While SA businesses around the country have budgeted to make computer systems Y2K compliant by year-end, few have given thought to ensuring their telephone systems are.
As a result, Dimension Data Interactive Voice Systems, leading supplier of telephone and telecommunications equipment, will come to the aid of businesses and help find fast and effective solutions to the problem with a telephony Y2K hot-line. The hot line will be complemented by a dedicated Y2K team that will visit sites to ascertain the extent of problems where necessary. These services will be free of charge.
Initially the Y2K centre will be based in Johannesburg and will be rolled out to all major centres by midyear.
The Y2K centre`s hot line number is (011) 709-1999 or (011) 709-1380 if the problem has been identified and advice on solutions being sought.
The Y2K centre was established after a startling audit undertaken by Dimension Data Interactive (DDI) Voice Systems of 4000 of its customers - including all sectors of business - revealed that the majority of small and medium-size telephone management system users weren`t aware their systems could be vulnerable to the millennium date change.
According to Godwin Moima, DDI Y2K project manager, systems used for automatic billing, duration and call logging could be problematic - as will the majority of telephone systems which have been enhanced over the years to improve customer contact and boost productivity.
Another problem is that several telephony products launched onto the market only in 1998 were not Y2K ready. Indeed, it`s believed that there are still some products being sold today which will fail on January 1, 2000.
"The simple answer is to have telephone management systems checked for compliance. The cost of upgrading the system to achieve Y2K compliance could range from under R1 000 to R20 000 or more - depending on what has to be done to debug it," Moima says.
A worldwide problem, it is estimated that South African companies will dock-up about R1-billion to avoid Y2K meltdown of telephone systems. Similarly, the United States will spend $6-billion and the United Kingdom lb6-billion - statistics that serve to highlight the enormity of the problem.
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