USSD services for any phone
USSD is a menu service that customers open by dialling a short code such as *123#. It works on any mobile phone, with no app and no data bundle. Moozy runs registrations, enquiries, surveys and payment steps over USSD, from the same service definition as WhatsApp, SMS and web.
Moozy Cover
1. Register
2. Check my policy
3. Pay premium
4. Speak to a person
0. Exit
Reply: 1
Illustrative workflow.
What USSD is, and why it still matters
USSD stands for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data. The customer dials a code, a numbered menu appears on the screen, and each reply opens the next step.
Across Africa it is how people check balances, buy airtime and move money. Your customers already know how to use it, which is why it suits services that have to reach everyone. Network coverage and operator charges still apply.
Any phone
Feature phones and smartphones alike. There is nothing to install and nothing to update.
No data bundle
USSD runs over the mobile network’s signalling channel, not the internet.
A live session
The exchange happens in real time and ends when the customer finishes or the session times out. Nothing is stored on the handset.
A short code
Customers reach you by dialling a code such as *123#, which is easy to print, broadcast and remember.
What runs well over USSD
Short, structured tasks: a handful of questions, a choice from a list, a confirmation. The problem it solves is reach. A service that lives only in an app or on WhatsApp leaves out customers without a smartphone or without data that day.
Register (3 of 6)
Your district?
1. South-East
2. Kweneng
3. Central
4. More
Reply: 2
Registrations and surveys
One question per screen, with each answer validated before the next appears.
My policy
Status: Active
Next premium: P120
Due: 25 Oct
1. Pay now
0. Back
Reply:
Balance and status enquiries
Answers drawn from your own systems, so the customer sees their record, not a generic message.
Pay premium
Amount: P120.00
Pay by mobile money?
1. Yes, send request
2. Not now
Reply: 1
Payment steps
The customer confirms in the menu, then approves the mobile-money request on their own handset.
Illustrative workflow.
How Moozy runs a USSD service
USSD is not built as a separate project. It is one way of serving a journey you define once, with the same rules and records as every other channel.
Define the service once
Set the questions, the rules and the outcomes. The same definition serves WhatsApp, SMS, web and USSD.
Shape it for the session
USSD screens are short and sessions time out. Moozy presents the journey as brief numbered steps that fit the screen and the session.
Hand over and follow up
Confirm by SMS, continue on WhatsApp when a document is needed, or route the customer to a person on your team.
Reach the customers a smartphone strategy misses
USSD and SMS together
USSD handles the live exchange. SMS carries what should outlast the session: the confirmation, the receipt, the reminder.
Continue on another channel
A customer who registers on USSD can finish on WhatsApp or the web. Where customer matching is configured, the journey carries on from where they stopped.
English and Setswana
Offer the language choice on the first screen. Other languages are added by arrangement.
Set up with your operators, governed like the rest
A USSD service depends on mobile network operators. We plan that with you at the start, so it does not surprise you at the end.
Short codes and approval
The short code and operator approval are arranged during setup. Requirements, timing and charges vary by market and by network.
Connected to your systems
Menus read from and write to your CRM, core banking or policy system through APIs, so a status shown on USSD is the status on record.
Consent and audit trail
Opt-ins, answers, payments and handovers are logged with time, channel and actor, and can be exported for review.
Role-based access
Roles decide who can change a menu and who can see what customers submitted.
USSD use cases by sector
The pattern is the same in each: a wide audience, a short task and a record you need to keep.
Financial services and insurance
Policy and loan status, premium and repayment steps by mobile money, and registration for cover.
Government and public services
Programme registration, application status and fee payment steps for citizens on any phone.
Health and social services
Appointment confirmation, programme enrolment and short feedback surveys.
Enterprise customer operations
Self-service for the most common requests, with a route to a person for the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What is USSD?
USSD, or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, is a mobile network service that shows text menus on a phone when the customer dials a short code such as *123#. Each reply opens the next screen, in a live session, without an app or an internet connection.
Do customers need a smartphone, data or an app?
No. USSD works on any mobile phone and does not use a data bundle. Network coverage and operator charges still apply.
How do we get a USSD short code?
Short codes are issued through mobile network operators, and the approval steps, timing and charges vary by market. We plan the short code and operator setup with you as part of the deployment.
Can customers pay over USSD?
Yes. The customer confirms the payment in the menu, then approves a mobile-money request on their own handset. The result is recorded against the customer and can update your system. Payments run on your own merchant and provider arrangements, set up during deployment.
What are the limits of USSD?
Screens hold a short amount of text, sessions time out, and USSD cannot carry photos or documents. Moozy keeps each step brief and moves the customer to WhatsApp or the web when a journey needs a document or a longer conversation.
Does a USSD service share records with our WhatsApp and SMS services?
Yes. All channels are served from the same service definition and write to the same records. Continuing one journey across channels depends on customer matching, which is configured during setup.
Related capabilities
USSD is one capability of Moozy’s omnichannel customer engagement platform. See how it is used across industries.
Bring one service that has to reach everyone
Tell us the task, the audience and the markets. We will walk through the menu, the operator setup and the systems behind it.