From connecting Malaysians to championing local heroes

At Maxis, it’s our brand purpose to help bring communities ahead, and in the past two years, we have supported Malaysian businesses in every way we can. Through our UsahaWIRA campaign, we also call out the UsahaWIRAs, our local hero entrepreneurs who have demonstrated resilience, grit and adaptability in overcoming various challenges since the beginning of pandemic.

Through our Spark Insights Hub, we also featured the inspiring stories of our UsahaWIRAs on how they began their digitalisation journey or further digitalised with the help of Maxis Business.

Some may even be curious – how did a company, traditionally known as a telco, suddenly evolve into a company that is helping other businesses?

Let’s hear from Kevin Lee, the head of SME at Maxis.

Q: When we speak of Maxis, we think of a telecommunications company. We think of the internet. We think of a company that connects people. And yet the company has also went above and beyond to help many businesses. Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind that?

A: Our brand purpose consists of three words: Always Be Ahead. That means we are committed to empowering our nation, from individuals and families to businesses and other communities. So, whether you are growing a business, or hungry for knowledge, we’re here to help you always be ahead, with a little help from technology.

For businesses in particular, a lot of businesses were actually not prepared for the pandemic. Over 67% of SMEs had zero income during the first MCO.

So we asked ourselves, how can we actually better listen to SMEs and empower them in the way that they would want to be supported?

Q: It seems that Maxis is encouraging SMEs to embrace digitalisation. Why digitalisation in particular though?

A: It’s what we do best, and that is to bring together the best of technology and connectivity. Our wide range of solutions also can cater to many different industries and help them grow their businesses and unlock new opportunities. Plus, digitalisation is no longer an option, if they do not want to lag behind.

Also, when you are unable to operate the way you used to, what else can you do? Digitalisation, of course. Many of the entrepreneurs already had the answer, and you can see them fighting for their business in every way they can, from figuring out how to accept online orders to empowering and training their employees to get the job done with the help of digital solutions. That’s exactly why we call them UsahaWIRAs, because at times of crisis, they continue to move forward, instead of giving up. It isn’t just about the businesses; it’s also about serving the surrounding communities and ensuring their employees’ source of income.

Q: These UsahaWIRAs’ entrepreneurial spirit serves as an inspiration for many of us, but isn’t the move towards digitalisation expensive, especially for businesses who may be just recovering from the pandemic? Some may even be clueless and have no idea how to start.

A: That’s why we are committed to making digitalisation better, easier and faster for businesses, and that’s where our Maxis SME Help Squad come into place as well.

We often encourage businesses to connect with us directly as our team will be able to help them every step of the way, from applying for the grant and finding the right solution, to conducting the set-ups at business premises and helping the employees to understand how to operate them.

Our Maxis SME Help Squad aren’t regular staff; they are experts in helping businesses to digitalise. So just walk in to any Maxis Centre nationwide, and get a free consultation. They are that easy to reach, and we do assign a local member of the Maxis SME Help Squad to each customer, so they'll be able to understand out customers' needs better.

On top of that, our solutions are easier to afford, thanks to a government grant that SMEs can apply for. Maxis is a Technology Service Provider (TSP) appointed by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), so when you sign up for a digital solution, you’ll be able to gain a subsidy of up to RM5,000 from the SME Digitalisation Grant. This is in line with PENJANA initiatives to drive digital adoption.

Best part, you can just provide the necessary documents and our Maxis SME Help Squad will help you apply.

Q: You mentioned that Maxis is committed to making digitalisation better, easier and faster. Can you elaborate a bit on the “faster” bit?

A: We offer more than 17 digital solutions that can help businesses get back on track faster. But of course, digitalisation can be a little tricky, and that’s why we are here. Just let us know what your business ambitions are or what business challenges that you are trying to solve, and we’ll recommend the right one for you.

For example, if you are an F&B restaurant that wants to drive more sales, we have the Cloud POS Lite, an online POS system integrated with payment getaways and delivery partners, with zero commission fee.

If you are a business that is still managing your fleet manually, then perhaps you can consider mDrive, a fleet management solution that allows you to track vehicles, monitor drivers’ performance, and more.

For those who are interested in the SME Digitalisation Grant, you can check your eligibility in just 2 minutes through our website or WhatsApp. It’s not a definite checker, but it does help in giving you an idea on whether you are eligible for the grant.

Q: Digitalisation is a long journey, and that may be a little intimidating. What else is Maxis doing to help SMEs be at ease during their digitalisation journey?

A: It’s our goal to help SMEs grow their business faster. They aren’t just customers to us, and our support doesn’t end the moment they sign up with us.

We do help with setup and onboarding. Other than that, our Cloud POS Lite customers also receive marketing support in other ways as well. We provide them with buntings, and posters, and send SMSes to advertise their business, to other Maxis customers in the same area.

We also offer trainings. Recently, we hosted a virtual webinar where we invited experts to share tips and techniques on how to drive sales during the year-end period. Free guides are also available on our website, and anyone can have access to them.

We also encourage our UsahaWIRA community to connect and learn with each other. Last August, we organised Spark UsahaWIRA, a free virtual business conference that invited business leaders, entrepreneurs and representatives from MDEC, Google, Facebook, TikTok and more. This event gave them an opportunity to network, attend workshops, and get inspired by other businesses.

We are proud to say that since our UsahaWIRA programme was launched in 2020, we have helped more than 10,000 SMEs across the country to digitalise their business.

The journey of course, doesn’t stop here. There are still more to do, and we are constantly looking for ways to continue making an impact that matters for our UsahaWIRA community.