Author Archives: Jason Kemp

Levelling the customer services playing field

Levelling the Customer Services Playing Field with performance driven software

Introduction

Customer services, customer experience and contact centre software are big business. In the UK, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) there are over 1.3m people employed in the industry. For small and medium sized organisations, levelling the customer services playing field can be a challenge due to the resources of larger businesses. State of the art phones systems, AI software and digital platforms are all expensive to develop.

levelling the customer services playing field

The Saascoms Model

At Saascoms, we have developed award winning customer services and contact centre software which powers over 700 brands across the globe. As a third-party developer, we have economies of scale driven by a significant client base. This enables our clients to contact on their core business, not developing expensive software.

Our solutions have been levelling the customer services playing field since 2004, by offering a pay as you use solution. As a result, small and medium sized organisations can benefit from state-of-the-art customer service solutions – without a prohibitive price tag.

At Saascoms we don’t set contract lengths or minimum use clauses. We tailor our software solutions to each and everyone of our clients, which is why we have over 95% client loyalty.

levelling the customer services playing field

Saascoms Customer Services Solutions

At Saascoms we have award winning customer service solutions whatever the size of your contact centre. We’re levelling the customer services playing field with our platforms:

  • Omnireach – combine all your digital customer contact threads into a single communication. From Webchat to SMS, Email to WhatsApp, Omnireach delivers a seamless customer journey which is powered by advanced AI. Should the AI not be able to provide a resolution, all the communications are forwarded to a live agent on a single screen.
  • Mailmaster – delivering secure letters digitally be either SMS or email. Reduce your postage and print costs, increase engagement and reduce your carbon footprint.
  • Resolution – the self-serve debt management portal which provides your customers with the power to manage their repayments and clients with an immediate snapshot of activity. Designed for DCA’s, Retailers and Utilities in mind.

Conclusion

Global brand or small business, Saascoms is levelling the customer services playing field for organisations. Winner of the National Innovation Award and multiple Credit & Technology Awards you can be confident in Saascoms. Plus, be secure in the knowledge our UK developed solutions will reduce costs, drive efficiencies and increase customer satisfaction.

For a demo or more information – get in touch.

back 2 school

Back 2 School – Managing the Family Finances

Introduction

The School Holidays – great for kids, not so great for parents or their bank balance. Childcare, entertainment, time off work, extra food, new phone, new laptop, extra electric, gas, water, holiday clothes, new uniform, holidays and day trips…need we go on? Managing the family finances is a balancing act for many.

Family income and expenditure has been under pressure for a few years now, however, we still want the best for our children and for them not to miss out. At Saascoms we work closely with the Credit and Collections industry and as a member of MALG we understand how easy it is for debt to creep up on families.

managing the family finances

A financial shock to a family with a stretched income and little in emergency funds can have a massive impact. An illness, accident, redundancy, pregnancy, and many other events can create financial hardship overnight.

So how do we enjoy the School Holidays without financial stress?

Managing the Family Finances

Plan

Sounds simple, but if you have an outline of activities, childcare, day trips and holidays it will be easier to calculate the budget you need. Don’t just wake up and wing it every day!

Budget

Set a daily or weekly budget and stick to it. If you go above budget one week, then go under the next. This way you can manage expenditure.

Clear Out and Sell!

Spring clean the kids rooms, garage and shed, then it’s off to the Car Boot and the Charity Shop. Turn those old toys into cash and get the kids to treat you with their takings! It’s the Bank Holiday Weekend coming up – perfect timing.

Bob a Job

Showing our age here, but teach your kids the value of money by getting them to help in the garden, round the house or cleaning the car before they get treated. A good work ethic based on reward for jobs done isn’t something they learn at school.

Bargain Hunt

Coupons, offers, meal deals – don’t pay full price unless you have to! Look for refurbished Phones and Laptops, many of which come with a warranty and are good as new. Try Meelie Mobile for instance.

school book

Conclusion

The Summer Holidays don’t have to be expensive. Bake a cake, paint and craft, games in the park, picnics in the sun (we’ve had a pretty good summer so far), join local kids clubs etc. Fun doesn’t always start with cash.

At Saascoms we have families too and know the summer holidays can be both a blessing and a curse. Hopefully our tips might have helped!

customer service satisfaction levels

Customer Service Satisfaction Levels – the secret to building your business?

Introduction

If only companies and organisations had customer service to match their sales channels? Just how powerful and successful would they be? Sales tends to be seamless, whether online, instore, by App or social media – purchasing is the easy bit. However, should the product or service not live up to expectation, just how easy is it to rectify? Customer service satisfaction levels are not where they should be.

The Good

According to the Institute of Customer Service and their most recent awards ceremony, the likes of Ocado, Specsavers, Octopus Energy, Dulux Decorator Centre are all worth a mention. Outsource Accelerator also names John Lewis, Amazon, British Airways, M&S and more. Good customer service promotes loyalty, referrals and positive feedback. Remember it’s cheaper to keep a customer you have than attract a new one!

customer service advisor

The Bad

According to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, levels are at their lowest since 2010, which has been predominantly caused by cost pressures on organisations, staff shortages post Brexit and lack of investment. A New Britain survey in 2025 found 78% of respondents were frustrated by customer services responses. So we have a very real problem in terms of the quality of customer service.

Annoyed at customer service

The Ugly

So where are customer service satisfaction levels at their lowest? The sectors ranked the most frustrating by consumers from the worst include: GP and NHS Appointments, Local Council Services, Energy Suppliers, Train Operators, Broadband and Insurance companies.

On the whole Public Sector ranks lower than Private Sector, but is that to be expected as you don’t have choice in the Public Sector?

Customer Service Satisfaction Levels – how Saascoms can help

Saascoms Contact Centre, Customer Services Software and messaging services are currently utilised by over 700 global brands, helping them deliver outstanding customer service.

Omnireach is our signature product, delivering multi-channel digital communications driven by AI to reduce customer waiting times. Omnireach resolves up to 93% of issues digitally and for clients ‘serve more customers accurately and reduce contact centre costs’.

Mailmaster can securely send digital letters to customers, speeding up the delivery process and reducing postage costs. It can also be used for setting appointments, customer surveys and more.

txtpro is our SMS service ideally suited to marketing campaigns or communicating important information to customers. All from a self-service portal.

Resolution is our self-serve debt management portal. Financial debt is a sensitive and emotional subject, Resolution gives the power and the dignity back to the customer to manage repayment plans.

Man v Robot

Conclusion

Good customer service can improve brand reputation, increase customer loyalty, customer referrals and positive word of mouth. Bad customer service satisfaction levels can impact your brand, your top and bottom line and lead to negative feedback.

Saascoms software solutions can deliver tangible improvements to your customer services rating, while helping increase efficiencies, reducing costs and increasing satisfaction.

Conversational RCS

Conversational RCS – Rich Communication Services

Introduction

At Saascoms we are not a company who likes to stand still.  If you have seen our blog on RCS (Revolutionising Customer Communication with RCS Integration) then you will already know the benefits of branded SMS.

We have successfully deployed RCS for several of our clients, and they are reaping the benefits of verified SMS. The next step is how to integrate RCS into conversational SMS. Currently two-way SMS requires a virtual number to be presented on the outgoing SMS, essentially it looks like a mobile number.  This is a UK mobile network requirement.

Conversational RCS

However, RCS allows the sender ID to be either alpha or numeric value (11 digits/characters) meaning you could send the RCS SMS with your company name, which of course would improve customer engagement.

One standout feature is redefining the economics of customer engagement: the 24-hour inclusive chat window, all for a one-off price of just 12p.

Once a customer engages with your brand by replying or sending a message – a 24-hour inclusive chat window opens. During this period, your business can send unlimited RBM messages to that customer, all under a single pricing event.   That entire 24-hour window is priced at just £0.12 per conversation.  No per-message charges. No hidden fees. Whether you send 1 message or 20, it’s all covered.

Who Benefits from Conversational RCS?

Brands who either:

  • Have a high margin on a sale or support request and are very brand sensitive
  • Brands who have protracted message communications i.e. they tend to send 4 or more SMS to their client before a resolution is reached. 

Who Doesn’t Benefit from Conversational RCS?

While the 24-hour window offers great value for many brands, it’s not ideal for every use case:

  • Unproductive Inbound Messages If your business is vulnerable to unproductive customer messages, these could unintentionally open chargeable 24-hour. For example, people replying to your broadcast SMS i.e. stop, who is this? etc.
  • Low-Volume or less than four-and-Done Support For businesses that typically resolve issues in a single back-and-forth message (e.g., sending a delivery time, confirmation, balance check, etc), the 12p fee may be higher than needed. In such cases, a pay-per-message pricing model might be more economical.
  • High Sensitivity to Cost Per Resolution: Companies with razor-thin margins or large-scale inbound activity should carefully weigh whether the flat session fee aligns with how often customers actually re-engage within that 24-hour window 

In Conclusion

Conversational RCS is more than a messaging upgrade; it’s a chance to rethink how your brand connects with customers.  That said, as with any messaging model, it’s important to evaluate the fit into your engagement strategy.

Contact Saascoms
Inside Edge

Inside Edge – Summer 2025 Update

Dear Clients and Partners,

Following on from my April 2025 update I wanted to ensure the momentum is kept. As always, it’s been a period of continued growth, exciting developments, and forward-thinking innovation here at Saascoms.

Strong First Half Performance

We’re pleased to share our year-on-year growth for the first six months of 2025 has reached an impressive 15% across our core services. This result is a testament to the dedication of our team and the trust and collaboration we continue to enjoy with our clients. In an evolving and sometimes challenging landscape, this growth underscores our position as a reliable and results driven partner.

Newsletter Launch — Join Us!

Our recently launched Saascoms newsletter is off to a strong start, boasting 50% engagement metrics, a figure that reflects real interest in the insights we’re sharing. If you haven’t already, we’d love for you to register at https://saascoms.com/ . Our aim is to provide a mix of technology updates, contact and engagement trends, insightful blogs, product news, and industry reports. Designed to keep you informed and ahead of the curve.

On the Road — See You at MALG in November

We’re excited to announce that Saascoms will be exhibiting at the Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG) Conference on November 13th in Leeds. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to connect in person with both current and future clients within the Credit & Collections space. If you’re attending, please do stop by, we’d love to chat.

Tech Development — Eyes on the Future with Omnireach

Innovation continues to be a core pillar of our business, and we’re pleased to share that we are in the early development stages of introducing RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) within our Omnireach platform.  RAG will take our conversational AI solution to the next level of our NLP.  While still in its infancy, this enhancement is part of our ongoing commitment to investing in intelligent, agile communication tools that evolve alongside client needs and industry demand.

Looking Ahead

The pace of change shows no signs of slowing, and neither do we. With solid performance under our belt and a roadmap full of exciting initiatives, we remain focused on delivering high-impact solutions, fostering client success, and shaping the future of communications.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership. We’re looking forward to what the second half of the year brings — and we’ll be back with another update soon.

Warm regards,

Paul

Founder, Saascoms

Saascoms Email Newsletter

Saascoms Email Newsletter Launches

Introduction

Saascoms has recently launched a Monthly Email Newsletter for clients, Prospects and Supply Partners. In the making for some time, the new email newsletter is designed to keep everyone who reads it up to date with what’s happening at Saascoms.

Content

The Saascoms Email Newsletter includes the following information and articles on a monthly basis, these are namely:

  • Company News – developments in our team, business growth and events we may be attending.
  • Product News – either a focus on one of our award winning software platforms such as Omnireach, or news of updates and new software launches.
  • Industry News – anything of note in credit and collections, fintech, contact centre and the customer services world we think is relevant.
  • Featured Blog – each month Saascoms selects a blog from our extensive archive to feature, we think they are well worth a read.

Aims & Feedback

At Saascoms we have great relationships with our clients but are always seeking to build on that. The Saascoms Newsletter is one example of how we are sharing our experience and knowledge. We welcome feedback from our Clients and Prospects as to the content we share, and how our software may be developed further.

More Information

The Saascoms Email Newsletter technology is provided by the Wizemail platform which is both secure and feature rich. Just like Saascoms award winning software. If you would like to sign up for our newsletter please enter your email address at the foot of our home page.

 

household debt

Should we worry about Household Debt?

Introduction

According to the government, the average UK household debt in 2024 was 125% of disposable income, putting the UK in the top half of OECD spending. With more people in debt than ever before, volatility in interest rates and a cost-of-living crisis, the question is should we worry about household debt?

The UK’s Debt Position

We are a credit using nation, from cards to Klarna, mortgages to car loans, the UK population has been encouraged to ‘buy now and pay later’ from an early age. Socially and culturally credit is both acceptable and affordable. However, the Scandinavians and Australians leave the British behind with up to 227% household debt versus disposable income. At the other end of the scale people of the Czech Republic stand at less than 60%.

debt consultation

Why the Disparity?

For Scandinavians and Australians property prices lead to higher mortgages and therefore greater debt. A strong economy for both regions gives people and institutions the confidence to lend more, meaning the question should we worry about household debt isn’t a significant consideration for these nations. There is confidence in getting employment and in the welfare state, so leveraging credit isn’t seen as a major risk.

At the other end of the scale, people in countries where the economy isn’t stable, employment not as plentiful, wages not as high and property cheaper, credit isn’t as popular. Examples would include Greece. Also, culturally credit may not be popular. For instance, in Germany credit and debt are frowned upon and something to be avoided and not embraced, so debt stands at 78% of disposable income.

Is Household Debt a bad thing?

‘Buy now pay later’ can help with people’s lifestyles and life changes. A growing family might necessitate a larger car or house, by waiting until you can pay cash for either, the kids might have grown up! A young person might go into debt to fund their education, viewing it as an investment in themselves and a promise of a higher salary in the future.

For the economy, the ability to borrow or receive credit can help smooth out downward periods in the economic cycle and reduce shocks to both households and the economy. Cheap credit may also stimulate the economy as people may borrow more when interest rates are low and increase their spending.

household debt

So should we worry about Household Debt?

We should worry about irresponsible lending or irresponsible borrowing. Households living beyond their means with no contingency fund, unemployment cover or disposable assets are at risk of a major shock should health or employment be affected.

Lenders who are not prudent about who they lend to are also in danger of making serious mistakes with lasting consequences (the financial crash of 2008 still has repercussions today).

Individuals, households, lenders, regulators and the government all have a responsibility when it comes to credit and debt. The impact of financial hardship on a household is second only to health in how it can change lives – and not for the better. Managed debt can help households thrive and enjoy life, going on holiday, buying a dog, extending the home. Ultimately life is for living and we only get one chance at it.

Conclusion

The UK is a nation which utilises credit but is by no means the highest in the OECD. We have strong financial rules put in place by the FCA and other regulators, however we have a weak welfare state when it comes to looking after the middle classes in times of unemployment. As a rule a household should have 3-6 months contingency to cover outgoings should health or unemployment affect earnings, this is the accepted cushion to minimise financial hardship.

At Saascoms we develop software widely used by the credit and collections industry, and have a unique view of the market from both sides.

Contact Centre Costs

Contact Centre Costs – the top 5 pain points

Introduction

The digital world has seen a steady increase in online purchases, services moving from the high street to the desktop and a move towards remote customer service. Contact centres have been steadily growing to cope with demand, their remit varying from outbound sales to inbound enquiries and service. Although It is a competitive industry, contact centre costs are key to winning business or maintaining profit margins.

contact centre costs

What are the top 5 contact centre costs and how can Saascoms awards winning software support organisations to reduce these:

Labour Costs

The number one expense for any contact centre is people. This includes salaries and taxation, hiring and training, wellbeing and personnel support. Saascoms Omnireach digital chat platform can assist in taking the administrative tasks away from contact centre agents such as ID&V, which on average reduces agent time by 2 minutes – making agents more productive or reducing the headcount required.

Technology & Infrastructure

Telephony, CRM software, IVR systems, ongoing maintenance, updates and licencing are all significant call centre costs. Saascoms software including Omnireach, Resolution and Mailmaster can all be installed within a few days with no fixed term contract and a pay by use commercial model. Saascoms software is cost effective no matter what size of organisation because of these benefits.

Real Estate & Facilities

Office rent, utilities, furniture and equipment are all required to accommodate call centre staff. Hybrid models still require remote equipment and potentially appropriate furniture. Saascoms Omnireach digital chat platform operates 24/7/365, using advanced AI to resolve customer queries. Examples may include making payments, checking a balance, initiating a return, checking account details and more. As a result, Omnireach reduces the overall physical agent requirement. This has a knock-on effect for the overall size of contact centre and requirement for remote out of hours physical support.

Compliance & Security

ISO, Cyber Security, GDPR, Audit and Call Recording are all costs incurred by a contact centre. Saascoms is ISO27001and Cyber Essentials Plus. Our software platforms are built and hosted in the UK. Plus our client data is also stored in the UK, providing our customers with all the security they need. Saascoms is also an approved G Cloud HMRC supplier, another measure of our security and compliance levels.

Customer Experience

Monitoring, feedback, analytics and performance management all measure how a contact centre is performing and are essential in ensuring quality. At Saascoms our platforms have built-in reporting suites to interrogate data. Our AI learns and improves outcomes and our client CSAT scores improve by an average of 12% using Omnireach and Mailmaster. As a result, our clients can further improve their performance in a virtuous circle.

Conclusion

Summing up at Saascoms we live and breathe contact centres and understand the key contact costs. Our software platforms are designed to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and increase performance. Arrange a demo with our team to see just how our award winning technology can support your organisation.

Contact Saascoms
improving customer engagement

Improving Customer Engagement using Omnichannel Solutions

Introduction

Customer engagement hasn’t changed radically. Customers require information and answers in a timely and convenient manner in a format they understand. What has changed is the channel the information is conveyed in. Long gone are the days when the high street, catalogue or telephone fulfilled consumer demands. Improving customer engagement now requires a digital omnichannel approach.

The Omnichannel Approach

Multichannel or Omnichannel – what’s the difference? Put simply, multichannel is different formats of communication that don’t cross over. Imagine a six-lane motorway where no one can overtake, each lane represents email, webchat, social media, SMS, telephone and WhatsApp. So a conversation (or marketing campaign) must start and end in the same lane. Omnichannel allows the vehicles to swap lanes, so a conversation (or marketing campaign) can switch from one form of digital communication to the other. Relatively clear?

The Omnichannel Benefit

For the customer or the business provider, Omnichannel delivers the best experience. Take for instance our award-winning contact centre digital chat platform, Omnireach. Customers can communicate over webchat, email, SMS, social media and the contact centre agent sees all the information on one screen. Easier and more convenient for the customer, yes; easy for the Agent to get up to speed quickly on the query, yes.

improving customer engagement

Customers expect a seamless digital experience. They see an offer on social media, click through to a website, chat with a bot then submit an order or request through email. Organisations that can pull all the communication strands together are improving customer experience.

Omnireach – the omnichannel solution

Omnireach by Saascoms is utilised globally by over 700 brands, powering their customer experience. It is quite simply the ultimate digital chat platform. Whether you are using web live chat, text messaging, Email, WhatsApp, Messenger or other social media platform.

Omnireach is powered by AI which can resolve up to 95% of customer queries without needing a live agent, learning through extensive closed data. Where an agent is required to help resolve an issue, Omnireach ensures all prior conversations and communication is delivered onto one screen to speed up resolution.

Omnireach Applications

Such is the flexibility of Omnireach, it is used by a variety of organisations across differing sectors. From banking, credit and collections to retail, utilities and charities, Omnireach brings benefits to anyone looking to have omnichannel two-way customer communications.

Omnireach complements contact centres, reducing administrative tasks so agents can focus on more complicated resolutions and customer issues. The powerful AI delivering proven results in improving CSAT scores, creating efficiencies, reducing costs, creating opportunities and improving customer engagement.

Contact Saascoms
global language

Customer Service Language Translation – the Omnireach solution

Introduction

In a modern world, a multi-lingual society can pose either a problem or an opportunity for business. You don’t bring your credit rating with you when you migrate, or your no-claims bonus. (There are specialist financial services for both). However, you do bring your native tongue. And we’re not just talking about migration to Britain, think of your average ex-pat in Spain – language can be a barrier. So customer service language translation needs a solution.

The Language Barrier

As we’ve often discussed, the purchase of a product or service tends to be the easy bit. It’s when it goes wrong, there is a dispute or an issue that challenges occur. Now add a non-native dialect, and customer service language translation becomes an important element of the journey.

Contact Centres cannot be expected to have language experts covering every customer preference. In the UK 10% of the population list English as not their main language, and within that 10% there are at least 15 languages spoken by over 100,000 people.

As a result, a translation solution is an important tool in the pursuit of customer service excellence.

AI translation

The Omnireach Solution

The award-winning digital chat platform utilised by 700 brands globally, Omnireach has the functionality to translate 92 languages across email, chat and SMS. Omnireach is powered by AI which resolves up to 95% of customer queries and handles administrative tasks such as ID&V. Within the platform Omnireach can detect and respond to different languages.

Should the customer be referred to a live agent, Omnireach offers a one click translation service. The agent clicks on the incoming message for instant translation, composes a response and once again a single click translates the message back for the customer. As a result the customer receives a seamless two-way conversation across email, text or webchat.

AI translate

Conclusion

Omnireach removes the need for expensive translators and empowers every agent to communicate across 92 languages, providing a simple and effective solution. For customers the initial digital journey is handled by AI communicating in their preferred language. Customer service language translation is a built in function of Omnireach, a standard feature of Saascoms award winning software.

Contact Saascoms