MOBIEG
Introduction
South African youth today suffer from many socio-economic problems and struggle to operate in the current economic environment.
The critical issue of a large number of poorly educated young people between the ages of 10 and 35 that are unemployed and who succumbed to social ills (drugs & crime) is a matter that requires urgent, comprehensive and innovative thinking.
Services that provide access to critical information, career guidance, counselling, and other support structures help to address wellbeing. However, current support services are often insufficient to deal with demand. This situation is even worse in under-served communities since such communities are complex social ecosystems where services are inadequate for the local needs (Joly, Cipolla, & Manzini, 2014). Technology like the internet, computers and smart devices are service enablers that provide services in new ways.
The idea to provide a medium where anybody can have access to counselling by using a cell phone led to the birth of MOBIEG (Pty) Ltd in 2010, which, through innovative technology, developed and provided a cost-effective medium for online text-based counselling. The work MOBIEG did, was the first and online counselling only gained popularity and acceptance during the Covid pandemic in 2020.
Vision
MOBIEG Pty (Ltd) strives to become a well-known brand using mobile technology to bring about social transformation in South Africa.
Mission
MOBIEG Pty (Ltd) is a Social Network Facility company that uses mobile technology to bring about social transformation in South Africa.
MOBIEG identifies every client’s needs, has a customised product developed for them, and assists with the product’s implementation, training, and usage.
MOBIEG Pty (Ltd) helps empower people and companies to reach people who live on the margins of society with access to information, advice, and many other services that would otherwise be beyond the reach of the poor.
MOBIEG Pty (Ltd) develops various products (for example, online call centres) to assist organisations in providing support services such as counselling, health & wellbeing, education and self-help courses.
Who are we?
“MOBIEG” is an innovative IT company that develops mobile technology to bring about social transformation.
MOBIEG identifies every client’s needs, develops a customised product for them, and assists with the product’s implementation, training, and usage. As a result, MOBIEG Pty (Ltd) helps empower people and companies to reach people who live on the margins of society with access to information, advice, and many other services that would otherwise be beyond the reach of the poor.
MobieG’s state-of-the-art “Instant Messaging Call Centre Software” has provided a text-based counselling service to thousands of users over the past seven years. The platform helped us to change the way to do counselling in a “Digital Age”.
Product information
MOBIEG Chat is a platform that provides Turnkey Instant Messaging Call Centre Software for integration into mobile apps, websites and any other internet-based system.
As of our flagship products, the Turnkey Instant Messaging Call Center Platform (SAAS), is now available to businesses on a monthly licencing basis. The system is suitable for integration into call centres, such as Medical Aids, Banks, Corporate, Businesses, Government and Emergency Services.
Platform description
The platform allows end-users (visitors) to initiate a text-based chat from various sources, e.g. mobile apps & websites. All chat sessions are sent to a single system send directed into an “incoming” queue (or multiple queues for different departments). In addition, the chat platform allows “clients” to initiate a text-based chat from mobile apps or a website. All chat sessions are then answered by a group of available facilitators (counsellors) as they arrive.
What immediately sets this system apart from traditional telephone systems is that it allows each facilitator to speak to “multiple” clients at the same time instead of one at a time – making the number of facilitators needed to host a counselling session significantly less.
Policy or account details of visitors are easily integrated into the system so that staff have direct access to a client’s details to help them efficiently without establishing who the client is first.
The system was built from the ground up for call centres and contains all the features that call centre admins can require. For example, chats can be transferred to staff with specific skills or different queues to particular departments. Advanced statistics about lines, waiting times, usage, searchable chat history, per=staff statistics and individual permission levels are just features.
The software is provided as a hosted service. Therefore, the only requirement to access the system is a computer with internet access. The system is managed and maintained by MOBIEG’s technical team.
The “SAAS” will also assist businesses to cater for the globally growing demand to connect with clients efficiently and cost-effectively using minimal staff as high-impact businesses rely on the scalability of a product. Companies can also obtain the software on a monthly licensing basis or purchase the license from MOBIEG.
For further information, contact [email protected].
Platform options
Option 1: SAAS Hosted service
MOBIEG Pty Ltd configures, hosts and manages the platform in a secure internet hosting facility on hardware with built-in redundancy.
- Staff: Unlimited
- Departments: Unlimited
- Client users: 0 – 5000 p/m
- When the users exceed 5000 p/m, additional hosting fees apply
Option 2: Self-Hosted service
MOBIEG Pty Ltd configures the chat platform on servers provided by the clients at their premises. It includes a complete maintenance & SLA agreement.
- Staff: Unlimited
- Departments: Unlimited
- Client users: Unlimited
- The number of users is dependent on the client’s hardware and network infrastructure.
Option 3: Self-Hosted Source Licence
MOBIEG Pty Ltd configures the chat platform on servers provided by the client at their premises. A single set-up licence and source code are available, which allows clients to modify the system. Maintenance agreements are optional.
- Staff: Unlimited
- Departments: Unlimited
- Client users: Unlimited
- The number of client users is dependent on the client’s hardware and network infrastructure.
MobieG Campus
The MOBIEG CAMPUS, an online learning platform, was launched in 2019. We identified a need for online self-help programs that are affordable and easily accessible for people in need.
The courses are assessable via an online payment system managed by our non-profit company, LIVEJAM NPC.
MobieG Online Support Groups
We identified a need for accessible support groups for people who struggle with specific issues, like coping with grief, addiction, HIV, homosexuality and trauma. Often people in need of such services live in small rural towns where such services are not available. So we developed an online support group functionality that can be hosted weekly by a therapist and “attended” by people in need no matter where they reside. The support “opens” a preset time and allows in clients. The support group closes automatically after the last person leaves. Thus, we can create online support groups for specific issues.
MobieG Job Search Engine
The high unemployment rate in South Africa prompted us to develop an easier way for everyone to search for jobs. As a result, MobieG created a job search engine to assist people in looking for job opportunities online. The system constantly scans all South African job websites to allow you to find new opportunities.
LIVEJAM NPC
LIVEJAM NPC, a registered non-profit organisation, offers a range of innovative online services, namely:
- Text-based counselling
- Online quizzes
- An Online support groups functionality
- Informative articles
The text-based counselling service has helped hundreds of thousands of people since July 2010 in South Africa (and later, the rest of the world) via our mobile apps and website. It is a hugely cost-effective method of providing help to large numbers of people in need – anonymously, immediately and free of charge.
OVERVIEW
The need
Broken families = broken youth.
The idea that families are a vital institution for moulding society’s values and socialising young people may be old-fashioned. Still, the widespread absence of stable families in South Africa may be at the root of some of the disturbing behaviour we increasingly witness in our communities, particularly among young people. Only one-third of South African children live with both of their biological parents. Nearly one in five children is an orphan, having lost one or both of their parents, many of them to Aids.
These statistics paint a picture of most of our children growing up in disrupted family environments and have severe implications on several fronts. They may also partially explain the proliferation of sexual offences committed by and on young people.
The national demographic profile shows a population age structure that is young. Children and adolescents aged 19 years and younger account for almost half of the national population of nearly 50 million. Thus, young people represent the future of South African society and are ideally situated to change its ‘fabric’ through their self-improvement and determination (Reddy et al., 2010).
Youth today suffer from many socio-economic problems and struggle to operate in the current economic environment. Their well-being is at risk, and the current support services are insufficient to deal with the demand. This situation is even worse in under-served communities. A digital service was introduced and immediately filled the gap servicing tens of thousands of clients worldwide since 2010.
History
MOBIEG Life Skills Helpline was launched on MXIT as a pilot project in July 2010 under the umbrella of MOBIEG (Pty) Ltd, a social network facilitating company. The helpline reached thousands of young people in the first few months. LIVEJAM NPC was registered in 2012, and the name of the helpline changed to Life Helpline. The NPC has since been responsible for the counselling.
Vision
Our vision is to provide accessible, needed online services, such as counselling, to reach and assist vulnerable people in real-time, nationally and internationally, via innovative technology.
Mission
- We give hope and make a difference in the lives of marginalised people.
- We use social platforms for the provision of counselling to people in South Africa.
- We offer an anonymous, free-of-charge, easily accessible, cost-effective and real-time service.
- We provide clients with counselling, advice, support and guidance to make better choices in their personal lives.
- We use mobile technology to facilitate lasting behavioural change.
- We empower champions in communities as well as leading universities with skills and training in text-based counselling.
What we help with
- HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted disease
- Gender-based violence, rape and abuse
- Anger
- Grief / Trauma
- Sexual identity issues.
- Mental disorders
- Psycho-social and legal advice
- Abortion & pregnancy guidance
KEY DIFFERENTIATORS
- Anonymity for clients (text-based), cell phone numbers are not visible to counsellors
- Real-time action (on-site access to counselling with immediate response)
- Easy access via cell-phone
- Text-based
- Quality life skills facilitating
- MobieG offers help to anybody – regardless of age, race or gender
