Singtel offers Singapore's first community-based service for prepaid mobile customers
hi! Club helps customers stay connected easily and affordably with their community
New mascot 'hi! Buddy' and service tagline 'Bringing Everyone Closer'
Singapore, 22 May 2009 -- Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) today introduced hi! Club, Singapore's first community networking service based on nationality, as part of its latest initiatives for its newly branded prepaid mobile business.
hi! Club allows customers to stay connected with friends and families easily and affordably. At launch, Singtel will offer hi! Club to three community groups, with
each having a unique name - hi!
("countrymen") Club for customers from China, hi!
("friend") for Malaysian Chinese customers and hi! Pinoy Club for Filipino customers. Over the next few months, Singtel will progressively make hi! Club available to customers from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Thailand.
("countrymen") Club for customers from China, hi!
("friend") for Malaysian Chinese customers and hi! Pinoy Club for Filipino customers. Over the next few months, Singtel will progressively make hi! Club available to customers from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Thailand.
Mr Wong Soon Nam, Singtel's Vice President of Consumer Marketing said: "Singtel recognised very early on that this group of customers is different and we have been addressing their needs with our various innovative, affordable and comprehensive services. What we are doing today is providing unique services to ease their transition from their home to Singapore.
"As the market leader in prepaid mobile services with 47% market share
[1], we are shaping the market by rewarding our customers with the best innovative service offerings. The new branding efforts show our strong commitment to deliver familiar, customer-centric services that our customers can depend on.
To sign up for hi! Club, customers simply need to dial *93300 to find the *SEND codes for the various clubs. hi! Club service is available from 23 May 2009.
Key features of hi! Club include:
- hi! Care helpline, which is managed by friendly customer care officers who speak the customer's native language. The helpline provides useful Singapore information such as telephone numbers and embassy addresses, as well as government agencies that assist foreigners working in Singapore. This is in addition to handling prepaid mobile service enquiries. By transcending the language barrier, the helpline creates a sense of familiarity and belonging for customers;
- 100 minutes of outgoing local calls worth $10 to hi! Club members;
- Free incoming calls between hi! Club members between Saturday 8pm and Sunday 8pm;
- Weekly home and entertainment news in local language via SMS alerts to keep customers informed of the latest developments in their home country, and
- Exclusive privileges and invitations to community events like festive celebrations, concerts, movies and topical talks.
Mr Wong said: "Our community platform goes beyond just delivering talktime value. hi! Club is an excellent touch point that creates opportunities for our customers to stay connected with friends and family easily and affordably. Besides interacting with fellow countrymen at community events, they can rely on hi! Care hotline that speaks their language, and offers a familiar and dependable source of information."
Embassy representatives welcomed Singtel's latest initiatives to address foreigners' needs.
Ms Minda C. Cruz, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore said: "I am pleased that telecommunications companies in Singapore do not only deliver value but also address the social needs of the expatriate workers with the introduction of its new services. Communicating with loved ones and friends across borders helps alleviate homesickness and cultural differences."
New service tagline 'Bringing Everyone Closer' and mascot
Singtel will also launch a fresh branding campaign, which leverages the familiar and successful hi! branding.
The new service tagline 'Bringing Everyone Closer' aims to help customers create stronger ties with family and friends through prepaid mobile services and community-based services.
A mascot, named 'hi! Buddy', will also be introduced as a friendly brand ambassador for prepaid mobile services to create a stronger affinity for customers.
Mr Wong said: "We continue to invest in and innovate our prepaid mobile services, regardless of the current challenging market conditions. We believe that this is the time to be responsible to the needs of this market segment, which plays an important contribution towards Singapore's economic growth."
Exciting initiatives ahead
Singtel prepaid mobile customers can look forward to a series of innovative and user-friendly services that will be introduced progressively in the coming months. These include:
- SMS chatline: Customers can interact with fellow hi! Club members by sending SMSes to these chatrooms. The service is cost-effective and non-intrusive as it allows customers to contact several hi! Club members at a time by sending one SMS.
- Voicemail chatline: Customers can make new friends by leaving recorded voicemail messages in a chatroom.
Special introductory offer for hi! Club
Customers can join hi! Club at $0.99 per month (usual $2.00 per month) to enjoy $22 worth of value. The one-time $2 registration fee is waived. To sign up for the service, customers simply need to dial the respective *SEND codes for the various clubs. hi! Club service is available from 23 May 2009.
For more information on hi! Club and Singtelfs prepaid mobile business, click on
www.singtel.com/prepaid.
[1] As at 31 March 2009.
