Safaricom has announced the availability of a “Reverse Call” feature enabling its more than 31 million customers to pay for calls for loved ones. The service enables a caller to transfer the cost of a call to the receiver by adding ‘#’ before the number they are calling. For instance, to transfer the cost of the call to 0722000000, a customer will dial #0722000000.
A customer receiving a reverse call request will see the caller’s details appear on the screen as normal, but once they pick the call, they will receive a voice prompt asking them to key in “1” to accept the reverse call. The cost of the call will be equivalent to the receiver’s normal call cost. The service is only available for on-net calls and will not be applicable for off-net, roaming and international calls.
For those who were around during the Telkom phone booth era, this feature was a life saver for those who wanted to call their loved ones but were broke. Most especially when one run out of pocket money while in school.
The Reverse Call feature complements Safaricom’s existing “Please Call Me” service which enables a customer to send five free messages to other customers requesting for a call back.