MTN launches "World-First" Airtime Top-up Through WhatsApp

WhatsApp now has 1.5 billion global users (as of January 2019), according to Statista , which also found that 49% of South African smartphone owners use it (at the third quarter of 2017).

“It’s imperative that companies focus on improving self-service experiences to retain and grow customers and this is an important step for MTN, in addition to what we are doing to upgrade our overall customer journey,” says Mapula Bodibe, MTN SA’s executive for consumer business.

MTN quotes Gartner research that found 25% of customers will use chatbots or virtual customer assistant by 2020 to manage their own accounts.

Murphy says this service will enhance customers overall digital experience. "People don’t want to have to call a call center, they want control and this solution puts the control squarely in the hands of the consumer.

“We understand which social media platforms the majority of our customers use and how much time they spend on them – so we’re taking the solution there."

—Forbes.com