AccessKenya Launches First Retail Outlet
By Staff Writer
NAIROBI---Listed Internet Service Provider (ISP) AccessKenya Friday launched its first retail store at Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi’s Westlands, in its bid to provide customers with an alternative means of accessing its services. This makes it the first ISP to venture into retail stores and bring a hi-tech experiential “internet and IT world” closer to the customer.
“These retail stores will create convenience to our rapidly growing clientele and increase the AccessKenya footprint in the market. By delivering our services to the people we are responding to our customers’ requests that they want to access our products and services at their doorstep”, said Jonathan Somen, Group Managing Director, AccessKenya Group.
“The store is a full experiential area where clients will be able to experience our internet speeds through our metro fibre network. We want our potential clients to be able to see what they can do and the possibilities open to them with our connections. In addition, clients will be able see simulated speeds of all our packages so that they know the experience they will have if they sign up with AccessKenya. The store is mainly designed to be a retail experience and a selling point for AccessKenya services but we will also be offering customer service as well as payment of bills in the future from the store”, added Somen
Clients coming into the retail store will be able to experience fast guaranteed speeds, gaming, live streaming, internet TV and the ultimate internet enabled printing solution. This latest printing technology enables one to print documents and photos from any internet connected gadget including their phones. As long as one has an internet connection on their device they can print from anywhere in the world to anywhere else in the world.
The retail store is one of the new initiatives being introduced by AccessKenya to reach its customers more easily. The company has started a distribution department which has seen it appoint sales agents and resellers in Nairobi and Mombasa. Plans are underway to extend to other major towns in Kenya.
Over the last ten years of its existence, AccessKenya has focused on direct selling through its sales teams to sell its corporate internet, Access@Home residential internet, IT services and SmartAccess, its latest addition designed for Small and Medium Enterprises.
As part of the ongoing sales expansion and increasing access to its services, the company has also entered into strategic partnerships with leading service providers like Barclays Bank, Housing Finance and Aon Minet. Customers opening a Barclays Bank account enjoy subsidized internet and IT services offers. Those mortgaging houses from Housing Finance enjoy
special offers while at Kshs. 200 ($2.4) and Kshs. 500 ($6.25) more per month, a client with a home link from AccessKenya can enjoy household insurance of up to Kshs. 500,000 ($6,250) and Kshs. 1million ($12,500) respectively from Aon Minet.
“This latest innovation by the company is aimed at increasing accessibility of its products and services and providing a great experiential to its existing and potential clientele,” concluded Somen.