Ordering at your favorite JFC fast food restaurant is now just a chat away! Jollibee Foods Corporation and PayMaya pioneer conversational commerce with ‘cashless’ ordering chatbot

Tweet

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) along with all of its food and restaurant brands in the country has begun piloting an interactive mobile ordering system via chatbot, with a seamless payment experience powered by PayMaya.

Customers in select areas can now use their credit, debit, or prepaid cards as well as their PayMaya e-wallet accounts to pay for their favorite food items and meals via the Facebook Messenger channels of Jollibee, Burger King, Chowking, Mang Inasal, and Red Ribbon -- which are all currently running on beta version. This will soon be available in the Facebook messenger of Greenwich as well.

All they need to do is type “#order” and send this to the Facebook chatbot of their favorite JFC restaurant, select the meal they’d like to order, pay by selecting their preferred cashless payment option, and wait for their food to be delivered in their homes.

As an added treat, customers can get up to 100% cashback when they pay using their PayMaya registered mobile number upon ordering via chatbot with a minimum spend of P500.

“As we implement more stringent safety measures in this 'new normal', the availability of PayMaya’s cashless payments solutions helps ensure that both our customers and frontliner workers are protected, while at the same time giving them a more joyful experience when they order their favorite food from any of our brands," said Jollibee Global Brand CMO, JFC Philippines Country Business Group and concurrent Jollibee PH Marketing Head Francis Flores.

Offering cashless payment options via the Facebook chatbot is just the next step in the partnership between PayMaya and JFC. In 2019, this partnership also helped pave the way for the launch of digital payments through self-ordering kiosks in Jollibee, Burger King and Chowking stores via the One by PayMaya Point-Of-Sale Device, and now has expanded its cashless payment option in 300 Jollibee stores.

“Over the past months we've seen an acceleration in the evolution of 'conversational commerce', with businesses and entrepreneurs harnessing their networks through chat apps to continue selling their products. During this time, businesses like JFC's brands need to be present where their customers are, and today most of the customers are online–so offering a wide variety of digital payment options ensures a safe and seamless ability for them to meet their business and customer needs," PayMaya President Shailesh Baidwan said.

Soon, JFC will also be rolling out PayMaya’s Digital Invoice solution when ordering online via its various brand's delivery websites or through their respective hotlines, allowing customers to receive an invoice with a payment link via SMS or email so that they can also pay using any card or using their PayMaya account.

Aside from enabling the cashless payments acceptance of various JFC brands, PayMaya has also partnered with Jollibee Group Foundation to allow them to receive donations from anywhere around the world via the #OneAgainstCOVID19 campaign website (pymy.co/jollibee) or through the Pay Bills function of the PayMaya app.

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines with platforms and services that cuts across consumers, merchants, and government. Aside from providing the payments acceptance for the largest e-Commerce, food, retail and gas merchants in the Philippines, PayMaya is enabling national and social services agencies as well as local government units with digital payments and disbursement services.

Through its PayMaya app and wallet, it is providing millions of Filipinos with the fastest way to own a financial account with over 40,000 Add Money touchpoints nationwide, more than double the total number of traditional bank branches in the Philippines combined. Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of over 30,000 partner agents nationwide serves as last mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved with access to services.

To know more about PayMaya's products and services for businesses and merchants, visit http://enterprise.paymaya.com. [END]

New Hanabishi endorser Sarah G. urges families to find ways to make home life better during quarantine

Tweet

Hanabishi Philippines’ new celebrity endorser Sarah Geronimo-Guidicelli encourages families to find ways to make their home life better during quarantine. 

The Popstar advices people to stay at home and learn a new skill like cooking or baking as they have more time at their disposal. Get the kids to make their own merienda or midnight snacks, catch up on the series you’ve been wanting to see, or finally finish that book you’ve been putting off reading for months.

“Tulungan po natin ang ating mga frontliners at ating gobyerno ngayong mga panahong ito na tayo ay nahaharap sa pagsubok. Sa halip na nakatuon tayo sa mga negatibong bagay, gumawa po tayo ng paraan upang lalong mas mapaganda ang ating buhay sa loob ng ating mga tahanan. (Let us help our front-liners and the government during these challenging times. Instead of focusing on the negative, let’s find ways to do to make our home life better),” Geronimo-Guidicelli says.

If you’re looking for kitchen appliances to help you make your first dish, you can now easily place an order for one through the Hanabishi website, www.myhanabishi.com.

They have broilers, grillers, fryers, electric cookers, and juice blenders. You can also buy mixers, food processors, steamers, pressure cookers, and stoves from the site.

Apart from the kitchen appliances mentioned above, you may also order Hanabishi’s electric fans and coolers; air-conditioning units; refrigerators; rice cookers; water dispensers; garment care appliances; and vacuums and sterilizers through their website.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa bago ‘kong kapamilya, ang Hanabishi. Alam naman ng pamilyang Pilipino na ang Hanabishi ay isa sa pinagkakatiwalaang brand of appliances dito sa atin. Ang mga kailangan natin upang mapasaya ang ating buhay pamilya habang tayo ay naka-quarantine ay mabibili na online mula sa Hanabishi. (I am grateful to my new family, Hanabishi. Filipino families have known Hanabishi as one of the most trusted brands in the country. The things we need to make our family life happy while on quarantine can now be bought online from Hanabishi,” Sarah further adds.

Hanabishi currently offers free shipping for small items. You can have your order picked up at their warehouse at Meycauayan, Bulacan or choose to have it delivered to your preferred address.

Placing an order is easy. Visit the Hanabishi website and add to cart the appliance you want to order. Make a payment through Metrobank, BDO, Dragonpay, or PayPal. Choose between the pickup and delivery options. Deliveries will be made through either Transportify or Lalamove. Wait for the confirmation, and then you’re through.

For inquiries about the free shipping on small items, you may call Nikki at 0966-8137150; Lot at 0927-3084741; Je at 0932-5657796; or Pearl at 0997-6024956.

Shopee offers the Ultimate Gen Z Dream Job - be a TikTok Star!

Tweet

Shopee is looking for a content creator for their TikTok Channel

Are you obsessed with TikTok? Have you been following all the viral hashtags and trends on social media? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then you may be just what Shopee is looking for!

In this role, you get the chance to create and produce engaging social media content from beginning to end. The best part? Not only will you get paid to do something you really enjoy doing, but you’ll also proudly represent the brand as one of the Faces of Shopee on TikTok! 

Shopee wants bold and imaginative people to join their creative think tank. If you love being on camera and have the confidence to back it up, then this job is for you! 

Interested candidates can paste a link of their most creative 30-second TikTok video on the comments section of the Shopee Career page. The clip should include why the candidates are the best person for this exciting role. 

Head over to Shopee Careers (https://careers.shopee.ph/job-detail/2952/) for more details.

Connectivity during COVID-19 is crucial, GCash CEO says

Tweet

The pandemic has changed virtually everything -- especially the way people work.

With the firm directive to “stay at home,” individuals and companies alike have come up with different schemes to continue operations—from furniture companies, delivery services, and telecom services—every business in the country are trying to find new ways to cope with the “new normal.”

What the pandemic has translated to, in the corporate world, is the increasing implementation of remote working schemes—utilizing technology to maintain workplace culture, the rise of so-called Zoom parties, as an effective alternative to the usual office banter and the ever-present online green orb that has everyone analyzing and predicting what the future of office culture looks like for the Filipino.

As the country continues to struggle against the coronavirus, with the Philippines still suffering from losses the ECQ has incurred—there’s a looming question in every Filipino’s mind: What will change?

Industry innovators like Martha Sazon, the newly appointed CEO of GCash-operator Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt), see this situation as an opportunity to further strengthen interpersonal relationships between colleagues.

GCash is more relevant than ever, Sazon said at ReStart, a live learning series powered by Project Ripple Philippines, that gathered leading executives from different industries to discuss how to improve work-from-home processes during these tumultuous times.

“We're in a good place as a business because we're in demand, and we are able to help other businesses as well,” she added. “We have successfully gone through a major platform migration without having to be physically together.”

Globe and GCash continue to launch necessary services catered to a community going through the “new normal,” aimed at creating ways to provide the Filipino people comfort, ease, and convenience during these uncertain times.

“We complement the shift in online behavior, as we offer safe and secure cash transactions," Sazon said.

As the world continues to understand and adapt to the new environment the pandemic has thrust upon people, Sazon recognizes how employees of Mynt have continued to work through this crisis, creating and thriving in a world of digital collaboration despite being apart.

True to Mynt’s core values, fostering inclusiveness through financial technology to bridge the gap between the banked and unbanked, connectivity has always been Sazon's main concern.

“It requires a lot of checking in, mental health is very important,” Sazon emphasized. “People try to cope differently.”

There are over 700 Mynt employees as of today, and almost all of them are working from the comforts of their own homes. Mynt conducted a survey on how it can further help employees adapt to this arrangement.

Weekly activities such as non-related engagements like games and creative contests were also provided to ensure the mental health of Mynt employees. Leaders also engage in online huddles and provide learning activities to help each employee grow. Town Hall meetings are also being held on a regular basis

Zoom sessions with GCash employees have become more than just virtual meetings for productivity, Sazon said. They also include “kumustahan” sessions that have helped her maintain and boost the morale of her team.

"We need to reimagine the way we operate, and with that comes new skills, it’s about helping each other so we can cope with the new skills we need," Sazon added.

Despite the firm emphasis on social distancing, Sazon believes that work at GCash cannot be done alone, even with the physical hurdle of not being able to be in close proximity to each other.

“Above all the safety and well-being of our employees remain our priority, we need to keep our employees highly connected,” Sazon said.

Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt), which operates GCash, is part of the portfolio companies of 917Ventures, the largest corporate incubator in the Philippines wholly-owned by Globe Telecom Inc.

GCash is available for download on the App Store and Google Play. For more information, kindly visit https://www.gcash.com/.

Rep. Angelina Tan pushes for mandatory immunization

Tweet

Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, Chairperson on House Committee on Health, reaffirmed her stand on mandatory immunization amid the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to prevent future outbreaks from happening.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected and impacted our lives in a totally unprecedented way. Millions of people around the world have been infected, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead. In the Philippines, we have more than 14,000 total confirmed cases and close to 900 deaths because of this pandemic.

This Wednesday morning, May 27, a webinar zoom event was held as "Kapihan sa Manila Bay" with Marichu Villanueva, who hosts its first-ever kapihan online with the topic: AFTER THE COVID-19 CONTAGION, HOW CAN THE PHILIPPINES PREPARE BETTER FOR ANY FUTURE PANDEMIC?

The panelists were Congresswoman Angelina Tan, Chairperson, Committee on Health, House of Representatives, Congressman Adriano Ebcas, AKO PADAYON Pilipino party-list representative, Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire, Public Health Epidemiologist Dr. Troy Gepte and Dr. Lulu Bravo, Executive Director, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination.

Tan cited the importance of pursuing the government’s immunization program even during the community quarantine as a way to ensure that children are protected from future pandemics.

“We have several initiatives in Congress in relation to the country’s immunization program,” Tan revealed. “We are pushing for the creation of the NITAG, a national immunization advisory board, and we are trying to adopt a school-based immunization program that will benefit our students,” she added.

Tan also reaffirmed her call for an open, competitive bidding process in vaccines. According to Tan, an important element in the immunization program is to ensure that the procurement of vaccines is done in such a way that no single manufacturer is favored. The specifications in bidding should not favor a single brand.

Health Undersecretary Dr. Ma. Rosario Vergeire explained in the same forum that the DOH suspended the bidding for PCVs after new evidence that they need to look into more carefully was presented.

“Nung lumabas ang bagong ebidensiya na sinubmit sa atin, ang desisyon namin ay ipasok muna sa Health Technology Assessment Center (HTAC). HTAC is reviewing the procurement, which is really the right process. Ngayon po hindi pa lumalabas ang recommendation ng HTAC,” Vergeire revealed.

The DOH previously requested the HTAC to review the National Immunization Program (NIP), particularly the Pneumococcal Vaccination Program for children, in light of new 2017 and 2019 evidence from the World Health Organization (WHO).

In February 2019, WHO reaffirmed this earlier position saying that the two available PCVs in the market--PCV10 and PCV13--are equally effective in preventing overall pneumococcal diseases in children. The position paper also states that there is at present insufficient evidence of a difference in the net impact of the two available PCVs on overall disease burden.

During the Kapihan webinar zoom meeting, Dr. Lulu Bravo, an epidemiologist, and professor of Pediatric Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the College of Medicine of UP Manila stressed that the new evidence regarding PCVs that came out recently came from experts themselves.

 “According to the WHO, when it comes to pneumococcal vaccination for children, both PCV10 and PCV13 are just as good. The important thing is cost-effectiveness,” Bravo noted.

 “We should follow what the WHO says, being experts in their field. If you cannot believe WHO, who will you believe?” she added

“Both vaccines exist. If the health assessment proves that both PCV10 and PCV13 have the same effects, then we need to go through a procurement process that’s open and competitive so the government can save on costs,” Tan said.

On a related note, Rep. Adriano A. Ebcas of the Ako Padayon Pilipino Partylist revealed that he and three other partylist representatives filed a resolution urging the DOH to ensure the continued safe implementation of the mandated National Immunization Program for children despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The House Resolution aims to encourage and support the DOH in its endeavor to contain the current outbreak and prevent future community outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The resolution also aims to secure and ensure a stable supply of available vaccines through the continued conduct of open, fair, and competitive bidding, thereby preventing any “outbreak within an outbreak.”

In the resolution, the solons declared,

“An open, fair, competitive public procurement of NIP vaccines provide the Filipino people the broadest possible options for affordable, quality, and registered vaccines, allowing for potential significant savings to the government while at the same promoting strong public governance.”