Safaricom’s Fiber-to-Business service baits him more customers

Geoffery Mwangi is better known in Eldoret Town as ‘King’ – after his barbershop, which he started three years ago from what was a side hustle during his campus times at Egerton University.

Like many entrepreneurs, Mwangi wanted to set up a business from something he enjoyed doing; cutting hair.

Though looking back, he says he didn’t realize his passion would have one day turned into a business venture.

“It’s amazing how it has become my retirement job. I was doing this as a part time thing, cutting other students hair to earn that extra coin. But after I went into formal employment, this thing had taken a back seat in my life,” he recalls.

King’s Barbershop offers men different grooming services from haircuts to manicures, pedicures and even massages and much more.

“It’s not just about grooming; a lot of people come here to unwind,” says Mwangi.

Loyal customers propel a business from a simple startup into a successful entity. And no one understands this better than a barber. “Retaining customers is very important,” Mwangi

“Once you do a good job in the first visit, it means that you have earned yourself one client.”

Client satisfaction is necessary for the success of any business, and technology has made it easier to receive customer feedback.

Which is why King signed up for Safaricom’s Fiber-to-Business service. A service created to offer small and medium sized businesses like King’s Barber shop, fast and affordable internet services.

But they offer more than just internet, you also get a telephone landline, domain registration and even cloud storage.

Mwangi set up a business Facebook page which he uses as a platform to market the barbershop, get client feedback, display their work and also promote offers that they are running.

“We post videos of what we do, we advertise the services we are offering. And we ask some of our high end clients to endorse us on our Facebook page which translates to good business,” says Mwangi. “We have listened to our customers, learnt what they want and discovered which new trends they are looking for. As a result of having fast and reliable internet he says that they are able to respond to inquiries in real time.”

“The Facebook page has been a turnaround for us. We have had a 40 per cent increase as a direct result of our Facebook page,” he adds.

Apart from social media, Mwangi says that his staff also use the internet to research on the latest hair and beauty trends in the market. “They have improved their skills because they research on the latest trends online,” says Mwangi.

“If you could look at our graph we’re growing and I can say it is a direct result of having data because we are able to do more marketing,” says Mwangi.

Technology is now boosting his business and helping to build relationships and offer each client a unique and personalized experience.

“We are an office now, this is not just a barbershop,” says Mwangi.