Telecoms group Vodacom, in partnership with Smartcall, has unveiled another training centre and distribution hub, located at the Prasa building in Cape Town.
The hub, one of four across the country, will be utilised as an incubator for training and empowering local individuals and informal businesses with the eventuality of them generating an additional income. The other hubs are in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng.
The 'smart agents' will participate in the Smartcall offerings, which include distribution of starter packs and prepaid airtime. Further training will be given for RICA systems, starter pack distribution and the Smartcall systems.
Says Andre Lombard, new business development manager for Smartcall: "This programme helps bring businesses and individuals into a market that is worth R6 billion a month. By setting up these hubs in under-serviced areas across SA (the areas of which are identified by Smartcall and Vodacom's regional offices), we are enabling more individuals and SMEs to generate a steady and sustainable income stream, while at the same time the training programme offered at the hub transfers skills and knowledge to them.
"There was also a need for an informal trader model, which is something we have developed extensively through software solutions and services over the last 20 years, and so these hubs will enable us to service the sectors of the market that have not yet been serviced and empowered."
Ernest Roma, manager of the Cape Town training centre and distribution hub, adds the hubs will stock Smartcall products, allowing businesses and agents to replenish stock on a daily basis. "This is the first hub in the Cape, and the uptake of the hub has far exceeded our expectations."
Smartcall was established in 1998 with the primary focus of being a wholesaler of prepaid cellular services as well as to facilitate participation of SMEs and the informal market in the mobile telecommunication industry.
In 2004, Vodacom acquired a majority stake in Smartcall as a cellular contract provider.
Lombard concludes the success of the other hubs has encouraged the companies to set up more in the near future. "We perpetually looking for ways to help our agents grow their business - and these hubs are but one way which will add value in this regard. We currently have over 100 000 active agents that benefit from our solutions and offerings, and we aim to make ourselves as relatable and accessible as possible, so our agents know we are constantly helping them to connect and helping them to make an honest living."
Share