Blog : Advans Cameroun's pioneering agent network

Summary: Since 2016, Advans Cameroun has been focusing on launching new innovative digital channels such as its partner agent network to ensure its proximity to clients and improve the client experience. Today Advans Cameroun has partner agents in 13 of the 15 towns covered by its branches and in some rural areas. Advans Points offer a secure service close to clients businesses or homes.

An extended network of partners to facilitate access to Advans services

Advans Cameroun’s Advans Point network is a network of partner agents selected by Advans: on top of their principal activity, these agents can serve Advans clients in their points of sale. The process for the client is simple: any client registered with Advans goes into one of Advans partner agents or Advans Points, indicates their account number and tells the agent the kind of transaction they would like to carry out. The client can make a deposit, a withdrawal, a transfer to another account, or request information (balances etc.). The agent makes the necessary checks before performing the transaction, with all operations taking place in a secure manner. Advans agents can only access the data needed to make the checks (identity card, client photo, telephone number): so as to validate a transaction (except for deposits) the client receives a unique temporary password on their mobile that they give to the agent.

Advans Cameroun, the first affiliate in the Advans network to launch its own agent network

In the Advans Group, Advans Cameroun is the first affiliate to put in place a partner agent network, and in Cameroon, it is the first Microfinance Institution to develop this kind of channel. The latter’s primary objective is to give clients increased proximity and secure access to their account. So what are the benefits? Clients don’t have to leave their place of work for more than a few minutes, and it can be especially beneficial for clients who are far from branches to have access to financial services closer to their home or business. It also makes it easier for clients to repay their loans, or make any general account transactions. Advans also guarantees that transactions are simple (no forms to fill in) and confidential.

Challenges in implementing a new digital service

All transactions through the agent channel are made with a smart phone application used by both Advans agents and mobile collectors. The application is linked to the Advans core banking system and allows agents or collectors to make real time transactions outside of traditional bricks and mortar branches. As the first MFI in Cameroun to launch this kind of network, the main challenge for Advans Cameroun was to gain clients' trust: partly because passing through an external partner and not a traditional branch is a new concept in Cameroun, and also because development of mobile money outlets for bill payments and cash transactions is fairly recent on a national level (it started five years ago), which explains the gradual uptake of networks of agents in all sectors.

Boosting digital financial inclusion

The channel has developed positively since its launch, with 13% of Advans transactions nationwide taking part at Advans Points, with 49 agents at end February 2018. The communication on the service and the support provided to clients, as well as the advantages associated with the channel have helped to make this new service popular. However, there are still some improvements to be made: connectivity can sometimes be problematic for the network due to the fact that all transactions take place online. This channel has also enabled Advans Cameroun to increase its coverage in the country at a reduced cost.

The added value of this new service is the fact that clients can easily access their accounts, which is a major source of satisfaction.