ceo vol 6 no 10 200748

committed to excellenceThe business processing outsourcing industry in

South Africa is booming, particularly the contact

centre part of that industry.

Up until recently, the various regions in South Africa with strengths in the contact centre environment, such as KwaZulu Natal, the Cape and Gauteng, have been operating

independently of each other, but that is due to change.“Over the past year, we have been involved in launching a collective called BPeSA – Business Process enabling South Africa,” says William Goldstone, CEO of KZNonSOURCE, a public-private partnership whose key objective is to drive direct foreign investment into the KwaZulu Natal region through the provision of contact centre and BPO services. “The Department of Trade and Industry felt that there were certain areas we needed to address as an industry, and so across the regions, we have solidified our Memorandum of Understanding, and embraced very clear objectives in terms of the dissolution of the regions into one entity.”

Goldstone says that advantage of this move is that it brings the contact centre industry in the country under one umbrella, allowing it to speak with one voice, and presents a unified entity for customers

to deal with, as opposed to having to source information from various regions. “Across the regions, BPO has grown in popularity, as has people’s awareness of BPeSA,” he says. “The huge activity in this industry can be seen through the various awards that have sprung up in the regions, attracting sponsors as well as other stakeholders. Importantly, BPeSA has also come up with industry standards in terms of quality of training, quality of call centre and general employee wellbeing, that players in the industry are being advised to adhere to.”

In as far as attracting business is concerned, Goldstone has always been a firm advocate of paying more attention to the domestic market, for its potential for developing talent. “The biggest challenge we are facing in this country is skills development, and although we have government on board in terms of municipalities using contact centres to improve their services, we need greater buy-in from the private sector,” he says.

“What still remains an issue is how to engage across our entire province for an aggressive training programme that begins to address the skills shortage we have. It requires us to make a consolidated effort, and to employ a strategy that will be sustainable over time, and not just a once-off shot in the arm. There is also the question of engaging more psychologists in the industry, to help devise training that equips people to deal with the many pressures they face in this industry. We are currently engaged in talks with the South African Medical and Dental Association in this regard, to develop professional and scientific methods for dealing with these issues.”

Goldstone adds that KZNonSOURCE’s involvement with the eThekwini Municipality, and their commitment to provide contact centre training, has encouraged other municipalities to follow suit, which is a positive sign. “The Monyetla Project is another DTI-initiated project that is operational countrywide, and seeks to train people from all provinces, with KwaZulu Natal benefiting through 2 000 trainees,” he says. “We have built on that premise, and started our own programme whereby we take 500 learners from five schools in the eThekwini district, and offer them introductory training in contact centres. This will also help to boost the skills level in the industry, and allow learners to be employable straight out of school.”

Looking forward, Goldstone says that he would like to see KZNonSOURCE build upon the support of the private sector that has been won over the past few years, encouraging other businesses to see the advantage of operating from a Durban base. “We are especially encouraging technological companies, as that is where our strengths lie,” he says. “We already have centres of excellence and development where companies like IBM, Microsoft and other technology companies have based their training centres in Durban because of the high number of technical skill available in the city. I believe that other companies will shortly follow suit.”

The private sector is well represented at KZNonSOURCE, with the development of a CEO Forum, where CEOs of all companies concerned are committed to achieving certain goals within the industry that would benefit all concerned. “These include driving down attrition, maintaining salaries, not poaching staff or generating churn, and maintaining high quality, low cost contact centres,” says Goldstone. “The future looks bright for the contact centre industry in South Africa, and I would like to appeal to all stakeholders concerned, especially government and private business, to ensure that we talk with one voice and work as one body. This is imperative if we are to thrive, and continue to add value to our nation’s economy.”

case in POINT

William Goldstone, CEO: KZNonSOURCE

by Cheryl van der Merwe

ceo