Six amazing ways technology has transformed Kenyan businesses

Man using his phone on the beach. (Courtesy)

The present-day Kenyan business operations are far more advanced compared to how things used to be done couple of decades ago.

Today, Kenyan businesses transact via M-Pesa, conduct business in different continents through Skype, create online communities to get instant consumer feedback, actively network on LinkedIn, manage bank accounts and e-mails from smart phones, share business-related images and stories on WhatsApp, SoundCloud and YouTube among other platforms, and so much more.

The education sector of the country can learn a great deal from how businesses have taken advantage of technology. Here’s how technology can solve challenges in Kenya’s education sector.

Digital revolution has completely transformed how business is done in the country. More and more consumers are embracing the new-age technological trends. Africa is ripe for the digital revolution and the best example of it can be seen in how Kenya is progressing. Let’s tell you about some ways in which technology has changed the Kenyan businesses for better.

1. Speed of transactions

No longer do the consumers need to stand in long queues for completing their transactions. Online and mobile applications like Paypal, Mpesa and e-banking have made those queues a thing of the past. Mpesa has in fact drastically changed banking in Africa.

Kenyans can complete banking transactions, pay electricity bills, pay water bills and make many other payments just by the click of a button on their smart phone or laptop/desktop. The speed of transactions has definitely improved a great deal over the past few years. 

2. Quick communication

Rather than using snail mail, businesses are increasingly opting for email communication these days. Many are also actively using customised digital products, websites, online chats and SMSes in this regard. All such quick communication mediums have enabled companies to reach out to their consumers more effectively, in real time. They can send customised messages to consumers and get instant feedback for improvements. Here’s the extent to which tech boom was expected to change Kenya six years ago.

3. Better reach

All thanks to the developments in business transactions, communication and infrastructure, businesses have a far better penetration today as they can reach a wider audience through establishment of interlinked branches, even in the remotest areas like Turkana. All this has aided development in those areas, and has contributed to the profits of businesses too.

4. Efficient customer service

Kenyan businesses have now thoroughly understood that customer is always right, and have mastered the use of modern technologies to improve their customer service operations. They’ve been setting up customised portals, social media pages and call centres to improve client retention, and thus profits.

5. Improvements in employees’ efficiency

Kenyan businesses are using customised computer programs nowadays for more efficient processing of business-related information by their employees, compared to the manual methods. Additionally, a large number of business owners have implemented design and accounting software to reduce the amount of human intervention and related costs in their business functions. All this combined with quick access to information is giving businesses a good competitive edge over their other African counterparts.

6. Information archives

Kenyan businesses of today spend very less on archiving spaces and paper as they have successfully replaced the complex and heavy filing systems with modern-day computer storage devices and cloud storage. As a result, they are able to access data from anywhere at any time, thereby improving their overall efficiency.