Blog: Advans Nigeria launches its mobile banking app, Advans Mobile
On 6 May 2019, Advans Nigeria (La Fayette MFB) launched Advans Mobile, a state-of-the-art mobile banking application, giving its clients the ability to bank anytime, anywhere.
Empowering clients to use their accounts for daily needs
Advans Mobile enables clients to manage their Advans accounts on a daily basis: clients can check their loan schedule, perform transfers to accounts in any bank in Nigeria, manage beneficiaries, pay their bills and buy airtime among other features. In addition, Advans Nigeria is now connected to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), which means that real-time transfers can be performed from any bank in Nigeria directly into customers’ Advans accounts.
Our clients are now able to easily use their Advans accounts to pay providers and employees, receive payments, make transfers from other banks and repay loans in an effortless way. The new application also proposes yet another channel to customers to benefit from Advans free-of-charge accounts and competitive savings interest rates.
While Advans Mobile aims at simplifying banking, security takes a central part of the solution. The remote registration process only takes a few minutes; however, an in-person validation is required for significant transactions.
The app, for smartphones and tablets, is available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
An app designed with our clients in mind
Over the past few years, Nigeria has seen a rapid growth in the number of internet and smartphone users. Our clients, SMEs and Micro entrepreneurs, have high expectations in terms of convenience and functionality of their Advans accounts.
Advans Mobile has been designed in a client-centric way, taking into account customers’ feedback at different stages of the project. A pilot with staff and a sample of clients was performed before launching the app which allowed for the adjustment of some features and enhancement of the customer experience.
Keeping convenience for our clients in mind, a USSD version of Advans Mobile will also be launched in the weeks to come.
Advans Mobile illustrates the high-tech and high-touch approach advocated by Advans
Advans has come to a strong conclusion: while the traditional brick-and-mortar model is not sufficient in today’s context, digital as a stand-alone channel is not enough to create a meaningful and sustainable relationship with our clients. We are convinced that high-touch will remain a strong differentiating factor when compared with 100% digital providers.
The self-service account management on Advans Mobile is supported by our Customer Care team, reachable directly via the app, WhatsApp or email. Clients can also easily get in touch with our staff thanks to the in-app branch locator. Complementary to our branches and field teller service, the mobile app offers another way for our clients to interact with Advans.
A strong start for Advans Mobile
We observe more than 50 new registrations every day, with a very positive feedback both in branches and on app stores. Our concern continues to be to stay connected to our customers and follow closely their evolving behaviors and expectations in order to be able to propose innovative functionalities, with some ideas already on our list!
What’s next?
While USSD banking has been available in several of our affiliates for some years now (in Côte d’Ivoire since 2014 and in Ghana since 2015), Advans Mobile Nigeria is the first mobile banking app for smartphones in the Advans network, soon to be followed by the launch of Amret Mobile in Cambodia. The lessons learnt from such innovative solutions and their implementation will certainly pave the way for other subsidiaries in the Advans Group and illustrate Advans' commitment to answering the evolving needs of our clients. In the coming months, the Group will devote a further in-depth reflection on our digital strategy and the ways to deliver services with added value in evolving digital ecosystems.
Our blogger: Ekaterina Diakonova, Alternative Distribution Channels Expert, Advans Group
Ekaterina Diakonova joined Advans in 2018 as Alternative Distribution Channels Expert. Her focus areas include omni-channel strategy, monitoring and support of the Advans’ subsidiaries in the implementation of local initiatives.