A fledgling East London company, KGI/BPO, says it will become a force in the fast-growing call centre industry, and has a powerful partner.
The new company, which is based in the ELIDZ, has so far employed 40 people, most of them graduates.
Its target is to employ 5,000 people and have a turnover of half a billion in the next three years, said Mthatha-born Antoinette Eckersley, the CEO of KGI/BPO, a division of KGI Holdings.
“We have the expertise, and we are employing the right people to rapidly break into the international call centre and communications industry,” said Eckersley.
KGI/BPO’s business partner, and its chairperson, is Moss Ngoasheng.
The company is self-funded, with Eckersley and Ngoasheng putting in R7m seed capital.
Eckersley has vast experience in the communications industry, having worked for MTN, and part of the team that took the company to more than 500 million customers with the advent of pre-paid systems.
She also spent some time with the Africa division of Cisco Systems.
Cisco is the largest networking company in the world.
“For me, setting up in ELIDZ was like coming home.
“We already employ 40 people, mainly graduates, who will be the core of our call centre operation,” she said.
Ngoasheng is a chief executive of Safika Holdings, has consulted for many local and international organisations on economic policy, and was an economic adviser to the presidency under Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
He holds many directorships in leading South African companies.
While the call centre is likely to be the core of the operation, Eckersley currently partners an Algerian company, Bomare Stream System, importing cellphones, and has a contract with CISA, an Italian company specialising in infection control and medical waste management.
“Our biggest asset is we understand how communications technology works, and have experience in implementing it.”
The company has a massive potential customer base, she said, as every company should be talking to its customers and call centres were the most efficient way of dong it.
The three-year goal, said Eckersley, was to make KGI one of the largest call centres in Africa, with 5,000 operators.
“Our target was 3,000, but we have upped it by another 2,000 since we got started.
“It’s ambitious, but we have already secured an international client in the medical business who will need 2,000 operators by 2020.
“It launches early next year, but training and recruiting has started,” she said.
If KGI meets its 5,000 employee target, and that is only the call centre, it will be the ELIDZ’s largest employer.
The ELIDZ currently has 3,400 workers through the gates of 40 companies, but that number should grow, said an ELIDZ official, who was speaking off the record and did not want to be named.
The source said several other companies were currently negotiating premises at the zone.
The call centre staff were an interesting mix, said Eckersley.
“We have accountants, lawyers, civil engineers, pilots, and recent graduates, all looking for a rewarding career.”
South Africa’s call centre industry has more than 2,000 companies, with predictions that it could grow to 5,000.
Current employment is 225,000 operators.
“One of our biggest advantages is that our large team will be predominantly Xhosa speaking,” said human capital director Fezile Solombela.
“We have assured potential international clients that the Xhosa accent will add to our effectiveness. Research shows it is one of the easiest accents to neutralise, making it perfect for efficient communications.”..