It is no news that the world of today is more technologically oriented, stemming from the immense rate of technological evolution at different levels. It has thus become a necessity for businesses to embrace this technological wind of change by integrating some digital elements into daily operations for purpose of survival and consistency. Social media is also a key player in digitizing the mode of business operations today. Information from Statista (2021), a global renowned statistics portal for market data revealed that more than 95% of the globe’s population is often active on different social media platforms at every point in time by either scrolling, watching videos or playing games. This equally goes to confirm the need for businesses to go digital by establishing social media handles, websites, apps etc through which they can communicate with their customers, organize events, remote conferences and also share important information to the public. All these are possible because of the advancement of technology which happens to be a necessity in the life of every business today.
Looking back at the inception stage of a now global and outstanding telecommunication company, MTN, one cannot help but pour appraisals at the incremental achievements the company has realized over the years. With focus on MTN Cameroon which came into effect on February 15th 2000, the global brand has undergone significant transformations at the level of its mode of operations. Over the years, different categories of services have been introduced and exceptional promotional strategies put in place to widen their customer base. One could remember the days of free midnight calls and sms, Easy Booster etc. and more of these attractive services which won the minds of the people, thus forming an unbreakable bond between the public and MTN Cameroon.
As technology continually advances, MTN Cameroon has also seen the need to consistently advance on its mode of operations in order to better serve their customers. This was until they initiated a new service, Mobile Money service in 2011, which was officially launched in 2012. The introduction of this new service saw mixed feeling from Cameroonians as it involved dealing with their finances. This was also due to the fact that most Cameroonians had lost trust in financial institutions after the eventual collapse of some, leaving their customers stranded and in debts. However, this did not hinder the telecommunication giant as they were on the move to make a difference in the financial sector. The emergence of Mobile money facilitated a lot aspects, ranging from the payment of tuition fees into state Universities, fee for entrance examinations, fee in government secondary schools and more. It will interest you to know that today, the MTN Mobile service has widened its scope by penetrating sectors which seemed impenetrable at first. Major commercial banks in Cameroon like United Bank for Africa (UBA), EcoBank, AfriLand First Bank etc have entered into strategic partnerships with the telecommunication giant, thus facilitating the manner in which these banks deal with their customers. Customers of UBA for example can now save, withdraw and check their account balances without necessarily displacing themselves to the bank, thanks to MTN Mobile money. Payment of tuition fees at State Universities which used to be a hassle because of the long queues is now solved with the seamless payment of MTN Mobile money. It is thus another clear confirmation that technological evolution is key in enhancing efficiency in business operations and MTN’s Mobile money service is a clear example to that.
After examining these remarkable records established as a result of Mobile money’s outstanding performances, one cannot help but think of a way forward to make the service much better. As a student who is currently carrying out research in the domain of logistics technology in developing economies, it will be imperative to propose this idea to the executives of MTN Cameroon: It is clear that the Mobile money service is a deal breaker in the financial sector of Cameroon and wherever MTN operates. With such an already outstanding and positive global reputation, it will therefore be good to go physical with the mobile money service. By physical, it will mean establishing the following:
- Credit and Debit cards with the MTN logo that can be used globally for financial transactions. One could also use it to withdraw money from the banks with which MTN already has an understanding with.
- ATMs where the Debit and Credit cards can serve the public. These machines will be operated and monitored by a special team of MTN Cameroon, among whom will be those responsible for effecting withdrawals and deposits. This particular idea will help save a lot of people who fall into wrong hands when dealing with mobile money.
- The ATMs can be installed in major areas like petrol stations and other popular areas. It should also be under strict surveillance since it concerns money.
- It is equally possible for MTN to go into banking fully. This will make sense since they recently introduced the loan service in the mobile money portal. It will therefore be realistic to fully employ banking services into play. It could be called hashtag#MTNFinance.
- Although such automation may seem destructive at the level of kiosk operators, it is equally a way of upgrading the mode of transactions with MTN and its customers. Also, it will serve as a means of improving the rate of accountability in transactions with MTN. There may be other services that Kiosk operators may operate. Everything is built on something
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