By Janet A Sesay
The leading telecomm Company in Sierra Leone, Orange Mobile Company has joined other partners around the world to celebrate “Customer Service Week” which is a testament of how important their customers are and a platform to build their confidence of providing them with quality services. .
This celebration was launched on Monday 7th October at their headquarters at Hill Station and will climax on Friday 11th October 2024. The theme of the celebration is “Celebrating Excellence in Customer Service” which is a continuation of providing excellence customer service.
The launching was spiced with a panel discussion that comprises the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Orange-SL Mr Sekou Amadou Bah, the Minister of Information and Civic Education Mr Chernoh Bah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Musa Timothy Kabba, the Executive Director of Accountability Now, Mr William Sao Lamin, customers, partner organizations and host of other players in the communication industry and thre programme was moderated by Madam Kadija Bangura of Liberty Online Television
The Director of Human Resource Mrs Agnes Songa in her statement, said, the celebration is dedicated to all Orange Mobile customers and that the company has planned a variety of activities to show their commitment to customer satisfaction.
In his statement before the official launching of the celebration, the CEO, Orange Sierra Leone Mr. Sekou Amadou Bah said they are launching the 2024 Customer Service Week to further seal their commitment to the provision of quality service, stable internet that geared towards enhancing customer satisfaction.
The CEO furthered that quality Customer Service is a culture that they have cultivated and imbibed in all their areas of operation across the globe and they are striving to give their customers in Sierra Leone the best experience in mobile service
CEO Bah averred that this celebration is symbolic to promoting their brand and to give their employees the best experience in mobile telecomm and to assure the stakeholders in the country of their unwavering commitment to take the telecomm industry to another level hence their new signature “Orange is here”
He said the feedback of loyalty and trust from their customers has been the key to their success and they recognized their relationship with their customers beyond transactions.
The CEO stated that the four days celebration is about building connections and creating positive and excellent relation with customers.
The CEO further noted that one of the key objectives of his company is to improve the daily lives of people in Sierra Leone through wonderful and responsible digital experiences as we are living in the digital and information age.
The CEO furthered that, every interaction with the customer is an opportunity for them to serve the customer to satisfaction and to create a lasting impact and listen to the difficulties customers are facing and see how best same can be solved.
The CEO concluded that they are also celebrating their frontline workers including their Customer Service Staff at the Call Centres as it very difficult to have an encounter with customers on a daily basis
He concluded by expressing his gratitude for the resilience and dedication the Orange staff have demonstrated since his assumption into officer as the CEO of Orange-SL.
Alpha Sulaiman Bundu, Director of Custom Service said the weeklong celebration is a platform for them to show their customers how dedicated they are to meet their needs and guarantee their satisfaction. He furthered that what their CEO had done since his assumption into office is exemplary and a testament of what good leadership is and the the staff are very proud and satisfied what CEO Sekou Amadou Bah has done to take Orange-SL to the apex of the telecomm industry in Sierra Leone.
Mr Bundu added that Orange is operating in about 18 countries and their universal objective is customer satisfaction and they are tirelessly working to achieve that in Sierra Lone. He concluded that their slogan for the celebration is “YES WE CAN” and they are ready to take responsibility of whatever their customers are facing with the Orange network.
Mr Bundu concluded, irrespectively of the change of management over the years, but the spine of the company is still strong and they are here and very much committed to reach the satisfaction of their customers and he was very happy their customers are 90% Sierra Leoneans
During the panel discussion, the CEO said the thrust of Orange-SL is digital, social am financial inclusion. CEO Bah confidently stated that his company is leading in the areas of inclusion, digital coverage, network stability and innovation. CEO Bah said they have reached more than five hundred thousand people and a GDP coverage of about 96% and they had 75% 4G coverage last year and in a week from now, they will achieve a 100% 4G coverage for 2024 and that will be a novelty in the telecomm industry in Sierra Leon as no other has ever achieved that feat. Mr Bah said his company trained and support over one thousand young people every year and they won an award in that direction in 2022.
The CEO said Orange Sierra Leone has more than 3.5 million customers and more than 2.5 million of Sierra Leoneans use orange Mobile Money every day and orange Money has not only created employment for citizens, but has positively impacted the lives of people in rural communities across the country.
The CEO said in 2023 they dished out $5Million in loans to support small business to help in the fight to alleviate poverty and that is part of their corporate Social Responsibility
He further that Orange is creating jobs as they have five thousand permanent staff working for the company across the country.
Mr Bah said his company is one of the leading tax paying entity as they are paying 27% of their revenue to the National Revenue Authority and other institutions and they are investing 40% of their revenue in the company and their packing trend shows 33%
The CEO further stated that his company is spending more than 70 Billion per year to build and repair schools, build hospitals, support deprived communities they operate all as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The CEO concluded that his company is not competing with anyone but themselves they are conscious of where they are and where they want to be
Representative of the Civil Society organizations William Sao Lamin, Executive Director, Accountability Now, Sierra Leone, talks on “why is excellence service delivery important for sierra Leones and the challenges as Civil Society organisation activist”.
Mr.Lamim said he has been working with Orange mobile Company for about 15 years he knows 80% of the location their terminals are erected.
He said the customer service week is not a mistake as Orange Sierra Leone has done a lot in the area of job direct and indirect job creation.
He further that irrespective of the challenges in the network in some communities, but Orange Sierra Leone is good at reaching their tax obligations.
Mr Lamin commended Orange for their accurate Mobile Money transfer which he said has significantly helped people in rural areas and made payment in local and international business transaction easier.
The Minister of Information and Civic Education in the current government, Mr Chernor Bah spoke on “Excellent gap in service delivery”.
Minister Bah said he has been a customer to orange for about twenty years since college days. He stated that, the question of where the company is currently, is not quiet important but where it is heading to is what should be the most important issue and Orange is striving hard to be at the top of mobile service operations not only in Sierra Leone but in all their areas of operation across the globe.
The Minister did not mince his words in praising the fantastic job orange has done especially in the area of digital money service as he is a fervent user of the Orange App to do his money transactions.
He said there are some challenges in the digital connectivity and customer service is an aspect of public information bur he believed with the resilience of the CEO that would be addressed.
The Minister of foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Timothy Kabba talk on topic what does it mean for sierra Leone to focus on service delivery compared to the rest of the world”.
Mr Kabba posited that Orange just need to conirnue improving onn their network to get more customer as they have done a marvelous job over the years.
He said they are leading in customer strength but the challenges are still there to address as there are areas across the country still grappling with the orange network.
After the panel discussion awards were giving to dedicated customers, partners and Organisations who have been working with orange for twenty years.