The recent launch of EZTop-Up, BTC’s new system for prepaid cellular top-up, offers customers nationwide a viable, easy-to-buy, easy-to-use service with a simplified distribution channel.
“This new initiative is part of our commitment to improve services and deliver value to our customer” said Antonio Stubbs, Senior Vice President, Operations, BTC. “We must bring our cost base in line with regional and global standards in order to prepare the business for competition and provide the prices that our customers are demanding for our products and services,” Stubbs continued. “Our distributors and retailers have been excellent partners in delivering BTC’s prepaid cards throughout the Bahamas. We’ve been above industry norms for quite some time, but we are aiming to normalize our margins by gradually bringing the airtime distributor and vendor commissions in line with industry standards worldwide.”
For several months prior to launching the new top-up system, BTC has been in discussions with prepaid card wholesalers and retailers to make them fully aware of the upcoming changes. Consequently, new contracts have been finalized and an improved suite of distribution policies and procedures agreed upon by both parties. As part of the arrangement, the distributors will be solely responsible for their retailers and vendors, ensuring that they are licensed and thoroughly trained on the new EZTop-Up software, hardware and e-portal.
BTC plans to thoroughly equip master distributors through intensive training so that information is funneled through the distribution channels. While the company is standardizing its distribution channel by providing general guidelines, our objective is to stimulate more competition and maximize benefit to our customers.
“Prepaid cards start off with the carrier generating pins, printing, shipping, paying duty, checking inventory and storage, reconciling. It’s endless counting,” said Damian Knowles, President of Melda Vending and BTC wholesaler. “With the sizeable margins that BTC offered in the past, when product goes missing sometimes it takes up to 10 sales to recoup the lost. With EZTop-Up, everything is electronic from the provider to the user. With less human contact, there’s not much need for reconciliation. For wholesalers, it’s a dream come true. It’s Utopia.”
With the introduction of EZTop-Up, customers will have multiple ways to add airtime to their phone at home and on the road through participating merchant locations. Various top-up methods will increase from three options to seven, making the purchase of airtime accessible virtually anywhere in the country.
According to BTC, research shows that prepaid wireless customers buy top-up more frequently than other forms of recharge (ie. prepaid cards). Retailers can benefit directly from the system through increased sales volume. Customers also tend to purchase other items while topping up their phone in-store. The new approach will also include a visibly branded, uniformed presence for all access points. Consumers can expect brightly-colored kiosks, uniformed apparel and BTC-branded signage wherever EZTop-Up is available.
The restructuring of prepaid cellular airtime distribution makes it possible for BTC to pass along reduced rates to customers such as the recent decrease in mobile calling rates throughout the country and a new simplified calling and texting structure. Future rate reductions and service upgrades are planned as we continue to “wow and delight” our customers.
