KCB Takes a Gamble to Offer Banking Services on WhatsApp

BT CorrespondentJul 31, 20191 Mins read1.5k

The platform will create a centralized communication hub for KCB digital customer care interactions.

KCB Kenya has deployed a digital service platform that enables interaction with customers on Whatsapp, the popular chat and information sharing app.

The bank becomes one of the leading African financial services companies approved for the WhatsApp Business solution pilot programme.

The platform, designed by San Francisco-based customer experience solutions provider Sparkcentral, will create a centralized communication hub for KCB digital customer care interactions.

In addition to WhatsApp, the solution supports interactions through Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, as well as bi-directional SMS and modern live chat.

“We are redefining the customer journey, which is critical to the delivery of excellent customer experience,” Mr Job Njiru, the Customer Experience Director at KCB Bank Kenya, says. “As part of our digital transformation efforts, we are enabling our platforms to collect real time data on our customers, then analyze and use it to make educated decisions on how to improve our operations on an ongoing basis.”

The platform combines enterprise expansion with ease of use, making the software a “smart investment in terms of our long-term growth,” he added. “We want to see our customers getting the answers and information they need from KCB as quickly and conveniently as possible and on the platforms they want.”.

WhatsApp is the largest messaging platform in the world with over 1.5 billion monthly active users, making it a dominant platform in markets such as Africa, Europe, and South America. According to the 2018 KPMG Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted across Africa, the majority of customers prefer digital services.

“New customer expectations call for new technology,” says Mr Christoph Neut, Sparkcentral’s Vice President for EMEA. “We designed our Digital Customer Service platform to make it easier for companies to keep up with the consumers who define customer care as personalized service that includes their digital channels of choice.”