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Online shopping on the rise

Online shopping has increased significantly in SA and continues to show potential for growth, says MasterCard. According to the latest MasterCard worldwide online shopping survey; price, convenience, and security are key factors are influencing the purchasing decision. The survey revealed that the number of South Africans shopping online has steadily increased over the past two years, with 58% of respondents in a survey of active Internet users saying they use the Internet for shopping. This is an increase from 53% [...]

R2.3bn allocated through eBucks

FNB eBucks partners have allocated more than R2.3 billion, the bulk of which was allocated by FNB, with members spending just over R 1.8 million to date. According to the bank, over the last year nearly half the total eBucks spent each month were redeemed on necessities such as fuel, airtime, groceries and over the counter medicines. “Over the past few years, we have brought more partners on board who add everyday value to our members and have noticed a [...]

More data for FNB customers

First National Bank (FNB) has announced that its own Internet Service Provider, FNB Connect, will be increasing the free monthly ADSL data which it awards to qualifying cheque account customers, from today. Qualifying FNB cheque account customers will now receive up to 5GB of ADSL data on a monthly basis, just for having the requisite FNB cheque account. The announcement follows the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) decreasing in the wholesale IP connect (IPC) costs to Internet Service [...]

Behind the contact centre buzz words

A few years ago most consumers would refer to a call centre – a term which reflected the fact that the majority of brand interactions centred around voice calls.

Today, thanks to the surge in digital communication across the world, most of us have instinctively switched to contact centre. From Facebook posts to Twitter, SMS, email and fax, the list of possible interaction channels between the brand and customer goes on and on. Contact centre really is the only relevant phrase to use.

But this is just the beginning of the change. Deeper shifts are occurring within the communication sphere, and many of them are illuminated by our evolving understanding of common industry phrases such as inbound, outbound and, perhaps most importantly, the blended contact centre.

Vodacom cuts Africa roaming rates

Vodacom has introduced roaming savings for customers travelling to 6 African countries where Vodacom and Vodafone operate. These countries include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania. The operator has introduced flat rates which have resulted in roaming data rates being reduced from R17.50/MB to only R5/MB. In addition, roaming customers will also get free incoming calls when they travel in these countries. Vodacom says it is leveraging its presence and that of its parent company [...]

African internet makes steady progress

Broadband connectivity will be one of the major spurs to the growth of African economies over the next decade, but there is still plenty of work to be done in building the telecommunications backbone, says SEACOM. According to at Baigrie, head of business development at SEACOM, connecting the continent to the global village is still a challenge. Speaking at the Africa Economic Forum, he says that broadband is to the 21st century what railways were to the last century – [...]

FNB eWallet hits 1 million mark

FNB has announced that more than 1 million eWallets have been created – while over R1.6 billion has been paid into FNB eWallets since inception in 2009. FNB eWallet allows people to send money to anyone in South Africa with a valid cellphone number. The recipient is able to withdraw cash at FNB ATMs, buy pre-paid airtime or electricity, send money to another cellphone, purchase and/or get cash at selected retailers as well as make once off payments. “We have seen [...]

8ta extends data promotion

8ta has announced that its Midnight Surfer data offering, will be extended by one hour. The data offer, which provides internet surfing at a discounted rate, will now be known as Night Surfer and be available from 11pm until 5am.   “We analysed our network load curves during the course of the day and have decided that we do have capacity at 23h00 to cater for increased network utilisation without compromising the user experience. This is a case of passing [...]

Beware of phone scammers - Microsoft

Microsoft has warned local consumers to be wary of a phone scam that has left some victims hundreds of rands out of pocket. Microsoft SA’s chief security advisor, Khomotso Kganyago, says scammers are using several well-known brands, including Microsoft, to fool people into believing that something is wrong with their computers. The scam typically involves a cold caller, claiming to be a representative of Microsoft, one of its brands or a third party contracted by Microsoft, who tells the victim [...]

Oltio joins forces with PayU

Oltio, has partnered with PayU to introduce mobile payment solution, payD, to the local market. PayD aims to remove obstacles to the mainstream adoption of e-commerce by transforming a user’s mobile phone into a remote point of sale (POS) device, using debit or credit cards for payments to be processed. “This is a significant partnership for us because PayU currently processes 65% of all online payments in South Africa for brands such as Kalahari.com and Netflorist, which is at the [...]