Bharti Airtel announced on Tuesday the launch of Airtel IQ Reach, a self-serve marketing communications platform targeting small businesses. The platform allows these businesses to leverage Airtel’s extensive user base to enhance customer engagement.
Positioned under Airtel IQ — hailed by the company as the world’s first network-embedded Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) — Airtel IQ Reach is designed to safeguard Airtel users from unsolicited communication, the company stated.
Airtel’s Head for Digital Product, Abhishek Biswal, explained to the press that the new platform will provide businesses with an anonymised list of Airtel users in any specified area. Airtel has obtained consent from its users for this service, he added.
For instance, from a total Airtel user base of 100,000 in a specific region, 30,000 users may have chosen not to receive commercial communications.
In early June, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) instructed telecom companies to develop new Digital Content Authorisation (DCA) facilities within two months. The DCA will serve as a unified platform for acquiring, maintaining, and revoking customer consent for receiving commercial communication from businesses.
All in One Solution
Airtel IQ Reach offers small businesses a convenient single portal for designing customised messages, selecting or uploading their target audiences, scheduling their messages, and tracking campaign effectiveness, according to the company.
The platform also features real-time insights and comprehensive analytics on a centralised dashboard, aiming to enable businesses to measure their campaign effectiveness.
Biswal said, “Our customers can now leverage this platform for their business growth. They can reduce their customer acquisition costs and reach the right audience at the right time with personalised communication through our innovative solution.”
The platform is targeted at businesses planning to spend between Rs 10,000 – Rs 1 lakh per month on marketing.
The Airtel IQ Reach portal is currently live for communications via WhatsApp and will soon extend to SMS, voice, and other channels.
Airtel is the first telecom company globally to act as a Business Service Provider (BSP) for WhatsApp. The company stated it plans to continue investing in the CPaaS vertical.