Telkom revenues take a knock

Vodacom introduces airtime buying service

Vodacom customers can now buy airtime, data bundles and SMS bundles using their debit, cheque or credit cards via their mobile phones. Customers who bank with Absa, Standard Bank and Nedbank will be able to use this service to buy Vodacom Prepaid or Top Up airtime for themselves or for other mobile phone users. This service – Vodacom Express Recharge - was developed in conjunction with Absa to ensure seamless and secure processing of the transactions. “We’re taking convenience to [...]

Cell C hit by data fraud

Mobile operator, Cell C, has opened a case with police after it was hit by data bundle fraud.  The company says it has since been investigating an internal fraud case, after it discovered virtual vouchers had been stolen and sold. “Cell C has opened a case of fraud with the South African Police Service. The fraud was detected early and measures were taken to prevent any further fraud from the identified sources,” In a response to media reports about the [...]

Local NFC adoption lags

South African banks and retailers are likely to be slow to adopt near-field communications (NFC) technology for mobile payments because of the high costs of installing point-of-sale terminals and other enabling infrastructure, says Nashua Mobile. According to Tim Walter, executive head of Marketing at Nashua Mobile, there is little appetite among institutions to drive adoption of yet another new point-of-sale payment technology just as the end of their protracted rollout of the EMV credit card standard is in sight. NFC [...]

Westcon launches e-commerce store

Westcon SA has announced the introduction of the Westcon Online Store, allowing resellers to make purchases online. As part of the first phase of an extensive cloud services strategy, the Westcon Online Store will provide resellers of Kaspersky products the opportunity to place their orders, direct orders and quotations, purchase orders and transact with Westcon Security all online. “The first phase of the store will allow resellers with credit card facilities to purchase their Kaspersky licenses, on behalf of their [...]

Online shopping takes centre stage

Emerging markets have graduated from the fringes of the online environment to the centre, says PayU. According to Mark Chirnside, CEO of the online and mobile payment service provider - consumers are steadily becoming savvy, globally focussed and knowledgeable as the online environment – and how they conduct themselves in it – changes. His statement comes on the back of the latest annual MasterCard Online Shopping Survey released by earlier this month. In the survey it is revealed that online [...]

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 [...]