FlySafair customers can now make faster, secure and more convenient payments to the airline via their mobile phones
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., February 2, 2023 – Clickatell, the Chat Commerce and mobile messaging leader, today announced that they have gone live with its Chat 2 Pay feature with FlySafair, South Africa’s leading low-cost airline. FlySafair is the first airline in the world to deploy Chat 2 Pay with a pay-by-link capability that allows its customers the convenience of effortless mobile payments via FlySafair’s WhatsApp channel.
“We are always looking for ways to improve our customer experience and are therefore very excited that our customers can now pay for their luggage with a payment link shared to their mobile phones via WhatsApp. There is no need any more for our customers to go stand in a queue at the airport to pay for luggage,” explained Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair.
FlySafair customers can access the WhatsApp service by sending “Hi” to the FlySafair business account on +27 87 357 0030. Once in the WhatsApp channel customers can select “My Booking” and then “Buy a Bag” and follow the prompts on the secure payment link to make a purchase on WhatsApp. Customers can also scan a QR code at the check-in counters to receive the secure payment link.
FlySafair, recognized by TripAdvisor as one of the world’s top carriers based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for airlines worldwide, is bucking the trend of airlines using mobile apps to address consumers’ needs by using WhatsApp as a convenient, instantaneous and optimal customer service and transaction channel for its customers. By adding Chat 2 Pay, FlySafair helps its customers to save time and safely make payments further by clicking on the Chat 2 Pay link delivered in a message in WhatsApp without requiring them to expose their personal payment information to a call center agent or by reading the payment card details out over the phone.
Interacting and transacting with airlines using mobile messaging has already been welcomed by travelers. Clickatell’s latest Chat Commerce Trends Report: Travel Edition 2022, found that 89% of consumers would like to use mobile messaging to interact with airlines and 77% said they are willing to use a mobile payment link with travel brands. Commerce within mobile messaging is becoming the preferred way for consumers to transact, accounting for 71% of retail traffic and generating 61% of online shopping orders.
“We are thrilled to work with FlySafair to transform its customers’ experience by making it possible to make payments using their mobile phones. No one has time to stand in queues anymore, and almost every adult on the planet has a mobile phone. There is a major opportunity for airlines across the globe to enhance their customers’ travel experience by making it possible to browse, book and pay for, as well as manage their travel bookings on their mobile phones,” said Jeppe Dorff, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Clickatell.
About a year ago FlySafair expanded its customer service by offering the popular WhatsApp channel through the Clickatell Platform. The FlySafair WhatsApp channel hosts key information about customer bookings, flight status, general flight information, an option to check-in and receive boarding passes on WhatsApp, the option to chat with a live agent and now the option to make payments for extra products and services.
“Our goal is to offer all the functionality currently available on our website via the WhatsApp channel, making end-to-end booking and reservation management as easy as possible,” added Gordon.
For more information about Chat 2 Pay, please visit Clickatell’s product page here.
About Clickatell
Clickatell is the global Chat Commerce leader powering businesses to connect, interact and transact with consumers anytime, anywhere in chat. The low / no-code, feature-rich Chat Commerce Platform sits at the intersection of communications (CPaaS, CCaaS) and commerce (digital payments). Clickatell serves over 10,000 customers, including Fortune 50 brands. Clickatell is headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA, and has offices in Canada, South Africa and Nigeria. Learn more at www.clickatell.com.
About FlySafair
FlySafair is a low-cost carrier operating in Southern Africa. Flights are available between OR Tambo, Lanseria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, George, East London, Durban Bloemfontein from just R599. In March 2022, FlySafair launched flights between OR Tambo and Mauritius, its first regional destination. The airline was awarded Aviation Company of the Year at the 2019 South African Civil Aviation Authority awards along with Aircraft Operator of the Year, Aviation Customer Services, Aviation Security, and Aviation Maintenance Organisation. The airline also received top honours from the Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2021 for being the most on-time airline in the Middle East and Africa in 2021. FlySafair has also been named Best Airline Africa and Indian Ocean in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice™ awards for Airlines in 2018, 2019 and 2020. FlySafair began operations in October 2014 and is ranked South Africa’s most on-time airline, while proudly being the Trusted Domestic Carrier for the Springboks.
Media Contacts
1. Clickatell, Andrea Mahoney, andrea.mahoney@clickatell.com, +1415-846-1543
2. Clickatell, Nadia Louw, nadia.louw@clickatell.com, +2721-036-1958
About Clickatell
We create a better world through technology, making commerce in chat accessible for everyone, everywhere. Consumers can now connect with brands to find goods and services, make purchases, track orders, and resolve issues with a simple text or chat. No need for cash, phone calls, in-person interactions, or apps. Founded in 2000 with now over 10,000 customers, Clickatell is powering the digital commerce transformation. Clickatell is headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA and has offices in Canada, South Africa, and Nigeria (www.clickatell.com).
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