RIYADH — FRiENDi Mobile, a prepaid international package provided by Virgin Mobile Saudi Consortium in KSA, plans expansion as it has gained the confidence of expatriates working in the Kingdom, and successfully managed to enhance its relationship with them through the sponsorship of cultural, social, and sports activities, said Aziz Amine, FRiENDi Mobile Marketing Director.
FRiENDi Mobile offers great local and international calling rates in addition to outstanding Internet services in the Kingdom targeting the expat segment, he added.
In an interview, he further said “we believe that paying special attention to the culture and developing the right strategy at the right time to the right people can make the possibilities endless,” emphasizing that “we continue to work very hard on delivering customized products and services to our customers’ from cost efficient data packages to affordable calling rates.”
Excerpts from the interview:
• What were the major challenges in 2016?
We started the year with many challenges such as the fingerprint registration of SIM cards, the high subscriber penetration levels in voice and data, and very intense competition in the market. However, we have managed to turn these threats to opportunities and grow our EOY customer database as well as our gross and net margins.
• Where is FRiENDi mobile available?
The facades of many outlets are branded as FRiENDi. The recharge cards are also available in the convenience stores and major shopping malls and supermarkets throughout the Kingdom.
• How do you manage keeping all customers satisfied with FRiENDi service?
It is essential for FRiENDi Mobile to have the right people and processes to help shape our customers’ experiences while having right technologies in place. We continue to strive for customer loyalty, and we believe our key differentiator is our ability to provide our customers with consistent experiences across the various touchpoints and interaction channels they use.
With this, FRiENDi strategically enables users to keep in touch with their family and friends inside and outside Saudi Arabia by providing cost efficient, quality calling and Internet rates, strong network coverage, and excellent customer service.
• Is it only about international calls?
In addition to International calls, FRiENDi provides affordable and attractive internet packages starting from SR1.99, to allow its customers to browse the Internet whenever they want at low prices.
• How close is FRiENDi mobile to its customers?
Creating a wonderful package, from all aspects, is what Virgin mobile pursues to achieve. A wonderful brand brings about enhancement of what FRiENDi Mobile has to offer its subscribers. Our people make this possible by providing excellent services. An example of this would be Virgin mobile’s multilingual customer care champions dealing with the FRiENDi Mobile products, who work around the clock to answer calls at record speed.
This builds a service culture that differentiates us in the market and enables us to become a more trusted brand, ensuring our customers will keep coming back.
• Message for FRiENDi mobile customers?
We strive to continue our efforts in modernizing and integrating our business support systems, taking a more deliberate position to further sustain the growth momentum we have seen in the past years. As such, we would like to thank FRiENDi mobile customers in the Kingdom for their absolute loyalty. The team is definitely working hard to satisfy customers’ needs by providing them with great offers.
Furthermore, we remain confident that with the customer service orientation we have introduced in the Kingdom, the culture of innovation in place for the expats, and the sustained engagement of our people, will enable us to continue to sustain the momentum we see today and continue to create a wonderful world. — SG
