SMS is becoming an increasingly importantmedium in customer relations. This is demonstrated by Isagri, a publisher of IT solutions for the agricultural sector, which uses the Docoon messaging platform to enable agricultural cooperatives and other grain groups to communicate effectively with farmers. We interviewed Thierry Bettioui, Customer Quality Control Manager at Isagri Ingénierie, on this topic.
Hello Thierry, could you start by introducing us to the Isagri Group?
Thierry Bettioui: Hello, The Isagri Group publishes IT solutions (software, hardware, IT outsourcing, etc.) designed to meet the administrative, technical, and economic needs of farms and the accounting profession. The Group acts as a true partner to farmers, accounting firms, and management centers. The Isagri Group and its subsidiaries are historically based in Beauvais in the Oise region and have nearly 3,000 employees. Isagri Ingénierie is the Isagri department dedicated to cooperatives, traders, and agricultural suppliers.
At Isagri Ingénierie, we design software and websites for agricultural cooperatives and traders who work directly with farms. In short, we digitize the services and member/customer relationships of cooperatives, traders, and agricultural suppliers. Within this organization, I am responsible for support and also for testing our software.
Why did you decide to use Docoon's services?
T.B.: Isagri has had a business relationship with Docoon for many years. Initially, we sent our customers (agricultural cooperatives, traders) agricultural warning bulletins (e.g., aphids in a region, plant disease alerts, etc.), which they then relayed to their own customers, the farmers. These were alerts and information bulletins produced by regional agencies that our customers wanted to send automatically to farmers. We therefore organized ourselves to send these alerts directly to the end customers—the farmers—of our customers—cooperatives and traders—by fax, mail, and email using a direct mail platform.
Then we encountered reliability issues with a partner who managed fax sending. On our end, more and more emails were unfortunately ending up in spam folders. So we turned to Docoon – Odyssey Messaging at the time ¹ – to manage fax, email, and mail delivery.
Did SMS direct mail come later?
T.B.: Yes. As the years went by and the media and practices evolved, more and more farmers wanted to receive this information by text message. As we were satisfied with the quality of Odyssey Messaging's service, which also offered reliable and responsive support, we naturally continued and expanded our partnership with text messaging.
And today, what role does SMS play for your customers?
T.B.: It has become indispensable. Thanks to the Docoon platform, we send thousands of text messages on behalf of our customers to farmers. The messages contain information that is necessary for customer relations. For example, text messages to remind members of an agricultural cooperative of the date, location, and agenda of a general meeting, quick surveys, or even hail alerts for crops.
Today, thanks to the Docoon platform, we also use SMS for transactional purposes. For example, when a farmer wants to sell several tons of wheat to a cooperative, to verify their identity, a code is sent to them via SMS to validate the transaction. SMS provides additional security to authenticate the person placing the order.
In fact, according to our customers, SMS is the medium that has the greatest impact on their communications. For example, if they have any news about their website, they send an SMS saying " here's the latest ," with a link that takes you straight to their site. Farmers can quickly to the relevant page on the site...
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How many text messages do you send on behalf of your clients?
T.B.: More than 1 million per year. It's important to note that farmers spend most of their time outdoors. They therefore use their smartphones regularly and appreciate having a responsive service via text message.
What are the benefits of using the Docoon messaging platform?
T.B.: They are diverse and varied. First of all, we have a user-friendly, easy-to-use multi-channel sending platform at our disposal. The Docoon sending platform interfaces with our own information system, which is a big advantage. Secondly, we have real-time statistics: campaign open rates, message deliverability, etc. This last point is important because it allows us to alert the customer in the event of an incorrect email or mobile number, so that the error can be corrected. We therefore have statistics on the various mailing campaigns that we share with our customers. Our largest customers have access to this information and are therefore able to independently correct invalid addresses or emails or update them.
Finally, in the case of SMS messages, for example, we have a tool for sending large numbers of messages, and processing is fast, which is very important for our customers. A code sent by SMS to confirm a transaction must be sent within 5 seconds.
And from the perspective of collaborating with Docoon, what can you say about that?
T.B.: I have a relationship of trust with the Docoon account manager. When there is a problem, our contact person is constructive, and things move forward to resolve it. In fact, a few months ago, we implemented an ISO-compliant monitoring plan for our service providers, including Docoon. We therefore hold regular reviews, and I know in advance that everything will go well! 
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Thank you, Thierry, for answering our questions!
(1) In 2022, Docoon brought together under the same brand the Odyssey Messaging group (specialist in multichannel communication) and its brands DPii Telecom and Docoon, specialists in digitization and electronic signatures, respectively.
