Decode Fintech

As a fintech company, you work hard to ensure that nothing goes wrong. But when things do go wrong, like they inevitably will, how you handle the situation can make the difference between a customer who churns, and a passionate ambassador for life. In this episode, we speak with Francis Appiah, the Operations Manager at expressPay.Francis speaks about hiring great support teams, and how a diverse support team leverages past experiences, skills and relationships to go above and beyond when solving customer problems. He also discusses how to balance providing great customer service to even the most difficult customers, while protecting team welfare.IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT2:38 — How the customer support team is set up at expressPay3:53 — What skills should an excellent support team member possess?8:11 — How expressPay's customer support team measures success9:24 — [Paystack Product Alert] Introducing Paystack Transfers paystack.com10:43 — Why cross-functional teams result in better customer outcomes11:41 — Values to watch out for when hiring for customer service roles13:29 — What an obsession with customer happiness looks like at expressPay16:35 — How expressPay handles acutely difficult customersLINKSConnect with Francis on LinkedInCheck out expressPayFOLLOW USThe Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACKPaystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

Customer service goes beyond just answering emails and phone calls. When managed correctly, every interaction with customers can generate key insights that help grow your business.In this episode, Steve Amaza, a Customer Success Manager for User Operations at Paystack, speaks about how Paystack uses customer service data to improve the product, the tooling that the team uses to keep up even as the company scales, and the value of empathy and a problem-solving mindset in building a world-class customer support team.IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT0:00 — Introduction2:08 — Using customer service data to improve the product4:12 — Key metrics for support teams5:03 — How to handle acutely unhappy customers6:47 — Using documentation to scale support9:06 — [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing Bento paystack.com/bento10:17 — Why solving the problem matters more than simply giving a response11:40 — Deep empathy as a customer service superpower13:38 — Episode recapLINKSConnect with Steve Amaza on LinkedInFOLLOW USThe Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACKPaystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

What should you know before expanding your Africa-based fintech to more countries?In this episode, we explore the art and science of launching financial service products beyond your home country, covering everything from how to choose which countries to expand into, to how to hire in different markets, and what to watch out for when incorporating the business.Our guides through this topic are experienced operators with long experience in expansion: Wiza Jakalasi (Chipper Cash), Marcello Schermer (Yoco), Adia Sowho (ex-Migo), and Maria Rotilu (ex-Branch).IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT0:00 — Introduction2:25 — Why businesses expand into new countries3:35 — Expanding for growth4:00 — The importance of timing4:52 — How to pick your next country7:03 — Prioritizing business drivers9:49 — The impact of regulation14:58 — [Paystack Product Alert] Introducing Paystack's verification service paystack.com/verify15:57 — Midway recap16:34 — Navigating incorporation20:02 — The role of relationships21:55 — How to think about hiring23:53 — The best part of expansionLINKSConnect with Wiza Jakalasi on LinkedInCheck out Africa’s Talking and Chipper CashConnect with Marcello Schermer on LinkedInCheck out YocoConnect with Adia Sowho on LinkedInCheck out MigoConnect with Maria Rotilu on LinkedInCheck out Branch InternationalCheck out the Geert Hofstede Cultural DimensionsLearn more about Delaware C-CorpsCheck out the Mauritius Double Taxation AgreementFOLLOW USThe Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACKPaystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

Ghana initially lagged behind other African countries when it came to mobile money adoption, but fast forward to 2020, and Ghana is now the fastest growing mobile money market in Africa. How did the country pull this off?In this episode, we go deep into the origins of mobile money in Ghana, its early challenges, and how numerous organizations successfully came together to take this technology mainstream.Among the many guests who help break it down for us are Archie Hesse, CEO of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), and Bruno Akpaka, the first General Manager of MTN Mobile Money in Ghana.Listen to learn how Ghana became one of the fastest growing mobile money markets in Africa.IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT0:00 — Introduction02:00 — Mobile Money 101 - A timeline of Ghana's journey03:37 — Enter GhIPSS - controller of the spaghetti junction06:44 — The Bank of Ghana and GhIPSS' first attempts at improving financial inclusion11:24 — The rise and fall of bank-led branchless banking13:30 — The rise of MTN Mobile Money19:01 — [Paystack Product Alert] Introducing Paystack Transfers paystack.com20:03 — The early days of MTN Mobile Money in Ghana23:42 — The first iteration of mobile money in Ghana25:42 — Improving financial inclusion through mobile money interoperability and agent distribution29:06 — The role of mobile money in Ghana's financial systemLINKSConnect with Kwami Williams on LinkedInCheck out Kwami's companies Moringa Connect and Thrive TogetherConnect with Archie Hesse on LinkedInLearn more about GhIPSSConnect with Bruno Akpaka on LinkedInLearn more about MTN Mobile MoneyConnect with Nana Ama Yankah on LinkedInCheck Nana Ama's company NAYA by AfricaCheck out CGAP: Consultative Group to Assist the PoorLearn more about the Bank of GhanaFOLLOW USThe Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACKPaystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

Financial technology in Africa is changing at an accelerating rate, and with it, the very nature of business on the continent. To understand what’s actually happening on the ground, you need to hear from the teams in the field. The Decode Fintech Podcast takes you directly to the operators on the frontlines.As one of the largest payments companies in Africa, the Paystack team is constantly speaking to teams doing amazing work all over the continent. The Decode Fintech Podcast allows us to hit "record" and share what we're learning!In this season, we switched things up and made a quick trip around the continent, discussing everything from the history of mobile money in Ghana, to best practices for international expansion, to the future of cryptocurrencies on the continent. Thank you for listening!Subscribe to the Decode Fintech email newsletter at decodefintech.com