Securing Mobile Communications

Reports of a bug in the Windows Phone occupied the minds of mobile commentators recently. Transmitted via SMS or chat message, the bug has the effect of causing an auto-reboot of the phone, in the process disabling the message hub.

At the time of writing the only solution appears to be a hard reset of the Windows Phone although Microsoft are believed to be working on a fix. The Windows Phone is not the only one to have been beset by problems in its early stages. As with any technology which is pushing the boundaries, the initial identification of bugs is only as good as the imagination of the designer.

In effect, releasing the new technology to general use allows the device to be secondary tested by the wider public. Designers can be too close to their own creations, expecting them to be used in a certain way and for set paths to be followed. Once loosed on the general public, we use technology in ways undreamed of and that is when the bugs become apparent.

Whilst for some, bugs are annoying, for others they can cause extreme disruption. The pace of technology is such that we use mobile devices more and more for business. Whilst bugs are out of our hands, the security of telephones and telephone systems is very much under our control.

The best line of defense though is the awareness of security issues. Regularly briefing employees on security matters will help to raise awareness as will including security protocols within contracts. Tales of “this breach happened to X company” can be used to galvanize employees into coming up with ways in which the breach won’t occur in your own business, especially if linked to a reward system. Whilst nothing can be done about bugs, keeping communication systems secure can be a company-wide exercise and one which is well worth adding

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THE BELGIAN LEGISLATOR RINGS IN THE CHANGES

THE BELGIAN LEGISLATOR RINGS IN THE CHANGES

Following a series of legal disputes and blatant misuse of premium rate services, the Belgian legislator has enforced a new code of conduct to be followed by all premium rate service providers in the Belgian market. This Royal Decree which enforces stricter rules of conduct in regards to the Telecommunications industry comes into force in order to regulate premium rate services as well as to inform and protect consumers, which will bring a long overdue relief to consumers who have fallen foul of unscrupulous market players.

 

The new Ethical Code applies to any type of premium rate service, which is broadly defined by the Belgian legislator as “a service which through equipment connected to an electronic communications network allows the caller to obtain or send information, to contact other users of the information service, to access games or other benefits or to make payments for products or services provided during the communication or as a direct result thereof, on payment of a fee higher than the normal user-price for a communication to a standard geographic or mobile number”

The Ethical Code therefore applies to a wide range of services including premium rate voice, SMS, MMS and fax services.

Any breach of conduct will attract an administrative fine of EUR 250,000 for any breach of the Ethical Code thus creating an incentive for service providers to comply instead of simply treating fines as another business expense. Coupled with this development, it will now be feasible to both impose a hefty fine and enforce a suspension for 90 days, increased from a measly 30 days.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]