Tata Sky launches mSales app

NEW DELHI: IBM has announced that Tata Sky, the leading pay TV provider in India, has selected the IBM MobileFirst Platform to develop apps that will help spur growth in rural markets while improving customer service and responsiveness for its subscribers across the country.

The new Tata Sky mSales app helps users or dealers quickly respond to customer inquiries, track existing accounts and onboard new subscribers. Access to mobile capabilities that enable more efficient customer service is especially important in rural areas where many dealers and distributors don’t often have access to laptops or reliable Internet connectivity.

According to a market study by Hong Kong-based research firm, Media Partners Asia, the direct-to-home (DTH) active subscriber base in India will increase from 37 million in 2013 to 60 million by 2018 and 70 million by 2023.

A believer of useful innovation and in queue with the need and opportunity in the market, Tata Sky focused on deploying a unique mobile solution to empower its dealers.

With over 50,000 downloads since its launch, the mSales app creates new cost efficiencies by decreasing help desk calls to manage existing customer needs, and streamlines processes for establishing new accounts. With simplified access to customer analytics, dealers and distributors can better engage customers with more targeted, personalized products and services.

“With IBM’s deep mobile and industry expertise we have gained a trusted partner for mobile solutions. The Tata Sky mSales app is one of the few examples of how mobile handsets can help us overcome business challenges thereby opening new markets and creating more valuable customer interactions.” said - Ravishanker, Chief Information Officer, Tata Sky .

“With the IBM MobileFirst Platform, Tata Sky can take advantage of new growth opportunities in untapped markets and easily scale the number of users and apps being delivered to market to offer differentiated services and get ahead of the competition,” said Vanitha Narayanan, Regional General Manager –IBM, India/South Asia.

The IBM MobileFirst Platform is available from Bluemix , IBM's cloud development platform, or via on-premises deployment. The IBM MobileFirst Platform helps create great apps that integrate data from enterprise systems, are contextual and personalized, continuously improving, and as secure as they are convenient.

IBM total cloud revenue --- covering public, private and hybrid engagements ---was $7.7 billion over the previous 12 months at the end of March 2015; it grew more than 60 percent in first quarter 2015.