Eureka for the informal sector, as fast-growing digital pensions company, Awabah, recently launched a WhatsApp interactive platform, Lolo Chat Bot, saying the platform will increase accessibility and acceptability of pension services.
Unveiling the new initiative in Abuja, Chief Executive Officer, Awabah Micro Pension Company, Tunji Andrews, said the company has shouldered the responsibility of taking pension services to the street for local businessmen and women, through technology, to start saving for the future.
He said the platform has been simplified for easy usage with a WhatsApp message and timely response.
In his words: “Lolo Chat Bot is a fully interactive application that is accessible using Whatsapp. Once you save the number and send hi, it does everything, it starts asking you questions, just a question and answer kind of system and if for some reason the conversation has gone beyond the capability of the chat bot, it then directs you to the customer service representative who takes on the enquiry.
“It is accessible to everybody because almost everybody who uses WhatsApp in Nigeria which means it is accessible to almost every person even for the old and the young but ultimately the second and more important thing is that we didn’t just make it a chat bott and just leave it at a chat butt, we made it a chat butt that has a customer service underlay at the bottom of it, so if the person has a question that they can’t get answered by the chat butt, somebody is always on hand to answer the question.”
During an interview with journalists, Head of Micro Pensions, First City Monument Bank Pensions Ltd., Ayodeji Asaolu, said there have been efforts to develop an awareness campaign through the media crusading the benefits of pension schemes to the Nigerians.
“We have lots of strategies that we want to disseminate to the public regarding the micro pension plan and that is why we came up with the strategy of a media campaign. This will also sensitize the public. The majority of Nigerians are not aware of these benefits, most especially in the area of the incentives that will be acquired into the system and also the security of their funds, and also t incorporate all Nigerians into this system, especially in the area of investment returns that you get by signing up under the micro pension plans,” he said.
Also speaking on increasing pension service awareness, Awabah’s Ambassador, Motunde Adebowale-David, popularly known as Lolo 1, noted Nigerians should adopt micro tension to help them prepare for the future.
“We are creating awareness and letting people know that Micro pensions are something that Nigerians need so that more people can be able to empower themselves for the future. The chat boot is easy to interact with so you don’t need to worry so much, even if the person is uneducated, a little help from their children will help them to navigate the system because we have to employ technology if we want to reach more people, “ she said.
