5 February 2004
One of the United Kingdom's fastest growing insurance
companies, the Budget Group, has announced that it will invest
R100-million to set up a call centre in Cape Town.
Western Cape Finance and Economic Development MEC Ebrahim
Rasool said the investment would create 200 new direct jobs
and contribute to the province's five-year target of
attracting R5-billion in new investment.
Over 70 companies run 160 call centres in Cape Town,
employing over 7 000 people directly, with thousands more jobs
in support industries.
Dial SA for service
Telkom, Engen and Absa have long maintained call centre
facilities in Cape Town servicing the domestic market. Cape
Town also speaks to customers all over the globe for a number
of outsource service providers.
Active Contact Solutions was reportedly the first British
outsource company to set up shop in Cape Town. The company has
over 60 call centre seats in Cape Town servicing its UK
customers. And last year, British company Dialogue UK put
R20-million into a call centre in Cape Town.
GlobalTeleSales, Lufthansa's Cape Town call centre, was set
by the German airline in 1999 to fulfill its "follow-the-sun"
24/365 phone channel strategy ("Hours of Operation: 24 Hours a
day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year", the company boasts on
its website.)
Swiss-based outfit Mindpearl (formerly known as Qualiflyer
Customer Care Centres) also runs a state-of-the-art facility
in Cape Town.
"Only last week, a new call centre opened in Bellville",
Rasool said. "It's one of the first call centres handling
incoming calls from Dutch consumers, using Afrikaans speakers
who have received intensive language coaching in the Dutch
language."
World-class service levels of call centre staff, time-zone
compatibility with Europe, high rates of fluency in English, a
(still) favourable exchange rate and an advanced
telecommunications industry have all contributed to the growth
of South Africa's call centre industry.
South Africa became an even more attractive location to set
up these businesses when a second undersea fibre-optic
telephone link with Europe, along the east coast of Africa,
was established last year. Another fibre-optic link runs along
Africa's west coast.
