Telecom
Zoho Redefines Small Business CRM Market, Introduces Team Pipelines in Bigin
Zoho Corporation, a leading global technology company, is today unveiling the latest version of Bigin, the company’s CRM solution for small businesses. As the preferred CRM solution for small businesses, Bigin offers a simple yet powerful CRM without the high barrier of entry and cost. Today’s product updates further support small and micro businesses by providing them the tools and insights they need to maintain and grow meaningful and high-value relationships with customers in a challenging economic environment.
“Small businesses face challenges in choosing the right technology for managing their customer-facing operations because of constraints related to time, cost, and software implementation,” said Kehinde Ogundare, Country Manager, Zoho Nigeria.
“Bigin is the only solution that brings together all customer operations like sales, onboarding, delivery, training, advocacy, and more into an intuitive interface that takes only 30 minutes to deploy.
“By bringing together all the facets of customer operations into a single view, Bigin allows small businesses to have a more accurate understanding of the customer’s journey.
“These insights help them attract and retain customers, ultimately growing the business. The fast-growing adoption of Bigin shows the expanding appetite of small businesses who want and need CRM technology suited to their particular needs, helping them move beyond old-school spreadsheets.“
Since Bigin’s launch in 2020, it has stood out as a robust, easy-to-use, and welcoming CRM solution thanks to its 30-minute set up promise. Bigin has seen a revenue growth of 161% in 2022 in Nigeria, indicating the revenue has doubled compared to 2021.
Zoho has observed that around 65% of Bigin’s global customers have never used a CRM previously, making it the ideal choice for business owners who are looking to move away from spreadsheets. When they outgrow Bigin, Zoho also offers them an easy migration to its full-fledged CRM solution.
Bigin now boasts 20,000 customers and continues to help small and micro businesses manage all of their customer-facing operations within a unified platform.
Bigin’s latest version includes the introduction of Team Pipelines, which allow customer-facing teams to manage their distinctive operations using a set of pipelines and sub-pipelines within a single Bigin account. Competitive offerings often cater only to a single function — like sales — whereas Bigin is an efficient solution for all customer-facing teams.
New features compile customer operations into one place, and enable tighter alignment and collaboration between individuals and teams without compromising the simplicity that makes Bigin stand out.
Key Product Updates
● Team Pipelines: This feature connects and streamlines various customer operations in one place, offering small businesses an easy way to manage their day-to-day processes and a single source of truth for analyzing customer data.
● Connected Pipelines: Automates the flow of customer data across processes, improving the customer experience and saving time on manual data entry.
● Toppings: Additional functionality and third-party integrations can be added to address specific business needs. Examples include the ‘Email-In’ topping which maps emails to customer records and the ‘File Cabinet’ topping which automates file collection and management.
● Mobile Capabilities: Zoho is providing new features across all platforms, including iOS, iPadOS, Android, and macOS and has added a new feature called Dynamic Display which allows users to customize the appearance of records in their pipelines. Bigin also recently updated its apps for the Apple’s iOS16 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 launches, where it was an exclusive launch partner.
● Developer Center: Bigin has opened its developer platform to a network of global app developers and partners who can create custom solutions for unique business needs. With various tools and components like custom fields, buttons, links, widgets, related lists, and REST APIs, developers can create new Toppings and monetise them in the Bigin Marketplace.
Disclaimer: All trademarks, product names, and company names cited herein are the property of their respective owners.
Pricing
Bigin by Zoho CRM starts at ₦2,100 /user/monthly (billed annually) for the Express edition and goes up to ₦3,600 user/monthly (billed annually) for the Premier edition. A free edition is also available.
Zoho Privacy Pledge
Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. The company owns and operates its data centers, ensuring complete oversight of customer data, privacy, and security. More than 80 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho everyday to run their businesses, including Zoho itself.
Telecom
Group Advocates for Digital Rights at 2024 Internet Governance Forum
Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading pan-African organisation dedicated to advancing digital rights and inclusion in the Global South, has made significant contributions to the just-concluded 2024 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
PIN’s participation in the prestigious global event underscores the organisation’s commitment to fostering inclusive digital policies and ensuring that Africa’s voices are central in global discussions about the future of the internet.
During the week-long forum, PIN team members played key roles in numerous sessions, emphasising the importance of a digital rights perspective in the development of emerging technologies, advocating for a more inclusive digital future, and addressing the specific challenges the African continent faces in terms of digital access and inclusion.
PIN Executive Director, ‘Gbenga Sesan, spoke at high-profile sessions, including the Leadership Panel on ‘The Internet We Want’, which outlined the vision for a global internet that is accessible, secure, and inclusive.
At the Africa Youth IGF Parley, ‘Gbenga provided a platform for young Africans to address pressing issues such as internet restrictions, the digital divide, and digital rights violations.
Adeboye Adegoke, Senior Manager for Grants and Programmes Strategy at Paradigm Initiative, contributed to Open Forum #12, advocating for policies that ensure a rights-respecting and inclusive digital future. His discussions highlighted the importance of policies that place human rights at the core of technological advancements.
Ihueze Nwobilor, Senior Programmes Officer, spoke at the session, ‘A Rights-Respecting Approach to Emerging Tech Development,’ where he called for the prioritisation of human rights in the development and deployment of emerging technologies across Africa and beyond.
The organisation’s Senior Manager for Partnerships and Engagements, Thobekile Matimbe, shared valuable insights during the ‘Better Products and Policies Through Stakeholder Engagement’ session.
She emphasized the role of the private sector in engaging with local communities to ensure that digital products and policies are inclusive and meet the needs of vulnerable groups across Africa.
Bridgette Ndlovu, PIN Partnerships and Engagements Officer, moderated a session on ‘Implementation of the USF in 26 African Countries,’ where she and other speakers, including ‘Gbenga Sesan, discussed the crucial role of Universal Service Funds (USF) in advancing digital inclusion, particularly in underserved and rural areas.
PIN’s participation at IGF 2024 has been an important moment for advocating digital rights in Africa. “Paradigm Initiative’s participation was a powerful reminder that Africa’s digital future must be shaped by inclusive, rights-respecting policies.
“Our participation at the IGF is a continuous demonstration of the need for all stakeholders to collaborate in building a more inclusive and accessible internet for everyone, especially those in under-served communities,” PIN Executive Director, ‘Gbenga Sesan stated.
Telecom
From Niche App to Global Giant: TikTok’s Controversial Journey
TikTok’s rise from a niche video-sharing app to a global social media giant has sparked controversies worldwide, with concerns over its links to China and its influence on users and politics.
In Albania, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced Saturday that TikTok would be banned for at least a year starting in 2025.
The decision follows a tragic incident in Tirana where a 14-year-old was killed and another injured in a fight stemming from an online confrontation. Rama described TikTok as the “thug of the neighborhood.”
In Romania, the European Union is investigating whether TikTok played a role in far-right candidate Calin Georgescu’s unexpected first-round presidential election victory.
The probe focuses on alleged Russian interference and claims of “preferential treatment” by TikTok. This marks the platform’s third EU investigation, potentially risking fines of up to six percent of its global revenue.
TikTok stated it has implemented “robust actions” to combat election misinformation, while Russia denies meddling.
In the United States, TikTok faces mounting pressure after the government passed a law in April requiring ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, to divest from the platform by January 2025.
The U.S. claims TikTok allows China access to American user data, a claim TikTok denies. ByteDance admitted its employees had accessed U.S. user data but insisted it does not share information with Chinese authorities.
TikTok could face a nationwide ban if ByteDance fails to comply, threatening its 170 million U.S. users.
Australia recently enacted a landmark law banning under-16s from accessing social media, including TikTok, with hefty fines of up to AU$50 million for noncompliance.
TikTok expressed disappointment, warning the law could push young users to less regulated parts of the internet.
In Europe, TikTok was forced to remove an engagement feature in its TikTok Lite version after EU regulators raised concerns about its addictive nature.
The feature rewarded users aged 18 and older with points redeemable for goods based on time spent on the app.
TikTok also faces criticism for its role in spreading hazardous challenges, some of which have reportedly led to child deaths, such as the blackout challenge.
Disinformation remains a significant issue, with a study by NewsGuard revealing that one-fifth of videos on topical subjects like the Russia-Ukraine war contained misleading or false information.
Despite these controversies, TikTok remains a dominant force in social media, attracting creators and influencers worldwide.
Its powerful algorithm and innovative features have secured its place at the forefront of digital engagement.
However, the platform continues to grapple with mounting scrutiny over its practices and societal impact.
TikTok’s meteoric rise has reshaped the social media landscape, cementing its status as a global powerhouse with over 1.04 billion monthly active users worldwide as of 2024.
This milestone, achieved in less than a decade, underscores TikTok’s unparalleled growth trajectory compared to platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which took significantly longer to reach similar heights.
In the United States alone, 170 million people actively use the app, contributing to its $16 billion U.S. revenue in 2023.
Globally, TikTok engages over a quarter of social media users and nearly one-fifth of internet users monthly, with U.S. adults spending an average of nearly an hour daily on the platform.
Its popularity is further evidenced by 137 million downloads in the first quarter of 2024.
Since its 2018 launch, TikTok has grown from 55 million users to over a billion, fueled by its dynamic algorithm and appeal across diverse demographics.
Telecom
NCC Holds Virtual Forum on A2P Licensing Framework
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has hosted a virtual stakeholders’ forum to discuss the draft Application-to-Person (A2P) licensing framework.
The event, held on December 20, aimed to address challenges in the international A2P messaging space in Nigeria, including consumer protection, fraud prevention and industry fairness.
Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman (EVC)/ceo, Nigerian Communications Commission who was represented by Mrs. Chizua Whyte, Ag. Head, Legal and Regulatory Services of NCC, said A2P messaging plays a vital role in today’s digital world.
“A2P messaging drives efficiency, enhances communication and supports socio-economic development.
“It has become the go-to platform for businesses to send notifications, whether transactional, promotional or service-related, directly to consumers,” Whyte said.
She emphasized the importance of effective regulation, stressing that the NCC’s strategic focus is centered on three key stakeholders: the government, consumers and the industry.
Whyte noted that the proposed framework seeks to foster innovation, ensure fair and transparent operations and protect consumers.
“The NCC firmly believes that effective regulation stems from inclusivity and collaboration.
“This forum is an opportunity for all of us – operators, aggregators, businesses, service providers and consumers – to engage in meaningful discussions,” she said.
The commission presented the various feedbacks received as inputs into the A2P Licensing Framework and gave NCC’s responses to each of the observations and recommendations made by the licensees.
Mrs. Truddy Tony-Awusaku, Assistant Director at the Licensing and Authorisation Department of the NCC, presented an overview of the framework for international A2P messaging in Nigeria.
The NCC assured stakeholders that it would continue to engage internal and external stakeholders ahead of the final draft of the A2P Messaging Services Licensing Framework.
The commission invited stakeholders to provide feedback and recommendations to refine the framework and create a sustainable A2P messaging ecosystem.
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