Over 70 Zain branches now ready to serve customers across Kuwait
Implementing all health precautionary measures to protect customers and staff
KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, announced the reopening of over 70 branches across Kuwait to serve customers once again, while taking into consideration the strict implementation of all health and safety precautionary measures as directed by the authorities to protect customers and staff. Zain’s valued customers may learn about the opened branches and their working hours via kw.zain.com or the Zain smartphone app.
Zain’s reopening of its branches came after the Council of Ministers’ official announcement of the inauguration of the plan for gradual return to normal life, which specified telecom companies as part of the institutions operating within the first phase. Zain affirmed its utmost commitment in all the official health guidelines at all reopened branches to protect both its customers and staff. This includes health measures such as sanitization and body temperature check-ups, as well as social distancing protocols and others.
Zain’s plan for reopening its branches included many strict precautionary measures that started with full sanitization of all branches, furniture, and devices/equipment before opening them. Thermal cameras were installed at main branches to detect body temperatures from a safe distance of one meter without the need for physical contact, which achieves social distancing goals and commitment in official instructions. See-through dividers were also installed to separate customers and staff in a safe manner during transactions, while enabling sound to pass efficiently in order to achieve the best customer experience possible.
Zain has also supplied all branches and self-service machines with awareness stickers and banners to remind customers of health guidelines and social distancing goals while waiting. Some seats were made unavailable inside the branch to guarantee a safe space between customers while seated. In addition, all demo smart devices were removed to ensure the safety of customers, who will be directed to the company’s digital channels for full details about the newest devices and their features.
Zain has trained branch staff on all new health guidelines and precautions, including wearing face masks and gloves at all times, not allowing anyone to enter the branch in case they do not follow the needed precautionary measures or show an unaverage body temperature reading. Branches will also be periodically sanitized as per the highest health standards before opening, and K-NET pay machines, pens used for signatures, and other equipment will be sanitized after each transaction. Any important/official papers will be stored in a safe place and not kept exposed.
As part of its national commitment during this crisis, Zain recently changed its network’s name to ‘Shlonik’ in line with the Ministry of Health and the country’s efforts to launch the ‘Shlonik’ app, which coincided with the inauguration of the government’s plan to evacuate citizens stranded abroad. The app was developed by Zain’s team in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT). Zain’s development of the app came as an initiative on the company’s part to support the country’s efforts in fighting the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). ‘Shlonik’ translates to ‘how are you’ in the Kuwaiti dialect.
In March, Zain changed its network’s name to STAY HOME in line with the directives of the Council of Ministers to remind its customers to commit to staying at home as much as possible and contribute to ending this pandemic.
Zain also offered over 40,000 meals in collaboration with the Kuwait Food Bank, where a large number of the meals was distributed during the week dedicated by the Ministry of Health at Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref to conduct tests for residents who recently entered the country. The meals were a contribution by the company to ease the long waiting times while waiting in line. Many meals were also being continuously distributed at Kuwait International Airport’s gates dedicated for residents who are returning to their home countries because of this crisis.
Zain also offered many smartphone charging stations at Kuwait International Airport to serve Kuwaiti citizens who were returning home as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ evacuation plan to bring Kuwaitis back from all over the world during this crisis. This contribution aimed at facilitating communication between returning Kuwaitis and their families as soon as they arrived to Kuwait. Zain also continuously distributed a large number of meals to them in collaboration with the Kuwait Food Bank and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Since the beginning of the crisis, Zain launched a social media campaign entitled ‘This is Your Timeî to send positive messages to the public about the importance of being a responsible citizen in this time of crisis, not listen to rumors nor spread them, take part in volunteer efforts, commit to staying at home, as well as abide by the authorities’ directives.
In March, Zain also collaborated with the Ministry of Health to offer its customers free calls to any of MOH’s hotlines, enabling them to inquire about any health or medical information related to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) directly from the ministry’s specialized team while ensuring taking the correct information from the official and certified sources.
As part of its continuous collaboration with the various ministries, Zain also provided the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior with FREE bulk SMS messages to send medical and awareness content to the community during this period. In addition, the company sent a number of awareness messages in collaboration with MOH’s team through its official social media channels. Zain also broadcasted official MOH awareness videos on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in seven languages: Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Farsi, Filipino, Bengali, and Santhali.