OIFC launches new brand identity Khedmah

Oman Investment & Finance Company (OIFC) launched its new commercial identity Khedmah on Sunday in the presence of Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications.
Said Ahmed Safrar, CEO, OIFC, said the idea of Khedmah evolved from a strategic analysis of OIFC as it is the most preferred partner for utility service providers.
“Khedmah is a brand that stands for excellence in everything we do at OIFC. In particular, Khedmah redefines customer engagement and efficiency.”
He said OIFC has not overlooked the corporate sector and is working on offering enhanced services for the sector. The records show that there are more than 300,000 commercial registrations, and this sector needs services that facilitate bills payments and other transactions.
“OIFC has upgraded its service system and added inquiry and printing features along with cash payment feature on its website, turning this website into a full-fledged service portal,” he said. The company opened its first service portal for corporates in Ghubra and modified the office hours to suit the requirements of this important sector. OIFC’s services for the corporate sector are handled by a team of specialists who presently serve more than 120,000 accounts in both private and public sectors.
He said that as per statistics of the Authority for Electricity Regulation, the number of electricity accounts has exceeded one million by the end of 2015.  With an annual growth rate of about 7.9 per cent, which means the number will increase to 1.15 million by the end of this year. The number of water accounts exceeded 405,000 thousand in 2014 and is set to increase as the authority strives to provide water to all residential areas in the Sultanate.
“We are working on integrating the services of these authorities, apart from jointly investing towards hiring Omani citizens and improving their skills. In addition, our partnership will add value to all parties, especially the service sector, as it will also ease the government’s burden of administration and investment,” he said, adding, “Our target is to create a national brand that will provide all services at one place.”
Khedmah is a -stop solution for utility bill payments and recharge of prepaid telecom accounts.
Customers can pay all their electricity, water and fixed telephone, Internet and mobile bills at any of the Khedmah outlets and bill payment machines across the Sultanate, or using the Khedmah smartphone app. Also, customers can pay their bills at any of the OIFC branches or using the OIFC website.
There are currently three Khedmah outlets, and a specialised Khedmah corporate branch, as well as 26 bill payment machines in the Sultanate. OIFC is working on expanding the Khedmah network to reach out to a wider customer base. Ten more bill payment machines will be operational by the end of June.
Meanwhile, over 39,000 users have already downloaded the Khedmah smartphone application, and its popularity is due to its elegant design, high efficiency, user-friendliness and top-notch security features.
Significantly, OIFC has completed electronic linking with banks in the Sultanate. This would facilitate instant bill payment through ATMs in the most secure and trouble-free manner.
Eng Ahmed Hamed Saif al Subhi, chairman of OIFC, said that Khedmah is a result of the new strategy set by the OIFC board, aimed at enabling the company to cope with the challenges and changes in the services sector across electricity, water, and telecommunications.
To remain competitive, companies need to focus on offering customer-centric products and services that meet their modern-day requirements. “Khedmah will remain at the core of developing and enhancing services that will be delivered under a single roof in the most efficient way at no extra cost,” he said.