SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The EIG Berlin Expo begins tomorrow. SBC and EIG teams had time to interview Ramsey Masri CEO of Mobile Automation platform OtherLevels on mobile engagement and retention concerns effecting digital operators.
A technology expert, Ramsey Masri discusses how mobile intelligence/data is effecting decision making within organisations. Masri further sheds insight on knowledge gaps seen within mobile led operations and the need for more progressive communication systems in consumer retention operations when targeting live customers and environments .
OtherLevels mobile services enables publishers to engage, retain and monetize their mobile audiences through mobile messaging analytics. The OtherLevels platform includes segmentation, targeting and retargeting tools that provide both to-device and on-device messaging analytics.
Ramsey Masri will be attending EIG Berlin (21-23 October Arena Berlin)
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SBC: Ramsey, pleasure to interview. You have worked and consulted many technology services, at management level how are mobile data and analysis impacting business and strategic decisions making?
Ramsey : I believe all companies realise that the game is shifting from acquiring data to making it actionable. After 5 years of heavy investments in building data warehouses, decision makers are data-rich but information-poor, and they need to find a way to ferret out the salient points within their data archives to generate real engagement, and consequently increased lifetime value, or similar measure.
SBC: Your firm places a strong focus on early customer detection, operationally what does this imply and how can it be used effectively by igaming enterprises and services?
Ramsey: Gaming is a perfect example of the importance of real-time decision processing. There is a low tolerance for delayed response and inaccuracy of response in the gaming and wagering industry, so it’s essential that igaming enterprises and services rely on true real-time reporting. Data has to be available within minutes, and ideally seconds, because the end user’s attention or sensitivity to the event – whether a real-time sporting event or a real-time, in-game action – is measured in seconds and minutes, not in hours and days, as it used to be.
SBC: As CEO do you feel that there may be a knowledge gap with regards to mobile operations, product intricacies and best practices? What should enterprises do to challenge these factors?
Ramsey: There is an enormous gap. We had 20 years to become email marketing experts, and we are trying to bring those skills, plus a complete new mobile based set of skills to bear, in the rapidly evolving world of mobile. There is a dearth of talent with mobile experience, and an accompanying challenge around the speed at which companies can hire the talent to provide this type of in-house, real-time skill set. The average tenure of a mobile marketing executive in the retention/engagement space is less than a year, and most of the people we deal with have been in that role for four to nine (4-9) months. As a result, companies such as OtherLevels are well-positioned to deliver not only the technology, but also the expertise around creating real-time marketing automation programs for these segments.
SBC: The OtherLevels team has worked with igaming operators on mobile engagement and retention strategies. Beyond mobile CRM where do you see your business services having an impact on iGaming’s Value Chain?
Ramsey: The answer depends on the definition of CRM (customer relationship management), because the OtherLevels approach goes beyond the traditional definition and roles of CRM. In this new mobile environment, a variety of CRM-like functions are now intertwined, including marketing, customer satisfaction, engagement and retention, revenue and sales. We describe ourselves as a second-generation marketing automation platform, focused on getting the mix of engagement types right for the different environments, such as mobile web and apps, and understanding the differences between permission-based marketing and marketing to non-opted-in audiences.
SBC: Looking ahead to the future, how do you visualise mobile retention evolving for igaming and commercial enterprises. How will mobile engagement evolve in the coming years?
Ramsey: The focus will be on Real-time, contextually accurate, highly emotive and immersive engagements. Devices will play a part, but the software and services attached to them need to have the equivalency of a phone call conversation between friends.
SBC: You will be attending the EIG Berlin Expo, as a business leader what agendas and discussions do you want to see at the forefront of the Expo?
Ramsey: I really hope we have conversations that look beyond the singular conversation of email or push marketing. Everyone should be really focused on the real-time, intimate dialogue that needs to be had with customers and subscribers in today’s mobile environment.
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Ramsey Masri – CEO OtherLevels
