The vans are customised with built-in counters and computer terminals, and they accommodate 2-3 service personnel in addition to a driver and a support person.
“The idea is to bring superb service to those customers who may not be mobile enough to come to Warid, so Warid comes to them,” said company general manager Zul Javaid, during the project unveiling in Kampala last week.
According to Javaid, the WOW service vans will serve customers in the same manner in which the other 36 customer care centres are doing all over the country. “We are the latest to enter this market but we are the first to bring you new innovations. The launch of WOW demonstrates how committed we are by going the extra mile to provide quality customer services to our customers. We aim to leverage Warid's Telecom's cutting edge technology to enhance the way we sell and service our customers. This sets us apart from our competitors."
Warid launched its commercial service on 7 February 2008, causing ripples in the nation's telecom industry with the lowest calling rates.
Javaid said the customer care fleet will initially operate within the greater Kampala region before moving on to the western, eastern and northern regions of the country.
The vans will offer day-to-day customer services such as:
The purchase of sim cards, airtime and cellphones currently on offer;
Instant provision of preferred numbers;
Inquiries on Warid's rates (within, across networks and international);
Troubleshooting of problems;
Resolution of any customer complaints.
In a separate initiative aimed to appease customers and draw more subscribers onto its network, Warid also unveiled the cheapest calling option in the industry dubbed “Bang KB for Free”. The new service allows customers on Warid to call their friends and relatives on the same network almost free of charge.
The subscribers pay for the first 2 minutes on the freedom per minute package and for the first 90 seconds on the freedom per second option. The cheapest call rates on Warid to Warid are UGX124, off peak, while the highest is UGX299 during peak.
“This offer runs until midnight Saturday 31st May, thereafter normal call rates between Warid to Warid will apply once more,” said Joseph Walusimbi, Warid's Head of Marketing.
Since it started its commercial operations, Warid says it has attracted over 400,000 subscribers of the country's 5.2 million subscribers. It currently covers most of Uganda's regions with a footprint as far Soroti district in the East, Fort Portal in the West, and has recently launched its services in Hoima and Masindi. Lira and Gulu districts will also receive the mobile provider's services shortly.
