Africa-Press – South-Africa. FNB Connect’s emergence as leaders in the latest South African Customer Satisfaction Index survey (SA-csi) for Mobile Telecommunications Services, conducted by Consulta, affirmed FNB’s successful efforts in providing an integrated customer experience where telco services were available on the bank’s digital platform, said FNB Retail chief executive Raj Makanjee.
He said as a result, customers used the FNB App to fulfil several telco-related functions. “Over the years, FNB Connect has launched exciting market-first innovations including the ability for customers to order, activate, port and maintain their SIM on the App. This customer centric approach allows our customers to manage both their money and lifestyle needs easily and conveniently via a single platform,” said Makanjee.
FNB Connect, the bank’s telecommunications provider and Cell C both emerged as leaders in the overall customer satisfaction stakes for 2020 while the two largest providers, Vodacom and MTN, come in on par. The 2020 SA-csi for Mobile Telecommunications Services surveyed just over 2 200 customers who use the collective product offering of voice and data solutions from Cell C, MTN, Vodacom and FNB Connect. The survey was done during the second half of last year to determine how satisfied customers were with the overall service, quality and value received from their mobile telco providers.
FNB Connect chief executive Bradwin Roper said being recognised as an industry leader in a highly competitive sector was an honour and testament to the growing appeal of FNB Connect as the telco provider of choice to customers in their financial services group. “Backed by consistent improvements in network quality and innovation, we’re pushing boundaries to redefine value to customers. Our customers enjoy month-on-month Top Up Plans that are flexible and convenient while also getting reduced and/or free data through our Connect Rewards, linked to their eBucks benefits.”
According to Consulta, FNB Connect’s lead in customer satisfaction suggests that customers were choosing to turn to trusted providers that they already have a deep relationship with, in this case FNB is also a financial services provider. This allows consumers to streamline the number of service providers they use, simplify their billing, payment and instant top-ups by using their existing banking app, integrate their banking rewards and get preferential mobile deals.
“We believe that access to affordable pricing plans for devices is one of the largest impediments to South Africans getting connected for social, employment, health and educational needs. In response to this and staying close to our customers’ needs, we recently launched our popular smart devices offering on the FNB App with contracts of up to 24 months,” says Roper.
In a response to the Business Report’s media enquiry in February, FNB said it introduced and launched FNB Connect Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in 2015 to provide value as well as strengthen and deepen the relationship that FNB has with its retail and commercial banking customers. FNB Connect roams on the Cell C network and in the financial year ending in June last year, reported a 25 percent year-on-year growth in active customers. In the period to June last year, the bank said it also saw 36 percent growth in the usage of FNB Connect among FNB customers who held premium bank accounts, coupled with a strong industry shift towards month-to-month plans and the reduction of up to 50 percent in data prices across the industry.
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