This document discusses strategies for reducing misses and improving agent activity rates when scaling up an agent network for mobile payments in Nigeria. It recommends taking calculated risks while avoiding copycat approaches. The key is to structure processes that empower agents, set standards to encourage productivity while maintaining empathy, and make success and the vision visible. Vulnerability should be a strength, toxic agents should be let go, and agents recognized as businesspeople to gain their mindshare. Changes should be made by understanding regulations, partners, and internal stakeholders, and exploiting opportunities when prepared. The focus should be on providing agents and customers value beyond just billpay and airtime to drive adoption of mobile payments over cash.

1. Reducing the hit-and-miss in
scaling up an agent network
The What – Why – When considerations
Simon Aderinlola
COO, BeyondBranches

2. The misses, 4 years down the line
• Building a business from regulation up: 2011-date
• Cut-and-paste business models: milking the same cow
• Regulation optimistically micro-managing
• Consistently low Agent activity rates= unexcited
• Starving in the name of cost-cutting
• Overestimating benefits of copy-cat ‘drafting’
(as banks do in branch locationing &Telcos in lazy Base station planning)
• Hearing but not listening: follow the money & warm bodies

3. My Definite optimism for Nigerian mpay in 2016
• Take no careless risks, but do take a risk you should.
After you’ve planned all night, as dawn breaks, set sail.
• Fail small, win big: a positive groundswell is happening
• Push, pull, shut-up-and-drive

4. What do you feed the network with?
• Structure & Processes ‘that breathe’ not a horsewhip
• Standards: mildly enforce ‘weed-ability’ & shed weight
• Responsive perks: your network has a lot to teach you
• Empathy: agents are not human ATMs, they are humans
• True success made visible always: use vulnerability well
• Top customer service: beat everybody at it
• Vision: see beyond the bend, share the roadmap

5. Why will this formula win?
• Make vulnerability a strength (Dr Brené Brown, PhD)
• Lies against “management” never work, share your
logic and user journey rationale
• Let toxic agents go, the competition can have them
• Lonely agents churn, so share the roadmap for the
healthy/interested & emphasize benefits of scale
• Agents are businesspeople too, recognize that.
• The agents are not yours, and they know it. Extend
camaraderie and they’ll give you mindshare & BI.

6. When must you change?
• Pick the right wave for maximum impact
– Understand new regulation
– Seal the right partnerships: piggyback candidate selection
– Don’t move till you have internal stakeholder buy-in
– Timing is at times 50% of the work: ask the stock market
• Assemble the right team don’t tug the rudder in different directions
• Insert change triggers into your network’s DNA
e.g. approval from Day1 to recruit more field staff when agent numbers are growing
• Expunge ‘luck’ from your equations except it equals
opportunity + preparedness. Build the future you want to see

7. Closing with the what question
• What thing of value, as seen by your agents/customers
will drive them to use mobile payment rather than cash?
• And whoever said only Billpay & Airtime are the only
two paradigms or that robust financial inclusion will
come from licensees? Think Different