About SmartCiti
SmartCiti™ Fiber is the Fiber-To-The-Home internet service by Smart City Technology Company Ltd. Their work is centred around two core values – internet access should never be capped and every internet service should be reliable. They currently operate in Ibadan with coverage in key areas including Akobo, Basorun, Iwo Road, Bodija, Aerodrome GRA, Jericho, and more.
The Challenges
SmartCiti was using an online payment processor to collect payments from their customers, however, they faced the issue of trust. Their customers were hesitant to input their card details online and instead wanted to send the money directly to SmartCiti for their service to be reactivated.
This created a lot of manual processes for the team at SmartCiti that were tedious and time-consuming:
- The customer makes a transfer
- They send their proof of payment to SmartCiti via email or SMS
- The payment is confirmed
- The account is renewed
They also faced many instances in which a customer would pay without notifying them, expecting their subscription to be automatically renewed. SmartCiti would then receive a barrage of calls and complaints when this did not happen. Additionally, oftentimes customers would make a payment into the wrong account, causing disruptions in service delivery.
Hence, they set out to look for a solution.
The Solution
They were introduced to Duplo by one of their clients and immediately found their answer in Duplo’s Virtual Accounts solution. With Duplo’s Virtual Accounts, their customers can now pay them at any time and the payment automatically reconciles on their backend.
How does it work?
- Every customer is given a dedicated virtual account number that they can pay into
- Once the payment is made, SmartCiti receives a notification from Duplo and the status also updates on their backend
- The customer’s subscription is renewed automatically
They are also able to provide multiple payment options, including bank transfers, much to the delight of their tech-wary customers.
The Result
Manual processes cut by more than 50%:
They have been able to eliminate manual processes significantly, which in turn has reduced stress and labour-intensive tasks for the entire team.
Improved Trust with Customers:
Duplo has helped them improve customer trust by providing a secure payment method. Customers who previously expressed concerns about entering their card details now feel safe using this method.
Advance Payments Leading to Revenue Growth:
They have seen an increase in the number of people who pay in advance due to the convenience of transferring funds electronically, even for services that they have not started using yet. This has increased their access to cash flow and boosted their revenue growth.
What’s next for SmartCiti
So far, SmartCiti has solved 90% of their payment collection challenges with Duplo. The goal is to get every category of their customer base on board with Duplo’s solution as a number of their customers are yet to fully grasp the concept of automation.
As they grow and expand to become the regional market leader in their industry, they are keen to explore other Duplo products, especially international payments.
