A newly formed contact centre industry initiative, the South African Contact Centre Community (SACCCOM), aims to bring unity and consistency to local call centres.
SACCCOM will be officially launched at the CCNG Call Centre Awards banquet to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday 26 June.
Interim CEO Paul Bacher says the industry has massive potential, but has so far been unable to cash in on it. "We have around 460 call centres in our country - that's bigger than countries like Ireland and Belgium - and these call centres are now mature. The problem is there hasn't been any unity."
This lack of consistency has cost South Africa a significant amount of foreign investment, says Bacher. "When foreign investors come to the country, they ask questions about, for example, labour rates, and they get a myriad of responses. Examples like this put people off investing here."
While SACCCOM was set up to improve the potential of the industry as a whole, there will be a number of specific focuses, namely cutting telecommunications costs, labour availability and research, says Bacher.
"We, the inaugural committee of SACCCOM, see quality at the right price as our major challenge. Cutting telecommunications costs is a big issue. At the moment, we are 400% more expensive in that area than our main rivals - India."
Cutting telecommunications costs is a big issue. At the moment, we are 400% more expensive in that area than our main rivals - India."
Paul Bacher, interim CEO, SACCCOM
Bacher pointed to India as an example of an initiative like SACCCOM's potential. After establishing the National Association of Software and Service Companies, Bacher says the Indian call centre industry became the fastest growing outsourcer in the world.
Bacher believes that the local call centre industry has massive potential, should it be properly utilised. "SA is a hidden gem. In my opinion, the local industry is the world's best-kept secret."
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