Strengthening the Etisalat agent network in Benin.

It has been eight months since the UNCDF programme MM4P launched a pilot to help the mobile network operator Etisalat strengthen the distribution strategy for its mobile wallet Moov Money.

Recently, the MM4P team returned to Comè, Benin, one of the four areas selected for the pilot. Located 60 km from Cotonou, not far from the Togolese border, the community depends mainly on fishing, trade and agriculture. In this part of Benin, where illiteracy is high, one of the recommendations made by MicroSave during an evaluation of Etisalat was tested: deployment of a sales force entirely dedicated to assisting Moov Money distribution agents.¹ MM4P and Etisalat wanted answers to these questions: What is the impact of this measure on the distribution network? Is there a direct effect on the adoption of the Moov Money service?

Analysis of the results collected throughout the pilot as well as from a qualitative survey conducted on site revealed three key factors.

Commitment – Through the commitment of the dedicated sales force, whose staff both supervise agents and provide business assistance to agents during field visits, the agents feel supported and develop their skills to best serve Moov Money customers. “We are on the ground every day. We guide the agents. We help them when they have requests. They know us and trust us,” explains Aderald, an agent supervisor in Comè.

During the technical assistance provided to Etisalat-Moov by MM4P via Amarante Consulting, particular attention was paid to the recruitment of this dedicated sales force. Selection criteria were defined to enlist salespeople who have a certain level of education, are dynamic and mobile, and come from the same area in which they will work so that they are knowledgeable of local conditions. The sales force is aware of its role and fulfils it with passion! “My sales agent is always available. Whenever I need help, I call him, and he usually comes immediately. If he [were] not here anymore, I [would] have big problems,” reports Cynthia, an agent in Comè.²

Motivation – The motivation and role of the agents provides an essential connection between the Moov Money users and the mobile network operator Etisalat, which certainly supports business. Cynthia, for example, knows she has someone to whom she can always turn for assistance in the business, which is critical for her. She is also convinced of the enormous potential of Moov Money. "I started a few months ago with an initial fund of 200,000 CFA francs [US$376³] that I have today tripled. In this area, many people are customers of Moov, and it’s perfect for my business. I have a competitive commission on transactions, and I’m paid on a regular basis," Cynthia shares to explain her motivation.

Results are consistent in Comè pilot zones: all seven agents whom the team met during the field visit are satisfied with the commission rates. They all are prescribers of the Moov Money brand and proclaim their title of brand ambassador. They note only one problem: lack of visibility. "I get a lot of customers who cannot read or write. When they come in my shop, they often expect me to wear a Moov t-shirt or cap, to confirm that I'm the right person to talk to," complains Sophie, another agent from Comè. This feedback confirms the impact of visibility (or lack thereof) on expanding Moov Money. In Sophie’s shop, which she shares with an agent of another operator, there are just two or three poorly placed Moov posters. "I claimed my membership to Moov Money, but I have no sign of belonging to this brand. I am in civilian clothes, and for the client here, it counts," she adds. If Moov wants to increase adoption and usage of the Moov Money service, it will need to address this issue of visibility.

Trust – Trust leads clients to adopt a service. However, one of the major challenges of mobile money services is to ensure availability at all times. Agents who cannot serve their clients due to lack of liquidity produce unsatisfied customers, who may lose trust in the service and later reject it for a competing service. Just a few months ago, when Moov Money customers went to an agent to cash in, they often found that the shop was closed because the agent left for supplies, kilometres away from the shop, and was gone for hours before returning. A solution was recently tested to address this issue that involves the dedicated sales force facilitating the supply of cash.

Sales staff facilitate the supply of cash between dealers and agents by, for example, reporting to the head of distribution when there are crowds or long waits at partner banks. An agent (who is also the owner of the sales point, which is located a half-hour walk from the heart of Comè) testifies to the problem and the tested solution: “Before, it was really hard for us to supply! You can have a transaction but not enough liquidity to cash out. Then you have to go far away [to] find that money. If not, you lose your customer. Because customers are always in a hurry, they won’t wait! Now, the sales agent puts us in contact directly with the dealers and it's better." The support provided by sales representatives and supervisors is really appreciated by agents and contributes to greater trust by customers.

Having motivated agents, who act as brand ambassadors, is an excellent asset on which Moov can build and gain confidence from the customer. It is easier than winning back trust that has been squandered!

These initial results show the positive impact of the strategic recommendations made to improve the Moov Money distribution network in the pilot areas. A subsequent blog will share whether the new strategy was strong enough to increase the volume of Moov Money transactions.

^{1. See this article to learn more about the evaluation, recommendations and pilot.↩}

^{2. All quotes in this article were taken from interviews conducted by Bery Kandji in Comé in February 2018 and later translated from French to English.↩}

^{3. Operational rate used was US$1 = CFAF531.225 (Source: https://treasury.un.org/operationalrates/OperationalRates.php, 1 April 2018).↩}