‘We always go extra mile to satisfy our customers’

Customers and prospects are constantly eager to open their wallets to brands that reward them for their loyalty. Etisalat Nigeria has upped the game by recently rewarding some of its GEM customers with an all-expenses paid trip to Milan, Italy. Adeolu Dairo, Director, Consumer Segment at Etisalat Nigeria in this interview discussed the telecom industry and expatiated on the GEM programme.

How do you reward your loyal customers in Etisalat, especially the high spending customers?

Our approach to rewards at Etisalat is to recognize and appreciate our loyal customers with offerings that resonate with their lifestyle and appeal to their specific interests. We painstakingly profile our customers and offer them rewards such as the all-expense paid trip that we just concluded, discounted flight tickets, online shopping vouchers, brand new smart phones, internet devices, VIP invitations to exclusive events, and lots more.

We learnt that Etisalat recently rewarded top GEM customers with an all-expenses-paid trip to Milan for the final of the UEFA Champions League. What was the reason for doing this?

During a profiling exercise at the beginning of the year, Etisalat identified that a huge number of our loyal customers love football, and so in line with ensuring that we meet our customers at their points of interest, we decided to take the opportunity to create an unforgettable experience by treating them to an all-expense paid trip to the largest football event of the year, the UEFA Champions league final which took place in Milan, Italy last month.

What is Etisalat GEM and what is it all about?

GEM means “going the extra mile”. Etisalat’s GEM loyalty program is about rewarding those customers who have been consistent and go the extra mile with us. The GEM loyalty reward program is our way of saying “thank you” to our customers for their dedication to the Etisalat network.

What is the rationale behind the Etisalat GEM?

The Etisalat GEM program was launched in 2013 as a means of showing our customers that we care about them.This care goes beyond their telecoms needs but permeates into every sphere of their lives. It is our way of giving back to our customers and making them feel valued because without them, there is no us.

How did you determine the customers that went on this trip?

We based our selection of the customers who embarked on the trip, on several criteria, a few of which were the length of time on the network as well as their level of engagement with our products and services.

What does a customer need to do to be recognised as a GEM customer of Etisalat?

All a customer has to do to qualify for the GEM program is to consistently spend between NGN10, 000 to NGN50, 000 monthly on their Etisalat line over a period of 12-months. Once this is sustained, the customer qualifies to experience the benefits that out GEM customers enjoy.

Besides the trip to watch the UEFA Champions League Final in Milan, what other ways does Etisalat reward its GEM customers?

We pay a lot of attention to the specific needs of our customers through constant profiling. The focus of our reward program is to appreciate them in ways that are relevant to their lifestyle, for example, a customer who has been identified as a high data user could be offered anything from a free smart phone, to data devices and free data. A customer who travels a lot could benefit from our free incoming call offer or discounted flight tickets. Our focus is on ensuring relevance of the reward to our customers.

From what you have told us, GEM customers are your special customers, or what you call high value customers. So, aside this initiative, what other customer loyalty programmes has Etisalat initiated to reward its other customers?

Besides the GEM loyalty program, Etisalat as a network is known for its generosity to its customers through various bonus rewards on talk time and data purchase such as our ‘Bonus On Incoming Calls’ on Easycliq, our youth-centric product; Free Calls to 5 You and Me numbers on Easystarter, ‘Double Your Recharge’ bonus, which gives you double on every recharge purchased on our Easystarter, EasyCliq, TalkZone and CliqLite products. These are only some of the many rewards available on the Etisalat Network.

It has been observed that most customers are not really after reward schemes such as these, but would rather want quality service delivery. What is Etisalat, as a mobile network, doing beyond these reward programmes to satisfy its customers with Quality services?

Since we started operation in 2008, we have invested heavily in building and expanding our network and will continue to invest in upgrading and expanding our network and capacity in order to meet the communications need of our customers. In 2014, we entered into strategic partnerships with regards to our network infrastructure to increase the coverage and capacity of our network which is rated number 1 for quality of service by stakeholders in the telecoms industry. We also continuously challenge the market space with innovative solutions, products and services that deliver on our customers’ expectations.

Customer satisfaction is key to customer retention, but may not be enough to attract others. As the Director of Consumer Segment for a mobile network, what strategies have you put in place to bring subscribers in other networks to come over to the Etisalat network?

Our business is built on four pillars of customer-focus, innovation, quality of service and excellence and we will continue to deliver on these promises to our customers to ensure we meet all their communication needs. We will continue to provide a series of quality yet innovative products and services to attract new customers to our network. When you have a strong mix of excellent network quality, innovative products and solutions that meet subscriber’s need, characters that resonate with the Etisalat network, this in itself is a deciding factor for prospective subscribers.

Etisalat came into Nigeria in 2008 as the fourth mobile operator, and in just seven years has amassed over 22 million subscribers. Where do you see Etisalat in future in terms of its customer base?

Going forward, our positioning as an operator who delivers great value to customers remains critical to our growth. Great value is not just about great pricing; it is about quality that matches the price that we are asking.  We will introduce more value-added services that will connect market places and allow our customers to be more efficient and ultimately attract new customers to the Etisalat network.

So in rounding up, what would you say was the general consensus of the customers that went to Milan for the UEFA Champions League Finals under Etisalat’s GEM loyalty program?

The feedback received from our customers who embarked on the trip has been great. They were impressed that Etisalat would go the extra mile to treat and reward customers for their loyalty to the brand. The customers were also happy with the carefully planned activities to different locations of interest beyond the UCL final game they watched. Clearly the experience was well worth it and the participating customers truly deserved the treat.