{"id":602462,"date":"2019-03-26T20:57:08","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T20:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"
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Calling it a world first for the telco industry, MTN has launched a WhatsApp channel to let its customers buy airtime and data bundles through the messaging app.<\/p>\n

The largest mobile operator in Africa has begun the service in its home country, South Africa, using the Facebook-owned app.<\/p>\n

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Gareth Murphy, MTN South Africa’s online channel GM, says it wants its services to be more convenient by providing a better customer experience.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s no secret that the telecommunications sector, around the world, has not excelled at this and we want to change that at MTN,” Murphy told me. “Simple solutions that are easy to use, and which fit neatly into our customer\u2019s lives, will help be a great differentiator for us.”<\/p>\n

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Customers can also check their balances and store their credit or debit cards in the app for future purchases. The service is provided by another South African company that has a global reach, Clickatell, which is a WhatsApp Business Solution provider.<\/p>\n

WhatsApp is extremely popular in South Africa. Just under half (49%) of South Africa’s 38 million mobile subscribers use it (out of a population of 58 million), according to the\u00a0Digital in 2018 in Southern Africa\u00a0report by Hootsuite and We Are Social, which compiles statistics from various sources.<\/p>\n

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WhatsApp now has\u00a01.5 billion global users\u00a0(as of January 2019), according to\u00a0Statista, which also found 49% of South African smartphone owners use it (at the third quarter of 2017).<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s imperative that companies focus on improving self-service experiences to retain and grow customers and this is an important step for MTN, in addition to what we are doing to upgrade our overall customer journey,\u201d says Mapula Bodibe, MTN SA\u2019s executive for consumer business.<\/p>\n

MTN quotes Gartner research that found\u00a025% of customers\u00a0will use chatbots or virtual customer assistant by 2020 to manage their own accounts.<\/p>\n

Murphy says this service will enhance customers overall digital experience. “People don\u2019t want to have to call a call center, they want control and this solution puts the control squarely in the hands of the consumer.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe understand which social media platforms the majority of our customers use and how much time they spend on them \u2013 so we\u2019re taking the solution there.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n