The Heroes of Kenyan IT

Technology grants us the ability to develop and expand our business in many ways. Whether it is hardware supporting engineers, software advancing sales or the customer communication tools we build, technology helps us to grow. But in a pandemic, things can be very different, and our technological dependence can become an obstacle to overcome.

Entering lockdown

In the second week of March, the first cases of COVID-19 began to appear in Kenya. As cases increased, measures were implemented to keep citizens safe such as the closing of public and non-essential facilities. Particularly challenging was the immediate implementation of these lockdown measures alongside a 7PM curfew without any time to prepare. As in other parts of the world, these changes impacted how companies operated and how their employees worked.

For Mantrac’s team of Internal Sales Reps in the area there were several challenges to overcome if they were to work remotely.

Firstly, their computers were not self-contained laptops, but desktop units with separate monitors, mice and keyboards. Secondly, the commercial internet connection in the office was superior in terms of speed, reliability and security compared to those found in residential areas. Finally, the office has a stable and consistent UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), so that in the case of a grid power failure, it allows the office to continue working.

Each day, each member of the ISR team has a target to make 25 calls to customers, these are conducted using internet calling software, or VOIP as it is also known. In the switch to a home working setup, they would need to undertake this same level of work, with the same level of security.

Making it work

To make this happen the IT team needed to move swiftly and efficiently.

The first step was to get company desktop computers from the office to the homes of the ISR team and purchase Wi-Fi adaptors for each machine. Additionally, the team would need a crash course in setting up a computer and adjusting it for usage within a home setting. The sales team managers assisted by allowing sales vehicles to be used to transport the computers to each home.

Once this was done, the main challenges were unstable power and internet connection in the domestic settings. The IT team ended up troubleshooting issues which were not within their usual scope, which required using their own resources.

Making themselves available 24/7, via voice call, MS Teams, WhatsApp and email, Benson Nakuti and Conrad Kyalo, had to also work from home themselves. Splitting their work schedule, working from home on alternate days, they were able to support the homeworking ISRs and the skeleton staff still working around the office.

The next issue to overcome was some additional training to help get everything working as expected in a domestic setting. Conrad took the lead, assisting the ISR team with initial training and setup. Ensuring that work could continue as intended.

There was also the need to create VPN access so that the domestic security setup for work was at the same level as the office setup. This presented more of a challenge for operations as it was susceptible to some of the key remote issues mentioned above, namely internet connectivity and power stability.

This inevitably meant that the ISR team had to extend their hours to get their calls completed each day as they worked around the inconveniences. They had to do this in a professional manner without getting frustrated, despite dropped connections or other disruptions they encountered. This also meant the IT team needed to support them outside of the usual hours.

Benson Nakuti, IT manager for Mantrac in Kenya said, “The pandemic threw many challenges at us. We all wanted to keep working, but we wanted to work safely. Throughout the process we have worked to ensure as much uptime as possible, to make sure that we all succeed, even under difficult circumstances. I also want to personally thank Amr Battouty our MD for his support, whether that was through allowing us to try new things or enabling purchases such as the Wi-Fi adapters and ISP subscriptions that were needed to bridge the gap between working in the office and working from home.”

Seeing the results

Despite the disruptions and the initial and continuing challenges, the Kenyan ISR team have managed to continue to work towards success for Mantrac and success for our customers. ISR sales during this time topped $600,000, showing that despite the difficulties they faced, they could still find ways to connect with customers and serve their needs.

The IT team, working longer hours to support their colleagues and providing solutions to the problems that were faced, showed us all how we can adapt our working process to bring the best out of even the most problematic situations.