Voltas

Resourcefulness and bespoke training facilitates prepaid card implementation

Voltas is a leading provider of turnkey engineering solutions and specialises in large-scale projects.

The Challenge

Citi was mandated for a prepaid card programme for payment of wages to Voltas' workers operating across four UAE project sites. The staff was previously being paid in cash through an exchange house, which created risks and inefficiencies for the company. Voltas needed to comply with the newly introduced regulation for companies operating in the UAE to pay employees through a Central Bankadministered Wages Protection System. Voltas' Human Resources department was preoccupied with a major SAP implementation and unable to commit the necessary resources to develop the card issuance file, which was necessary to kick-off the prepaid solution and comply with this new regulation.

The Implementation

Citi helped Voltas overcome its resource constraint by assisting in the development of the requisite prepaid files through a suitable outsourced partner. Citi’s resourcefulness and flexibility meant Voltas did not have to delay the prepaid project. The various aspects of this implementation, which involved 2000+ cards, were carefully tracked through a steering committee and weekly conference calls to ensure that the project went smoothly and that agreed timelines were met.

Another crucial aspect of the implementation was training, since most of Voltas' workers had limited experience in using the cards. Citi's support staff designed training courses to familiarise workers with the benefits of using prepaid cards, the multilingual telephone support helpline and Citi Prepaid's internet platform. Visits were made to all four of Voltas's camps in the UAE, both before and after the solution went live, thus providing comfort not only to Voltas but also to the end cardholders.

The Result

Voltas is now in full compliance with the UAE central bank.s requirements for wage payments and has centralised its processes. Moreover, the company has eliminated the use of cash, improving its risk management, while its workers now have reduced risk of loss or theft involving cash payments with the added convenience of card use.

Voltas's management appreciated Citi's commitment and resourcefulness in facilitating external IT assistance to enable the prepaid solution to go live within the desired period. It also appreciated the customised training Citi provided its workers. In recognition of the success of the project, Voltas has committed to expand the programme to cover its new UAE project.