I had the opportunity to represent Global Call Forwarding at the Seamless Middle East 2024 Expo in Riyadh.
Having worked in telephony and communications for so many years, I’m always curious about how brands interact with customers and how people in different countries interact, particularly in the context of phones and phone numbers.
Here are some key telecom takeaways and trends that I noticed during my business trip to Saudi Arabia:
9200 Numbers Can Be Noticed Throughout the Country
One striking observation was the prevalence of 9200 numbers. They’re published everywhere throughout the country, from roadside billboards to outdoor acrylic signs to hotel key cards!
These Unified Numbers can be dialed anywhere in Saudi Arabia and outside the country.
Formatting Nuances
9200 numbers were written in a lot of different ways. Some common formats include:
- 9200XXXXX
- 9200 XXXXX
- 9200 XX XXX
Sometimes, I even saw these unified numbers in the format 92 XXXX XXX. This variance in display could be because of memorable number sequences or design preferences.
Global Comparisons
9200 numbers do not have a direct equivalent in the United States. The closest comparison might be toll-free numbers.
Internationally, Saudi’s Unified Numbers are similar to 1300 numbers in Australia, 400 numbers in China, and 03 numbers in the United Kingdom. They’re essentially non-geographic numbers that aren’t tied to specific area codes in a country.
Larger Companies Still Desire Toll-Free Numbers
800 numbers remain prominent for larger corporations in Saudi Arabia.
From the moment I left the airport, I saw billboards for well-established companies, with toll-free numbers published on them, lining the highways. Many ATMs had toll-free numbers prominently featured, and so did brochures and flyers from the Expo.
This highlights the continued importance of toll-free numbers to major corporations and their customers in Saudi Arabia.
It makes sense – I met with another client in downtown Riyadh, whose company helps large and well-established multinational corporations from the US and the UK establish a regional presence in Saudi Arabia.
Our client shared that the corporations his company works with overwhelmingly prefer toll-free numbers over the other phone number types.
Customer Engagement and Automation: The Role of AI
Though I didn’t experience this as much in my day-to-day excursions in Riyadh and Jeddah, customer engagement automation was a fundamental digital transformation theme at Seamless.
Many vendors showcased innovative solutions for customer-facing activities, like agent workflows, marketing automation, campaign personalization, and customer segmentation.
I also saw several exhibitors advertising their AI voice agent solutions and chatbots built to automate customer interactions.
Given the current technology, agentic AI can automate internal business processes and perform routine customer service tasks. Still, I don’t see its effectiveness for direct sales just yet.
WhatsApp: The Communication Channel of Choice in the Middle East
Heading into the trip, I understood the importance of WhatsApp as a preferred communication channel in the region.
In the past, we’ve helped businesses that offer automated WhatsApp solutions in the Middle East. We’ve also fielded hundreds of requests from companies that wish to use WhatsApp Business in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, among other countries.
Just as in Latin America and Europe, WhatsApp was on full display.
Not only were Uber drivers engaged in full-on WhatsApp group conversations mid-drive, and drivers from food delivery services contacting me through WhatsApp, many businesses also advertised their WhatsApp Business numbers online and in person.
Snapchat and Social Media for Branding
Social media marketing and advertising were common themes in the breakout sessions at the CMO Summit. While social media is not generally for purely business communications, brands must be present on various channels.
Snapchat was a hot topic during breakout sessions, and I even saw one of our Saudi-based clients, a B2B service provider, running advertisements on Snapchat. X, Instagram, and TikTok are also hugely popular.
One of the speakers mentioned that in the case of TikTok, even though a younger audience mainly uses it, forward-thinking brands should still use the platform to promote themselves to their next generation of customers.
Telecom Players: STC, Mobily, and Zain
STC and Mobily dominated visible advertising and physical retail throughout my travels; Zain also had a solid presence.
However, it would be important to note that high visibility only sometimes equates to market share. According to industry insights, there are several major telecom providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia regulates telecommunications and information technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its presence was also observed at Seamless.
Localization
While localization plays a crucial role in companies looking to market their products globally, people that I talked to and speakers in breakout sessions mentioned that Arabic localization is increasingly essential for resonating with Saudi consumers.
Consumers in other GCC countries tend to be more receptive to English content than Saudi consumers. Additionally, Saudi consumers will likely be more receptive to their native Arabic dialects and cultural nuances compared to generic Arabic translations.
Saudi Vision 2030 and RHQ
Saudi Vision 2030 and the Regional Headquarters Program (RHQ) came to my attention on the trip. Saudi Vision was incredibly evident throughout the expo and in my travels. RHQ came up during discussions with our local clientele.
Closing Thoughts
Seamless Expo emphasized the fact that customer communications in Saudi Arabia are rapidly modernizing.
From the use of long-standing mediums like toll-free numbers and 9200 numbers to the digitally-driven, giant-scale WhatsApp and social media usage and emerging trends like AI automation, there was a lot for me to take in.
At the end of the day, the people of Saudi Arabia were wonderfully inviting and welcoming to me as an outsider. Exhibitors at the Seamless Expo also showed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is eager to diversify its economy by supporting modern businesses and digital transformation.
There is a bright future for people living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and for companies doing business there.
