Author: Hubtel

If you think automation of after-sales support and customer engagement with chatbots is some science fiction idea slated for execution in the distant future, then let this post serve as a reality check.

Advances in Artificial Intelligence have resulted in the creation and development of bots that can understand, relate to and participate in human conversations. Traditional chatbots are wired to answer a finite set of hard-coded questions. New AI-based chatbots are trained with data sets of human conversations so that they can learn on their own and identify the intent behind every request or conversation, a technique known as Natural Language Processing. This makes them more relatable and natural for current and prospective customers to interact with.

IBM Watson, a cognitive system enabling a new partnership between people and computers, has already begun replacing paralegals and junior lawyers in top law firms. With IBM Watson, you can build virtual contact center agents to answer any queries your current and prospective customers may have for you. If you’re familiar with the American legal drama Suits, you’re no stranger to the fact that the character Mike Ross is always buried in paperwork before court cases. Researchers at the University of Toronto have already created an AI lawyer named Ross. Ross can take any legal question posted by an attorney and sift through its database of legal documents, statutes, and cases to come up with the correct answer. The system grows more accurate over time, as it learns more about a firm’s specific areas of practice and preferences.

In the next couple of years, AI bots are expected to take on a huge chunk of the work currently done by customer experience agents. This paradigm shift will address some of the major challenges faced in managing customer contact centers. Studies indicate that the average contact center representative lasts only about six months in their job. Also, contact centers have a whopping 40% average annual turnover rate. What’s more, bots will neither have off-days, unless they have to go offline for maintenance and software updates, nor call in sick, unless malware impacts their normal flow of operations. Replacing human customer experience agents with chatbots will allow multiple queries to be efficiently and promptly responded to.

After-sales support is usually about providing answers and clarity to questions your prospective and current customers may have. These questions are likely to be repetitive, so who (or what) is better to perform repetitive tasks in a better, more efficient, and faster manner than the bots we have created?

Perhaps you’re currently wondering how much capital and expertise is needed to deploy the solutions we have discussed above. Do not fret. In Hubtel’s bouquet of offerings, you will find some products and services that will allow your outfit to automate certain sections of the customer experience journey. We will discuss some related low-cost tech in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout.

Makola… Kantamanto… Nima… We visit busy marketplaces like these and very often worry about being robbed, getting change for our high denomination currency notes, and accounting for every cedi spent. What we really would want is to visit these same markets with no cash but our mobile phone, yet return with bags full of foodstuff, clothes and more. Sounds too easy? Well, that’s what a country with a cashless society looks like.

Most countries have set the year 2030 as a target to reach a totally cashless society as more citizens resort to the use of mobile payments to complete business transactions. In Ghana, despite the boom in mobile money transactions and ample data that predicts phenomenal drive towards a cashless society, no certain date has been set to get the country to run a fully cashless society. That notwithstanding, the country can be seen as one in Sub-Saharan Africa that is making significant strides in terms of mobile money adoption and usage.

Mobile telecom companies in Ghana are leading the way into the cashless future, and this is evident in the stiff competition among themselves for mobile money subscriber share. For some years now, telecom companies have been spending millions of cedis to educate Ghanaians on mobile money usage through intensive media campaigns and promotions. This has had a direct impact on the drive to get Ghana cashless by 2030 because these activities acquire new mobile money customers each day.

Industry watchers are fascinated by how fast countries like Denmark, India, Norway, and Sweden have moved to cashless transactions. In Sweden, retailers are legally entitled to refuse coins and notes, and street vendors – and even churches – increasingly prefer card or phone payments. Here in Ghana, a number of churches have begun receiving offerings and tithes via mobile money platforms. Instead of the usual practice of congregants dancing their way to the altar, it is rather becoming common practice for the church to display phone numbers on their screens at the end of each service and ask members to pay their tithes and offerings via mobile platforms.

Some retail shops have also begun receiving payments via Mobile Money and POS and this has led to increased profit margins as they are able to transact business in a more secure, faster, user-friendly and convenient way. The public sector has not been left behind as government programs such as the School Feeding Program and National Service Scheme also make use of mobile money to pay vendors and service personnel. Despite these gradual developments that is propelling Ghana to be a cashless society, a definite target date cannot be set to when it will become the norm. And even as technology-backed payment services have gained momentum in the urban centers of the country, penetration in the hinterlands is yet to reach satisfactory levels.

History has always demonstrated that technology disrupts the status quo and this is very evident in the introduction of cashless payments, particularly via mobile. Before your business misses out on this new wave that is soon becoming the norm, you can jump on board Hubtel’s integrated payment solution called Hubtel POS that enables businesses of all sizes to receive payments from customers via cards and mobile money on all networks. It’s safer, much more convenient, and very secure.

Of course, achieving a cashless society is not an end in itself. It is a means to help advance financial inclusion, security, and prosperity. Hubtel aspires to be a key force in bringing everyone into the financial sector, drastically improving the lives of the millions who are now under- and unbanked while supporting economic prosperity and security. Before too long, buying “plantain chips” in traffic could be a seamless cashless transaction that fully satisfies both the vendor and consumer.

The soul of crime in the country has found some new bravado and as a result, our law enforcement bodies are tweaking and turning the cogwheels of their logistical machinery so they can adequately face these crimes.

As part of this, the Ghana Police Service is embarking on a Police Transformation Initiative to deploy systems and initiate changes that will allow the outfit to tackle the increasing complexity of criminal offenses and face new threats squarely. The Initiative is also aimed at making the Ghana Police Service one of the top ten in the world within four years.

Dissemination of information in a convenient, secure, and timely manner is very crucial to the success of this Programme. This is why the Ghana Police Service has partnered with Hubtel as a key technology partner.

Under the arrangement, Hubtel will offer its platform for the delivery of text-based communication to and from over 30,000 police personnel across the country. This is to facilitate the collection of data to gain reliable insights on important public opinion through mobile feedback, and swiftly deliver emergency information to millions of citizens.

Hubtel is a company that delivers simple, practical tools to help Ministries, Municipalities, Districts and Authorities (MMDAs) manage and organize payments, send vital notifications via SMS and citizen self-service via USSD, towards better citizen engagement, as a key technology partner.

Akumiah, a young man boarded a trotro from Osu headed to Spintex. Halfway through the journey, the trotro mate began his routine collection of transport fares and as it got to Akumiah’s turn he reached for his wallet and realized he had left it at his workplace. Distraught, he frantically searched his bag to see if he would find some loose change to pay his fare.

To his utter dismay, he had no change left in his bag and at that point, the impatient trotro mate had already started hurling abusive words at him whilst demanding his fare. Akumiah remembered he had some money in his mobile money wallet and immediately asked the mate in the local parlance “Wo gye Mobile Money?” This question infuriated the mate even more and if it wasn’t the timely intervention of a passenger who paid Akumiah’s transport fare, the situation would have been quite a messy one.

In the face of the fast-spreading Mobile Money payment revolution, there is always a dilemma on whether or not one needs to keep some money in their Mobile Money wallet or if it’s better to move around with cash. In an active economy like Ghana’s, where everything from getting breakfast to catching a ‘trotro’ at the bus stop and even using the public urinal all requires monetary transactions, one is always forced to keep some cash on them to avoid any embarrassment like Akumiah’s.

Kofi Asare, a driver’s mate at the Kaneshie trotro station working in a Circle bound commercial bus says he has never accepted transportation fares via Mobile Money because he believes it will be a very tedious and inconveniencing process. However, he has received money via Mobile Money and is appreciative of the convenience it offers him in sending money to his mother in a village in the Ashanti Region.

For two sisters who retail dresses at the Rawlings Park in Accra, collecting cash only was the best business decision they had made until one day they were attacked by knife-wielding robbers after a day’s work and rid of all their sales. This compelled the two to now make Mobile money the preferred payment option for all their transactions.

A 2016 Ericsson Consumer Insight Report, titled ‘Financial Services for Everyone: Bridging the gap between the banked and the unbanked in sub-Saharan Africa’ stated that despite the risk associated with cash, 8 out of 10 consumers suggest that the convenience and wide acceptability of cash makes it the dominant mode of transaction.

The report however said that the data for mobile money usage in Ghana is very promising. With 69 percent of Ghanaians using mobile money agents, consumers see mobile network providers as the top preferred service provider for a mobile money agent.

Safety and convenience are two major keys most people look out for when it comes to the use and management of their monies.

Despite the fact that these two features are characteristic of Mobile Money payments and puts it in a better place to enhance businesses and enable growth, cash transactions still enjoy some dominance in the system.

As more individuals and businesses revolve and are caught in the Mobile Money frenzy owing to its safety, convenience, and reliability, it is likely to become the primary mode of financial transaction in the next few years, although businesses will still need cash to top up their wallets.

Taking the step to stay ahead of the competition in this regard can be done effectively through a payment solution such as Hubtel’s POS which is an integrated Point-of-sale solution that works with a phone or tablet to process payments.

The POS solution enables small businesses receive and make payments in a safe, secure manner to help them make more profits and expand their businesses.

Just recently, a busy fabric retailer at Accra Central received a call from an unknown man claiming he had sent her GHs 800 mistakenly and therefore requested that she send the money back to him.

She was busy at the time so she quickly reached for her phone to immediately authorize the transfer of the said amount, but thought to quickly check her balance first. Upon checking her balance she realized that there was no such credit to her account. It was then that she became suspicious and did not authorize the transfer. That was how close she was to being a victim of one of the fastest-growing fraudulent mobile money tricks in Ghana.

The introduction of Mobile Money in Ghana has enabled businesses make and receive payments from others conveniently and remotely. The fast evolution of payment systems and drive into a cash-lite or cashless society in Ghana is being realized gradually with the growth of Mobile Money.

This innovative technology has also created an avenue for some unscrupulous persons to attempt exploring possible security lapses within the system to fraudulently withdraw money and tamper with users’ data. Although Mobile Money users are responsible for securing their end of the system to prevent ‘intruders’ from performing transactions on their behalf, they still stand at risk of the least security breach.

The Ministry of Communications in 2016 reported that mobile phone subscriptions in Ghana had soared to over 35 million. This coupled with the increasing financial literacy in the country, projects a boom in Mobile Money usage in Ghana. Although most mobile payment services/platforms are safe, cyber crooks are constantly trying to outsmart the system and users.
Basic security tips for users include;

– Avoiding sharing passwords with third parties
– Avoiding the usage of weak PINs
– Being vigilant not to fall prey to tricksters

For small and medium-scale enterprises in retail, healthcare, and hospitality among other sectors that look to take advantage of the new technology; the current Mobile Money infrastructure should give the confidence of effectively take charge of business finances in a more secure and convenient way.

In addressing the challenge of having to turn away customers who do not have cash to make payments, leading mobile technology company Hubtel, has introduced a fully integrated payment acceptance solution that enables companies receive payments from customers via Mobile Money and cards securely. While helping businesses make extra profit, it enables them to record and accurately track records of all financial transactions. It’s safer, much more convenient, and very secure.

Despite the ongoing efforts of the authorities to minimize the possible security lapses exploited by fraudsters, ultimately Mobile Money users are responsible for securing their end of the system by utilizing all the tools and information to secure their money.

Last month, a logo I designed 12 years ago was retired.

I made a better one, then joined the company I made it for. I was fascinated by one thing.

They wanted to offer customer service as software to spur entrepreneurship, drive development and raise service quality standards across Africa.

I couldn’t resist.

To have that size impact we would have to enable customer-facing businesses to scale their customer service delivery at very low cost while maintaining optimal control and in one of the toughest places in the world to do business. Either that’s noble genius or absurd ambition. Either way, I wanted in.

Even the smallest of businesses in advanced countries can and often do offer a high level of professional and endearing service. Across Africa, many small to mid-size businesses have yet to feel the urgency to improve the customer service they offer. Service is often not seen as mission-critical for fast growth.

I’m a big believer in companies with a massive transformative purpose, like a company that wants to organize the world’s information. (Google)

It took a while but we found a way to better explain our vision.

“We believe Africa will be a better place when businesses make their customers happy.”

A statement so simple and obvious you could easily overlook the innovation and scale it would take to begin to have any such impact.

Today’s technologies can enable the free exchange of information for almost frictionless decision-making.

So, why not a company that gives any size business in Africa direct access to its entire market and the best tools to serve every single customer equally well. That’s just about crazy enough to work.

David Coleman
David Coleman is Chief Marketing Officer at Hubtel. He loves to read, hang out with his sons, and swim a few laps every weekend.

On the 21st of December 2015, I got a notification on LinkedIn from one of the directors of a certain company. In his email he stated “We are one of Africa’s leading mobile value added services companies with operations in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nigeria. We’re looking to expand our product offering to include some mobile applications. I’ve been looking at your profile and have realized that you would be a good fit for our team”.

I don’t remember exactly where I was or what I was doing when I got this message but boy, was I thrilled! Anyway, I went for what would be a life changing interview and I got in. What followed, is history.

Last month, this same company rebranded from SMSGH to Hubtel Limited with an audacious tagline – Rethink Customer Service – to help serve our customers better and deliver suitable tailor-fit solutions for all businesses.

In an ideal world, every business should know their customers enough to be able to deliver quality and convenience when it comes to service delivery. The interaction between businesses and customers should be seamless and pleasant.

The journey for most businesses is tough, and we at Hubtel understand this. We believe customers are the lifeline of every business and being able to harness that information is key to survival. Visit our website to get more information.

I’m grateful for the opportunity and privilege to work with such an amazing team of great minds.

We are here to stay, change lives and promote growth for businesses.

Benjamin J. T Sackey.
Benjamin is a Product Designer (UX) at Hubtel. Together with his team, they build payment solutions for businesses. He spends time honing his swimming skills or playing table tennis when he’s not behind his Mac.

A five-man delegation from the Ministry of Information led by Deputy Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Tuesday, June 6, 2017, paid a courtesy visit to the Hubtel Offices.

The visit was in part to congratulate Hubtel on its business growth and to officially commence engagement on ways to enhance efforts at growing more technology entrepreneurs.

Key among the discussions was how to drive national development by encouraging the use of engagement tools between public and government agencies and private institutions.

CEO of Hubtel, Alexander Adjei Bram later took the team on a tour of the office.

See highlights from the visit below:

Since our founding on the 12th of May 2005, our mission has been to make it easier for companies to connect with their customers.

Our work helps ease the customer service challenges businesses face. From delivering millions of business-critical mobile alerts to pioneering mobile banking & online payments, we have continuously sought out the most effective engagement channels and crafted solutions around the most important pain points within our environment.

Thanks to our customers, today we have grown beyond Ghana, set up in new markets, and continue to help businesses rethink customer service across the continent. Through it all, we have literally outgrown both the “SMS” and the “GH” in our name.

Today, we become Hubtel.

Hubtel is built on the singular belief that loyal customers build great businesses. We have come to believe in customer service that blends neatly into the busy lives of consumers.

With the help of our customers, we are on a mission to provide businesses with the tools to build lasting relationships with their customers.

Our new brand marks a new era in which we set higher standards and goals for the value we deliver to our customers as we continue to deepen our offering.

As Hubtel we have carefully reinvented our products into intuitive everyday services. Today we introduce our customers to our new Hubtel platform which hosts all our services, on one single integrated and user-friendly platform.

We wish to share this important day with all our users, and in doing so express our heartfelt gratitude for their patience during our transition to Hubtel, and for their support and loyalty throughout the years.

Hubtel has formally opened its new office in Nairobi, Kenya. The move is a commitment to Hubtel’s continued growth in East Africa to continuously improve its product offerings to businesses in Kenya and beyond.

After 3 years of operations in Nairobi, the office opening was yet another thing to be proud of for the company. Hubtel, which has been in operation for over 11 years, with 30 million customers across 4 African countries; Ghana, Kenya, and Cameroon, and Nigeria has seen immense growth and success since.

CEO of Hubtel, Alexander Adjei Bram said, “ It is a great time in Africa. We’ve never been more connected in our history, we’ve never been at a time where you had the freedom to do what our parents used to do. It is a good time for us to dream. For us at Hubtel, our dream is to ensure that businesses are given the simple tools they can have to make their customers happy; and we believe that Africa will be a better place when businesses make customers happy.”

The office was officially opened by its Chairman, Hans Nilsson, who in his address stated that “Hubtel uses mobile communication which one if not the best infrastructure across Africa, using that to drive and improve business processes is a big opportunity for us as a business but is a more important opportunity to businesses and customers to help drive their own businesses and using the power of it”. In attendance were several of Hubtel’s partners and customers, who were given a tour of the office

The expansion of Hubtel to Nairobi, Kenya will allow the company to better serve and more efficiently handle its East Africa operations as it continues to grow.

About Hubtel

Hubtel is a leading technology company, and provider of customer engagement solutions; such as messaging, payments, and loyalty for businesses across African countries. Founded in 2005, Hubtel has a presence in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Its clientele comprises of banks, insurance companies, large enterprises, manufacturers, government and utility providers, and many more.

Hubtel has announced the official opening of its office in Kenya on Tuesday 21st March 2017. By establishing a physical presence in Kenya, Hubtel is committed to enforcing its presence in East Africa.

The official opening is scheduled to take place in its ultra-modern offices on the 3rd Floor of Westcom Point Mahiga Mairu Avenue, Westlands, Nairobi.

The company which has been operating in Kenya for the past 3 years, has within this period, been preparing its systems and getting partners ready for its launch and promises to be Africa’s leading customer service provider for businesses.

Hubtel has been operating in Ghana for over 11 years and is well known for its messaging and payment solutions which have grown its customers to over 30 million across 4 African countries, notably, Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Its clientele comprises of banks, insurance companies, large enterprises, manufacturers, government and utility providers, and many more.

Across Africa, businesses of all sizes still deliver nearly all customer services through manual processes and approaches. The manual nature of these tasks limits the number of customers that can be served at any given time without a significant decline in quality of service. Hubtel will help its clients to transform the way businesses connect, engage, and serve customers – saving the business time while boosting revenues.

SMS Global Holdings (SMSGH) has been named the recipient of the Young Enterprise Award for the first time at the Association of Ghana Industries’ 5th Ghana Industry Awards ceremony.

The company was awarded for our outstanding achievements and immense contribution to the development of Ghana’s economy. The business solutions giant was one of over twenty companies to be recognized at the prestigious event.

This year’s event had seven award categories and 21 sector awards. Some of the sector awards included Beverage, Automobile Sector Awards, Agribusiness, Electricals and Electronics, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, among others.

The glamorous event, held in Accra at the State House, was under the theme: “Growing Local Industry for Export Development and Job Creation”.

SMSGH has this year seen a complete revamp of its organizational and business processes since the completion of our US$1.25 million state-of-the-art offices.

With almost 40,000 corporate clients currently, which include small, medium and large enterprises, and a presence throughout Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Cameroon, plus plans to expand across all of Africa in the very near future, winning this award acknowledges SMSGH’s commitment to building Africa’s most globally relevant business solution offering.