Foris launches 4G internet platform
Foris telecom, a subsidiary of the Israel based Foris Group, has launched its 4G internet platform setting the stage for yet another round of competition wars.
In a press briefing in Kampala on Wednesday, Mr Moshe Mitz, the Foris telecom Uganda chief executive officer said: “We have identified price and slow internet speed as the biggest barriers for users in Uganda, therefore our launch is indeed timely.”
He said: “Our commitment is to offer value for money services to Ugandans, including the underserved.” The launch comes at a time when users themselves are still familiarising with the Third Generation (3G) internet platform launched recently by MTN and Orange telecom.
According to Mr Mitz, Foris telecom, a global wireless internet provider, offers quality and high speed internet at affordable prices. The introduction of the 4G wireless mobile WiMax broadband technology that will offer instant and high quality connectivity is the first of its kind in the local market.
Other platforms
Internet service providers in the country have been providing 2G, 3G and of recent 3G+ platforms. It is also the first internet service provider to offer pre-paid solutions in the market with scratch cards ranging from 1 upto 3 Giga Bytes.
The telecom operates under its Foris flagship brand. Mr Mitz said the solution will focus on meeting the needs of the underserved broadband market in Uganda, including residential areas and students. The packages cater for all market segments, including students and business.
Read MoreMake delighting customers your norm
LOSERS
Are some of the people you hire costing you lost sales? A few days after the World Cup Final, my friend William a devoted and loyal Nakumatt customer happened to be walking past Nakumatt and decided it would be a good place for him to purchase airtime. At the supermarket entrance, the plain-clothed security officer responsible for scanning everyone as they enter stopped William to let him know that he could not enter the supermarket with his computer bag.
When William innocently asked where he could leave his computer bag, the security officer informed him that he simply would not be allowed to get past that particular point, and that was the end of the story.
Interestingly enough, a uniformed guard who happened to overhear the exchange came to William’s rescue. The guard showed William where he could leave his bag before entering the supermarket and as they headed to that location, William let slip that as a loyal Nakumatt customer, he was completely disappointed by the rude treatment he had received especially since all he wanted was airtime!
The helpful guard then showed William a jewellery shop where he could purchase airtime, without having to leave his bag behind! I shudder to think of the number of customers that have suffered a negative experience at the hands of Nakumatt’s unhelpful security officer, and the resulting amount of lost sales.
What makes that security officer a loser? Ignoring William’s question, having the audacity to rudely turn him away with no solution and more likely than not, treating other Nakumatt customers similarly!
Offer solutions
WINNERS
What impression do you have of NSSF and its ability to quickly deliver on promises? My friend Sally recently emigrated from Uganda to the United States. With no plans of ever returning to Uganda, prior to her departure, Sally decided to claim her full NSSF entitlement, including interest. Contrary to the lengthy amount of processing time that both Sally and I imagined such a request would take, the entire exercise from document submission to receipt of funds took just under one month!
The Customer Service Officer (CSO) handling Sally’s request not only sent her weekly e-mail updates, but also took the trouble to follow up with NSSF internal audit personnel (who responded in a timely manner) when Sally sent an e-mail asking if she could submit alternative proof documents supporting her claim. In Sally’s own words, “I received very attentive and quick service – I was amazed!”
What makes NSSF a winner? The two different officers who offered Sally helpful and quick service point to the value NSSF places on delighting its customers.
Read MoreIs your company doing enough to promote its brand?
A brand is a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of all intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.
Branding is not about getting the target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting the prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.
“To succeed in branding, one must understand the needs and wants of his/her customers and prospects. This can be done by integrating brand strategies through the company at every point of public contact,” Mr Jawad Jafer, Superbrands East Africa project director says.
According to him, a brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which can be influenced while others cannot be influenced.
“Great brands have something beyond primacy of product or service, high levels of awareness, satisfaction and ubiquitous distribution. They stand for something in the minds of consumers but above all these, they have established a bond primarily emotional between themselves and consumers,” Mr Jafer says.
For example in Uganda, some of the big brands include: MTN, Nokia, Coca-Cola, Business Power and Colgate among others; this is according to a survey carried out by Superbrands recently.
Mr Jafer advises that a strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. He says that it’s important for a company to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building a brand. After all the brand is the source of promise to the consumer and it’s also a foundational piece in marketing.
When creating a brand strategy for a product or service, it is important to perform a careful analysis to determine principal barriers that you may come in contact with. These barriers are also known as market conditions that can keep your product or service from achieving success.
Mr Alex Wanjohi, the managing director of Chartis Uganda, says branding is also a form of lifestyle, because the consumers identify with your organisation for the reason that your services also happen to be their way of life.
He says that in most cases, it’s not about the name but the relationship between the organisation and its customers. “We recently rebranded from AIG insurance to Chartis but this has not affected our business instead it has had a positive impact because of the hype it generated. Besides our customers have continued to identify with our services which have become a way of life for them,” Mr Wanjohi explains.
Mr Daniel Ekisa, the operations manager of Basic Investments Limited, a marketing consultancy firm on Kampala Road says: “By branding, we add value to our clients by providing real clarity of thinking around their target and what their go-to-market proposition needs to look like to successfully compete,” he explains.
How to come up with a branding name, Mr Ekesa says that since a brand sells a product, it’s always advisable to sit on a round table with a client and exchange ideas.
Read MoreTurkish Airlines to Launch in June
Turkish Airlines, Europe’s fourth largest passenger carrier is expanding its global presence as it focuses on launching a new route to Entebbe next month.
The over 77-year old air transport carrier, will operate both passenger and cargo business from Entebbe to Istanbul, New York, Chicago and the rest of Europe.
In an interview with Daily Monitor, lsat week Mr Orhan Subay, the Uganda Turkish Airline director said the move aims to improve working relations between the two countries which will eventually spur business, education and cultural growth.
He said: “We are looking at a wider perspective where we shall both benefit. The Ugandan community will trade with Turkey because of quality products and the Turkish will tour Uganda’s beautiful sceneries and boost tourism.
The Airline will officially launch on the Uganda route in June at Entebbe international airport.
The route will fly the 8030s planes, which have a capacity of between 260 and 270 passengers and RCG cargo planes.
The launch of the Turkish airline Entebbe route will bring the number of Airlines in Uganda to over 15 including Air Uganda, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Dairo Air Services, Eagle Air, Egypt Air, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Fly 540, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Precision Air, Rwanda Air and South African Airways among others.
Mr Subay, however, said the low flight charges will give Turkish Airlines a competitive edge in the growing Uganda airline industry.
Launch charges that will run from June 14 to August 14, are about Shs0.55m for a return ticket from Entebbe to Istanbul inclusive of taxes and about Shs0.54m for a return ticket from Istanbul to Entebbe.
Financial Goal Setting In 2010
Whether you read this article in the beginning of the year or later in 2010 a great question to ask yourself is “What are my financial goals this year”?
There are so many products and strategies out there from annuities and life insurance to mutual funds and fee based planning. One could argue that one investment option is better than the next one but any solid financial advisor will quickly tell you that it depends on the situation. We are coached by our compliance departments to learn about our clients’ risk tolerance and time horizon before making investment advice. However, one of the main reasons I win clients is because of my ability to help my clients indentify and set their financial goals. This is based on the responses I get from my clients who interviewed other advisors before they chose to do business with me.
Stephen Covey says in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to “Begin with the end in mind”. I use this strategy in my financial planning practice. Together with my client, we drill down to paint the picture of how they want their retirement to look. Once they begin to feel excited about some of the things they will enjoy during retirement they can prepare to stay disciplined along the way. When you walk past the refrigerator on your way out the door to work and see those pictures of what your retirement future holds it is easier to work harder with greater hope and conviction that you will succeed.
I love working with clients who have a passion for where they are headed. People with a dream and a goal are easier to advise and respond with more enthusiasm to appointments and phone calls.
I encourage you to sit and think about what kind of retirement you want. Talk to your spouse and set realistic goals. Goals should be out of reach but not out of sight. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself. We tell our kids that they can have and be anything they want in life. In most cases, this is still true of each of us as adults.
Read MoreRwanda Safaris
ITINERARY FOR CHIMPS IN NYUNGWE FOREST
(Tour Code RW 4) This safari starts and finishes in Kigali.
DAY 1: Arrival
Arrive at Kanombe (Kigali) airport. Meet and greet before transferring to Kigali City. City tour in Kigali (optional) including a visit to the genocide sites, the art and craft center. O/N: Hotel Chez Lando or Mille Collines Hotel (B-L-D).
DAY 2: To Nyungwe Forest
Start for Nyungwe Forest National Park. Along the way, make stops at places of interest including local markets, the traditional palace of Rwanda’s Former King in Nyanza. In Butare, visit the Botanical Gardens and a cultural museum. Drive past green fields of tea scattered across the hillsides and the small wooden houses unique to the areas surrounding Nyungwe Forest. [Approximate driving time: 5 hours] O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 3: Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest
Go chimp tracking, the largest in Central Africa. O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 4: Nyungwe Forest
EITHER Go chimp tracking OR Guided nature walk in the forest to see a variety of animals and some of the three hundred bird species found here, which include the Rwenzori turaco and black and white casqued hornbill. Go on an escorted walk in search of large groups of colobus monkeys – sometimes as many as 400 in a group. Picnic lunch. Return late afternoon.
O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 5: Return and departure
Return to Kigali. Fly out if you have any onward flight. [Approximate driving time: 4 hours]
Tour Ends.