ZB Bank Customers Will Soon Access Banking Services On WhatsApp

“WhatsApp is the internet of Zimbabwe”, we have said this a thousand times here on Techzim. Companies which come up with a solution/service/product that have a WhatsApp touchpoint have a good chance of pulling more users or customers. No wonder why, ZB Bank will soon introduce WhatsApp Banking.

Indeed, ZB banking is currently working on a WhatsApp Banking service which will enable its customers to interact with bank’s products on ‘an app level’. It was revealed during the bank’s presentation of half-year results:

In order to remain connected with its clients, the group will soon offer its banking services through the
“WhatsApp” social media platform. This product is currently at pilot stage.

By introducing this handy service, ZB bank will become the second bank after Steward Bank to utilize Zimbabwe’s most loved communication tool to deliver banking services. Also, ZB Bank joins banks in Dubai and South Africa which are also leveraging WhatsApp.

When is it coming

ZB Bank didn’t give a specific date as to when it will introduce WhatsApp banking. Rather, the bank said that the service will debut by next month.

WhatsApp Banking product is at pilot testing stage, pending full launch in Q3,
FY19.

It’s a good thing to finally see a bank like ZB bank (the old guard) integrate modern consumer technologies with banking services.

Improving banking with WhatsApp

As technology advances and more customers become connected, bringing banking to where customers is extremely important- this makes sense when you think of Generation Z who spend much of their time on messaging apps.

Providing services over WhatsApp can increase the likelihood of customer loyalty and engagement due to convenience, and familiarity with the app. WhatsApp is already within the customer’s reach so customers don’t have to change how they use their phones/WhatsApp to use ZB Bank’s WhatsApp banking service.

However, launching the service shouldn’t be a destination but rather a bus stop in the middle of a journey to make almost every customer use the service and improving it.