News

Driving the SMB focus

Published

7 years ago

June 14, 2017

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John Lincoln, Senior Vice President, Small & Medium Business (SMB), discusses how Etisalat is committed to delivering greater value offers to all its SMB customers allowing them to run their businesses smoothly, build relationships and provide them long-term benefits.

Elaborate on the SMB Business focus at Etisalat?

We truly believe that Small and Medium Business (SMB) is an important segment for the country as it accounts for around 60% GDP of the UAE and employs around 90 % of the workforce. In the past few years, we have a dedicated unit for the SMB line of business.

Typically, SMBs have been laggards in IT and we see a huge opportunity in driving their adoption of ICT and Digital services. If they digitalize their business, they will realize significant improvement in productivity benefits and profitability.

We have been blessed to have the largest number of SMB customers in the UAE at about 300,000. They come in all sizes and requirements. We take the top Tier 1 SMB customers and they are managed by our own internal direct sales force. Their requirements are complex. Our internal direct sales force are based across the emirates. The next Tier 2 customers are also managed and have dedicated Account Managers for them. Instead of doing it by ourselves, we have 8 premium business partners that have been selected on the basis of their capabilities as well understanding of the IT and telecom markets. Between them, there are roughly about 250 account managers to manage these Tier 2 accounts.

For the rest of our SMB customer base, we use a pure acquisition model via our channel partners, and we have about 500 sales people that go door to door. Along with that, we have a Business Retail organization that is into dedicated selling of SMB products and services and driving visibility of these products. In addition, we have a dedicated team of agents for outbound sales. All together, these make up our comprehensive SMB go to market. Etisalat is the only telco in the region where about 45,000 of its 300,000 SMB customer base are managed by dedicated account managers.

Elaborate on your current set of partners. Would you be adding more partners?

The premium business partner model was launched in January this year prior to which we had only the acquisition partner model. Our current premium business partners are companies typically with several lines of businesses with an adequately sized workforce for sales, support etc. there is a VP to manage the SMB premium business partner sales force; he has a team who manage and support these partners. The P&L of each partner is known to us; how they are hired and the compensation to be paid to them- we insist on these terms for an optimal structure which we are best placed because of the expertise we have had.

While the number of partners is sufficient for the moment, we will look at adding more partners as the penetration of the market increases and the trend towards digitalization of businesses increases, to reach out to companies that are IT laggards in terms of adoption of such solutions. As we go about educating SMBs the need to digitalize their business, more skills would be required. We will bring in more partners and are starting our formal ICT and digital partnership program. We will be happy to talk to more companies that are interested in serving the SMB market. They can take advantage of the fact that we already have an installed base of 300,000 SMB customers and are looking at various ways of enhancing our value propositions to our customers.

We are looking for new partners for the ICT and digital line of business because the capabilities of many of our partners are in Telco and fixed solutions and while they are coming to speed with the new ICT and digital services capabilities, it is also important to bring in the experts from the ICT domain.

What are the major requirements that you see from SMB customers that you are ideally placed to offer?

As I see it, SMBs typically have three kinds of needs. The first is their concern for value for money services that will offer predictability and transparency with a fixed outgoing amount per month. Since, cash is a constraint for most businesses, they want to free up their cash and focus on investment. So they want every capital cost moved to the OPEX model.

The second need of SMBs is convenience; they don’t want to different vendors for different products and want to focus on their business. In short, they would prefer a one-stop shop for solutions.

The third aspect is that SMBs want the complexity of IT taken away. They want someone to manage that. This is a universal need for SMBs. They may not typically have an in-house IT manager to fix the complexities while the larger ones may have and yet it would be a challenge to manage the IT side, which is easily achieved by getting someone like us to manage their IT services.

What are the additional services you offer for SMBs?

Today, we offer broadband service which gives you different symmetric and asymmetric speeds with dynamic IP; there is another product IDA (Internet Dedicated Access) with multiple speeds that customers require. There are specific requirements from customer for both speeds to be symmetric –uplink and downlink have to be equal. Their requirements are more complex usage compared to simpler broadband usage at home.

We have a product which is called IDA Plus under which we manage the customer’s Internet connectivity end to end including the router. This service offers static IP addresses to enable you to host your own corporate email and web servers. We monitor the connectivity 24 by 7 from our NOC (Network Operations Center).

We recently launched ‘Business in a Box’ for SMB customers. For SMBs, the cost of installing a PBX and then going after the AMC for it is tedious. Then there is depreciation of the PBX. So we are offering an all-in-onesolution which includes high-speed Internet, advanced telephony, zero upfront business devices, office applications and end-to-end security. All the voice connections are managed and monitored by us. For every extension line a customer takes, we manage three of the customer’s devices. We also offer applications support. It is a very comprehensive offering finally a box that ticks all the boxes for SMBs!

We are also going to offer other managed services soon one of which is managed security service which will include email security, web security, IPS etc or a combined Unified Threat Management solution. We are also going to soon look at offering virtual computing, with storage, backup options. There is an end to end services possibility for managing from computing to storage, security etc, which is why we are looking at partners with enhanced ICT expertise.

What is your outlook about adoption of ITC and digital in SMB?

I am quite bullish about this. We have hardly scratched the surface; only around 100,000 of the 300,000 SMB customers have business-grade fixed broadband services. Maybe some are on mobile Internet. Possibly only around 15 % of them have proper websites for their businesses.

Data will continue to explode which will increase the complexities. Most of these companies haven’t invested in new tools including CRM to manage sales or mobile device management which is a critical requirement in the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) era. Smaller companies are at bigger risk than some of the larger ones. In the long run, such investments will bear profitable growth for their businesses.

The UAE government is also investing in making the country an attractive hub for SMB companies. Digitalization technologies that enable better connectivity and access will be quite critical in achieving these objectives.

How do you view your advantages in the Managed service segment?

For pure core telecom services, we have only one competitor but for IT services, the competition is wide. There are many providers of managed services. But the question is who is best placed to offer these services starting from voice and internet access. To offer capex to opex options in the SMB segment, you need to make significant investments and take significant risk and we are best placed as an end to end provider. Our strategy is to offer much more for a little bit more to our SMB customers. So the focus is on adding more services and value.

News

THIRD EDITION OF BENTLEY’S EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN INITIATIVE WELCOMES STUDENTS FROM THE UK AND QATAR TO CREWE

Published

1 week ago

June 26, 2024

Integrator Web-Editor

The third edition of Bentley Motors’ Extraordinary Women initiative has concluded with students from universities in the UK and Qatar spending a week at the luxury car brand’s headquarters in Crewe, England. As part of a specially designed schedule, they met with Bentley experts and executives, went behind the scenes of its manufacturing operations, and tackled individual tasks.

Designed to encourage and develop the next generation of young female leaders, the 2024 edition of the Extraordinary Women programme has seen the students receive one-on-one mentorship over the past three months from a selection of inspirational Pioneers from the fields of technology, engineering, design, and business.

The students, who passed through a structured selection process focused around these four specific fields, came from a variety of participating universities: including The University of Doha for Science and Technology in Qatar, and the Universities of Bath, Loughborough, and Manchester Metropolitan in the UK.

Noora Al-Hajri, University of Doha for Science & Technology student, commented, “This experience has been nothing short of life-changing. Through the programme, I have gained invaluable knowledge and skills that will significantly impact my personal and professional growth. The opportunity to learn from inspiring mentors in both Qatar and the UK has been particularly enriching. Their guidance has broadened my horizons, challenged me to think critically, and empowered me to pursue my dreams with renewed confidence. The opportunity to visit the Bentley headquarters at the end of the programme has also been truly awe-inspiring. Thank you, Bentley, for believing in us and for creating such a transformative programme.”

The Pioneers were equally carefully selected. In the UK, entrepreneur Sara Davies MBE, founder and owner of Crafter’s Companion and TV personality from BBC One show Dragons’ Den, provided business mentorship, with Cecilia Harvey, founder of Tech Woman Today, offering the same in the field of technology.

Titi Oliyide CEng MIET, Senior Process Safety Engineer and winner of the 2023 Young Woman Engineer of the Year, mentored the engineering student, and renowned interior designer and Founder of Studioilse, Ilse Crawford provided design support.

The four Qatari Pioneers included Qatar’s UNESCO art ambassador, Muna Al-Bader, in the field of design. Dr Noora Fetais Al Marri, honoured by the Arab Women of the Year 2024 awards for her contributions to cyber security. Education and founding President of the Arab Association for Cyber Security, offered technology mentorship.

Covering the field of engineering was Dr. Hanan Farhat, founder of the Qatar Association for Women Engineers, and Dr. Buthaina Al Ansari in the field of business, who is a senior advisor at the organisation that established Tamkeen Training and Consulting Solutions.

Member of the Board for Human Resources at Bentley Motors, Dr. Karen Lange, commented, “With every year, the Extraordinary Women programme grows stronger, as exemplified by the quality of this year’s Pioneers, all who have generously given their time in the spirit of collaboration as we seek to build a legacy for young women. It has been a great honour to meet and engage with such talented young women during their visit – witnessing their energy and ability fills me with great optimism for the future.”

Launched in the UK and Middle East in 2022, the Extraordinary Women initiative has previously engaged students and Pioneers from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. It forms part of Bentley’s wider commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion under its Beyond100 strategy, and was created to encourage women to explore a variety of career paths in the STEM and automotive sectors.

Financial

Reem Finance signs with Network International to accelerate digital transformation

Published

1 week ago

June 26, 2024

Integrator Web-Editor

Network International (Network) has announced the signing of a strategic partnership with Reem Finance, the leading financial services provider in the UAE. The strategic alliance aims to leverage Network’s expertise to provide a fully-fledged payment processing solution to support the digital transition.

The partnership with Network complements Reem Finance’s focus on offering customers with a unique banking experience in tune with the digital age. The scope of services includes a comprehensive range of products and services from transaction processing, card hosting and management, as well as value-added services. As the region’s largest payment solutions company, Network is committed to supporting the UAE financial services sector by providing innovative solutions to customers and enhancing the experience of consumers.

Navneet Dave, Managing Director & Co-Head of Processing – Middle East at Network International, commented, “We are thrilled to partner with Reem Finance as we jointly deliver innovative digital payment solutions that offer an effortless and secure experience for customers. Our collaboration builds on Network’s three decades of experience and expertise in creating world-class digital payments infrastructure and services for clients. It underscores Network’s commitment to empowering our partners with cutting-edge processing services and value-added solutions and driving growth in the UAE financial services industry.”

Mr. Seraj Faidi, CEO of Reem Finance,said: “As part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing the quality of our products and services for our esteemed clients, and in light of our recent collaborations with prominent service providers and partners, we are delighted to partner with Network International to explore innovative paths to accelerate digitizing our services to better serve our customers. This engagement is an important step for Reem Finance in expanding our capabilities to provide top tier, friendly and easy to use services to our customers. We are confident that with Network International, the processing of card transactions related to both consumer and commercial sectors will be state-of-the-art and seamless. We are committed to playing a vital role in elevating the financial system in the UAE, delivering value to our shareholders, and prioritizing the needs of our clients.”

Financial

Wio Bank Redefines SME Banking with New Embedded Finance

Published

2 weeks ago

June 24, 2024

Integrator Web-Editor

Wio Bank PJSC is introducing a new embedded finance service designed especially for the UAE’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This initiative includes strategic partnerships with leading accounting software platforms Zoho Books, Fiskl and Wafeq, aiming to embed banking services into daily business operations and simplify financial management.

Wio Business, the bank’s first digital banking application, caters to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as freelancers and entrepreneurs. By directly integrating with accounting and financial management systems through APIs, Wio Business facilitates seamless financial workflows, enhancing management and eliminating the need for third-party intermediaries. This integration automates bookkeeping, significantly reducing manual labor and allowing businesses to concentrate on their core activities.

Jayesh Patel, Chief Executive Officer of Wio Bank PJSC, shares his vision for the new service: “By adopting Embedded Finance, we are transforming how businesses manage their finances. Our direct integration initiative simplifies how financial services are delivered and managed, making it easier and more transparent for SMEs.”

With over 94% of UAE businesses categorized as SMEs and significant contributors to employment, Wio Bank’s new service is tailored to meet a vital market need. This initiative, along with its strategic partners, is designed to simplify business operations, allowing them to thrive by focusing on growth rather than administrative financial tasks.

A New Era of Financial Management

Through Wio Business, companies can now link their accounts with selected software platforms such as Zoho Books, Fiskl, and Wafeq, offering a holistic view of their financial health. This integration eliminates the dependency on third-party intermediaries, simplifies financial workflows, ensures real-time financial insights with automatic updates, and streamlines accounting tasks with features like auto-reconciliation of bank statement. Additionally, integrating Wio Business APIs into Corporate ERPs and payment platforms facilitates automated account payables and instant transaction reconciliation, thus reducing manual labor and errors, and enhancing cost efficiency and operational gains.

Wio Bank was established to redefine banking in the UAE for both businesses and consumers. Its second digital offering, Wio Personal, is a day-to-day banking platform that changes how individuals see, manage, and grow their money. It provides users with unprecedented financial visibility and flexibility, serving as a foundation for achieving personal financial goals with an engaging experience that includes smart cards and exciting rewards.