An Application of SMS Technology for Customer Service Centre

1Ariff Idris, 2Abd. Samad Hasan Basari, 3Nur Hanisah Zubir, 1,2,3Faculty of Information and Communication Technology

Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Locked Bag 1752, Pejabat Pos Durian Tunggal, 76109 Durian Tunggal

Melaka, Malaysia 1miariff@utem.edu.my, 2abdsamad@utem.edu.my, 3nurhanisah.zubir@gmail.com

Abstract - SMS technology is designed originally as a communication tool between a service provider and its users. However in the last few years this technology has allowed users to communicate among them. The vast growth of mobile technology is also one of the elements that help in utilizing this technology. Users are able to get very fast information anywhere. In order to utilize this technology, CeS-LAP is developed to improve the current services provided by Lembaga Air Perak (LAP). This system is aimed at providing better complaint system, customer information system and expectantly an alternative way for customer to check their unpaid bill. Keywords – SMS; mobile phone; customer service center

I. INTRODUCTION Generally there are numbers of different

approaches provided by information technology to support information mobility. One of them is through the use of mobile phone technology. Currently there are number of technologies and standards emerging in the mobile phone area, such as AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Services), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access).

This paper discusses on the project namely CeS- LAP (Customer Service Center for Lembaga Air Perak) that is developed to be used by LAP. LAP is a semi-government organization in Perak which is responsible in managing the water supply service and distribution for Perak citizens. However LAP has only had a hotline number for their customers to make a complaint. Thus, Ces-LAP is developed to improve its current services.

This system enables customers to make a complaint or report on any problem that should be solved by LAP via SMS or browsing through the website. Customers can make their complaints or report when they spotted any pipe burst, stolen water meters, disconnection of water supply and any other related problems. The administrator will determine the location of the existing problem when the system receives complaint from the customer. Then, the system administrator will instruct LAP staffs on duty

for each service centre, zone or district also via SMS to fix the problem. Besides that, this system also allows customers to perform bill checking via SMS as well as website. This system will also provide information of LAP services to the customers via SMS.

This project is basically about developing a system that allow LAP customer to makes complaints easier and help LAP to manage all the complaints faster and effective via SMS and web. This system can be used by anybody that has accessed to internet and hand phone. The system is expected could eases and satisfies LAP customer.

Figure 1. Flow chart of CeS-LAP There are several researchers that have developed GSM with SMS for certain applications. For example, see [2], [4], [5], and [6]. In the next paragraphs, a brief discussion about GSM and SMS technology will be explained. GSM is a cellular phone protocol that is popular in many parts of the world, and is a chief competitor

2009 International Conference of Soft Computing and Pattern Recognition

978-0-7695-3879-2/09 $26.00 © 2009 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/SoCPaR.2009.124

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2009 International Conference of Soft Computing and Pattern Recognition

978-0-7695-3879-2/09 $26.00 © 2009 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/SoCPaR.2009.124

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to the CDMA protocol in the United States. In fact, for those who have CDMA phones they may find their cellular phones will not work outside United States. The GSM mobile phone standard is more popular in many places, simply because the standard has been established and was considered by many to be superior to CDMA, at least initially. The GSM family of technologies has provided the world with mobile communications since 1991 [3]. In over twenty years of development, GSM has been continually enhanced to provide platforms that deliver an increasingly broad range of mobile services as demand grows. Where the industry started with plain voice calls, it now has a powerful platform which is capable of supporting mobile broadband and multimedia services. GSM is now used over 219 countries and territories serving more than three billion people. It also provides travelers with access to mobile services wherever they go. One of the distinctive features of the GSM system is the use of SIM cards. This card will store all personal data and contacts. Once a phone is traded for a new one, transferring the data and activating the phone becomes simple by changing the card. SMS is an abbreviation for Short Message Service. SMS is a communication protocol allowing the interchange of short message between mobile telephone devices. SMS is used for modern handsets originally defined as part of the GSM. Its function is sending messages to and from GSM mobile handsets. Obviously, the SMS technology has facilitated the development and growth of text messaging. The connection between the phenomenon of text messaging and the underlying technology is so great. In consequence, every parts of the world are using the term "SMS" as a synonym for a text message or the act of sending a text message, even when a different protocol is being used.

II. SYSTEM DESIGN The design of this system is divided into two parts. First, is the interface design and second, navigation design. A. Interface Design Interface design is developed according to how users will interact with the system. It also considered the nature of input and output which the system will receive and publish. Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 will be used to design the interface [7] and PHP will be used as the scripting language [1]. Figure 2 shows CeS-LAP homepage.

Figure 2. SeC-LAP homepage

A short description about the system is explained at the homepage. It also has instructions on how to use this system via SMS in an acceptable format. B. Navigation Design Navigation design is the road map on how to navigate the site properly. The navigation design is important because it will confirm whether or not the system is good. Without a proper navigation map, the difficulties will be faced by the users when used the system. Navigation design of CeS-LAP gives a clear detail including user and available features as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Navigation design

III. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE System architecture is a term that contains an arrangement of the computer hardware and software which include in the system that performs the desired business function. This system is running in wireless network and wide area network. Unregistered customers with mobile phone only have the opportunity to send complaint to the system. Meanwhile only registered customers are able to

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receive announcement and also send complaint via SMS and website. The server is monitored by administrator which has a connection to the GSM Modem where the SIM card is placed. The system and database management are installed into the server. The physical architecture of CeS-LAP is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Physical architecture of CeS-LAP

An administrator will monitor the system which is integrated with GSM modem. The SIM card is placed into the GSM modem in order to deliver the message to mobile phone. The system could also broadcast the message to guardian’s mobile phone. The system and the database management are installed in the computer which is the main access point.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING During the implementation phase, the system is

built, tested and installed. The objective of this phase is not only to have a reliable and working information system but also to ensure that users are properly trained and the benefit that organizations get. Firstly software environment is set up before the CeS-LAP is deployed. An administrator will monitor the system which has been integrated with GSM modem where the SIM card is placed. The system and the database management are installed in the computer which is the main access point.

The server should have the web server which is the Apache server and Ozeki message server. After that, the server should also need the MySQL database and the second requirement is the system needs MySQL Connector to give the connectivity between Ozeki message server and MySQL database. This is because the Ozeki message server has a plug-in database that will be use for the CeS-LAP application. The apache web server and the MySQL database will be installed as the service inside the server. The software will be configured to start when

the server loads the operating system which Windows XP Service Pack 2. Figure 5 shows the software environment architecture of CeS-LAP.

Testing phase in this project is still ongoing. To date the testing phase is validating the system functionality and user interaction. Both white box and black box testing are successfully implemented. Further testing that is still under review is usability test and user acceptance test.

Figure 5. Software environment architecture of CeS-LAP

V. CONCLUSION This paper reports on a project about developing a system that allow LAP customer to make complaints easier. Previously the existing method of handling customers’ complaint is delaying the action taken. Based on the case study, the proposed system is very much help when there are many complaints at one time. This system can be used by everyone that have accessed to internet and hand phone. Furthermore the system helps LAP to manage all the complaints faster and effective via SMS and web. The prototype of the system is under testing phase. An initial feedback from users shows that the system is quite good in term of its mobility. There are some minor modifications that need to be amended in term of its user interface and functionality of the modules.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author would like to thank Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka for providing facilities and financial support.

REFERENCES [1] A. Asshok, Making use of PHP, Wiley Publishing, 2002. [2] D. Friel, L. Kilmartin, “An automated stock price delivery system based on the GSM short message service”, IEEE International Conference on Communications, 1998 (ICC 98), vol. 3, June 1998, pp. 1591 – 1595. [3] GSM Association, GSM Technology, http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/index.htm retrieved August 2009.

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[4] K.Wan, “An SMS-based sales reporting system for a fashion- clothes franchising company, Managing Technologically Driven Organizations: The Human Side of Innovation and Change”, Engineering Management Conference, 2003 ( IEMC '03), Nov. 2003, pp. 330 – 334. [5] N. Krishnamurthy, “Using SMS to deliver location-based services”, IEEE International Conference on Personal Wireless Communications, Dec. 2002, pp. 177 – 181. [6] L. T. Ching and H.K. Garg, “Designing SMS applications for public transport service system in Singapore”, The 8th I international Conference on Communication Systems, 2002 (ICCS 2002), vol. 2, Nov. 2002, pp. 706 - 710. [7] R. M. Sean, Dreamweaver Mx 2004 and Database, New Riders Publishing, 2004.

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