Microsoft has launched a mobile app designed for large group communication, work management, reporting and analytics, integrated with its product Office 365.
Country General Manager for Microsoft East and Southern Africa Sebuh Haileleul said the app, named Kaizala, addresses several challenges faced by most businesses who manage field staff remotely.
“Workers on construction sites, manufacturing plants, retail shops and other industries typically don’t have a dedicated work space, computer or even email address. As a result, they generally use pen and paper, or unsecured consumer-messaging apps on their personal phones for work-related communications,” he said.
“This makes it hard for managers to share and collect important information. Kaizala makes it easier and less time consuming for organisations to communicate, assign and track work in real-time, and create reports based on aggregated data.”
Businesses using Kaizala will be able to connect with large groups of people across their entire value chain, wherever they are, all on a single platform.
“Unlike other chat-based apps in the market, Kaizala extends beyond a communication function, enhancing business agility, collaboration and organisational productivity,” said Mr Haileleul.
The app was officially launched in Kenya on Friday, following a soft launch in February, when users were encouraged to review and provide feedback on the service.
Piloted app
During the soft launch, Unilever collaborated with Microsoft’s 4Afrika and Kaizala teams to pilot the app in its Nairobi factory, exploring the potential of going digita.
M-Kopa Solar also piloted the app with 700 of their distributed sales force, using it to communicate, provide remote training modules and collect real-time data.
“We hope to help connect the complete value chain, including even the unconnected parts of organisations – from small businesses to large enterprises and governments who want to connect with their citizens. Microsoft Kaizala’s vision is to empower every organisation and community to achieve more through purposeful chat,” added Rajiv Kumar, corporate vice-president, Office Product Group, Microsoft.
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