Bakcell announces its new brand
Bakcell, Azerbaijan`s first cellular provider, has
announced its new updated brand. The step will reinforce the
company`s advanced position in the country`s fast-growing cellular
communications market, Ineke Botter, Bakcell`s CEO, told a news
conference held on this occasion on Tuesday.
After Bakcell`s new slogan "Let`s get closer" was presented, Botter said the company had set out a goal to turn into the most popular cellular provider in Azerbaijan by the end of the year.
Bakcell`s new brand is based on several values. The first one is to bring benefits and add value to the company`s clientele. In other words, the customers will gain more from the money spent on cellular services.
Another guideline is to step up care for Bakcell`s customers and staff. The cellular provider intends to open a great number of customer care centers to reach that objective.
One more value pursued by Bakcell covers progress and development. As part of these efforts, the company will work to increase the quality of its services and expand their scope of coverage, in accordance with the agreement signed with Nokia Siemens Networks. Bakcell`s coverage will mostly be expanded in Azerbaijani regions and villages.
The fifth value outlined in the new brand is ensuring simplicity in attending to customers` needs, i.e. customers will be able to freely receive answers to all of their questions regarding Bakcell`s services.
The change of Bakcell`s brand maps out consistent strategic steps to be taken by the company. "These include attracting major shareholders to the network, applying cutting-edge technologies and improving customer services. All this will help to boost the services rendered by Bakcell and increase its market share," Botter said.
The Bakcell head said that as the company`s brand is reshaped, all of its phone cards will look differently, becoming thinner and more flexible.
Botter further said that the number of the company`s users has now reached 1.5 million in the country of over eight million, and the figure includes only active phone numbers.
Bakcell`s services currently cover 90 percent of Azerbaijan`s population and 82 percent of the country`s territory.
According to the Bakcell CEO, the company plans to gain control over 30 percent of the domestic cellular communications market by the year-end, which will boost its clientele to 2 million customers.
Botter emphasized that, whereas Bakcell`s revenues constituted $100 million in 2006, the figure tripled in 2008.
She went on to say that Bakcell`s investments are increasing by the year. Whereas the company invested only $25m in 2006, it plans to bring the figure to as much as $150m in 2009.
As Bakcell expands its operations, its staff is expanding as well, says Botter. The company targets bringing the number of its employees to 1,000 by the end of 2009, up from 525 employees in 2006.
Botter noted that Bakcell has become a purely Azerbaijani company. All of its stock is now Azerbaijani-owned, as the company`s local shareholders have purchased the foreign-owned shares. Remarkably, the reshaping of Bakcell`s brand comes amid this shift in the company`s ownership.
Bakcell had launched its operation as an Azerbaijan-Israel joint venture in 1994, with citizens of both countries holding stakes in the company. Afterwards, the cellular provider`s share owned by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies was sold to private entrepreneurs.
After Bakcell`s new slogan "Let`s get closer" was presented, Botter said the company had set out a goal to turn into the most popular cellular provider in Azerbaijan by the end of the year.
Bakcell`s new brand is based on several values. The first one is to bring benefits and add value to the company`s clientele. In other words, the customers will gain more from the money spent on cellular services.
Another guideline is to step up care for Bakcell`s customers and staff. The cellular provider intends to open a great number of customer care centers to reach that objective.
One more value pursued by Bakcell covers progress and development. As part of these efforts, the company will work to increase the quality of its services and expand their scope of coverage, in accordance with the agreement signed with Nokia Siemens Networks. Bakcell`s coverage will mostly be expanded in Azerbaijani regions and villages.
The fifth value outlined in the new brand is ensuring simplicity in attending to customers` needs, i.e. customers will be able to freely receive answers to all of their questions regarding Bakcell`s services.
The change of Bakcell`s brand maps out consistent strategic steps to be taken by the company. "These include attracting major shareholders to the network, applying cutting-edge technologies and improving customer services. All this will help to boost the services rendered by Bakcell and increase its market share," Botter said.
The Bakcell head said that as the company`s brand is reshaped, all of its phone cards will look differently, becoming thinner and more flexible.
Botter further said that the number of the company`s users has now reached 1.5 million in the country of over eight million, and the figure includes only active phone numbers.
Bakcell`s services currently cover 90 percent of Azerbaijan`s population and 82 percent of the country`s territory.
According to the Bakcell CEO, the company plans to gain control over 30 percent of the domestic cellular communications market by the year-end, which will boost its clientele to 2 million customers.
Botter emphasized that, whereas Bakcell`s revenues constituted $100 million in 2006, the figure tripled in 2008.
She went on to say that Bakcell`s investments are increasing by the year. Whereas the company invested only $25m in 2006, it plans to bring the figure to as much as $150m in 2009.
As Bakcell expands its operations, its staff is expanding as well, says Botter. The company targets bringing the number of its employees to 1,000 by the end of 2009, up from 525 employees in 2006.
Botter noted that Bakcell has become a purely Azerbaijani company. All of its stock is now Azerbaijani-owned, as the company`s local shareholders have purchased the foreign-owned shares. Remarkably, the reshaping of Bakcell`s brand comes amid this shift in the company`s ownership.
Bakcell had launched its operation as an Azerbaijan-Israel joint venture in 1994, with citizens of both countries holding stakes in the company. Afterwards, the cellular provider`s share owned by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies was sold to private entrepreneurs.
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