#COVID19 Curbing the “Broadband Emergency” | Conversations@Jazz

In this episode of Conversations@Jazz, an episode special to COVID-19, we spoke to none other than Asif Aziz, the Chief Commercial Officer at Jazz, who has, in the past, departed knowledge on this forum to us about digital communication and how it helps the society.

We spoke to Asif about the recent PKR 1.2 billion COVID-19 relief fund that Jazz has pledged, of which more than half goes to zero-rated calls, access to healthcare, and using communication technology to help Pakistanis. This pledge covers many initiatives and Asif explained to us how they help achieve the objectives Jazz has during COVID-19. “To educate customers through access to information” Asif explained, “And if low on balance, using our data sciences to target specific communities of users who would be most deserving and posting extra minutes to them”. This relief has also helped customers share data and balance in what Asif calls “a tree approach”.

These initiatives have come with their own challenges, as Asif tells us how “employing social distancing rules in the department brings a headcount problem because calls are coming in non-stop” but also how having a lot of calls switched to Jazz World and the WhatsApp service has seen digital channels grow with an estimated 20-25% shift. “This, in a way, caters to the 40% workload reduction we’ve had,” he said, explaining how they maneuvered through challenges.

Speaking about how important a telecom’s role in the society is during such times, Asif said Jazz provides an essential which is connectivity. “Be it making an emergency call, or work from home or checking up on loved ones, we are there for them,” he continued, “We’ve been using behavioral data that we’ve analyzed and we’ve come to know that people have moved from larger cities to the rural areas. So, we’ve been matching them with their nearest retailer and franchise point. If people have moved to an area of weaker coverage, we’re communicating to them regarding how we can help.”

Apart from explaining to us how Jazz pledged to bring relief to Pakistanis during COVID-19, he departed messages of wisdom, explaining how the government has “a broadband emergency” and how prioritization of subsidies should be considered, while imports of 2g phones be stopped to make more up-to-date devices affordable for the masses. For the customers, Asif explains how this is the time to try out digital services, saying “you won’t look back and say this isn’t for you”, while the employees, Asif believes, should “become brand ambassadors for Jazz and help connect the unconnected.”

We thank Asif Aziz for speaking to us at C@Jazz and wish him and the team all the power for what has now become a pioneer in COVID-19 relief: “Jazz Cares”.