Telecel has introduced a new emergency response facility, which it has called 911 Road Assist. Subscribers can use the facility to summon assistance in the event of a vehicle breakdown, a road accident or any other on-the-road emergency.
In the event of a road emergency, subscribers to 911 Road Assist can dial *160# and the service will send an SOS like message to four numbers the subscriber would have prescribed. And the service ends there!
This paid service will see Telecel deduct $0.50 from signed up subscribers. Here’s an extract from the release we received from Telecel.
A request for assistance will then automatically be sent to four numbers that the subscriber has previously selected as the numbers to be contacted in the event of an emergency.
The numbers could include emergency services, such as a company that provides roadside assistance, or personal contacts who the subscriber can rely on to assist in the event of an emergency.
To register for 911 Road Assist, subscribers dial *160#, and follow the instructions for entering the four numbers they would wish to be contacted in an emergency.
The facility costs 50 cents per month, which is deducted from the subscriber’s airtime balance.
“Road emergencies can occur at any time. There is nothing worse than being stuck by the roadside struggling to contact someone,” commented Telecel Zimbabwe marketing director Octivius Kahiya.
“By subscribing to 911 Road Assist our customers can have the peace of mind of knowing that if they have a vehicle breakdown or are in need of any roadside assistance, all they have to do is dial *160# and their request for help will go to the four numbers they have specified when they registered for the service,” he said
What’s interesting is this value added service Telecel is offering is already comes standard with the regular subscriber service – SMSs.
It’s not quite clear what problem this VAS is solving. Particularly so when suppose I have a breakdown, getting the message to four people will not be immediately difficult nor will it solve my problem. My problem is solved when my car is towed or, in the event of an accident I get quick access to medical assistance. This service can’t do that and worse still, I already have options to call for road assistance without subscribing to an added service. Even when I don’t have airtime, I could possibly send call-me-backs or get an airtime advance from Telecel to contact road assistance or my trusted family or friends. The value proposition from Telecel is not clear here.
Maybe Telecel could have offered the service in a way that in the event of a breakdown or accident, subscribers can get access to road rescue services or paramedics that will not be paid for but covered by a premium subscription like insurance. Econet has been aggressive in offering insurance based VASs which Telecel is possibly trying to emulate
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17 comments
so i alert the people..and then what???
they should add more to it. its useless!
This certainly is not a “game changer” but does it need to be? They are simply offering solution for subscribers who fear they may run out of airtime when they desperately need the assistance. That’s not useless.
If i can send a call back, i can just as well get an advance.
Not clever at all.
I don’t think the service is useless as there are many cases where you need this speedy airtime-less solution. Suppose for example you’ve already used an airtime advance or run out of the advance balance before you could establish your location etc. However, anyone else find it a little odd that it’s called “911 Road Assist” and yet you have to dial *160# to access it?
u could always send a call me back. this is just a call back in disguise! and at 50c a month, its a huge ripoff
See, I get a lot of call-me-back requests and I have no way of telling ahead of time if somebody has something important to discuss with me or just wants to chat about something unnecessary on my precious airtime (I really hate this). And half the time it’s the wrong number!
I for one am grateful for a service that differentiates the useless needy cheapskates from somebody with the foresight to prepare for a bad situation.
I’m beginning to suspect you’re just one of those cheapskates. I hope you at least pay for medical aid.
wow! pipe down! im just expressing my opinion. no need to be mean about it jeez!
Don’t be offended sweety. I was doing the same, sorry you didn’t like it 😉
what then happens when those pple have no rtym to kol u bk???? I think let me rest there because these guys are doing market research without paying us for infor given. let ur VAS be a solution to an end.
It’s just an option, not a magic solution. At least if a trusted someone knows it’s a real emergency they might try to find airtime yacho.
not to sound ….. but Telecel should have pitched the idea at ZOL surge and they could have added a few ideas here and there. for example wouldnt it be better for them to partner Road Rescue or AAZ or some and made the 911 service available as an emergency number i.e. when there is no airtime and no coverage but there is Econet or Netone coverage etc
maybe all those ideas are in the pipeline…just maybe
hopefully. Otherwise they are just killing a good idea trying to go to market with half baked products.
im with u all the way victor!
sounds like a real load of garbage as it stands
poor innovation here