Ever since the world has been under lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the use of online services globally. These include everything from online streaming and gaming to a significant boost to online businesses, e-commerce in particular; and even businesses embracing a work-from-home culture. We catch up with Feras Al Shaikh, the Director of Branding and Communications at Ooredoo, to understand how this trend has affected the Online world in Oman.
From your observations, to what extent has COVID-19 affected the online scene in Oman and Ooredoo accordingly?
COVID-19 really has changed how we live and work. All the things that, as a society, we were used to doing physically, we have had to find ways of doing remotely or online. While companies have been working from home, teachers have had to deliver learning online, and many of us have used video calling to keep in touch with our loved ones. And with social distancing giving us much more time at home, we’re relying a lot more on online platforms to keep us entertained.
Oman was already moving to digital, but the pandemic accelerated it. In fact, it has been an essential lifeline for many individuals and businesses. The transformation that has been made under such unprecedented circumstances is nothing short of remarkable, and thanks to our resilience and adaptability, we have, for the most, part been able to continue to survive, and even thrive. Ooredoo is pleased to be a part of keeping people connected and businesses operating. Early on in the pandemic, we activated our work-from-home protocols and our workforce is fully equipped to function remotely, while continuing to serve our customers through our digital channels with ease.
What effect has the increased traffic had on the network?
We have a robust network that has been more than equipped to cater to the tremendous increase in data needs. It is always our priority to keep our network running smoothly and ready for any eventuality, and the pandemic has been a testament to such efforts. Our digital platforms, too, have been able to meet the demands of increased traffic and we have continually updated and enhanced them so that our customers, existing and new, can continue to access all of our products, services and get help if they need it.
Some of the latest features that have been added to the Ooredoo Oman App include being able to raise and track issues, renew your ID, and connect through AI chatbots Saeeda and Saeed. Our eShop has also been set up for contactless home delivery, giving customers access to the latest services from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, our Contact Centre has been working on a number of creative digitally-led solutions to be able to offer our customers the best possible experience wherever they are. In a nutshell, our digital services are meeting the needs of more customers than ever before.
What measures have you taken to ensure the country stays connected during this time?
Keeping our customers connected is what we’re all about, and during the pandemic we made a promise to find ways to keep them connected to their friends, family, work and education. On top of our easily accessible services and affordable plans, we have launched various offers, discounts and freebies to suit every budget and need. This has included free calls, extra data, faster speeds, and plenty of free add-ons. We are also providing free access to educational websites and online communication applications in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), so that students can continue to learn from home. And we recently signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education to provide an educational portal for the academic year 2020-2021, something that is vital for students in a post COVID-19 environment.
For businesses, we increased our bandwidth speeds going up to 1Gbps, to ensure their employees can work from home effectively and efficiently. We have also offered unlimited calls, data packages, extra speeds and much more. We have paid particular attention to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), who are always a core part of our CSR programmes, and to whom the challenges of the pandemic have hit harder. One example is our 50% discount to Riyada (Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development) cardholders on monthly subscriptions of the Ooredoo Internet Professional (OIP) and Shahry Business eezee plans.
Is there any one particular area of your business/product that has seen a significant uptake since the lockdown began?
As demand for online services has grown in light of COVID-19, we reported a massive 150% rise in traffic on our social media and digital platforms compared to the first quarter of the year. We have been catering to over 25.5k interactions per day, thanks to our enhanced digital offerings, the eShop, WhatsApp, Live Chatbots and several other useful features and upgrades that we have added to the App over the course of the lockdown. But there’s much more in store as we continue to provide the best possible customer experience, whatever the challenge.
The pandemic has almost completely changed the commercial landscape of the world. What sort of lasting impact do you see it having on the way we conduct business/transactions going forward, even following the pandemic?
Out of adversity comes opportunity and the COVID-19 pandemic has been a learning curve for businesses, demonstrating the importance of being prepared, being agile and being innovative. In an effort to protect their employees and help prevent the spread of the virus, companies have quickly enacted new policies and invested in new online technologies. With the help of things like video conferencing, remote payment technologies and virtual events, organisations have found that they can continue to function well, and in some cases, better, even with their employees not gathered physically in an office. This is highly likely to continue to some extent, having successfully proved to support business continuity.
Not only have we seen a surge in innovation across all sectors, but we have seen an increase in community involvement, from donations to volunteering, supportive messages, or just enabling people to stay at home. This sense of coming together to support a common cause has become an important part of the commercial landscape, showing that a business is much more than what it provides as a product, but has an essential and valuable role to play in the community, pandemic or not.
Of all the changes that you have made within your organisation or to your products, which do you see persisting once the current situation has passed?
The momentum we have gained with our digital transformation is only going to continue and we’ll be doubling down on our efforts to take things to the next level. More than ever, people have realised how much more convenient doing things digitally is and how much value it adds to their lives and it’s unlikely they’ll want to go back. We want to continue the positive developments that have been made throughout the pandemic and use them as building blocks for a post-COVID world. That means not only strengthening our commitment to enriching our customers’ digital lives, but contributing to the economic and social prosperity of Oman, as together we strive to overcome the impacts of the pandemic and embrace a new reality.
Feras has been with Ooredoo since 2004, having joined from where he came from the banking sector. He has since continued his journey in Consumer Sales becoming Director of Consumer Sales and bringing over 20 years of management experience in telecoms and banking.
He currently heads up Branding and Communications and is responsible for making the transition to new digital media and marketing arena, as part of the company’s overall digital transformation strategy.
Feras gained his bachelor’s degree in Business Management majoring in Marketing from the University of Bangalore in India.