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Could you tell us more about the functions of the Enterprise Division?
We cater to the communications needs of companies and their employees. This ranges from customized voice plans and hardware, to machine-to-machine applications and extending internal business software to remote mobile devices.
Basically, anything that requires people or equipment to communicate with one another or through a network, we can provide more cost effective, immediate and pervasive solutions. So instead of being tied to wires, we try to make workforces and business applications completely mobile, so that everything and everyone can work anytime, anywhere.
Unlike the services offered to the mass market, we provide bespoke services and rates. As Malaysia’s fi rst mobile operator, we have unmatched experience and a deep understanding of our clients’ needs. Combined with our unmatched network coverage and quality, this is why we are currently the nation’s largest business mobile provider.
Through our exclusive partnership with Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile telecommunications company, Celcom’s customers also benefit from leading-edge business products and services that have already been proven in other more developed markets. This partnership also helps our customers grow at a global level, with our unequalled worldwide roaming coverage and the lowest possible roaming and IDD rates to key overseas markets.
As the Senior Vice President of your division, what are your job functions and your greatest challenges?
Heading the Enterprise Division in Celcom is like running a small mobile operator. We have different branding, products, pricing, sales channels, technical support teams and even a dedicated business helpdesk. So the main challenges at the moment are probably the same ones facing all service providers in Malaysia – maintaining margins
and market share in an increasingly competitive marketplace, while continuing to innovate and deliver services that businesses actually want and are willing to pay for.
Human resource is also another challenge as we move into a new era of convergence. Mobile operators are becoming more and more like IT companies, and have to provide complete solutions as opposed to basic voice and data. So we have to re-train, re-tool and even hire from within other sectors to gain the competence and adapt to our changing role.
What are your latest products and services that are offered specifically to SMEs and how can these products help your customers in their businesses?
Just recently, we introduced the Dell Latitude range of business notebooks with Celcom Built-in Mobile Broadband & Vodafone Mobile Connect Built-in Software, a simple all-in-one solution which provides instant wide area broadband access for corporate customers. With a 3.5G modem and our Celcom SIM card built-in to the notebook, road warriors no longer have to hunt for a WiFi or WiMax hotspots to get connected. No additional hardware or software is required, which gives greater convenience, functionality, and reduced total cost of ownership.
In addition, we unveiled our new Celcom-Vodafone Business Centre in Pavilion KL’s Blue Cube outlet, which will showcase all of Celcom’s and Vodafone’s products and services targeted at business customers. Because it is set in a retail environment, we are directly targeting SoHo and SME customers. Other products that have been revamped recently with SMEs in mind are our Wireless Gateway – a WiFi router that uses 3.5G connectivity instead of a fi xed DSL line; Mobile PBX – which routes all external and internal calls including extension dialing over our wireless network, which can reduce communication costs by 20-40%; and our GSM Desktop Phones, where we have added new models and also provide free units with certain voice plans.
Back in September 2008, we introduced the new BlackBerry Bold smartphone, and also our new Celcom PowerTools Mobile Email Plans, which will allow customers to access their corporate and personal email accounts from as low as RM38 a month. For BlackBerry Internet Service subscribers, there are three options for light, medium, and heavy email users, and additional plans for those who deploy BlackBerry® Professional Software and/or a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server within their company.
Based on our third quarter results, Celcom recorded the highest BlackBerry subscriber growth in South East Asia.
In the intensively competitive telecommunications industry, how do you ensure that your customers remain loyal?
Our pricing is already very competitive, and we are confident of winning and retaining our customers through our superior quality of service, customer support, business flexibility and coverage – and the last applies not just to Malaysia but also our IDD and roaming partnerships worldwide. Ultimately, businesses need reliable connectivity while also reducing their costs – we can do both for them.
As Malaysia’s first wireless operator, we have been in this business for nearly 20 years now, and we understand what our customers really value. Our early start also means most of our network investments are already sunk costs. So even if we were forced to engage in a price war, we could do so while still retaining comfortable profi t margins. We already recognize and reward our long-standing customers with discounts, rebates, enhanced hardware subsidies, and even sponsorships. But we prefer to engage as business partners for growth, and not simply a supplier. We constantly review our customer’s communications needs with them and try to accommodate wherever possible, because each company and phase is unique.
What are your future plans for the Enterprise Division?
We have aggressive growth plans, and view the current downturn as an opportunity to help our business customers further. Companies are often hesitant to change existing processes and partners or to explore new ways of cutting costs. But with cost management becoming more crucial, our clients are more receptive to new and innovative solutions.
We can show clear savings and a rapid return on investment on paper, but it takes senior management commitment to put these cost-cutting initiatives into company-wide practice. We also do not want to become just a bit pipe – simply providing wireless access for devices and other solution providers – but are
moving up the value chain to provide holistic services. Very often, this requires us to partner with other market leaders in software, hardware and services, such as our recent tie-ups with Dell, RIM and our longstanding partner, Vodafone. Ultimately, the needs of our customers may vary, which is why we invite prospective customers to contact us so that a Business Solutions representative can meet up with them to understand their requirements, and then tailor an appropriate suite of solutions for them.
What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, in this challenging and competitive business environment?
Take measured risks and learn from mistakes. It’s okay to fail, but apply adequate common sense, research and intelligence to ensure that failure only happens some of the time. Even the greatest businessmen and leaders make mistakes and experience failures, but these are overshadowed by the scale of their successes.
