CleverTap, user engagement and retention cloud platform, has acquired Patch, a technology that enables businesses to brand and embed Communication channels — including in-app voice, chat, and push notifications — directly into consumer apps. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Patch is designed to provide seamless, contextual, and secure communications between companies and consumers. More importantly, its in-app calling makes two-way communication privacy-compliant, as there is no need to disclose caller or receiver telephone numbers or personal data, according to CleverTap's statement.

Vikrant Chowdhary, Chief Growth Officer of CleverTap said that for CleverTap, the Patch acquisition is strategic and significant because it positions the startup as the first and only marketing and retention platform to offer in-app telephony capabilities.

Currently, all companies that offer apps — from retail to fintech and from ride-hailing to meal ordering — are forced to use unverified phone numbers to communicate with their customers and update them on urgent information such as delivery status or recent credit card charges. Predictably, these phone calls, which are delivered outside of the app experience, neither carry transactional context nor recognisable phone numbers or caller ID, and often fuel customer anxiety and mistrust. Often dismissed as spam by consumers, the calls regularly go unanswered.

The outcome is a poor customer experience for the consumer and a loss of revenue for Brands and businesses that are unable to connect with consumers at critical stages in the customer journey.  

"For consumers, knowing who is calling and understanding the context from within the app increases trust and drives digital interactions and transactions," says CleverTap's Chowdhary. "As customers engage more frequently or deeply, brands and businesses also benefit because they reduce friction and increase the opportunities to generate revenues."

The company claims that it's also the first time these capabilities are being offered to mobile-first brands and businesses across the globe. "Having in-app voice capabilities as a part of the CleverTap Retention Cloud is a game changer for digital brands. It enables a trusted, two-way conversation between companies and their customers with context, security, and speedy resolution or assistance," said Anand Jain, CleverTap's Co-founder and Chief Product Officer. 

This, he added, is a new and critical addition to the engagement toolkit of email, push notifications, SMS, and WhatsApp that growth marketers and businesses must harness to improve communications and drive results. "It's all about evolving the in-app experience to increase customer satisfaction, reduce friction, and ultimately help our customers grow customer retention and LTV."