Absa Cape Epic

Shared passion

Through our partnership with the Absa Cape Epic, we wanted to improve the entire human experience by delivering a technology solution that would create efficiency and reduce wait times for riders.

The strategic partnership does not only elevate riders’ overall experience as what is regarded to be the biggest mountain bike stage race in the world, but also signals a dedication to pushing technology boundaries in an impactful manner.

"Blending innovation and technology to create world-class rider experiences is a key focal point for the Absa Cape Epic and the Epic Series. We have always offered riders the best experience when they are at our events and having CM.com creating a virtual race office, in addition to our Digital Event Guide, are just two ways we are working towards delivering another world-class event in 2022," Absa Cape Epic Founder, Kevin Vermaak.

Race office goes virtual

One of the ways in which we improved the experience through a virtual race office, was by implementing a WhatsApp chatbot.

To invite riders to engage with the WhatsApp chatbot, we drove both online and offline awareness. By scanning a QR code, the virtual race office flow would start via WhatsApp.

Using historical data to define the most popular frequently asked questions, riders were able to access important information like start times and results, while supporters could access route maps at any time of the day. If the chatbot could not answer a question, those queries were routed to race control representatives, who could then respond in real-time to both riders and supporters via CM.com's Mobile Service Cloud.

In the run-up to the race weekend, our Customer Success Team supported the Absa Cape Epic team by ensuring the team of race control were ready for the large volume of interactions and ensuring that the communication ran smoothly.

Though the sponsorship in 2022 was initially centered around automating frequently asked questions for riders via a WhatsApp chatbot, the scope of the partnership will continue to grow in an effort to optimise the complete rider and fan experience in 2023 and beyond.

"The globally recognised Absa Cape Epic is a testament to what humans can achieve through perseverance and hard work,” said James Bayhack, Director Sub Saharan Africa at CM.com. “We quickly noticed that both our organisations share a passion for pushing boundaries and creating amazing experiences, and we believe that our partnership with the Absa Cape Epic will allow us to enhance the rider and spectator journey through the enablement of our cloud software solutions,” he concluded.