NetOne has been aggressively repositioning itself to increase its market share in the very competitive mobile industry. Since the appointment of the CEO Mr Lazarus Muchenje in April, NetOne has rolled out the franchise model to increase its reach whilst affording its customers the much-needed ease of access to products and services. His mantra upon joining NetOne has always been to turn NetOne into a world-class business that will provide a Quality Network, Quality Distribution, Quality Contact Centre and Quality Balance Sheet. The adoption of the franchise model is meant to directly address the Quality Distribution pillar.
Asked on the growth of the NetOne footprint and the successes of the franchise model, Mr Muchenje said, “It has indeed been an exciting journey and the results are quite encouraging. We opened up the network and managed to recruit over 500 franchisees over the last three months. The franchises are spread across the 10 provinces and are now contributing well over $1 million per month. The experience at every touch point is similar to what one gets in our fully-fledged NetOne shops. All our services are offered in a seamless manner and the feedback we have been receiving is very positive. Our brand is now within reasonable proximity in some areas but we are still actively engaging so that by the year-end we should be over 1000. This aligns well with our OneMoney growth strategy as we strive to build a solid mobile money ecosystem.”
The franchise model, the world over, is a good platform to empower the SMEs as the major beneficiaries of such models. Franchises offer the independence of small business ownership supported by the benefits of a big business network. NetOne has provided all the requisite training and branding to operate the franchises. This has given them a higher rate of success than start-up businesses. Mr Muchenje added that, “The ideal for NetOne is to continue with the momentum built and to move to the next gear. The outlook remains very bright and we are very clear of the milestones that we are going to achieve in the set timelines. The energy shown by the NetOne team (franchisees included) is very encouraging and with this mind-set, the giant can only but arise. We will continue to grow the distribution channel in a sustainable manner that ensures that all our partners benefit. This franchise model has given them additional revenue lines.”