Internet is critical for development - DOC

ISPA calls for clarity on consumer Act

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: The Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) has sounded warning bells over what it calls the apparent intention of the National Consumer Commission to apply Section 63 of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) to data or other electronic services. “If Section 63 of the CPA is deemed by the Commission to be applicable to the payment in advance for data and other electronic services, we predict that it will have the effect of driving up [...]

FNB partners with PEP

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: FNB and PEP have announced a partnership which will see the bank’s eWallet money transfer solution available at PEP stores countrywide. CEO of FNB, Michael Jordaan says that the partnership is a milestone for the bank in its efforts to use innovation and technology to make banking available to South African consumers. “With this partnership we are further extending banking services to all South Africans, with or without a bank account. This will enable [...]

The pillars of HR outsourcing

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: Outsourcing a strategically important business function such as Human Resources is a difficult business decision to make, says Riaan Terblanche, the Managing Director of HRO, an EOH company. “Companies are concerned about aspects such as losing control over knowledge and processes ranging to the pitfalls surrounding total quality management.” Recent statistics show that more and more companies ranging in the 1000 to 20 000 headcount bracket are outsourcing their Human Resource activities in an [...]

Knott-Craig joins Cell C

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: Cell C has appointed Alan Knott-Craig as the new CEO of the mobile operator, effective from 1 April 2012.  Knott-Craig’s appointment follows the departure of former CEO, Lars Reichelt, in July. Reichelt, who had been with CellC since 2009, had replaced Jeffrey Hedberg who left to join Virgin mobile South Africa. Cell C says the appointment of Knott-Craig – who is the former Vodacom CEO – followed a comprehensive search both domestically and internationally. [...]

FNB cellphone banking transactions top R2.7bn

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: FNB says its cellphone banking channel processed in excess of 25 million transactions in December 2011 with a transaction value of over R2.7 billion - compared to R1.7 billion seen in December 2010. The bank now has more than 3.5 million cellphone banking users.  Ravesh Ramlakan, CEO FNB Cellphone Banking Solutions says the growth of the service is due to its simplicity and the convenience that it offers customers. “The channel allows you the [...]

Vodacom appoints CFO

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: Mobile operator, Vodacom, has appointed Ivan Dittrich as Chief Financial Officer and executive director of Vodacom Group. He is expected to join the Group on or about 1 July 2012. Dittrich joins the Group from Datatec where he has been the chief financial officer since May 2008 and executive director on the board of Datatec since March 2008. Prior to that he held a number of senior executive positions for the past 12 years [...]

Social media and employment relationships

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: In a time when most people’s lives are voluntarily exposed on social media sites and social and political views are equally freely divulged on blogs, it begs the question whether an employer has the right to terminate an employment relationship based on inappropriate comments made through such channels or for excessive usage of emails for personal purposes.  The answer is the typical legal one: it depends on the circumstances. Clear cut policies and the [...]

Parliament condemns Postbank cyber heist

The chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, Sikhumbuzo Kholwane, has condemned the R42 million cyber heist that occurred at the Postbank recently.

Following a report that a cybercrime syndicate - with knowledge of the Postbank’s IT systems - had stolen millions in January, Kholwane said he appreciated the discovery of the theft and welcomed an investigation by the National Intelligence Agency and the police.

According to media reports, the cyber crime syndicate launched its operations on New Years Day and the theft happened over three days after they gained access to a Rustenburg Post Office employee’s computer and made deposits from other accounts into their own.

8ta intros internet saver packages

Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: Following the recent introduction of new broadband packages, mobile provider, 8.ta, has launched five Internet Saver data packages in an effort to offer customers great value for money. The Internet Saver is a hybrid offer, meaning that the Internet Saver plan is a data contract package with a monthly recurring data bundle which also behaves like a pre-paid package once the recurring data bundle is depleted. The packages are available on a 12 or [...]

2012 contact centre trends

Change is afoot in the South African contact centre industry, as savvy companies realise that their customers are communicating with them in new and different ways.

To stay ahead of the pack they will need to change their game plans – especially in tougher economic times.

This is what we’ll see impacting on the contact centre industry in 2012: