KAKTUS: SIX MONTHS ON THE MARKET

Kaktus currently has more than 35,000 users
The per-minute calling rate is reduced to CZK 2.50 with the basic plan; it remains at CZK 1.50/min. with the highest-level plan
Free Facebook access has been used by the majority of users
A part of the prepaid credit can be resent via the Kaktus application 

Prague, 1 April 2014 – Kaktus (“Cactus”), T-Mobile’s second brand, will have been on the market exactly for six months on 8 April. Since its launch, the brand has attracted 35,000 customers who most value free Facebook access, per-second billing and distinctive communication, according to a survey. Kaktus is the only operator in the Czech Republic that features solely online customer care. The operator is reducing the per-minute calling rate with the lowest-level plan to CZK 2.50 and is bringing information on the traffic.

“Based on the traffic data, we estimate that 80% of the prepaid Kaktus card users have been using our offer of free Facebook access. This also is also apparent in our mutual communication. We are very pleased that our response rate is far above average at 96%. We don’t respond only to notification posts,” says Michal Podlucký, Kaktus Brand Manager. 

Price adjustments and innovations

Kaktus responds to suggestions from customers on Facebook and has prepared attractive innovations based on those suggestions. Beginning on 1 April 2014, the per-minute calling rate with the basic plan was reduced from CZK 2.90 to CZK 2.50 and two extra minutes will be added to the lowest-level calling bundle. The per-minute rate with the highest-level plan remains unchanged at CZK 1.50. There’s no catch in anything Kaktus does, so the price adjustments apply to all customers.

During the second quarter, Kaktus will present its self-service application for Windows phones. Customers can also look forward to another data bundle for moderately discerning users. 

Kaktus in figures

A total of 46% of Kaktus’s revenues are generated by data, 32% by calls and 22% by text messages. One-fifth of customers’ spending comprises additional bundles, thanks to which customers can build a plan tailored to suit their needs.

The essence of the online brand, which customers manage themselves on the internet, is also confirmed by credit top-up figures: a total of 49% of Kaktus prepaid-card users top up their credit online, of which 36% do so directly via the Kaktus mobile application or on the website at www.mujkaktus.cz. Credit top-up at newsagents, post offices and petrol stations, which are clearly the most popular top-up channels in the case of other operators, has been used by only 44% of Kaktus customers.

Legend:   Kaktus website and application
                 Internet banking
                 Post offices, newsagents, petrol stations
                T-Mobile shops
                Cash machines 

Communication with customers

“The application through which customers can not only top up their credit but also purchase bundles exactly when they need them has now been used by more than 6,200 customers. This application has a functionality that so far is the only one if its kind in the Czech Republic in that it allows resending credit in the amount of CZK 10 to 200 to, for instance, your friends,” explains David Milota, Kaktus Product Manager.

What makes Kaktus special in the Czech environment is its customer care, which is provided exclusively online. The brand does not operate an info line (not even a paid one). All communication is effected via the Facebook social network, through which more than 16,000 queries have been sent so far. Comprehensive provision of an operator’s customer care via a social network is a unique experiment in the Czech environment, which has, however, proven to be successful in the case of Kaktus. Although care and communication is less formal, it is more efficient – 60% of queries are answered within 30 minutes. This has met with a positive response among most users. Unlike with info lines, users do not have to wait to be connected and they do not have to repeatedly explain their problem. Kaktus customer care is completely free.

New advertising campaign

Yellow animated commercials are back. They will newly communicate the benefits of Kaktus, such as per-second billing even during the first minute of calls and free Facebook access. The campaign was created by Saatchi & Saatchi; the animations were designed by Verica Kordić, a student at Prague’s Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts. The spots are again voiced by actor Michal Holán.

Fans can already see for themselves how Kaktus has succeeded: . 

More information is available at www.mujkaktus.cz. 

About Kaktus

Kaktus is a mobile operator intended for young people and it likes to do things its own way. It decided to be distinguished primarily by its simple and fair offer of services without commitments. It offers free Facebook access to its customers and listens to their wishes communicated also via Facebook: this year, for example, it organised a gathering of fans called Coffee with Kaktus. One of the outcomes of the gathering is a data bundle that is being prepared for moderately discerning users.

Unlike other operators, Kaktus provides its services mainly to internet users and communicates with them informally, the Kaktus way.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.