Safaricom Rolls Out Reverse Call Feature: Here’s How It Works

Safaricom’s latest unveiling is causing quite a stir.  As of June 18th, just 2 days ago, Safaricom is now enabling its over 31 million customers to transfer the cost of a call to the receiver. This is thanks to its newly rolled out Reverse Call Feature. According to their Chief Customer Officer, Sylvia Mulinge, this is in line with the company’s commitment to providing its customers with relevant products that are in line with their needs. They also hope it will empower Kenyans to stay more connected to their loved ones.

How The Reverse Call Feature Works

Caller

The process is very simple. Basically, if you want to transfer the cost of a call, you simply add a # before the number. Let’s say for example you are calling this number; 0790 603873. If you’d like them to pay for the call, all you need to do is add a # symbol before the number. This means you will be dialing #0790 603873.

Receiver

The recipient will see the normal call details. However, when they pick up, they will receive a voice prompt. The voice prompt will ask whether or not they would like to accept the extra charges. It is in both English and Swahili as is the norm. They will be asked to key in the number 1 should they be willing to pay. Alternatively, they can press the number 2 to decline.

Things To Note About The Reverse Call Feature

The charges involved are equivalent to the company’s normal call rates. The feature however only works for on-net calls, that is Safaricom to Safaricom calls. The recipient of the call also has to have airtime for the feature to work. It is in some ways a compliment to the already existing Please Call Me Feature that lets one send 5 free messages asking an individual to call you back.   

Safaricom is a company that prides itself in changing lives and providing its customers with valuable services. Over the last year, we have seen the launch of Free WhatsApp, Giga Bundles, PayPal to M-Pesa services, Fuliza, Free Youtube and now Reverse Call. Whether these services are for the good or the detriment of Kenyans is however yet to be determined.