One of Zambia’s leading banks – Atlas Mara has launched Zambia’s first ever Small and Medium Enterprises – SME mobile app during the launch of the new and improved SME customer value proposition.
The bank which has maintained one of the largest physical presence in Zambia with 50 branches, 116 ATMs spread across all the ten provinces has revealed that its new SME customer value proposition is based on a comprehensive set of workable and scalable solutions that will enable over 16,000 existing Atlas Mara Bank SME customer and prospective customers to transact efficiently and effectively.
Atlas Mara acting CEO Bobbline Cheembela said that the new SME customer value proposition took the team two years to develop the structure after visiting all ten (10) provinces and holding focus group discussions with small and medium business enterprises.
He said, the team went through key sources on research to fully understand the SME ecosystem and its needs.
At an event that was held in Lusaka today, the CEO said the research resulted into three key areas of needs, among them is, easy conducting of transacting and understanding of the position of their accounts without calling or going to the bank, need for advisory services and help to develop capacity to managae their business and the need for easy and hustle free lending arrangement with a shorter turnaround time.
Cheembela further added that the customer value proposition has three key features to answer to the needs of the majority SMEs, on the three is the New SME Mobile application which will aid business owners in building and managing their businesses. He stated that the mission is to develop digital tools that enable business owners to automate time-consuming administrative duties such as scheduling, payment collecting etc.
“The app will help our SMEs from wherever they are to have information on what transaction have gone through their accounts and the expected payments received from their customers”, he said.
The Atlas Mara acting CEO stated that the second feature is the Atlas Mara business club through which the need for advisory and capacity development services have been answered. The club will help provide practical business advice to the SME customers and provide SME’s with opportunities to network, source markets and receive assistance in developing competent business capacity, he added.
Cheembela stated that the third feature is the lending programme which is an answer to an easy and hustle free lending arrangement with shorter turnaround time. He said this will not only aid the financing needs of SMEs, but also address the issue of limited security that most SMEs find themselves in, by arrangements with partners that are able to provide cover of up to 70% if the SME meet all criteria which answer to a viable business undertaking, he said.
Atlas Mara has reiterated that the bank will continue to support the needs of Zambian SMEs by increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction.
