Automated Quitline-to-SMS tobacco cessation support, built around a 180-day journey.
Aeologic integrated the National Tobacco Quitline with the mCessation platform to capture callers when counsellors are unavailable and place them into a structured 180-day SMS cessation journey. The solution combines IVRS registration, secure APIs, timeline-driven scheduling, one-way and two-way SMS, webhook-based responses and rule-based decisioning.
In short
Aeologic built a backend SMS engine integrated with the National Tobacco Quitline to turn otherwise unattended caller interactions into structured cessation support. When counsellors are unavailable, IVRS data is securely transferred to mCessation, where a 180-day timeline automatically manages preparation, reinforcement, checkpoint interactions and opt-out handling.
- Client National Health Ministry / National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP)
- Problem Callers reaching the Quitline when counsellors were unavailable had no structured follow-up beyond the existing IVRS.
- Solution Rule-based backend SMS engine connected with IVRS, webhooks and the SMS gateway
- Scale 180-day automated cessation journey connected to the National Tobacco Quitline
Quitline support stopped short when a counsellor wasn't available.
The National Tobacco Quitline effectively supports callers connected with counsellors, but calls arriving during non-operational hours, holidays, Mondays or periods of counsellor unavailability could not enter the normal counselling pathway. Those callers received no structured cessation follow-up beyond the existing IVRS. The integration therefore needed to capture these otherwise unattended interactions and convert them into enrolments for a sustained SMS programme, while remaining separate from and avoiding disruption to the existing Quitline operations.
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Callers during non-operational hours could not access the normal counsellor-led support pathway.
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Holiday and Monday callers required an automated route into continued cessation support.
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Existing IVRS interactions did not provide a structured 180-day follow-up journey.
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Any new integration had to operate without impacting existing Quitline call handling.
What the integration had to achieve.
Integrate the National Tobacco Quitline with the mCessation platform.
Pilot automated enrolment of callers into the SMS programme during non-operational hours, holidays and Mondays without impacting existing Quitline operations.
Enable real-time, secure API-based exchange of caller information between IVRS and mCessation.
Introduce two-way SMS so users can interact with the programme rather than only receive messages.
A controlled digital cessation journey connecting IVRS, scheduling, messaging and user responses.
Capture unattended Quitline callers
A dedicated registration pathway receives caller details from IVRS when the counsellor route is unavailable and securely creates the corresponding mCessation programme record.
Drive the cessation timeline
The backend scheduler manages the participant's journey around a Quit Date, coordinating preparation, reinforcement and predefined follow-up checkpoints over 180 days.
Turn messages into decisions
At selected milestones, inbound replies are processed through webhooks and business rules so the programme can advance, restart preparation or apply a safe default when no response is received.
API-driven enrolment
Caller information is transferred in real time from the IVRS pathway into the mCessation backend through a dedicated registration API.
Timeline-based orchestration
A rule-controlled scheduler places each enrolled participant on the appropriate sequence of preparation, reinforcement and checkpoint events.
Gateway-based messaging
DLT-compliant message templates are routed through the CDAC SMS gateway, supporting both scheduled outbound communication and checkpoint interactions.
Rule-controlled programme state
YES/FREE, NO/BACK, retry and STOP conditions determine how the participant's journey behaves at each interaction point, including an immediate global opt-out path.
Four operational challenges, four targeted fixes.
Keeping automation separate from the live Quitline
The pilot had to capture non-operational-hours and holiday callers without disturbing normal call handling or the existing counsellor pathway.
Dedicated registration pathway
The integration was scoped around a dedicated API that is invoked only when the counsellor route is unavailable, keeping the automated journey outside the normal call-handling flow.
Converting push messaging into interaction
The existing flow was primarily one-directional, while the new programme required users to answer targeted questions at important cessation milestones.
Webhook-enabled two-way messaging
Inbound webhook handling was added alongside outbound SMS processing so participant replies could reach the decision layer and influence the journey on the same day.
Handling users who remain silent
A participant may not respond to a checkpoint message, but the automated cessation journey still needs a deterministic next state.
Retry followed by a safe default
The system resends the checkpoint once after 24 hours. If there is still no response, the workflow records NO and proceeds instead of leaving the participant indefinitely waiting for input.
Making opt-out immediate across the journey
A participant needed a reliable way to stop future communications regardless of which scheduled stage they had reached.
Global STOP interrupt
STOP processing takes precedence over normal scheduled messaging, allowing a keyword sent to 166 to immediately disable future communications.
"The integration was designed to extend the Quitline's reach without changing its existing counselling operations, using automation only where the counsellor path was unavailable."
From missed counselling opportunities to continuous automated support.
Quitline callers who cannot reach a counsellor can still be captured and enrolled instead of being lost after the call.
A consistent 180-day cessation journey operates automatically, extending Quitline support without increasing counsellor workload.
Two-way checkpoints allow the programme to respond to whether a participant has actually quit rather than relying only on broadcast messages.
A single STOP keyword gives participants direct control over future communications and supports consent-compliant programme operation.
Extending the Quitline into a sustained digital cessation journey.
The mCessation SMS Programme extends the National Tobacco Quitline from a call-time service into a sustained, automated cessation journey. By pairing a secure IVRS-to-mCessation registration API with a timeline-driven scheduler and CDAC-powered one-way and two-way SMS, the CHI team has completed the core SMS integration and algorithm configuration, with IVRS integration on the Sterlite/VPCI side remaining to close the loop.
Common questions about this deployment.
Find quick answers to the most common questions about the mCessation SMS Programme and its National Tobacco Quitline integration.
How does the mCessation SMS Programme work with the National Tobacco Quitline?
When a counsellor is unavailable, the enhanced IVRS captures the caller’s mobile number, gender, tobacco type and timestamp, then sends the information to the mCessation platform through a secure registration API for automated programme enrolment.
How long does the automated cessation journey continue?
The programme provides a 180-day automated cessation journey. The timeline covers pre-quit preparation, reinforcement and status checkpoints including Quit Day, Q+90 and Q+180.
Does the programme support two-way SMS interaction?
Yes. Two-way SMS is used at key checkpoints. Users receive targeted questions and their replies are returned through webhooks for real-time decisioning.
What happens if a user does not reply to a checkpoint SMS?
Silence is handled through a retry-then-default rule. The checkpoint message is resent once after 24 hours. If there is still no response, the system assumes NO so that the automated journey continues without becoming stalled.
Can users stop receiving messages at any time?
Yes. A fixed STOP keyword sent to short code 166 acts as a global interrupt and immediately halts all future programme messages, regardless of the user’s current position in the 180-day journey.
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