Business Platform
MomConnect
Helping take care of new mothers with WhatsApp Business API
Brand
WhatsApp Business Solution Provider
The South African Department of Health, with the support of Praekelt.org and a group of partners, created the mobile healthcare platform MomConnect to disseminate critical information and vital services to pregnant women and new mothers via WhatsApp, and saw 16X more engagement from mothers via WhatsApp.
70%
higher opt-in rate for WhatsApp, compared to SMS
16X
more engagement from mothers via WhatsApp, compared to SMS
70%
lower cost for WhatsApp, compared to SMS
96%
of all messages received occur via WhatsApp
*Results are unique and are provided by the featured business. Success story results will vary, as they depend on a variety of factors.
Their Story
Health information for mothers and babies
Created by Praekelt.org in partnership with the South African National Department of Health, MomConnect provides critical information and health services to expectant and new mothers who rely on public healthcare. The platform uses mobile technologies to provide its subscribers with stage-based health information, and has served over three million people to date.
Their Goal
____
Efficiently and affordably distributing information
To achieve its goal of decreasing maternal deaths to half the current rate by 2030, MomConnect needed to reach its target audience in a way that was efficient and cost-effective for both the organization and its subscribers.
Their Solution
____
Providing mothers with critical information
With MomConnect, pregnant women and new mothers from low-income groups across South Africa could access critical information about pregnancy and infancy for free via SMS by subscribing to the service. However, MomConnect could not sustainably expand its services with SMS due to its prohibitive costs, character limits and inability to deliver rich content. To solve this challenge, Praekelt.org turned to WhatsApp, which agreed to help deliver its services using the WhatsApp Business API at a reduced monthly operational cost.
People were encouraged to sign up for MomConnect communication via WhatsApp during their first visit to an antenatal clinic. They would then receive critical information and clinic appointment reminders throughout their pregnancy and until their baby turned two years old, with customized updates tailored for each life stage. Mothers also used MomConnect to contact the National Department of Health about health information and services, including psychosocial and emotional support.
WhatsApp allowed us to develop a platform that provides expectant and new mothers in South Africa with timely information and access to maternal healthcare. Through MomConnect, we can engage with people in a multifaceted way, regardless of their financial status or location. The flexibility, security and reliability of WhatsApp contributed significantly to supporting MomConnect and improving the lives of millions of vulnerable people.
Debbie Rogers
Managing Director, Praekelt.org
To provide a seamless experience, Praekelt.org developed an automated chat tool called Turn.io to manage and automate a large number of conversations, provide answers to frequently asked questions, and escalate more complex inquiries to specially trained human helpdesk operators.
Their Success
Caring for the vulnerable
The MomConnect platform has benefitted millions of pregnant women and new mothers by improving their access to critical healthcare information and services. In partnership with Turn.io, MomConnect—which has relied on WhatsApp to scale up its services and assist vulnerable populations in low-income areas—achieved the following results:
- 70% higher opt-in rate for WhatsApp, compared to SMS
- 16X more engagement from mothers via WhatsApp, compared to SMS
- 70% lower cost for WhatsApp, compared to SMS
- 96% of all messages received occur via WhatsApp
- Mothers are 10X more likely to submit questions to MomConnect via WhatsApp compared to other communication channels
- Over 65% of mothers in the programme communicate with MomConnect via WhatsApp
- 1.8 million WhatsApp messages sent monthly, on average
*Results are unique and are provided by the featured business. Success story results will vary, as they depend on a variety of factors.
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