Beginning 4 December, Monday, BMSG will be implementing a Pay-As-You-Wish payment system for our WhatsApp counselling hotline.
Since January 2022, we have been using an omnichannel platform for better management and automation of our WhatsApp queries. As a charity, we want to keep providing affordable services. While we would love to provide everything for free, we still incur overheads and charges for the technology and systems that we have.
To afford these expenses, we have decided to implement a Pay-As-You-Wish payment system to offset these expenses. We will not be stipulating any minimum amounts but rest assured that every cent is precious to us. As an Institute of Public Character (IPC), we wish to assure you that all incoming expenses will only be used to fund our overheads and staff salaries.
Do look through our FAQs if you require some clarifications.
Q1) I have sent in WhatsApp messages before to the BMSG hotline. Will I still be be able to enjoy the free-of-charge first-time consultations?
Beginning Monday, 4 December, we will reset the counter. All first / initial messages beginning 4 December and thereafter will be considered free.
Q2) If I have a few questions to ask, will the counsellor only answer the first one for free?
We understand that breastfeeding counselling is done in a conversation between you and our counsellors. It is ok to ask more than one question in a conversation, as long as it is within a reasonable limit. We will allow the first conversation (session) to be free, even if there is more than one question.
Once the conversation reaches its natural end, or if there is a prolonged pause in the interaction, our counsellor will communicate accordingly to resolve the conversation, and you will be invited to make a donation if you need further support from us.
Q3) How will the payment system work? What is the mode of payment that is currently accepted?
To keep it simple for our users, all you need to do is to follow the instructions on the automated message that comes on your screen for subsequent queries that you send to our hotline. At the moment, we will be accepting PayNow and debit or credit card payments.
Q4) What is the minimum payment that you will accept?
We have a sliding scale in denominations of $5, beginning from $5, $10, $15 and so on. Users are welcome to pay more if they wish. As a guideline, we spend around USD150 a month to fund the omnichannel technology application, which is not inclusive of the man hours that our staff spend to manage the application.
Q5) How will you keep track of the users who contact you?
As long as you are using the same handphone number, the system will recognise that you have contacted BMSG’s WhatsApp hotline before.
Q6) I have a question about a workshop or event by BMSG, and no breastfeeding-related questions. Will I still be charged?
No, all non-breastfeeding counselling related queries will not be chargeable.
If you have other questions that are not covered in the FAQ above, please email us at office@breastfeeding.org.sg for further clarifications.
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