Qtel launches another customer service initiative designed to make it easier and more convenient for customers

In the presence of Qtel Chairman Sh Abdullah Al Thani, CEO Dr Nasser Marafih and Executive Director For Qtel's Customer Service Waleed Al Sayed, Qtel today officially launched yet another customer service initiative designed to make it easier and more convenient for customers to carry out a number of useful functions relating to Qtel services.

With the opening of the first two Electronic Payment and Top-up Service machines situated outside the Qtel premises in City Centre Mall, customers will be able to avoid queuing at the sometimes very busy Qtel Retail Branches and carry-out a number of functions using the automatic machines. 

Waleed Al Sayed, Executive Director for Qtel's Customer Service team said, "As the telephone plays an increasingly important part of everyone's life, customers have been telling us that they want easier, faster and more convenient ways to carry out a number of functions that are essential in staying connected.  Top-ups for our pre-paid services in particular are a popular service and although there are many outlets where our card services can be obtained, customers want more.  Therefore, starting today here in City Centre, our new machines are permanently on and accessible whenever the Mall is open.  Although our Qtel shop is open from 10 am to 10 pm, there are still many shoppers, diners or cinema-goers here outside of these hours – so if they need Qtel service, then our new machines are here to help."

In what the company describes as Phase I of the new service, customers will be able to view or pay bills (all post-paid services), re-connect service or top-up their Hala accounts (pre-paid mobile), Ebhar (pre-paid Internet service) or QCard (pre-paid fixed-line telephone service) accounts.

To view or pay active-line bills, customers will need to enter their relevant telephone number as well as their Qatar Identity (QID) number.  Having entered personal information and gained access to Account details, customers have the option to either pay billed amounts or amounts that are listed but at that time, unbilled.  Either part or full payments are accepted and customers can deposit appropriate sums all at once rather than feeding notes one at a time.  The machine will accept deposited cash and ask customers to confirm amounts to ensure that no mistakes have been made in the deposited sums.  As with bank ATMs, a 'cancel' button will terminate transactions and return any deposited cash and the transaction will be void.  Should customers enter sums that are in excess of amounts due, then any over-payment will automatically be credited to that account.  For example, if the billed / unbilled amount is QR 257 and the sum entered is QR 260, then QR 3 will be shown as a credit on the customer's next bill.  Receipts for all services are given.

Customers wishing to re-connect service will, having entered appropriate information, be advised on-screen the minimum amount to pay.  Having successfully carried-out the transaction, the customer's line will automatically and instantly be re-connected.

The pre-paid Top-up services will be particularly popular as customers, having entered phone number details and deposited appropriate sums (QR 30, QR 50 or QR 100), will be instantly issued with a paper slip that will carry the Top-up numbers for extended service.  These slips of paper act in exactly the same way as existing plastic cards but are more environmentally friendly and less cumbersome for customers. 

In future developments, Qtel's Electronic Payment and Top-up machines will also accept popular Credit Cards and NAPS accredited cards.

Waleed concluded, "We see these machines as another important step in Qtel being more accessible to customers - at a time and place that suits them!   Our eQtel service is already proving to be increasingly popular with both residential and business customers and many customers are benefiting from having Internet access to many of our popular services such as bill payment, service ordering and service alterations.  With these first two automated machines in City Centre and plans to roll-out others at both Qtel Retail Branches as well as other popular and convenient sites around Qatar, we are hopefully demonstrating again our company commitment to attain the very highest levels of customer service."

 

23/1/2007