Established as a stalwart of African innovation, the transport offering of GIGM remains inspired by customer-centricity.
DARING TO BE DIFFERENT
“Technology is changing human behaviour rapidly. Startups are springing up daily and the ever-increasing penetration of smartphones is proof that businesses will have to take services to the palms of the hands of end users.
“Consumers are demanding technology that aids their lifestyle at home, at work and on the go, and with artificial intelligence and smart applications, people are beginning to create technology that meets such demand.”
Listening to Vuakpor Muogereh, it would be easy to think that she’s referring to the socioeconomic landscape of Silicon Valley, London, Singapore or another global tech hub. As Chief Operating Officer of GIGM, however, she is in fact describing the transformative trajectory of one of Africa’s most rapidly innovating countries.
“The exponential growth in Nigeria’s population, currently estimated at over 200 million, is part of the reason that national industries like transportation are being explored in a similar vein to that of western countries,” she continues. “The reliance on technology in powering transportation is going to grow as global stakeholders look to solve mutual issues at scale.
“At GIGM, we are excited to be playing a part in pioneering this new wave, helping to change the way that people travel.”
A road transport platform providing mobility services to people across Nigeria, GIGM’s focus is defined by exceptional customer experience and innovative solutions – a combination that has enabled it to revolutionise the road transport space.
20 years in the making, it has rightfully become a household name through this approach, its footprint spanning almost the entirety of Nigeria.
“Convenience for the user is the bedrock of all that we do,” Muoghereh states, providing an introduction to GIGM’s overriding ethos.
“From our captains (drivers) who undergo continuous professional development to our fleet, which is by every standard the best in the industry, and our safety procedures, which are meticulously followed through, GIGM is a holistic solution for public transportation needs.
“In every way, we are committed to providing first-class transportation every day.”
MOBILITY MARVEL
As already indicated in Muoghereh’s opening statements, technology has cemented itself as the crux of GIGM’s customer-centric model.
The company’s ecosystem is formed on the firm foundations of Mobility, an in-house built ERP which seamlessly integrates its entire operations chain, from bookings to maintenance, surveillance, tracking and driver management, among other things.
“Using Mobility, we’ve been able to launch numerous innovative products such as our pickup service, a seamless mobile app used for travel ticket or hire bookings, and our enterprise partner model scheme, today mobile app transactions makes up an average 30% of total revenue generated by GIGM daily.” Muoghereh explains.
Such services account for just a fraction of GIGM’s overall offering yet are evidence of the enterprise’s ethos of continuously creating new value for its customers.
Owed to its adherent, established customer-centric culture, such focus has become unwavering, the company is always aiming to walk in the shoes of its customers, analysing behaviours and trends in order to exceed expectations.
“There are several projects we are currently working on,” Muoghereh divulges, pointing to some of the firm’s recent efforts. “One of our focus areas is on reinventing intra-city mobility, while we will also deploy our enterprise partner mobile application with this quarter. As a tool for transparent transportation, this will support GIGM’s aforementioned enterprise partner model, built for individuals or corporates who want to benefit from the lucrative transport industry without having to go through the hassle and bottlenecks conventionally associated with road transportation.”
In addition, the company recently signed a partnership with Jet Systems, further bolstering its own offerings with the addition of its Jet Movers vans.
Muoghereh continues: “We’ve added 100 of the futuristic Nigerian automobile company’s vehicles to our fleet, a move that has raised the service we render to consumers as they are designed with the optimal comfort of the user in mind.”
DRIVING FORWARD WITH GIGM
Much like its services, GIGM’s facilities are a flagship of its emphasis on the ultra-modern, the company having recognised the multitude of benefits and in turn competitive advantages of investing in state-of-the-art terminals.
The company’s operational footprint currently spans through four of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, utilising expansion and consolidation as a key tool for growth, sustainability and its long-term goals.
“Our brand has been known to raise the bar in the Nigerian transportation market through various initiatives,” Muoghereh states. “For us, it is not just about being the lead in an industry but changing the game for all players.
“We dare to be different.”
Having successfully consolidated this status in Nigeria during the course of the past two decades, the firm’s ambitious expansion plan is now set to take a new, exciting, international direction.
“We’re currently working on our enterprising pan-African plan,” Muoghereh reveals.
“As a matter of fact, everything’s in place to launch our presence in Ghana in Q3 2019, which will be followed by steps into other countries on the continent. We believe that a diversified market is certainly a compelling path to accelerate.”
Gearing up for such a crucial, growth-orientated turning point that will be accompanied by new challenges and exciting frontiers, GIGM will remain dedicated to its core principles and philosophies moving forward.
Combining exceptional customer experience and innovative solutions, these values have proven successful in enabling the firm to champion the technology revolution for the road transport industry in Nigeria over the years – success that it will be hoping to replicate in other countries.
For this reason, Muoghereh is markedly optimistic for the future.
She concludes, reflecting on the company’s 20th anniversary: “We learn by doing but we learn more by reflecting on what we have done.
“It is amazing how much GIGM has transformed the transport space within the last two decades. With agility, innovation, tenacity, passion and execution, we metamorphosed from a transport company with less than 100 buses to a transport platform fully powered by technology.
“The coming year is a significant one and we are getting ready to dominate the transport space beyond Nigeria.”
