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Converged Communications: Revolutionizing the Messaging Experience

The primary messaging interaction on mobile devices today is over SMS — a great tool for short message communication between mobile users — but it doesn't reach beyond mobile users to PC users, IM communities, etc. Most of the mobile-to-PC messaging happens from a smartphone or similar full keyboard device.

This example highlights a serious issue in messaging today: lack of true integration. With different clients used for different messaging technologies, often the best-case scenario requires a user to select the messaging format he or she wants to use for specific messages. We believe that for the majority of users, this choice is a substantial barrier to usage. Users want to be able to send messages from different devices without any knowledge of the technology necessary to actually deliver the message. Users are also typically price-sensitive as it relates to the monthly charges assessed for each of the different messaging platforms.

What Is Converged Communications?
 
The converged approach to communications ensures that users can be reached no matter where they are or how they are connected. Converged communications takes into account the needs of service providers and consumers in a converged marketplace. It offers the ability to personalize and simplify messaging services, so that consumers can focus on the act of communication — and the way they want to be communicated with — rather than the network, device, or protocol used.

From the operator's perspective, converged communications offer a host of key benefits, including increased subscriber usage, less churn, as well as new service adoption and the ability to monetize these services. The challenge for operators is to remain relevant in the open Internet without being cut out by off-net service offerings (e.g. mobile Gmail).

So what can be done today to improve the mobile messaging experience?

Converged PC/Mobile Messaging
 
During the span of a day, contacts in a user's address book can be available on their PC, their mobile phone or both. Today, when a user sends a message, the message type is driven not by the recipient's availability, but by the channels available to the sender. In a converged messaging paradigm, the sender should not need to know where the recipient is before sending a message.

An integrated messaging application that allows sending and receiving SMS/E-mail/IM seamlessly to contacts available on PC and/or mobile phones would bring together different communities, improve the user's experience and increase network traffic.

Single Address Book
 
One of the most important assets today is a user's address book contacts. However, the fragmentation of most address books is an issue: a user typically has separate contacts lists for his or her mobile phone, work email, personal mail, webmail, IM buddy list, etc. In an increasingly converging world, a key factor for success will be messaging services that have access to a common set of contacts across multiple devices. For operators, it is essential that these contacts be made available to multiple services within their network.

Advertising and Merchandising
 
The consensus is that advertiser spending in the mobile space is expected to double in the next three years, quickly becoming a multi-billion dollar market. With the latest market research and initial trials showing that consumers are open to advertisements on their mobile device, operators are well positioned to capture part of this revenue.

An integrated messaging solution must incorporate the capability to leverage the new advertising revenue opportunity — starting with banner ads and intelligent linking to merchant partners (based on message content). Additionally, intelligent, targeted and individually tailored profiling could deliver increasingly higher penetration rates of ads.

Care must be taken to avoid the perception of intrusion. The mobile screen is small and therefore easier to clutter. A set of clearly articulated user preferences (e.g., opt-in for discounted service) puts consumers in control of their experience, paving the way for an acceptable advertising model. Because the ideal model for mobile advertising and merchandising has not yet been established, the integrated messaging system should be flexible in the way it can treat those.

Conclusion
 
Messaging is still largely a siloed experience from the client/transport aspect, the device aspect and the community aspect. Because of this, user experience and messaging traffic have not reached their full potential. Providing easy cross-community communications, centered on a single address book would unleash untapped messaging potential both directly from the improved traffic and from the incremental revenue generated by advertising and merchandising.

 



 
Index Winter 2008
Introduction
NEWSFLASH: Openwave Announces Contextual Advertising Solution
Product Spotlight: Openwave Integra
Monetizing Personalization
Converged Communications: Revolutionizing the Messaging Experience
 
 
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