Inside Safaricom’s new experience store
It’s true that thriving businesses usually sell an experience alongside the products or services which they provide.
On Wednesday, Safaricom’s boss Mr. Peter Ndegwa announced the opening of a newly refurbished ‘Technology Experience’ Store that customers will enjoy visiting and hanging out.
This 10, 000sq feet retail store at Moi Avenue, Nairobi – that had been closed since August for renovations, will be the telco’s most iconic shop.
Now that it’s re-opened, it’s twice as smart and certainly lovelier.
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Its uniquely fulfilling design tells of a plan by the telco to take a familiar experience that adds value to customer service and using it to create a personal connection with customers.
When you first walk in, you will notice a new Video tunnel, sleek digital interactive screens mounted on the white walls and finely arranged rows of technology devices and Smartphones.
On one area, Safaricom has created a tech zone that features ‘Jitambulishe’ booths to offer a silent Voice Biometrics enrolment environment. Just behind, there’s a new Video Gaming section that a customer can wind down as they exit the shop.
Then there’s another new first of its kind booth where customers performing bulk M-PESA transfers can walk in and transact.
Sylvia Mulinge – the Chief Customer Officer says that the telco giant wants every customer who walks in to the store to experience the warmth, passion and care of Safaricom.
But what makes this remodelled store so special, for one, it is Safaricom’s flagship store that serves more than 1000 customers on any given day. The store had been standing for 14 years straight without a serious facelift.
But this was more than a facelift, it’s also a selling point. A unique one.
On October 27th, during the telco’s 20th Anniversary celebration, CEO Peter Ndegwa promised to set in motion a bold strategic direction that is central to the company’s goal of becoming a fully-fledged technology company in five years’ time.
When he stood up to speak, Ndegwa said that Safaricom wants to be known as a technology company rather than just a connectivity business.
“We want to go beyond connectivity and a payments platform to provide holistic technology solutions” he said.
Now, as it takes on the new approach, the company wants to bring fourth a magical fairly land experience to its customers.
The remodelled store will also feature a training section to provide information on Home Fibre, Enterprise Business and Digi Farm – Safaricom’s agribusiness platform.
