The new MTN Chat recharge channel puts customers in charge by allowing them to conveniently top up airtime and data bundles on WhatsApp.
Customers can also receive notifications and check their balances through WhatsApp, rather than visiting a website or dialling a call centre.
“Customer-centricity is the driving force behind MTN Chat because we are taking a solution for an often-required service, to a platform we know our customers are already using, in the form of WhatsApp. MTN Chat is helping customers simply and seamlessly manage their accounts off a secure and convenient platform they already know and love,” said Mapula Bodibe, MTN SA’s Executive: Consumer Business.
Bodibe added, “It’s 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”.
While MTN is ahead of the curve in providing advanced technology for its self-service experience, the plan is to further expand the MTN Chat channel offering in the near future.
This will see the inclusion of services such as customer support, the management of upgrades and customer accounts, receiving balance notifications and the offering of customised deals. MTN hopes to incorporate other instant messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger down the line.
Signing up to the new service is easy. As with any new WhatsApp contact, customers simply need to save the MTN Chat number 083 123 0011 to their contacts and send MTN a message saying “hi”. Customers will be sent a link to opt-in and once they’ve opted in, they’ll be offered a menu from which to choose their preferred service.
Security is a high priority and safety and confidentiality features have been built in to MTN Chat to provide a secure means of communication. Customers interact with a single number that has a verification marker to mitigate fraud.
MTN South Africa partnered with global customer engagement company, Clickatell, to bring this solution to MTN customers. Clickatell is an authorised WhatsApp Business Solution Provider.
“Our customers should be able to interact with us whenever and however they choose and working with the Clickatell team, that has much experience in this space, allowed us easily integrate MTN Chat with our existing offering. This is an exciting development for our customers and we look forward to exploring new possibilities with Clickatell in future,” Bodibe said.
Pre and post-paid customers can register through a one-time-only process to get activated by means of either their credit or debit cards. Registered MTN Chat customers will also enjoy more value with an exclusive offer of 1GB for R49 when recharging via MTN Chat.
