Day or Night, Exotel Has Our Back: Inside Absa Bank Mauritius CX Revolution

In a landscape where financial services are rapidly going digital, Absa Mauritius set out to reimagine how it connects with customers. With growing customer expectations and operational complexity, the bank needed more than just a tech vendor—it needed a reliable partner that could unify communication, enhance agent productivity, and deliver at scale.

This is when Exotel and Absa Bank Mauritius Partnership began to bloom.

Meet Absa: A Legacy of Trust and Transformation

Absa Bank is a leading pan-African financial services provider with a rich legacy of over a century. Known for its innovation, customer-centricity, and strong governance, Absa operates across multiple African markets, including Mauritius, where it’s setting new benchmarks in digital banking.

With a mission to bring possibility to life, Absa is focused on creating intelligent, intuitive banking journeys, especially for today’s always-on, mobile-first customers.

The Challenge: Fragmented Systems, Disconnected CX

Shaun Edmesto, Director of Customer Experience at Absa Bank, candidly shares the pre-Exotel landscape: “If I was to put my finger on probably one of the biggest issues that we sit with, given the age of our technology, it makes life really difficult. Not just for us operating efficiently, but if we look at the people that we’re asking to answer the calls on a daily basis, their life is really difficult.”

This sentiment resonates deeply. Fragmented infrastructure, siloed departments, and a lack of real-time insights often lead to cumbersome processes for employees and frustrating experiences for customers. Imagine agents sifting through multiple Excel sheets just to get a holistic view of a customer’s interaction history – that’s valuable time lost and efficiency compromised.

Absa’s team manages a high volume of sensitive customer conversations daily. With over 100 agents across departments like contact center, collections, sales, and relationship management, the bank needed to:

• Break down silos between departments
• Ensure high uptime and call quality across all touchpoints
• Improve monitoring, documentation, and customer experience

But above all, they needed reliability they could count on 24/7.

Tangible Results: Efficiency, Insights, and Enhanced Customer Care

The impact of this digital transformation is profound and multi-faceted:

• Unprecedented Efficiency: “We’re now looking at a matter of seconds, the detail and the reporting, and to being able to understand exactly what’s going on in the system at any one time, as opposed to diving into multiple Excel documents… it’s an absolute efficiency creator,” explains Shaun Edmesto. This means faster resolution times and more productive agents.
• Real-time Insights & SLA Tracking: Rajesh Parameswaran, Head of Digital Business, emphasizes the power of data: “It gives us reporting that gives us performance of our agents real-time. It is helping us not only have a seamless customer experience, but also reduce the cost from a bank perspective.” This granular visibility allows Absa to optimize operations and ensure service level agreements are met.
• Proactive Customer Engagement: The outbound dialer platform ensures the bank proactively reaches out to clients precisely when they need support. Furthermore, with WhatsApp being a dominant social media platform in Mauritius, Absa is actively building WhatsApp journeys into its onboarding processes, creating seamless and convenient customer interactions.
• 24/7 Support and Expertise: Shahin Boodhoo, Infrastructure Specialist, commends the Exotel team: “Very good support from the team. Anytime we need support, throughout the day or at night, we can always rely on the team and the team have all the competencies required. They can quickly get on stuff issues and quickly provide you solution.” This unwavering support ensures continuous operations and swift problem-solving.

Impact Observed:  

• 100+ agents unified under a single platform
• Uninterrupted, secure communication across departments
• Improved audit trails and documentation
• High uptime and always-available support
• Scalable infrastructure for future growth

The Philosophy: Making Every Story Matter

Sandeep Mohapatra, Head of Digital Business, eloquently summarizes the underlying philosophy: “They were purpose driven to make these experiences matter, to make your story matter.” This emphasizes that the transformation isn’t just about transactions; it’s about crafting meaningful and positive customer journeys.

The collaboration between Absa Bank Mauritius and Exotel exemplifies a shared vision: “Always worked as one big team, collaborating with each other because at the end of the day, the end result was to lend the solution successfully so that our users, internal users could have a smooth journey in adopting the new solution deployed.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of Banking is Seamless

Absa Bank Mauritius and Exotel’s partnership is not just ready for the future; it’s actively shaping it. By prioritizing seamless integration, real-time insights, and a dedication to superior customer service, they are setting a new standard for banking in the digital age. The journey towards AI and GenAI for next-gen banking is already on the horizon, promising even more innovative and personalized experiences.

This partnership is a testament to how financial institutions can leverage cutting-edge technology to transform operations, empower their teams, and most importantly, put the customer at the very heart of everything they do.

Watch the full story to hear how Absa is building a future-ready contact center with Exotel.

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