Calling South Africa

[Sneeky]

"The country stakes its claim as the premier call-centre destination, writes Rowan Philp"

http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/articles/article-business.aspx?ID=ST6A161488

Keryn House, CEO of Contact in Gauteng, said the province was expecting significant new investments by companies including AOL, Absa, Call Centre Nucleus, Sykes and e-Centric.

Not one mention in this entire article about SA's high call costs, weird.
Didnt AOL also decide not to start up in SA due to basic call costs a few months ago??

The country’s chance of securing more investment in the competitive international call-centre industry is very good. A report released last year by the Ion Group, which polled many of the UK’s top 1000 companies for their ideal offshore location, ranked South Africa ahead of India, Mexico and the Philippines.
The report cites greater English skills, a more similar “cultural outlook” and better performance among agents over their Indian rivals, a similar time zone and SA’s deregulated telecommunications industry.

Anyone have this report, Ion Group thing?

The growth is part of a global phenomenon in which former colonies and occupied territories — from Morocco to the Philippines — are grabbing fistfuls of “contact centre” work in the markets of their former masters, due to cultural links, reduced telecoms costs and reported labour cost savings of between 30% and 50%.

Pretoria, we have a problem.
Heres a different view.
http://business.scotsman.com/technology.cfm?id=1713602005

Paris Mashile, head of communications regulator ICASA, said seven or eight American companies had visited South Africa in the last week with a view to building hubs to deal with customer queries by telephone, but said they were put off by call costs.

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=24552&highlight=call+center

I smell a rat somewhere.

 

[w1z4rd]

A Telkom propoganda article?

 

[Nom Chompsky]

I love how the Sunday Times say that SA have a "deregulated telecoms industry".

Time to give them a call I think.

 

[TheRoDent]

Pure telkom propaganda. Rowan Phillip is on Telkom's payroll it seems. Reality check Mr. Phillip.

 

[mavx]

What a crock

 

[ShaunSA]

“If you have motor insurance with Budget Insurance in Britain, your call will come to Cape Town. South Africans have always been known for being empathetic and having a good customer service ethic. Now they’re proving they’ve really got a knack for this,” Mills said.

And in other news a Johannesburg taxi driver has won the "Driver of the Year" award...

 

[Sneeky]

Whatsup with the Sunday Times website? Maybe they ran out of bandwidth.

Every week their are huge full page Telkom ads in the Sunday Times.
At the going rate of around R200-R500K or thereabouts each, I shudder to think that this is maybe all about advertising revenue at the expense of good reporting, what a shame. The last thing I expected from the Sunday Times if it is so.
A few more of these one sided and unbalanced reports and I will start looking for a new Sunday paper.

 

[bwana]

South Africans have always been known for being empathetic and having a good customer service ethic.

Maybe they used to be but ask most any foreigner and they'll tell you the opposite.

Telkom must have cut one hell of a deal with these call center people to even get them to consider locating here in SA. Probably not as good a deal as they're apparently giving the Sunday Times.

 

[Sneeky]

Telkom must have cut one hell of a deal with these call center people to even get them to consider locating here in SA.

Oh joy, so overseas companies and government can get affordable telecoms, but the tax payers get bent over a barrel indefinately.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

It is cheaper to phone in from overseas than us poor south africans trying to phone out...

 

[neio]

I dont read the Sunday Times, their biased article's just annoy the hell out of me.

 

[Mememe]

And who said that the international calls comes to these call centres via Telkom's international switch?

 

[MaD]

Well it may as well be called deregulated, ICASA has been rendered utterly useless by Gov as they own 40% of Telskom..

I love how the Sunday Times say that SA have a "deregulated telecoms industry".

Time to give them a call I think.

 

[Peter7]

It is cheaper to phone in from overseas than us poor south africans trying to phone out...

Yes, apparently that's the case. My US boss has mentioned a couple of times how the rate is pretty good to South Africa.

Wouldn't suprise me if Telkom has made deals with international telecom operators for cheap incoming calls.

Telkom will promote a "good" corporate image for foreign investment while ripping off it's country (refrained from colourful language).

 

[Sneeky]

And who said that the international calls comes to these call centres via Telkom's international switch?

Eh! Is there another legal way to do it that eliminates Telkom out of the equation, and if so, why isnt the whole of South Africa doing the same thing if its cheaper?