How USSD Can Help You Grow Your Business in Nairobi

Nairobi is a fast-growing city with millions of consumers. It's ripe with business opportunities. However, small business owners do not have large budgets for marketing and sales support and will find it difficult to compete for customers with larger established businesses.

Luckily, USSD offers an efficient and cost-effective marketing and sales channel for your small business. Use it to help your customers easily access information about your products and services, make orders for your goods and services, benefit from promotional discounts. and reach your customer support, even if they do not have a smartphone or internet access.

What is USSD?

USSD stands for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data. Your customer dials a USSD code like *334# or *544# and receives back a list of options called a menu. The customer picks an option and is then served with another menu to pick from and this continues until the transaction is completed. For example, a customer looking to purchase a good or service from you may first see a list of options asking what they would like to do e.g. 1) Buy a good or service 2) Get information 3) Check the status of a delivery e.t.c. Once the customer selects 1, they will then receive a list of goods. After that they may be asked to select the amount of a good they want to purchase. And on and on.

Unlike traditional SMS messaging, USSD sessions are open-ended and interactive, allowing both the customer and business to exchange multiple pieces of information within a session. USSD is automated meaning that you don't need to have staff involved in answering USSD queries, a cost saving for you. However, your customer receives almost immediate feedback after keying in an option. And, using a USSD provider like HelloDuty allows you to expand the usefulness of USSD even further. For example, on HelloDuty, your USSD can be set up to hand your customer over to a contact center agent for a more detailed conversation, if necessary.

‍

‍

Why is USSD Important for Businesses in Nairobi?

Although smartphones and the internet are now widely available in Kenya, many Kenyas are still using basic and feature phones and cannot afford to purchase mobile data consistently. If you want to reach such customers, USSD is one of few viable channels for your business. To ensure that your customers are not hampered from interacting with your business by a communication cost, you can even set up a postpaid payment arrangement that allows your business to pay for the USSD sessions. This removes customer friction when buying from you or seeking customer support.

‍

How Can Businesses Use USSD to Their Advantage?

USSD is a versatile communication channel and different businesses can use it in different ways. Here are some examples:

1. Banks and Financial Institutions use USSD to allow their customers to check their balances, request statements, pay bills, make deposits and withdraws, change PINs, apply for loans or check the status of their loan applications. This allows such institutions to reduce queues in their branches
2. eCommerce and Retail companies use USSD to allow their customers to check product catalogs, make orders, track delivery of their purchases, check loyalty program balances, redeem loyalty points, participate in promotional campaigns and much more.
3. Hospitals and Healthcare institutions use USSD to allow their customers to book appointments, check appointment dates, receive snippets of health and wellness information, verify insurance policies, order medication refills and much more. This greatly improves the customer experience.
4. Gaming and Lottery companies use USSD to allow their customers to access the information they need to make good bets, place bets, load money, withdraw winnings e.t.c.
5. Schools and Ed-tech companies use USSD to provide snippet lessons to students and allow registration for classes and events, fee inquiries and other inquiries
6. Agri-tech companies use USSD to allow their customers to access product catalogs, check for weather alerts, order products and services, access snippets of agricultural information e.t.c.

If your business falls under any of the above categories, consider adding USSD as one of your communication channels.

How Can Businesses Get Started with USSD in Nairobi?

First, it's important to decide what you would like your customers to be able to do over USSD. Answering this question will help you to come up with a list of all the actions you need to undertake before setting up your USSD application. For example, if you want them to make orders, you need to prepare product catalogs. If you want them to access snippets of useful information, you have to prepare those snippets.

Second, identify a USSD provider to work with. You need a USSD provider like HelloDuty because your USSD workflow (the software instructions that controls how your USSD is served to customers) must be hosted somewhere. Your USSD provider also procures a USSD code that works for all Telcos on your behalf. When picking a USSD provider, look out for the following:

1. How well does your USSD provider explain the cost of your USSD application. Do they provide you with a clear breakdown of pricing or do they unnecessarily mark up the Telco costs for USSD?
2. The amount of guidance your USSD provider gives. A good provider will meet with you to discuss your USSD use case in depth and develop clear customer journeys for each of your customer segments. He or she will also be able to build very lean and easy-to-use menus.
3. How quickly can your USSD provider launch your USSD application. If your provider needs to code your workflows from scratch, launching your USSD application can take months. Opt for a no-code, click & config provider like HelloDuty. We can have your USSD application up and running in 30 minutes once we have defined your customer journeys.
4. What post-setup support is available. Your USSD provider should be able to help you adjust your workflows when necessary and troubleshoot any problems.

Third, before launching your USSD application, test it extensively to make sure it's customer-friendly and efficient. Make adjustments where necessary.

Fourth, market your USSD code widely using posters, billboards, or digital means to make sure your customer know how to reach your via USSD.

You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong. – Warren Buffet

Conclusion

USSD, an open-ended and interactive communication channel, is a cheap and effective way for small business in Nairobi to interact with all their customers, even those who do not have smartphones or access to the internet. Small businesses can use USSD to allow their customers to access information, make orders, take up promotional offers and reach customer support and thus greatly improve customer experience. If you are a small business looking to set up a USSD application, reach out to us at HelloDuty for hands-on professional guidance and reliable service.

‍