New mobile services launched in Palestine
Objectives
Reduce distribution costs
Increase customer base
Overcome logistical problems associated with vouchers
Provide platform for future mobile financial services
Continue to exceed customers' expectations
Why Macalla
Proven, cost effective solution
Expertise in Arabic and English
Choice of hosted or local deployment
Results
Agent top-up launched in February 2009
Significant reduction in distribution costs
Increased subscriber loyalty
Mobile financial services platform available from launch
"We have an excellent working relationship with Roamware and
this is the first of many mobile related services we plan to
implement. We will add other innovative services to deliver value
to our subscribers including mobile money, mobile banking and bill
payment."
- Ammar Aker, CEO, Jawwal |
Background
Jawwal is the number one Palestinian mobile operator with more than 1.2 million subscribers and coverage of more than 97% of the Palestinian territories.
Jawwal enhances its pioneering position in the Palestinian market by providing the latest mobile technologies and services. Jawwal offers its customers access to new products and services that meet their personal and professional requirements at reasonable prices.
Enabling technology
The Macalla Platform was implemented early 2009. Phase one of the project, which went live in Feb '09, enables agent-based mobile top-up using cash or credit.
The Macalla Platform provides the applications for Jawwal Customer Care, Finance and Sales Distribution Teams to undertake a number of activities including the sale of airtime, reconciliation, transaction rollback and query, manage users and transaction limits, reporting and statistics.
How it works
The customer provides his mobile number (or alias code if required) to the agent together with the cash. The agent then uses a web based POS terminal to immediately recharge the customer's mobile. An alias code is a unique number that represents the mobile number. To use an alias, the subscriber simply sends an SMS to a short code. A
unique code is then returned by SMS which the subscriber reveals to the agent. An alias can either be single use or retained by the subscriber for ongoing use.
Alias codes are particularly suited to women who do not wish to disclose their mobile number.
Results
The new top-up service is implemented across all Jawwal retail outlets in Arabic and English.
The re-charge process is now much easier for subscribers as they no longer need to use scratch cards or vouchers. And, more importantly for Jawwal, it removes the extensive logistical problems related to the physical distribution of vouchers within Palestine.
Other channels and options including self top-up will be rolled out later in 2009. Self top-up means that subscribers re-charge their phones without needing to visit a Jawwal agent. They simply subscribe to the service, online or by phone, using a debit or credit card. They can then top-up their phone via SMS or the Internet.
