On the incoming call screen of T Phone customers using lifestyle convenience O2O services
Service name and purpose display method without separate app installation

Ms. Min Ji-young (34, pseudonym), an office worker who is deeply immersed in so-called 'O2O (Online to Offline)' services, which allow her to request services from companies via smartphone, ranging from food delivery to house cleaning every two weeks. As she increasingly uses O2O services because they allow her to access the services she wants easily and conveniently, Ms. Min’s only concern is when a company employee calls her to announce their arrival at her doorstep. This is because, in addition to worrying about spam and smishing calls recently, she hesitates to answer calls from unknown numbers, and since she lives alone, she is also worried about opening the door to a male delivery person. However, thanks to a new service from T Phone, Ms. Min’s worries have come to an end. This is because when an employee from the subscribed service provider calls, instead of an unknown number appearing, users can now verify the information as an 'OOO Service Representative' through T Phone.

SK Telecom (CEO and President Jang Dong-hyun) will launch a new concept service on the 13th to help T Phone users use O2O services more safely, in line with the expanding trend of 'O2O (Online to Offline)' services, where products or services are ordered online via smartphones and provided offline.

The core of the new T Phone service is that when an O2O company employee calls a customer to provide visiting services such as house cleaning, laundry pickup, or moving, information such as the service name and purpose is displayed on the T Phone screen.

The new service operates by having employees of O2O companies call customers through a separate employee app that utilizes T Phone's API (Application Programming Interface), allowing customers to check information such as the service name and purpose of the call directly on the T Phone incoming call screen without installing a separate app.

▲ T Phone O2O New Service Application Screen (Example)

SK Telecom will initially provide this service for free in seven sectors in collaboration with eight startups recognized as leaders in their respective fields of lifestyle convenience services. These companies do not merely act as intermediaries for services but manage their own workforce and are recognized for their high service quality.

SK Telecom and O2O companies expected that this service would facilitate smoother communication between T Phone users and O2O services by displaying on the T Phone screen that the person in charge is the agent for the service the customer directly requested, and automatically recording the service name and purpose of the call in the call log if the customer is unable to answer.

In fact, SK Telecom has been receiving a positive response from both passengers and drivers by piloting this service through its 'T Map Taxi' since last March, in which a passenger requesting a taxi is notified on the T Phone screen that they are a 'taxi driver' when they receive a call from the taxi driver.

In addition, to protect the privacy of O2O company employees, the service is designed to apply only when calling customers through the employee app, thereby preventing the unintended display of caller ID when employees are talking to acquaintances.

Meanwhile, this service was created in response to the inconvenience experienced by both customers and businesses, as an increasing number of customers do not answer calls from unknown numbers due to concerns about spam or smishing, despite the fact that prior phone calls between customers and business employees are essential for lifestyle convenience O2O services involving in-person meetings or home visits.

In addition, an internal analysis by O2O companies—which found that while some service providers send the phone number of the employee delivering the service to customers in advance via text message or their own applications, customers rarely save this information—also led to collaboration between SK Telecom and O2O companies.all.

Starting with this collaboration, SK Telecom plans to continuously expand the scope of target areas by cooperating with essential service sectors that require communication between service personnel and customers, such as designated driver services, parcel delivery, quick service, and carpooling.

"SK Telecom's Head of Product Planning, Wi Ui-seok, stated, 'T Phone has elevated customer convenience to a new level by providing essential phone information in addition to existing features. Moving forward, we will continue to secure T Phone partners in various service sectors requiring customer communication to maximize customer convenience and business efficiency.'"