i-Fundi is a unique start-up company promising businesses and individuals more time to focus on what matters most to them. Offering personal assistant services, i-Fundi organise , communicates, buys goods and services and finds information on behalf of its subscribers. After being awarded a call centre by Grintek Telecom at last year's Call Centre Africa exhibition, i-Fundi has completed its pilot phase and has now been officially launched.
Grintek's association with i-Fundi confirms its reputation as a leading edge provider of technology solutions for the New Economy. Stefan Lauber, director of i-Fundi points out: "Today's businesses need to integrate all communication channels be it a call centre or a Web-site. i-Fundi responds to the needs of modern consumers who lack time, want a personalised response and look for convenience. Through Grintek's assistance, we are able to offer a single port of call for professionals, integrating voice, fax, e-mail and the Internet.
For Grintek Telecom, i-Fundi presents a reference site which proves that it has a communication solution for any type of business. Adrian Maguire, marketing executive of the corporate division at Grintek Telecom says:
"i-Fundi provides a perfect example of how Grintek is able to match a company's technology and business requirements. For i-Fundi, a start-up company, we installed a 16-position Meridian 1 call centre from Nortel Networks. It is affordable, has all the necessary features and can be quickly expanded as the company grows. "
Grintek not only supplied and installed the call centre, but also the call management server and provided training and consulting services. Stefan Lauber appreciates this. "Grintek did not just install a piece of technology and walk away. They helped us to get the greatest value from their equipment for our business. Grintek does not just talk about partnering with their clients. They simply do it. It is their natural way of doing business. Even though they are one of the largest technology firms in the country, they have been able to respond to the unique needs of a start up."
i-Fundi offers a professional assistance service, taking on tasks that its subscribers - busy professionals and managers - don't have time to do for themselves. The company can buy goods and services on its subscribers' behalf, manage their diaries, set up meetings, provide secretarial support, manage calls and messages and even find information. Subscribers contact i-Fundi in a number of ways including via telephone and e-mail. The company, in conjunction with BMI, conducted extensive research into the market and found a definite need for such a service. Says Stephan Lauber, i-Fundi's managing director, "There is a market of at least 400 000 high end professionals and middle managers who do not necessarily have their own personal assistants, yet require such services. These include people who are required to manage their billable hours effectively. While primarily a business-to-business product, many subscribers will utilise i-Fundi for both personal and business use. We project a user base of about 10 000 by the end of the year."
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