Confronting an entrenched rich competitor of more than 100 years existence, picking up the pieces of a fledgling business following the ravages of a monster hurricane and keeping excited an army of thousands of loyal customers are all experiences of Digicel as five years of operations in Grenada as the leading mobile communications provider are being celebrated.
October 17 marks five years since Digicel began operations in Grenada. The historic launch event featured a grand ‘all invited’ musical concert at the Morne Rouge playing field with headliner Machel Montano, colourful roadshows in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique and a carnival like excitement that infected the entire country.
Today five years later, Digicel is no less aggressive, no less focused on pleasing the customer, no less innovative in bring new products and services to the market.
Things such as per second billing, calling party pays, flat rate international calling and calls to the U.S., U.K and Canada for under a dollar a minute came following Digicel’s entry into the market and customers didn’t conceal their pleasure.
‘Digicel is a true Caribbean brand with the vibrancy of the region, full of fun, excitement and great customer appeal,’ said Patricia Maher Country Manager.
‘The focus and resilience of Digicel was severely tested shortly after hurricane Ivan struck.’ Maher shared, ‘we had only rolled out our third Caribbean market, following launches in St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines earlier in 2003 and just over nine months after as we were beginning to solidify our business hurricane Ivan dealt a devastating blow. Yet, Digicel came out of that experience stronger and even more focused on satisfying the customer,’ Maher said.
In the five years, Digicel has given new meaning to Corporate Social Responsibility. With programs such as ‘Caring Connections’, $1-million spent on rebuilding schools following hurricane Ivan and the support and sponsorship of numerous community initiatives such as the Cricket Academy for young cricketers Digicel has set new standards for all corporate entities to follow.
‘Our approach to serving the communities in which we operate is not incidental,’ said the country manager, ‘it’s actually based in our DNA and the commitment of founder and Chairman, Denis O’Brien. We believe if the communities in which we operate are successful so will we be.’
As Digicel looks to the future the company is committed to fulfilling its promise of being ‘The Bigger, Better Network.’ The company in association with RIM the manufacturers of Blackberry data devices, launched its newest product ‘Blackberry Bold.’
Customers can use their Blackberry Bold with the added advantage of the EDGE data services which allows them to browse the internet 4X faster than the competitors offering
Recently all of Digicel’s sales force was trained at RIM’s facilities in Miami to ensure that they are ready to deliver the award winning 365/24/7 customer service for which Digicel has become renowned.
‘We want to express our gratitude to our customers for their support during these five years and want to assure them that we are committed to making their experience even better,’ said Country Manager, Patricia Maher.