While millions of Kenyans rely on phone calls to reach out to their friends and family, some people still prefer chat apps, as well as social media platforms to communicate. Young people, for instance, would rather send you a message than buzz you with a phone call.
However, this does not mean that the popularity of voice calls has dwindled: data from the Communications Authority of Kenya show Safaricom users make a lot of calls that, together with M-PESA, contributes a significant share of the telco’s net earnings.
Four years ago, the carrier introduced a product called Stori Ibambe. The service allowed customers to hit a preset airtime target and earn the same amount in calls, SMS and browsing. Often referred to as Storo Bonus, the loyalty program, which has been faulted for its limited timeframe, is popular among a certain group of users.
Beginning today, Safaricom will incentivize the program with 200 MB of data for YouTube access and a 200% bonus airtime.
Of course, the units will expire at midnight (whether you hit your target five minutes to the deadline), so if you make frequent calls and value the product, then you may want to do so before people go to bed, else you will have free airtime that you can’t use.
Safaricom says the promotion will end on 20th October. Interested subscribers can opt-in by dialing *460#.
The airtime can be used to make off- and on-net calls, as well as send SMS to all networks. You cannot browse or purchase data bundles with it though.
“We are always looking at ways of giving our customers more value for what they spend on our network. Customer satisfaction is a key objective for us and we believe improving our customers’ experience is vital for our continued growth,” said Michael Joseph, Safaricom CEO.
