Call centers and chatbots run by DKT in Nigeria, Mozambique, French West Africa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) grant discretion to clients in need, link to clinical services
By DKT International, DKT Mozambique, DKT FWACA, DKT Nigeria and DKT Democratic Republic of the Congo
When it comes to sex, some questions can feel too personal, shameful, or embarrassing to ask even those you trust the most. Now imagine you are a teenager, or live in a culture where sex, contraception or abortion are incredibly taboo. The only option that remains is to ask a doctor or a pharmacist, both of whom may be out of reach financially and geographically to those most in need.
DKT is keenly aware of the barriers that exist for individuals of all ages and incomes seeking contraceptive and safe abortion solutions. We train pharmacists to compassionately advise clients about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and have stand-alone clinics in many of the markets we serve for in-person care. Still, not every client feels confident enough to enter those clinics or pharmacies, leaving some unable to access the information needed to make sound reproductive choices.
To fill this knowledge gap we operate in-country call centers in many of our markets and leverage mobile technology creatively, integrating chatbots and direct hotlines using popular apps like WhatsApp. These centers and interactions help us form long-term relationships with our clients and build upon our existing initiatives. Last year, DKT’s global teams responded to tens of thousands of calls around the world and collected vital, anonymous data to help our internal country teams better focus their interventions.
Teams also use multiple indicators to track what contraceptive products and services are most in need, what issues users face with specific products, and where they are calling from.
Call center data from DKT Democratic Republic of the Congo, (December 2023)
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Batela Lobi Na Yo! hotline received an estimated 24,500 calls and served 19,000 of those callers in 2023 with information about their sexual and reproductive health, with the majority of those callers looking for information about contraceptive methods, abortion services, contraceptive side effects and to learn more about DKT’s product lines. In Mozambique, the Intimo hotline received an estimated 6,600 callers throughout the year, with callers referred to either, the Intimo fixed partner clinics, which saw an estimated 7,700 clients in 2023, or prioritized for DKT Mozambique’s mobile clinics, which served 36,053 women last year – 23 percent of which were clients who had never used a contraceptive before in their lives. DKT Mozambique’s mobile Intimo clinics often reach first time contraceptive users by traveling to the last-mile in the most remote places in the country, where SRH services are void.
Clients are able to find DKT’s call centers and then link up to our clinical services because teams proactively market the existence of these valuable SRH resources: numbers, chatbots and access points that are integrated into the marketing of their product lines. In Nigeria, Honey&Banana Connect’s call center received more than 10,000 calls in 2023 with roughly 9,000 of those clients referred to partner clinics. Of those referred, 99 percent of clients obtained some form of contraceptive method and 86 percent adopted a Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive (LARC) method from the referred clinic.
An estimated 27 percent of callers in the DRC found the call center hotline number via social media, while radio and television brought in another 18 percent. A mix of other “out-of-home” marketing events, mixed with direct telemarketing, attracted the rest.
In Mozambique, clients who have used an Intimo fixed clinic, or the mobile clinics get a “client card” and most clients found DKT’s hotline through the use of those patient cards. DKT Mozambique also has a strong online presence and users also reported finding DKT’s hotline via a strong mix of social and traditional media outlets.
Once users complete a call with DKT’s call centers, they are asked to fill out feedback forms about their experience. In each market, callers gave the resources high marks. In Mozambique, 62 percent of callers rated the experience “very good” and said they would recommend it to a friend. A total of 49 percent said they found the support relevant and 58 percent said they felt comfortable asking the representative their questions.
A recent survey in the French West and Central Africa (FWACA) region revealed that 95 percent of clients were satisfied with their call center experience. To ensure feedback results are wholly accurate, DKT FWACA adjusted their methodology to get more critical feedback, adding mystery clients to evaluate the quality of the interactions between call center attendants and their clients. Focus groups were composed of former and current call center clients, including women from Senegal, Congo-Brazzaville and Benin. All those surveyed were very positive in their response, stating it was the first time they had been given the option to ask any questions they might have about their call center experience.
For questions about our call centers, please reach out to our programs team at info@dktinternational.org.