Qtel forces its customers to e-billing, starting elegantly [UDATE]

By removing the need to send paper bills to thousands of customers, Qtel has reduced the amount of paper it uses. Customers can select the e-bill option and provide their e-mail ID on the account page on the eQtel website or they can call 111 and provide their Qatar ID details.

[Update: 26-12-2011] More than 100,000 customers have already switched to Qtel’s electronic billing format, following the service provider’s scrapping of paper bills as part of its pro-environment initiative.

About Qtel

Qtel, also known as Qatar Telecom (Qtel) is the telecommunications service provider licensed  to provide both fixed and mobile telecommunications services in the state of Qatar. Qtel also has a presence in 16 other countries, with an expansion drift in the Middle East and North Africa region and South East Asia.

In total, Qtel provide coverage to over of 560 million people, with 57.5 million consolidated subscribers.

E-billing on-boarding by Qtel

First: award early adopters

Same time ago, Qtel decided to embrace online billing. And what does one do to create a substantial amount of electronic bill adopters? You award the early adopters:

• The first 1,000 customers who joined the e-bill were rewarded with 1,000 Nojoom points.
• Qtel also distributed more than 1,000 prizes in October to show its appreciation to more than 55,000 customers who had chosen to switch from paper bills to its e-bill service.
• Ten customers won iPads, while three winners received 25,000 Nojoom loyalty scheme points each.

Second: full move to e-billing, charging for paper bills

Qtel has now urged all its customers to sign up for electronic billing before 30 November 2011. After that, Qtel will move all clients to paperless options. The reason.  To avoid waste the company said.

Paper bills will still be available after 30 November 2011, but customers will be charged a fee of QAR 5 per bill to continue receiving them.

All funds raised via this charge are said to be invested into Qtel’s e-waste recycling programme, which offers a disposal point for unwanted electronic goods for all residents of Qatar.