Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The contact centre industry is a relatively new concept that hit the business world in this millennium. Many companies, realising the lower cost of operations through the use of a contact centre embraced this and made it part of their business strategy. Faced with a higher level of expectations from customers, the current set-up of Telecom Namibia's call centre as it is now called, needs to undergo a major shape-up in providing services beyond the traditional inbound services to its own customers. Like all other industries and businesses, the establishment of call centres can be attributed to technological advances in integrated telephone computer technology, the convenience factor for consumers, and substantial cost reductions achieved by telephone service delivery in contrast to face-to-face contact. This change is manifested by the fact that virtually every business worldwide has a home website with a "Contact Us" option, online services and various other means of providing client services beside the normal phone call service. This is why the name call centre as it is commonly called has now been changed to contact centre. Most companies invest heavily in the call centre with the expectation that the investment will result in higher productivity and efficiency. However, customer satisfaction with call centre service is "notoriously" low. This can be attributed to the fact that in most instances, customers' queries, especially on the online "Contact Us" option, get lost or are left unanswered. Establishing a contact centre requires not only financial and technological resources but most importantly, human resources. This can be an expensive proposition for most businesses, especially for small to medium enterprises. The rapid growth of call centres due to the higher expectation for efficient delivery of services comes at a cost which most companies cannot afford. This from a strategic standpoint provides a window of opportunity for Telecom Namibia to expand its business by providing contact centre service to businesses in Namibia and in the distant future to the rest of Africa. In order to achieve this however, it needs to develop a strategic blueprint that would serve as a guideline in implementing best known practices for an efficient contact centre. The blueprint should address amongst others: • Organisational structure • Human capacity and workforce management • Technology and support systems • Business processes • Marketing and sales • Financial implications This in effect involves analysing the value chain that would lead to a competitive advantage over rivals in the contact centre industry. Recommendation: The report aims to provide an analysis of what the company needs to do in order to prepare itself for the challenges that will lie ahead in extending this service to other companies and the challenges it will face from competitors providing the same service throughout the world. It is recommended that Telecom Namibia should reposition itself by expanding its business to the contact centre industry which should aim to achieve the following goals: • To meet customers' higher level of expectations of efficiency. • To uplift Telecom Namibia's contact centre to be one of the best in the world. • To meet the organisation's vision of being the provider of telecommunications services of world class standards. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kontaksentrum nywerheid is 'n relatiewe nuwe begrip wat die sakewêreld in die millennium getref het. Met die besef dat die gebruik van 'n kontaksentrum die koste verbonde aan operasies aansienlik kan verlaag het baie maatskappye hierdie idee aanvaar en dit deel gemaak van hulle sakestrategie. Namate kliënte hoër verwagtinge begin openbaar, sal Telecom Namibia se huidge kontaksentrum, oftewel sy inbelsentrum soos dit nou bekendstaan, 'n grootskeepse reorganisasie moet ondergaan ten opsigte van die verskaffing van dienste buiten die tradisionele inkomende dienste aan sy eie kliënte. Soos alle ander nywerhede en sakeondernemings kan die daarstelling van inbelsentrums toegeskryf word aan tegnologiese vooruitgang ten opsigte van geintegreerde telefoonrekenaartegnologie, die gerieflikheidsfaktor vir verbruikers en aansienlike kostebesparings wat behaal word deur telefoondiensverskaffing in teenstelling met kontak van aangesig tot aangesig. Hierdie verandering word bewys deur die feit dat bykans elke sakeonderneming ter wêreld oor 'n webtuiste beskik wat 'n "Kontak ons" opsie, aanlyn dienste en verskeie ander opsies bied, afgesien van die normale telefoondiens. Daarom is die naam inbelsentrum, soos dit algemeen bekendstaan, nou verander na kontaksentrum. Die meeste maatskappye belê op groot skaal in die inbelsentrum met die verwagting dat die belegging sal uitloop op hoër produktiwiteit en doeltreffendheid. Kliëntebevrediging ten opsigte van die diens gelewer deur inbelsentrums is egter baie laag, so min as 54 persent. Dit kan toegeskryf word aan die feit dat kliënte se navrae, veral deur die aanlyn "kontak ons" opsie, in die meeste gevalle verlore gaan of onbeantwoord bly. Om 'n kontaksentrum te vestig verg nie slegs finansiële en tegnologiese hulpbronne nie maar ook menslike hulpbronne, wat waarskynlik die heel belangrikste is. Dit kan 'n duur opsie wees vir die meeste sakeondernemings, veral vir middelslag en klein besighede. Die vinnige groei van inbelsentrums as gevolg van die hoër verwagtings ten opsigte van doeltreffende lewering van dienste verg 'n prys wat die meeste maatskappye nie kan betaal nie. Gesien uit 'n strategiese oogpunt verskaf dit vir Telecom Namibia 'n geleentheid om sy besigheid uit te brei deur kontaksentrumdienste te lewer aan sakeondernemings in Namibie en in die verre toekoms aan die res van Afrika. Om egter hierdie doelwit te bereik moet 'n strategiese bloudruk ontwikkel word wat sal dien as 'n riglyn om die beste bekende praktyke te implimenteer vir 'n doeltreffende kontaksentrum. Die bloudruk behoort onder meer die volgende aan te spreek: • Organisatoriese struktuur • Menslike kapasiteit en personeelbestuur • Tegnologie en ondersteuningstelsels • Sakeprossesse • Bemarking en verkope • Finansiele implikasies Dit sal, uit die aard van die saak, beteken dat die waardeketting ontleed moet word wat sal lei tot 'n kompeterende voordeel oor mededingers in die kontaksentrumnywerheid. Aanbeveling: Hierdie verslag is daarop gemik om 'n ontleding te verskaf van wat die maatskappy moet doen ten einde hom self voor te berei vir die uitdagings wat sal voorlê ten opsigte van die uitbreiding van hierdie diens na ander maatskappye en die uitdagings wat dit te bowe sal moet kom van mededingers wat dieselfde dienste dwarsoor die wêreld bied. Daar word aanbeveel dat Telecom Namibia homself moet herposisioneer deur sy besigheid uit te brei na die kontaksentrumnywerheid wat die volgende doelwitte moet nastreef: • Om kliënte se hoër vlakke van verwagting ten opsigte van doeltreffendheid te bevredig. • Om Telecom Namibia se kontaksentrum te verhef tot een van die beste ter wereld. • Om die organisasie se visie te verwenslik om die verskaffer van telekommunikasiedienste met standaarde van wêreldgehalte te wees.

Thesis (MBA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2007. / Today we face a reality where existing power relations concerning economical, political and cultural institutions and forces are changing. It is about more than just the right to use a technology in itself; it is a matter of having, or not having, access to infonnation and knowledge. The use of information and communications technology (lCT) is an important and powerful tool when it comes to distributing and sharing these resources (Bridges.arg, 2006). The unequal distribution of and the differences in the possibility to use rer effectively are often referred to by the term digital divide (DDN, 2006). Does this sound quite pessimistic? However, a change is taking place since all countries on earth from the richest to the poorest are actually increasing their Ier usage. The problem is that the developed countries are using convergence (three separate communication sectors: information technology, telecommunications and broadcasting merging to become a single communication service sector) to escalate their access to and use of ICf at a much higher speed, which in fact widens the digi tal divide instead of shrinking it (Bridges.org, 2006). Today no country can afford to neglect investments in ICf if it wishes to raise its living standards or to prevent it from being left behind as other countries exploits the possibilities of ICf. Why is ICf considered to be an effective tool for bridging the international digita1 divide? On the United Nations Development Programme's website one can read: " .. .ICf is an increasi ngly powerful tool for participating in global markets; promoting political accountability; improving the delivery of basic services; and enhancing local development opportunities" (UNOP, 2003). These aspects can be of great importance for developing countries in their effort to gain economic development and improvements. Furthermore, it is also a question about every human's right to have access to infonnation (Sida, 2004). According to Steve Case (AOL Time Warner, Chainnan of the Board) every decade has some word associated with it. In the 'SOs, it was the PC. In the '90s, it was the Internet. For the rest of this decade, the key word is going to be convergence (Thompson, 2003). In Namibia a digital divide exists between income groups as well as between the country's rural and urban population. Namibia is sti ll far from providing equal access to information, but Namibia is well positioned to deploy ICf to its advantage. Namibia has a functional telecommunication infrastructure, political stability and an attractive economic environment for investors. However. the geographic and social challenges of Namibia require innovative approaches and considerable effort. Competition and convergence will improve the situation. recommended to expand the set of potential drivers and specifically focus on the relation between convergence and economic growth.