CallingtheCape Highlights Newsletter - October 2006

Dear Stakeholders,

This month we bring you exciting news on the success of one of Cape Town's BEE firms and on our CADET Programme which will now be accommodating 300 new learners.

In Key Dates you'll find some interesting events happening this year as well as our Events Calendar which contains some of the events that we have planned for 2007.

If you have any suggestions or views that you would like to share please forward them to rhomeez@callingthecape.org.za.

(i) Telecoms Conference
Wednesday 31st January 2007, 08h00 - 12h00
Venue: Auditorium 2, Cape Town International Convention Centre

Due to the success of the Telecoms conference in January 2006, CallingtheCape will once again host a VOIP Telecoms conference in January 2007 at the CTICC. The focus will be on real value and ROI from VOIP - "Reduce capex, opex and improve services".

Panelist, Sponsorship and speaker packages are available from Judith Middleton at judith@duomarketing.co.za

For ticket sales please contact Nicky Floris at nicky@callingthecape.org.za.

(ii)Annual Convention of the UK's Call Centre Association (CCA)
14th - 15th November 2006
Edinburgh, Scotland

Sometimes one needs to head further afield to see what kind of international best practices are out there. The UK's contact centre industry is now extremely mature - with approximately 700 000 agent positions - and the industry there has developed very significantly in recent years. In particular, due to deregulation in the UK economy, structural change in areas like financial services ( e.g. direct selling), and a proliferation of new competitors for existing services, and new services altogether, the need for market leading customer services has become increasingly acute. Speaking to people in the UK contact centre industry, they will tell you that customers have become much more demanding over the last 5-10 years. Is it too fanciful to think that many of these trends might well appear in our economy before too long?

We believe that it may be of interest for contact centre managers from Cape Town to learn more about how their UK counterparts have managed these changes - in particular, the emergence of greater competition and much more demanding customers.

One of the premier events in the UK dedicated to these topics is the Annual Convention of the UK's Call Centre Association (the CCA). This convention takes place this year in Edinburgh, over two days from 14th November 2006. You may recall that both our call centre manager of the year and our supervisor of the year will get to attend this event as part of their prizes.

We would really encourage contact centre managers in particular to consider attending with them. We believe this programme could be very useful indeed to our managers. We have negotiated a discount rate of GBP 499 for our stakeholders to attend (see attached proposal). There is a parallel event for team leaders, priced for us at GBP 299, which you could also consider.

If we can muster enough support in the industry to attend this event, the CCA have also promised to lay on additional events for us - such as best practice workshops and site visits. There are some site visits already planned which you will be able to attend.

Please come back to Nicky Floris nicky@callingthecape.org.za if you are interested in participating in this mission. We will collate the numbers and revert back to the CCA (and ensure we get the best possible prices). Their contact details are also in the attached proposal, if you want to contact them please feel free.

(iii) CEO Breakfast with Moores Rowland
30th October 2006, 09h00 - 11h00
Doega Room, 12th Floor Waldorf Arcade, 80 St. George's Mall, Cape Town

South Africa will soon be facing a new Data Protection Legislation that will affect all contact centres. CallingtheCape will be hosting a breakfast event with Moores Rowland to address this issue.

Cost: R100 for members and R200 for non-members.

RSVP: rhomeez@callingthecape.org.za

(iv) Leadership Development Programme: HIV/AIDS
1st November 2006, 08h00 - 16h30
Venue: TBC
Cost: R1 800 for CtC Members; R2 000 for non-CtC Members

Our third Leadership Development Workshop on 1 November 2006 will focus on HIV/ Aids in the contact centre and BPO workplace. It will deal specifically with the strategic management skills required to deal with the pandemic and its effect on the call centre environment, how to ensure that your workplace is free from stigma, how to encourage best practices in your teams around voluntary counselling and testing, how to deal with employees who are HIV+ or have Aids, and how to effectively manage your workforce planning and forecasting. The workshop also includes understanding the legal, policy and procedural issues around the testing, treatment and prevention strategies around HIV/Aids. New research, conducted by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, on knowledge, attitudes and practices towards HIV/AIDS in the Cape Town BPO industry will be presented at this workshop.

For bookings and payment please contact Nicky Floris at nicky@callingthecape.org.za  or +27 21 487 8655.

(v) Site Visits (New!!!)

CallingtheCape will be hosting a series of high profile site visits to leading contact centre and BPO facilities in Cape Town. The purpose of the visits are to give the industry access to leading companies and in so-doing to spread best practice standards.

There's been much interest in these site visits and we can only accommodate members of CallingtheCape. Fifteen delegates will be given the opportunity on a first-come-first-serve basis. We will make every effort to accommodate BEE/SME companies. ONLY ONE DELEGATE PER COMPANY ALLOWED.

The last site visit for 2006 will be:

  • The Phone House - 14th November 2006 at 11h00am

We will keep you informed of future visits.
All information regarding site visits will be given to delegates closer to the time.

RSVP to Rhomeez@callingthecape.org.za. We need to be informed of cancellations at least two days before the event.

(vi) Calendar of Events (subject to change!!!)

Please find a list of the future events that we are planning below. We don't have all the details of each of the events at this point but will be sending out more information closer to the time.

Leadership Development Workshop
Wednesday 7th February 2007, 08h00 - 16h30
Theme: Call Centre Management
This workshop is aimed at Managers

CallingtheCape Awards Banquet Launch
Friday 30th March 2007, 09h00 - 11h00
Venue: CallingtheCape Offices

Leadership Development Workshop
Wednesday 23rd May 2007, 08h00 - 16h30
Theme: Performance Management & Labour Law
This workshop is aimed at Call Centre Managers

CallingtheCape Awards Banquet
Saturday 4th August 2007, 18h30 - 00h00
Venue: Ballroom, Cape Town International Convention Centre

CallingtheCape Stakeholders Forum
Tuesday 28th August 2007, 16h30 - 19h00
Venue: CallingtheCape Offices

Leadership Development Workshop
Wednesday 19th September 2007, 08h00 - 16h30
Theme: BEE Codes of Practice

(vii) QualityLife Company's Soul of Business Conference
Cape Town, 19-20 October 2006
Business Unusual: Making Business a Force for Positive Social Change

CallingtheCape members will receive a discount!

For more information or to book please contact Lizzy at (011) 880-9749 or lizzy@qualitylife.co.za.

(i) About FrontRange Solutions

Multi-award winning FrontRange Solutions is the leading independent provider of service management, CRM and Communication applications tailored for the SME market. This allows organisations to deliver extraordinary customer relationships. The applications are easy to implement, enjoy a low total cost of ownership and provide a quick return on investment.

FrontRange Solutions established its reputation with award-winning GoldMine for contact management and sales forces automation, and with HEAT for complete service management, including Help Desk Management.

The company is headquartered in Dublin, California, with offices globally. Customers world-wide include market-leaders such as UCS Solutions, Barloworld, Nissan, Coris Capital, Daimler-Chrysler, Datacentrix, De Beers, Financial Services Board, Johannesburg Water and Standard Bank.

To learn more about FrontRange Solutions, visit our website on www.frontrange.co.za.

(ii) TELEOPTI

Improve your Customer Service with TELEOPTI, one of the world's leading providers of solutions for strategic workforce management. TELEOPTI for advanced multi-skill, multi site contact centres utilises industry-leading workforce management tools:

  • Superior flexibility in forecasting and scheduling
  • Different working time directives to enable optimal resource management
  • Real time adherence and holiday planning
  • Web based preference and performance tools for all levels of the your organisation

TELEOPTI, winner of the contact centre industry's top award for "Best Workforce Management Solution in EMEA" in ContactCentreWorld.com Members' Choice Awards for two consecutive years.

Distributed by Saab Grintek. Please contact Petro van Wyk on pvwyk@grintek.com  or 021 4091010 for further information.

To advertise contact Rhomeez Hendricks.

This month's new members are:

If you are interested in becoming a member of CallingtheCape please contact Rhomeez Hendricks.

(i) BEE firm wins facilities management contract with the City of Cape Town

Contac4, one of Cape Town's leading independent black-owned call centres, has landed a major contract with the City of Cape Town that will see the company overseeing the maintenance of all the electrical and mechanical systems at the Civic Centre, the city's largest building.

"At 97,000 square metres the Civic Centre is a huge and complex operation," says the city's corporate headquarters manager Alan Pharo. "On the electrical side alone we have seven substations and 21 transformers feeding the building, so we need specialised skills to manage and maintain the electrical distribution system. There are also major mechanical systems such as lifts, escalators and the air conditioning system."

Pharo says Contac4 is providing expertise, including a certificated engineer, to complement and help manage the council's existing staff of 12 artisans. "Part of the deal is that they will transfer skills."

As well as the Civic Centre, Contac4 is also managing maintenance for a number of other sites in the city including the Strand Street Concourse and the Good Hope Centre.

"We're delighted by this vote of confidence from the City of Cape Town," says Contac4 CEO Ashraf Allie. "We won the tender in competition against several well-established players, thanks partly to the experience our team has built up in previous contracts with major national players like Engen." Contac4 previously co-ordinated maintenance for 1,262 Engen service stations across South Africa.

Pharo confirms that the strength of Contac4's management team was a major factor in the contract award. "We did substantial reference checks and found a lot of substance. They've put together an impressive team with good previous experience. We're very happy with their performance so far."

CallingtheCape Executive Director Luke Mills said the award was a significant milestone in government support for black-owned call centres. "Government contracts can make all the difference for emerging players, but the support hasn't always been there in the past. We're delighted to see the city's managers coming to the party."

(ii) 300 Learners to Benefit in Call Centre Job Scheme's Third Year

The success of a call centre industry learnership scheme which saw 51 of 89 recent graduates landing full-time contracts before they finished studying means the scheme will be increased to 300 learnerships next year.

The Career Assessment Development Education & Training (CADET) scheme, funded by the Services SETA and supported by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, was implemented by Calling the Cape and companies in the call centre industry to ensure a steady supply of skilled staff as the industry grows, as well as to create employment opportunities for previously unemployed learners.

"There's been significant new investment into Cape Town in the past two years and there is huge demand for skilled and experienced call centre workers," says Calling the Cape executive director Luke Mills. "The industry has recognised that we need to keep renewing the supply of skilled people to sustain that growth in future. We also need to ensure that we're creating jobs for those who need them most, so it's fantastic news that we'll be able to accommodate at least 300 learners next year."

This year the scheme combined four weeks of a seven-week accredited training programme at NQF2 Level, followed by several months of in-service training with one of 15 companies participating in the scheme. The in-service training led directly to full-time employment for at least 51 of the learners, and another 23 are waiting for contracts to be finalised with their host companies, leading to an overall success rate of 89%.
Nothandi Magodla of Magodla and Associates, who is responsible for helping the remaining 15 learners find jobs, says she is confident that most will be placed by the end of September. "It's been a great success," she says.

"We're very, very proud of all the learners and how far they've come," says CallingtheCape Talent Development Manager Sonja Lawson. "Everyone in the group came from a disadvantaged background and had limited or no office work experience, let alone call centre experience. The success rate is a real testament to the talent and commitment you can find in previously unemployed people."

Mapule Mtshakazana, named the scheme's Top Performer at the graduation ceremony held In late August, worked as a cleaner and tea lady before being accepted into the Cadet scheme. Now employed full time at the City of Cape Town's technical operations centre which hosted the second part of her training, she aspires to a management position in the industry. One of her prizes is a R4 200 bursary from the International Colleges Group, which she will use for part-time studies towards a second-level qualification next year. Other prizes included R1 000 cash, two seats for the national SACCCOM awards to be held later this year and a night's stay for two at the hotel where the awards will be held.

CallingtheCape has now opened applications for the third round of the CADET scheme, which is set to expand significantly next year. Anybody interested in applying for the scheme should contact CallingtheCape via email to help@callingthecape.org.za, fax their CVs to 021 422 3744 or visit the web site at www.callingthecape.org.za .

Have a great month.

Rhomeez Hendricks
Communications Officer
Telephone No: +27(0) 21 487 8655 : Switchboard No: +27(0) 21 487 8600
Fax No: +27(0) 21 422 3744 : Mobile No: +27(0) 82 927 8021
Email address: rhomeez@callingthecape.org.za  Website: www.callingthecape.org.za


Back to Newsletter Archive