Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (Saccos) can now strengthen Customer Relationships, build a loyal customer base, and beat the competition through tailormade solutions.
Afrinet Telecom Ltd, a fast-rising technology company, provides customer-focused solutions to improve service delivery and business growth.
For over seven years, Afrinet Telecom has successfully enabled organizations to communicate and engage their customers through Bulk SMS and Customer Feedback solutions.
The company’s bulk SMS platform has proven to be a reliable and efficient communication channel, regularly reaching millions of customers yearly. Besides, its simple customer feedback tool helps organizations stay up to speed with how their clients feel about them. The solutions have been a game-changer for several Saccos using Afrinet Telecom’s services.
“We are on a path to help Saccos and other organizations stand out in the market and retain their customers. It is easier to keep that one customer on board than getting another,” says Afrinet Telecom’s Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Ng’ang’a in an exclusive interview with Co-op News.
Mr. Ng’ang’a notes that, with the current nature of competition, Saccos are required to up its game by building and nurturing its existing customer relationships. “Afrinet Telecom Ltd helps organizations retain customers and cut costs of reaching out to new customers.”
With over ten years in sales and marketing, Mr. Ng’ang’a says there is a need for any business to better its relationship with its customers. "The whole idea of helping organizations build strong bonds with their customers has come from the fact that the business environment has become very competitive. And a lot of organizations are struggling to survive. As a result, organizations need to stand out. The way to stand out against your competitors is to listen to your clients, something that builds strong customer relationships. If you have strong bonds with your clients, you are in a good position to beat the competition and retain existing customers," he says.
The firm, which is based at Spur Mall along Thika Road, has developed a platform that Saccos can use to carry out feedback surveys and get real-time results with well-analyzed and simple-to-understand reports. "We have enabled all our Sacco clients to significantly increase their Net Promoter Score and maintain healthy relationships with their members," says the 38-year-old CEO. The customer feedback solution allows sharing of the surveys through bulk SMS or short-code, which triggers members to take part in customer surveys. The shortcode technology, which is integrated into the customer feedback tool, helps to reach Sacco members without internet connectivity and those using feature phones. Members’ feedback has not only enabled Saccos to empathize with their members but also build solid relationships with them. “There are several options in the market, but very few organizations give the kind of support that Saccos need as we do at Afrinet Telecom,” he notes, adding that: “It is one thing to sell a solution to a Sacco, but it is another thing to support a Sacco. Saccos are financial institutions with very sensitive operations. Afrinet Telecom always goes a mile ahead to offer exclusive customer support to its Sacco clients.”
The CEO says their Bulk SMS and Customer Survey solutions can be integrated into any of Sacco’s core banking systems so as to automate texting and customer feedback collection. He adds that they have integration APIs for both solutions that are easy to work with for any core banking system programmer.
“If it is about reliability and support, then Afrinet Telecom's bulk SMS & customer feedback tool is the way to go. They are solutions well-tailored to Sacco's unique identity and needs,” says Mr. Ng’ang’a.
Mr. Ng’ang’a, a Kenyatta University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics and pursuing an MSc in Strategic Management, notes that “communicating to clients regularly and collecting their feedback helps in nurturing strong customer relationships, establishing loyal customers, and retaining them, which leads to business growth.”