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Introducing Alive5!

Dustin Yu • March 6, 2020

 

The All-In-One Chat Platform

If you are a WebsiteAlive user, read this first: https://www.alive5.com/websitealive-vs-alive5-comparison-and-migration-plan

 

Over the last decade, under the " WebsiteAlive " brand, we've learned ALOT from the live chat business. Working with startups to large enterprises, professional and college sports teams, higher-ed universities, we’ve put together a list of what would make our next platform successful.

 

Instead of making incremental updates to the existing platform (AliveChat), we knew we needed to start fresh with the latest technology stack - and rebuild from the ground up.

 

We’ve been busy over the last 2 years working on our new messaging platform. In a nutshell, Alive5 combines all messaging & chat channels (Live Chat, SMS, Facebook Messenger) and adds a layer of AI automation on top. 

 

We'd like to refer to 2020 as the "Year of the Chatbot".

 

Jacksonville Jaguars Guest Services Bot

Why? 141 Billion Messages.


Yesterday, the world’s leading messaging apps (WeChat, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, SMS) generated over 141 billion messages! This number is growing by the day, as consumers make less phone calls and text more. This behavior is now influencing businesses - texting and chat is the preferred medium over phone and email. Business communications is the lifeblood of any business. We're here to make messaging "just work".


Summary: Why Live Messaging?

 

  • Consumers Prefer Chat Over Phone Calls and Email
  • Consumers Want Answers Instantly

 

The “FrankenChat” Problem



Our customers were using WebsiteAlive for live chat, but also had other vendors and logins - one for SMS/Texting, Facebook Messenger, and yet another platform to build AI Chatbots. In this example, that’s 4x the vendors, 4x the cost, 4x the training, and 4x the integration! Just imagine your sales team having to open 4 browser tabs and switch between different apps and handling phone calls at the same time. Similarly for the mobile side of things - 4x the mobile apps to manage all the communication channels. Just like "Frankenstein", "FrankenChat" is the need to work with multiple chat vendors to stitch everything together to make it all work together. As a result, productivity is reduced, costs go up, and customers drop through the cracks.

What Does Omni-Channel Success Look Like?


What makes a successful multi-channel platform (also referred to “Omni-Channel”) is ease of use, especially when it comes to handling conversations from different communication channels. With Alive5, agents can easily adopt the system with minimal training. Workflows are very similar for any messaging channel, so it’s easy to start with one channel such as live chat, and offer SMS/Text messaging right away. The different behaviors for each channel (as we know real-time live chat requires a faster reply to customers vs SMS or Facebook) are handled in a way that's easy to toggle back and forth easy without missing a beat.

Live Chat (Human) Challenges



Working with our base of WebsiteAlive live chat customers over the years, we’ve noticed there was one common theme - human staffing limitations. There are 2 types of teams - one that's dedicated to live chat, and the other - agents that “do alot of things” while chatting with customers. For chat agents who are dedicated to live chat and that’s all they do, we won’t cover that - they have the best results since they are always logged in. On the other hand, the majority of our customers “do alot of things” outside of live chat. They’re logged into live chat while answering phone calls, talking to coworkers, working on internal tasks, and using a million other apps at the same time. This divided attention translates to not always being online to accept chats - and we’ve seen some clients not even log in for a few days! This means website visitors usually get the “Offline Form”.

Chatbots - The Answer to Dreaded Offline Forms and Lost Leads


“Sorry our Agents are not online, please fill out this form and we’ll get back to you.” works to capture leads, but with Alive5, we’ve introduced Automated Chatbots - a better experience and something that generates higher conversions (10-25%) due to better engagement.


Now, with Alive5, our simple automated chatbot replaces forms with a natural, conversational flow which in the end has better conversions. 


While we started with lead generation Chatbot as a main focus, we discovered that Chatbots opened up many new use cases. Before, a WebsiteAlive chat window could really perform 3 functions - a form for Visitors when your team was offline, a pre-chat survey form and Agent routing by Department when online. Due to the dynamic nature of chatbots, you could build a bot to function for like a "mobile app" and extend functionality to really infinite possibilities.

Facebook Messenger Challenges


Chat agents that were using the native interface provided out of the box from Facebook resulted in three main challenges. The first one was that Marketing teams were logged into Facebook and siloed away from the sales and support team who were on live chat. More support issues were being handled in Facebook and the two teams were disconnected since they were on different platforms.


Problem #1: Sharing of Logins

The issue of sharing logins is a problem our platform solves. Giving employees login to your Facebook page can create issues like tracking who is actually handling a messenger conversation and allowing access to change the content on your Facebook page. 


Problem #2: No Reporting or Analytics

Connecting your Facebook Page to Alive5 removes these risks and gives you additional intelligence on these conversations with our reporting tools such as agent response time and further sales/disposition tracking.


Problem #3: Facebook Messenger Not Built for Advanced Support

The final issue was just simple support workflow. Facebook Messenger was designed initially for consumer use, and finally built an interface for businesses, suitable only for basic support tasks, but not specialized enough for the advanced functionality such as labeling of chats, email delivery, CRM integration, and performance reporting.

The Business SMS Texting Revolution


When Twilio released a text messaging API in 2010, it created a new communication channel for businesses. Now, SMS is not only possible from mobile devices, they can be done through a standalone mobile or desktop app. A2P (Application to Peer) messaging allowed businesses to easily reserve a new dedicated local or toll-free phone number to use as their text line, or even "text-enable" their existing phone number to send and receive texts. "Text enabling" a phone line allows a 3rd party such as Alive5 to connect to the SMS/MMS capabilities of a phone number without affecting the existing voice line calls.


When we launched our first version of SMS texting with Alive5 in 2017, one of our first customers, Alcatraz Tickets, was able to sell out tours to Alcatraz Island via SMS by adding a "Click to Text" widget on their website. Once the customer connected via SMS, they were able to reach a ticket rep instantly from their mobile phone - for pre-sales questions, during checkout, and finally on the day of the tour.


Cutting Through The Noise



Now many of our sports teams have adopted texting for their ticket representatives to be able to connect to season ticket holders for renewals. Previous attempts to reach out to customers via email and voicemails would go unanswered, but the SMS outreach resulted with instant replies due to the convenience of communication for the busy customer.

Integrating AI Into The Mix



Finally, artificial intelligence and automation has made its way into lead generation and support - and integrating an external AI Chatbot can be challenging. For example, when the AI Chatbot can’t help, how does it seamlessly get transferred to an Agent using another messaging app without disrupted flow? What happens after the AI chat conversation was completed by the chatbot, how does that transcript get sent to the other system (like live chat or CRM)? There’s another integration task there. Lastly, how does an Agent take over a Chatbot session and get in a live session with the customer? Alive5 has solved all those problems, thus saving hours of integration costs - so now artificial intelligence works seamlessly with your chat agents.

Takeaway



We built our new platform to be the last messaging solution you'll ever need. With our new, modern software backend coupled with artificial intelligence, we've got your business communications covered. Create more conversations and open up new opportunities with Alive5.

💡 To see how Alive5 can help your organization today, book a demo with us.

How Pricing Works

By Dustin Yu • November 10, 2023
Subscription + Usage Fees At Alive5, our goal is to offer a best-in-class communication platform filled with features, stellar support, and great value achieved through smart and flexible pricing. Affordable subscriptions and usage-based text credits allow you to easily adjust costs to match the seasonality of your business’ demand for texting. Users A subscription plan (Alive5 SMS STARTER, PRO, PRO PLUS, PREMIUM, ENTERPRISE) includes up to a certain number of users or lines. For example, the PRO plan includes up to 3 users and 3 lines. A user consists of a unique login (email and password) in which a team member can chat with unlimited contacts (mobile cell numbers) which is limited by text credits consumed (explained below). Additionally, users are limited by concurrent logins. For example, if your plan includes 3 users (using the PRO plan example above), you can create unlimited users (email and passwords) in your account, but limited to 3 users logged in at the same time. Lines A line refers to an office phone line you can enable for SMS texting. We do not interfere with the voice functionality, only the SMS messaging portion of a phone line. So you can keep your existing voice phone service (Comcast Business, Vonage, Ring Central, etc), and use Alive5 in parallel. Alive5 does not offer voice. Think about users and lines like "musical chairs" - you have 3 chairs for users and 3 chairs for lines for your entire team to use. If you need more users and lines you can easily purchase add-ons or upgrade your plan. Text Credits For usage, your Alive5 account is equipped with text credits that are allocated every billing cycle. These credits can be used for sending and receiving SMS messages. Each plan includes a set amount of monthly text credits (150 for STARTER, 500 for PRO, 1,500 for PRO PLUS, 3,000 for PREMIUM, and 10,000 for ENTERPRISE). One text credit consists of up to 160 characters, or 70 characters if the message includes an emoji. Messages longer than 160 characters will require multiple text credits. Using Emojis 😃: Using an emoji decreases the number of characters that can fit in a credit from 160 to 70. Each emoji takes up 2 characters. Using Unicode characters á: Using a unicode character, similar to emojis, decreases the number of characters that can fit in a credit from 160 to 70. In contrast to emojis, a unicode takes up 1 character. MMS: Images 🖼 and multimedia files: When sending smaller files (less than 500KB) from Alive5 to a mobile cell phone, it costs 4 credits, while larger files (greater than 500KB) will be converted to a link and cost 1 credit. When mobile cell phone users send an inbound text with an image or video, it will cost 4 credits.

Privacy Policy Compliance for 10DLC

By Dustin Yu • September 17, 2023
Why is a compliant Privacy Policy required?

The 4 Key Requirements for 10DLC Compliance

By Dustin Yu • September 17, 2023
By collaborating with our SMS vendors and partners, we've created these guidelines to assist you in completing the 10DLC compliance process in the most efficient way possible. To avoid delays, be prepared to take on the necessary tasks such as contacting your web developer or legal team. Related: 10DLC and What it Means for Business SMS/Texting 1. Matching EIN and Legal Business Name An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity. This allows The Campaign Registry to verify the identity of your organization (Brand), which is a requirement for any Campaign to be registered on 10DLC. It is crucial that the "EIN" matches the "Legal Business Name" (above) of the Brand you are registering for it to be correctly verified. TIP: Refer to IRS forms (W2, SS-4) for correct EIN and Legal Business Name. 2. Valid Web/Online Presence Your organization must have a valid web presence in order to use A2P SMS services. If you do not have a business website, a social media profile (Facebook Page or LinkedIn profile) may be used instead. The social media profile should indicate an operational business (active followers and engagement). Some examples of failed approvals: Website is not functional or is not secure (no HTTPS). Website contains malware. Website does not represent the registered business. Social media profile does not represent the registered business. Website Alternative: Social Media Profile If your Brand only has an established online presence, such as a Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn page, instead of a website, you can still get approved. Here are some tips for each Facebook and Instagram pages – these should be professional accounts (not personal) where the Brand is clearly identified. It’s best if the email address and phone number shown on the page also match what you used in the 10DLC registration details. LinkedIn page – This also needs to be a company listing, not a personal profile (that will be rejected). The email address and phone number should match the 10DLC registration details, and the ‘About’ section should have Privacy Policy and Opt-in language disclaimers. Don’t use LinkedIn for Sole Proprietors. We strongly advise you to use an established website, Facebook, or Instagram page over a LinkedIn company page. In summary (if you use social profiles for web presence): Use company listing type of profile pages, not personal. Must have Privacy Policy and Opt-In Language disclaimers. These can be in About sections or pinned posts. See example: https://www.facebook.com/wearealive5/about_privacy_and_legal_info 3. Opt In Language If you utilize a contact form where you are capturing any phone numbers, opt in language must visible to the user when completing the form. Example verbiage which may be used: "By providing a telephone number and submitting the form you are consenting to be contacted by SMS text message from {your Business Name (DBA) here}. Message frequency may vary. Message & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt-out of further messaging. Reply HELP for more information. See our Privacy Policy {your Privacy Policy URL here}" Be sure to replace the contents {your Business Name (DBA) here} and {your Privacy Policy URL here} with your actual business details.

10DLC and What it Means for Business SMS/Texting

By Dustin Yu • August 21, 2023
12/1/2024 Updates On February 1st, 2025, mobile carriers will be blocking all unregistered A2P (application to peer) 10DLC (10-digit long code) SMS phone numbers from sending texts. The previous deadline of 12/1/2024 was deferred until this new date. Sole proprietors are now required to have a valid IRS EIN number to apply for 10DLC Brand and Campaigns. 11/8/2023 Update Toll free numbers (TFNs) require full vetting and verification before texting capability can be enabled. Previously, texting capability was available right after port without full verification (with limits). Vetting process is done by Twilio/Zipwhip which takes on average 4 weeks (reduced from previous 6-8 weeks). 10/6/2023 Updates Update 1: A compliant privacy policy is now required for any type of business, except SOLE PROPRIETORS. Update 2: For "Provisional Compliance", throughput is no longer limited to 2k per day. Throughput limits are now 25 messages per minute (a message consisting of 160 characters or less). For example, if you want to send a Broadcast to 5000 contacts, it should take about 3.3 hours. Update 3: 10DLC approval ETA has now increased from 2 weeks to 4-6 weeks for each review and approval. With Alive5, we have a solution which allows you to start texting within 24-72 hours (assuming your website, opt-in language, and privacy policy is compliant). 8/1/2023 Updates On September 1st, 2023, mobile carriers will be blocking all unregistered A2P (application to peer) 10DLC (10-digit long code) SMS phone numbers from sending texts.

Optimizing Your Live Chat: Reporting and Configuration

By Dustin Yu • July 7, 2023
Goals and Objectives Now that you have live chat configured for your Alive5 account, it's time to optimize and measure everything in efforts to create the best Visitor experience based on your current team resources. We'll cover: How to measure the performance of your live chat agents through various reports (Performance, Conversations, Agent Activity) Configure live chat settings for your organization's call center set up (Max Chat, Ring Mode, Chat Timeout). Measure performance KPIs (key performance indicators) of your team to see where you can improve. Predict future trends for staffing team members for optimum effectiveness.

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By Rohit Joshi • February 8, 2023
This new generation of prospective scholars grew up in a very different way from how those running academic administration did. Alive5 SMS explains why SMS is a necessary component and how to keep classrooms full and campus enrollment high.

Maximizing Your SMS Texting: A Guide to the Top 12 Best Practices

By Rohit Joshi • February 6, 2023
SMS is faster becoming the preferred method for businesses and customers to communicate marketing promotions, conduct sales consultations and resolve customer complaints but for newcomers, the landscape can be daunting. Here’s a list of SMS best practices to ensure your SMS strategy is as effective as possible.

Revolutionizing Communication: How Text Messaging is Overtaking Email as the Preferred B2C Channel

By Rohit Joshi • January 25, 2023
SMS text messaging is quickly becoming a major player in the marketing world, with the potential to surpass email as the go-to method for driving sales and creating revenue for businesses. While email has long been a champion in the marketing field, SMS text messaging offers unique advantages that make it a strong contender for the top spot.

Maximizing Customer Interaction: How Conversational Marketing Drives Successful Engagement

By Rohit Joshi • January 23, 2023
Conversational marketing is an emerging framework that focuses on creating personalized, one-to-one interactions with customers through mobile-first chats. This approach prioritizes the wants and needs of the consumer, meeting them where they are in a convenient and desirable way. With the rise of digital outreach strategies, conversational marketing is becoming increasingly important in creating effective customer engagement. Effective customer engagement is crucial for businesses as it drives conversions, strengthens customer relationships, enhances brand awareness, and creates a host of other benefits. Conversational marketing embraces tools and solutions that allow enterprises to prioritize one-to-one, back and forth customer conversations through brief, snappy messages on lightweight platforms like SMS and in-app chat. This approach to marketing is on the rise as it is proven to produce effective customer engagement. Customers who are fully engaged represent a 23% higher share in profitability, revenue, and relationship growth. Businesses that use conversational marketing can meet the needs of customers by connecting with them at a direct level, providing immediate responses and showing empathy and concern. Conversational marketing also unlocks advanced personalization as it requires a personalized approach to engagement where businesses develop rich customer personas and maintain a comprehensive record of all communications. By treating customers as individuals, businesses can meet their needs and expectations, leading to increased customer loyalty and satisfaction. Allow Alive5 to show you how its unparalleled mix of SMS broadcasts, one to one replies and automation can give your business a potent tool for conversational marketing strategies.

Fan Engagement and Outreach in 2023: How SMS is the Proven Method for Selling Sports Tickets

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