Eiffel Corp, in Partnership with Instructure, is a key sponsor in the CNBC Africa virtual summit with the theme ‘Redefining the future of education’. Myles Thies, director of digital learning services, will be sharing thoughts on technology changing the face of education. To understand the future, we also have to assess the education sector’s current reality, especially within the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and its direct impact on technology and education.



Africa is no stranger to disruptions in face-to-face teaching and learning. From protests like #feesmustfall, to natural disasters, and pandemics. The severity of the Covid-19 Pandemic’s impact, however, has taken all by surprise. Forcing institutions and schools to think fast and adjust at record speeds, this pandemic has shifted the delivery of education from face-to-face to virtual. This reactive state was dubbed ‘Emergency Remote Teaching.’



The consequence of this global state of education has been a dramatic shift from instructors teaching in class or in blended learning scenarios, to a mostly distance or online education. The rapid shift was, unfortunately, not as seamless as many would have hoped and many, including digital education professionals were challenged by the prolonged experience. In many cases, educators did not adopt or applied technology for instruction in the form it was meant to be utilised. Instead ERT resulted in a faux-technology based learning environment rather than real, contextualised, connected and applicable learning through technology. Students have not adjusted easily either, facing obstacles such as lack of digital literacy, not benefitting from the online availability due to the lack of usable devices or data, as well as the critical personal and learning community connection that comes from the in contact experience. Many students are citing loneliness and the disappearance of close personal connections as a major challenges to their academic study



This begs the question, how far is the digital divide between students and lack of access? We need to acknowledge that there was a pre-existing divergence between those institutions and educators using technology in a pedagogically sound and learning theory-based manner and those that are simply replicating contact-based teaching though it. This certainly has been exacerbated through the pandemic. In practical terms, technology tools like Learning Management Systems are being used as a repository for content, and not the virtual learning environment it was meant for.&nbsp; This follows a lack of planning and course design and the fostering of vibrant and inclusive online student and course communities that support learning goals.



In response, we have seen numerous solutions pop up on the educational technology sphere. While many offer some immediate reprieve from the challenges of virtual learning environments, many of these solutions are not sustainable, appropriate for their environment or contextually relevant and therefore cannot keep up with the developing needs of both students and educators in the long term. Misaligned or under-supported solutions may also not take into account the future goals and objectives of an institution, do not encourage scalability and they don’t meet the needs of all stakeholders in the learning spectrum whether at school, university or in the workplace. This is evident in the need for many to supplement their Learning Management Platforms with tools such as Zoom, WhatsApp or Social Media channels.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EiffelCorpAndInstructure_Forbes-Africa-Article-820x547.png" alt="" class="wp-image-410605" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EiffelCorpAndInstructure_Forbes-Africa-Article-820x547.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EiffelCorpAndInstructure_Forbes-Africa-Article-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EiffelCorpAndInstructure_Forbes-Africa-Article-120x80.png 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EiffelCorpAndInstructure_Forbes-Africa-Article-768x512.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EiffelCorpAndInstructure_Forbes-Africa-Article.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



It is therefore evident that the shift to online platforms has been messy and not as seamless as many imagined it would be. While it certainly is an achievement, solutions implemented with the mindset of emergency remote teaching, or ‘physically distanced learning’ have resulted in a missed opportunity all is not lost. Many lessons have been learned in this trying period and they will no doubt inform the decision of the future and what institutions believe is right for their learners. With the correct support, training and full use of the LMS and all its functionalities Eiffel Corp believes that education in the hands of capable and experienced educators technology can be revolutionary.



“We have been helping institutions realise the potential of technology in education since our inception and it’s something we continue to invest in and perfect. Our best of breed technology and services span the entire student lifecycle. While we offer a range of class leading and custom edtech solutions, we enable organisations working with them to apply the technology and services that are optimal for their unique learning, administration, communication and wellness needs. Our remit covers everything from initial consulting and deployment to support as the institution adopts learning technology in everyday learning and administration activities, remote examinations and even cashless payments. We further support institutions as they then scale, adapt and evolve these technologies in the future,” explained Myles Thies, Director of digital learning services at Eiffel Corp.



“Our extensive local and international knowledge gives us the insight needed to ensure that the tools EdTech have to offer are used to their fullest potential within the African context. We partner with leading companies like Instructure, to bring world class solutions like Canvas LMS to Africa and we walk the journey with institutions to ensure the necessary skills, wellness needs and sustainability are also addressed rather than simply implementing a Learning Management System,” said Thies.



Join Thies has he unpacks the latest technologies transforming the face of education at the virtual summit. The summit kicks off at 10h00 (CAT) on 29 July 2021. Register in advance (free of charge) on Hopin<a href="https://hopin.com/events/future-of-education-summit-2021"> here</a>



Sponsors include Vodacom Business, UCT GSB, The University of Johannesburg, Vuma, Transnational Academic Group, Lancaster University: Ghana, as well as Curtin University: Dubai.

EiffelCorpAndInstructure_Forbes Africa Article

Technology-based learning during Covid-19: A revolution in education or missed opportunity?

Your Business can become sustainable &amp; prosperous with SAP Business ByDesign



Has your company grown so quickly that your departments and business processes are hardly integrated? Are these growing pains preventing your employees from collaborating effectively with external stakeholders? Perhaps you also have inadequate insights into data that can help you make decisions and identify potential problems before they crop up. Not to mention the tedious manual processes slowing your employees down!



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="513" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Advertorial-Banner_1200x750_Opt.2-820x513.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-410036" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Advertorial-Banner_1200x750_Opt.2-820x513.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Advertorial-Banner_1200x750_Opt.2-300x188.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Advertorial-Banner_1200x750_Opt.2-128x80.jpg 128w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Advertorial-Banner_1200x750_Opt.2-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Advertorial-Banner_1200x750_Opt.2.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ready-when-you-are-let-s-see-how">READY, when you are! Let’s see how:</h2>



SAP Business ByDesign is an on-demand, integrated business software for small businesses and mid-sized enterprises looking for a comprehensive CLOUD solution providing the functions you want – at an affordable price. It provides end-to-end integration of all your key business areas – such as Finance, Customer Relationship Management, Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Human resources – in a single comprehensive solution, thereby allowing you to manage your company’s key processes with a high degree of precision. It also provides you flexibility you need to adapt, grow, and extend your business processes across the entire value chain and ecosystem.



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<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Optimize financial processes, including financial accounting and cash flow management.</li><li>Focus on your customers in marketing, sales and distribution and service.</li><li>Promote and use employee potential through organizational management, HR activities and employee self-services.</li><li>Integrate production and logistics in supply chain structuring, planning, and management and manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics.</li><li>Fulfill compliance with applicable laws and standards.</li><li>Achieve your company’s goals through corporate performance management.</li></ul>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-sap-business-bydesign">Why SAP Business ByDesign?</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Unbeatable Value</li><li>Unprecedented Speed</li><li>Unmatched Flexibility</li><li>Superior Customer Experience</li><li>Unrivaled Transparency and Control</li><li>Simple, Rapid Configuration and Adaptation</li><li>Predictable Cost and Low Risk</li></ul>



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Bright Ideas

INNOVATION born in the CLOUD – SAP Business ByDesign

Whilst listening to a recent presentation by Absa’s equity analyst Samantha Naicker entitled “Navigating the Maze” on South African Food Producers, I stumbled on a theory dubbed “The Lipstick Effect”.  Defined by Wikipedia, it is when facing an economic crisis, consumers will be more willing to buy less costly luxury goods but will continue to spend money on small indulgences.   Thus, when the consumer’s trust in the economy is dwindling, they will buy goods that have less impact on their available funds but still make them feel good about themselves and life in general.



However, despite lockdown levels easing, the COVID-19 crisis did not lead to the traditional “Lipstick Effect” witnessed in past eras. The theory of spending more on less costly luxury items that will make you feel better about yourself, seemingly failed – well, when it comes to lipstick at least.&nbsp;



Circumstances greater than the crisis resulted in a different behavior from consumers than anticipated.&nbsp; They opted for spending money on home improvements and home entertainment, rather than luxury feel better goods such as make-up and perfume. The home environment became the primary focus of spending and “necessary” for survival. Based on Absa Card Spending Data the trend continues, whilst return to “normal” pre-COVID world of work, travel and social interaction, remains elusively out of reach.



This got me thinking further about the drivers of consumer behavior and how the pandemic also accelerated online and omni-channel retail beyond expectations. If we look at our data, it is clear that while e-commerce was starting to gather some traction, the lockdown was the catalyst for a step-change in adoption. While foot traffic in malls is starting to pick up, there’s a clear increase in the number of people whose behaviors have shifted to online. It now has become a habit consumers have adopted.



Considering all of the aforementioned, it is noticeable that consumers are effectively the ultimate drivers of trends and change.&nbsp; Given the fact that the South African economy (and many economies globally) faces a number of big, structural challenges, for which we require such change, it is becoming clear that we will need to start thinking differently about how we influence behavioral changes to drive consumer adoption of necessary trends, technologies and industries for much-needed future growth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-buy-local-initiative">“Buy Local” initiative</h2>



One of the long-standing criticisms of the South African government specifically is that it has failed to identify strategic sectors and industries to support and capacitate. We often tried to be all things to all people and failed to identify sectors that we can excel in or those that are important in the local economy in terms of job creation or export revenue potential.



Over the last few years, there has been a focus on establishing sectoral Master Plans with a combination of tax and financial incentives to attract foreign investors with some notable successes like the automotive sector. We have recognized the need to move from an Import economy back to self-producing and export driven economy in order to create jobs and thrive.&nbsp;



As an example, the increased focus on the textile sector and related Master Plan, has the potential to bring manufacturing back to South Africa, and furthermore also adds support to small scale farmers and fabric producers, artists and creatives.&nbsp; However, we keep coming back to the question: “How do we incentivise South African’s to support their local talent and buy local produce?”



A number of the retailers run initiatives – often in conjunction with the likes of Discovery – where you get rebates on buying healthy food and gear. Could the same principle be applied to buying locally manufactured products and how would the consumer respond to this?



From Absa’s consumer merchant spending analytics, it is clear that the clothing industry took extra strain during Covid, putting even more pressure on the already struggling textile industry. The below graph illustrate spending growth across various categories:



Could initiatives be considered that actively drives a “buying local” trend, by putting money back into the consumer’s pockets when it is so desperately needed? Perhaps, through reduced tax (VAT) or discounts passed via corporate tax, for buying locally made produce?&nbsp; This is the sort of thinking we need to adopt to create the positive change we so much require in this economy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reducing-physical-cash-as-a-payment-mechanism">Reducing physical cash as a payment mechanism</h2>



Cash comes with Risk and Risk comes with additional costs. Ideally we would like to significantly reduce cash in our payment systems, but in an economy like South Africa, cash is still a major part of the day-to-day payment system.&nbsp; COVID-19 has raised further concerns around the risks associated of handling cash and even the passing of card terminals between consumers and merchants.



James Scott, Head Digital and Platform services at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking agrees that cash is king and very relevant in Africa when he states: “It is no longer about a gap in the technology to displace cash, it is all about shifting consumer and merchant behaviour towards enabling digital payments. Regulatory shifts in South Africa will see the introduction of a low cost payment rail, this has the potential to really open up innovation, financially include more of the population and reduce the friction and risk inherit in cash. An exciting space to watch.”



So the question then is how do we influence a change in consumer behavior to demand payment from sources by means other than cash?&nbsp; Again, we have to consider incentivising consumers with discounts for paying digitally or other.&nbsp; There is no doubt a saving to be done away with between security and cash deposit fees, which potentially could be passed on to the consumers.



In theory at least, the idea is great and has the potential of running stores more efficiently by reducing security risks and probably lower other cash related costs such as insurance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-netflix-the-stick-or-the-carrot">Netflix: The stick or the carrot</h2>



Before I end, I would be remiss not to discuss the stick versus carrot approach and what it brings out in consumers. For those who are old enough to remember, you used to have to pay a license to have a bicycle and own a dog as revenue categories for government. These were eventually canned and interestingly, both the leisure and pet care sectors have exploded as major retail categories.



Over the last decade the SABC has bemoaned the lack of compliance around TV licenses as consumers have shifted away from cable to online streaming options. The response from government and the regulators is to attempt to use the stick of applying “TV” licenses for the viewing of the likes of Netflix.&nbsp; In my humble opinion, sticks rarely work in driving a new trends being adopted or behavior we would like to see – quite the opposite.&nbsp;



I don’t have all the answers but I think that the events of 2020 have shown that if we can find ways to positively influence and drive change in consumer behaviors, we potentially have the ability to re-imagine our local economy.



By: Isana Cordier

ABSA_Insights_Consumer Goods and Services_CBNC_Thumbnail Image_1910x600 …

Drivers of Consumer Trends

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aida-5-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-408331" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aida-5-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aida-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aida-5-120x80.jpg 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aida-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aida-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aida-5-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Aida Diarra, Senior Vice President &amp; Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at Visa</figcaption></figure>



The last decade has seen enormous growth in digital technology, including payments. Innovation and technological advances are bringing exciting opportunities for financial inclusion to the fore. Technology is now a tool to leapfrog over old processes, systems, and protocols for the benefit of everyday consumers. This leap forward has been accelerated by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced us to shift our behaviours and adopt more technology to assist with our day-to-day lives in all aspects, including our finances.



As a result, the payments segment has grown rapidly in Sub Saharan Africa, mainly due to the high demand for financial inclusion. Today Visa, the world leader in digital payments, has become the connective tissue to enable new payment and commerce experiences by co-creating with all players in the payments sector – including fintechs, neobanks and wallets – to enable new payment experiences across the region. We have always been an enabler of invention and have constantly innovated to meet market needs over the years — from credit, debit and prepaid to mobile and IoT – to enable new payment experiences across the region. Our business and technology strategies have enabled us to become a leader in electronic payments over the last six decades. Despite this great success, an estimated $17 trillion of cash and checks are still in use globally, and nearly 2 billion adults lack access to formal financial services, providing huge opportunities for Visa and the greater industry to rally around standards (e.g., QR, eCom/mCom) and capabilities that will broaden access to electronic payments.



According to the Global Innovation Index, regional divides still persist and when you look at Sub Saharan Africa we are characterized by high performers like South Africa and Mauritius who rank in the top 60, while most of our region ranks below 100.



Visa’s approach to innovation in the 21st century is anchored in a belief that paying with Visa in the digital world should be just as simple as when you pay with Visa in the physical world. It should also be just as secure, rewarding, and convenient.



With commerce becoming increasingly digital, there is greater impetus for Visa to innovate to keep our system secure for everyone. Every Visa payment, for example, is secured by our sophisticated anti-fraud detection systems that apply the latest in machine learning and artificial intelligence. We pioneered the use of sophisticated machine learning systems to reduce fraud on our network over a decade ago, and in the years since, we have evolved our predictive analytics to incorporate new data sources and new AI technologies. In a fraction of a second, Visa analyses up to 500 pieces of data to protect accountholders and merchants by catching fraud before it happens.



The restrictions on movement and increased wariness of handling physical cash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, helped lift Sub-Saharan mobile money transaction volumes 23% to $490 billion last year, greater than the GDP of Nigeria, the region’s biggest economy. Leap frog markets like Kenya have one of the highest mobile-money penetration rates in the world (mobile money is 54x bigger than card payments).



What further compels our innovation strategy is a very large opportunity to accelerate the adoption of digital payments globally. Over the last several years, Visa has fundamentally evolved both our platforms and how we work with partners and clients to encourage a broadening of the commerce ecosystem. Our focus has remained the same: to provide our clients and partners with access to our network, products, tools and expertise to enable their growth and success. In addition, our collaborations with a broad range of partners to co-create market-ready payment solutions have been a key driver in the enhancement of financial inclusion across Sub-Saharan Africa.



Some of our latest partnerships are leveraging the power of mobile as an access point to financial inclusion, including a partnership to develop products that will expand access to digital payments at scale for over 30 million mobile money customers .We are also driving access for small businesses through the launches of tap to phone and an exciting pilot that will serve as a solution to help small business owners digitize their business, covering payments, point of sale and access to credit, via a mobile device.



To foster real inclusion we need tangible, customer-centric solutions that, with our innovation and design centre capabilities, our partners have a chance to engage with key trends and the latest Visa technologies through a number of design processes to identify where the gaps and opportunities are.



We are always looking to partner with companies at the leading edge of enhancing financial inclusion. As we continue to evolve as a company and a brand, technology will continue to be our great enabler, helping us achieve our vision of being the best way to pay and be paid, for everyone, everywhere.

Aida (5)

Innovation, partnership, and co-creation key to driving digital payment growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

In business, ground-breaking events that shake up every department and force leaders to take a long, hard look at their processes are incredibly rare – and we’re talking global pandemic levels of rare.



While companies scrambled to mobilise their workforce and ensure business continuity during the COVID-19 crisis, some aspects of the old normal simply don’t fit with customer expectations now the dust has settled. Face-to-face selling, for example, is out. But with customers inundated with virtual meetings, time is a valuable asset, so building trust with your customers and acting with empathy are more important than ever.



So, what foundations do you need to have in place to empower your people to sell with empathy at scale? According to our global <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-sales/">State of Sales</a> report, more than 3,150 sales professionals in South Africa think the top trends are greater flexibility, better and more accessible data, and simplified sales processes.



With South African sales teams at the forefront of innovation in response to the challenges of the pandemic, let’s find out how our respondents overcame these challenges and what they think the future of sales looks like for the region.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-agility-and-flexibility-are-key-to-meeting-customer-demands">Agility and flexibility are key to meeting customer demands</h2>



The rise of remote working has caused the boundaries of work and homelife to blur, which means customers expect your sales team to be more available – But having reps available 24/7 is not a realistic option for everybody, so building strong relationships with customers before a sale is vital – a point that 90% of sales professionals in South Africa agree on.



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>With Salesforce enhancing our processes, we’re able to work at the pace and standard that we need to in order to continue to grow and transform as a business<cite>Marius Burger, CIO, SEACOM</cite></blockquote></figure>



The starting point for this might not be what you think. It requires taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture of your business operations – 89% of respondents in South Africa commented that reps are increasingly recognising their value to the company’s core strategy and supporting growth and continuity. This presents an opportunity to really drill down into the skills across the sales team and bridge the gap between the sales experience and business operations to streamline collaboration.



Flexibility is key, with 82% of South African sales teams reporting that they’ve taken on new responsibilities at work during the pandemic. Clearly, good things are happening, because 66% expect these changes to be permanent.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><a href="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1279" height="719" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa.png" alt="" class="wp-image-409330" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa.png 1279w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-820x461.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-140x80.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Country-Deck-South-Africa-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px" /></a></figure>



Benchmarks have also shifted, with 84% citing that success metrics have changed, and this is where technology steps into the spotlight, because agile technology that adapts and changes with your business needs and provides real insights into KPIs is the best tool to safeguard business against uncertainty.



For the 80% of South African respondents who reported significant changes in how they use sales technology, not being able to accommodate the shift could have been disastrous. Dave Keefer, Business Development Manager at KBAC echoed a common sentiment in a recent <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/blog/2020/08/KBAC-utilise-digital-transformation-crisis.html">blog</a>: “We were concerned that leading a traditional workplace into the digital age would not be an easy task, but it’s hard to be agile when your processes are paper-based, and the door to digital that we opened led to some pretty remarkable places, especially in the wake of COVID-19.”



Insight selling, video conferencing, and other tech-intensive sales tactics have become increasingly valuable, along with AI and integrated CRM platforms that can help sales team work effectively from anywhere and reveal compelling insights based on real-time customer data to supercharge those video conferencing calls, as demonstrated by KBAC.



“We turned to Salesforce to make our operations more efficient and connect better with our customers. We used <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/uk/products/sales-cloud/overview/">Sales Cloud</a> to monitor our KPIs and qualify leads, and then customised it to automate processes for jobs and orders,” says Keefer. “Collaborating on <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/uk/products/chatter/overview/">Chatter</a> has been revolutionary. We’re suddenly communicating a lot better, with teams chatting directly on the opportunity and account pages. When it was time to reach out to customers, access to real-time data helped them coordinate their efforts.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-richer-data-more-accessible">Making richer data more accessible</h2>



Users across organisations are increasingly mining data from as many sources as possible to get 360-degree visibility of their customers, with the average set to increase from four in 2019 to six in 2021 in South Africa. For the sales team, a better understanding of the customer powers insight selling. And this isn’t something that’s ‘nice to have’; while being data-driven is a differentiator right now, with the speed of innovation it will soon become the new normal, so companies need to act now.



Centralising data on one platform can help to unlock this visibility and build a more connected customer experience, combining first-party data, with insights from social listening, and even tracking micro trends in the industry through the media. While 87% of South African B2B buyers expect businesses to have a good understanding of their needs, 62% think companies are failing to deliver here, making it an excellent opportunity to get an edge on the competition.



Also consider that all this data is only as good as your visualisation capabilities, which is where tools that can easily turn data from multiple sources into customisable dashboards are so valuable to help your reps get a deeper understanding of customer needs. Again, with 74% of South African respondents feeling that interactions are transactional, not personal, this in another area to really help differentiate your team – especially as 95% of customers expect your sales people to act as a trusted advisor.



AI solutions can take this a step further by analysing lead history to work out which new leads are most likely to convert and helping reps prioritise where they should spend their time. And the more data you put in, the more accurate the solution will get at predicting.



The end result is that you can automate manual processes and empower your team with the time and insights to give customers an engaging, personalised experience, whether that’s remotely or in-person as lockdown restrictions ease.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simplifying-complex-processes">Simplifying complex processes</h2>



Using multiple tools is complex, but centralising processes and data on one integrated platform can be transformative. An advanced CRM platform can help free your team from data-logging and can manage the entire sales pipeline from opportunity to close. Learn what your sales team’s pain points are, and look for a feature-rich solution with capabilities that will have a real impact on their working day.



One South African Trailblazer who transformed sales is <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/customer-success-stories/seacom/">SEACOM</a>. Shereen Rimmell, Head of Business Operations reveals: “Now that everything gets handled in <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/conf/testdrive/?leadcreated=true&amp;redirect=true&amp;DriverCampaignId=70130000000sUVq&amp;FormCampaignId=70130000000tHIg">Sales Cloud</a>, we’re able to do our jobs much more effectively. The general feedback has been: ‘Wow, the Business Ops team are really on the ball now!’ That’s been huge.”



The implementation has boosted speed and efficiency, streamlined customer onboarding, and reduced manual input with more automated processes. CIO, Marius Burger, comments, “With Salesforce enhancing our processes, we’re able to work at the pace and standard that we need to in order to continue to grow and transform as a business.”



SEACOM’s success mirrors a general trend among South African reps: they have more confidence in their organisation’s ability to succeed than other regions. For example in South Africa:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>74% have confidence in their ability to close deals</li><li>72% have confidence in the organisation’s agility</li><li>76% have confidence in the business’s long-term resiliency.</li></ul>



These figures are between 7-12% higher than global industry averages, and may be down to South Africa’s higher than average flexibility and adaptability. Service teams are considerably more likely to have taken on more responsibilities and changed their success metrics since the pandemic, and the region has a much bigger focus on building trust with customers before a sale, which are all key ingredients in resiliency.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meeting-customer-demands-in-store-in-person-and-online">Meeting customer demands in-store, in person and online</h2>



The picture in South Africa is optimistic, but confidence alone doesn’t drive success. It needs to be combined with the right technology, processes, and data to give customers the personalised, compassionate selling experience they expect in-store, in person, and virtually.



Smart solutions can free your team from manual work and empower them with the insights to have conversations that close deals, but investing in next-generation technologies like AI now will help to maximise the potential of data and unlock greater predictability – something that will continue to mature and get more intelligent the more data you feed into it.



Giving your customers what they want now is amazing. Giving them what they want before they realise they want it will blow the competition out of the water, and help to build the trust that will help your company grow – global pandemic or no global pandemic.



Take Sales Cloud for a spin with our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/signup/testdrive/?d=7013y000002K0qnAAC&amp;nc=7013y000002K0raAAC&amp;utm_source=cnbc africa&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=emea+za+slobcon_gtm&amp;utm_content=dcs+test_banner+7013y000002K0qnAAC&amp;ban=ZA">interactive </a><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/conf/testdrive/?leadcreated=true&amp;redirect=true&amp;DriverCampaignId=70130000000sUVq&amp;FormCampaignId=70130000000tHIg">tour</a> and find out how to transform your business with 360-degree visibility and smarter workflows.

Business presentation

The face of sales in South Africa is changing. Find out how to thrive in the new normal

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">We need to be extremely agile, we need to be customer-focused, and we need to make it happen in an extraordinarily fast way<cite>Steven Friedman, CIO of RAM Hand-to-Hand Couriers </cite></blockquote>



Customer service reps have had an extraordinary year. While no role was left untouched by the global Covid-19 and economic crises, the service team often acts as the face and voice of your business and the first point of contact for customers. And case volumes from anxious and confused customers skyrocketed.



With such a sharp and unexpected increase in demand, the focus has been on maximising existing resources through employee agility and investments in new technology. In South Africa, 91% of respondents surveyed for our State of Service report said that processes and workflows have shifted for the service team since the pandemic, and 74% of global respondents reported that they’re more reliant on data than ever before.



While workforces pivoted to home working, making data accessible was a top priority, and luckily 80% of service agents in South Africa agree that they’ve got access to all the data they need to work remotely. The appetite for field services is still high, so highly available data and good workplace apps are critical to be able to meet the needs of today’s customer.



On the flipside, this increases the need for good training programmes to help agents get to grips with new technology and new processes. Read on to find out more insights from the 275 South African services professionals who responded to our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-service/">global report</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-agents-need-to-be-agile-to-adapt-to-new-ways-of-working">Service agents need to be agile to adapt to new ways of working</h2>



In the early days of the pandemic, confused customers needed extra support at the worst possible time for many companies, who were busy mobilising the workforce and adapting their processes to keep the business running.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1279" height="719" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1.png" alt="Native" class="wp-image-407106" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1.png 1279w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-820x461.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-140x80.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image1-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px" /></figure>



One way of handling this was to temporarily bring in colleagues from other teams to support the service team – and that’s what 64% of companies in South Africa did. But 78% of decision makers still needed to invest in new service technology to empower the team to give customers the level of service that they were accustomed to.



The right technology can be crucial for adapting to uncertainty quickly, as Steven Friedman, CIO of RAM Hand-to-Hand Couriers comments, “We need to be extremely agile, we need to be customer-focused, and we need to make it happen in an extraordinarily fast way. Salesforce provides the backbone of what it’s going to take to overcome those challenges and really improve who we are and what we stand for.”



In addition to expecting round the clock services, customers are placing a bigger focus on finding companies who align with their personal values and have earned their trust. During the pandemic, 71% of global consumers reported that brands who showed empathy during the crisis have earned their loyalty, and while embedding a culture of compassion across the workforce is important, it’s the service team who have the most emotive relationship with your customers – listening to their concerns and finding a solution for them.



Insurance provider, Mont Blanc, offer fully digital services to give customers fast access to transparent and reliable information when selecting a policy. They can also self-serve to request a quote, and have access to a 24-hour claims line.&nbsp;



“Customers generally only contact us when they’re experiencing the stress of a loss, such as a car crash or damage to their home,” reveals CEO Nicola Iozzo. “To make life easier during this stressful time we’ve made it such that the claims process is as hassle free as possible, giving brokers access to everything they need to process the claim from a single dashboard so they can focus on being a reassuring and sympathetic voice to our customers.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-agents-expect-opportunities-for-growth-in-their-roles-and-a-career-path">Agents expect opportunities for growth in their roles and a career path</h2>



Service agents are playing an increasingly strategic role within the business and often act as brand ambassadors with a stake in the overall success of the company. In fact, Friedman comments, “One of the big main differentiators in the marketplace today is around customer service,” and the company has since set itself the goal of never losing a customer by offering truly outstanding service.



The skills that agents need to have are also becoming broader and more complex. Given the right tools and support, many have embraced this challenge and flourished, and 77% reported that they can now see a clear path for career development.



Around 80% of South African decision makers are making significant investments in employee training, but soft skills are still rated more highly among global respondents than hard skills:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>76% think communication is very important, making it the highest rated skill</li><li>71% said being able to listen is essential</li><li>62% rated adaptability as very important</li><li>57% reported that empathy is highly valued.</li></ul>



Time management, product knowledge, and digital skills were all highly rated too, and solutions such as Salesforce provide an excellent platform to support these skills. Darrell Sansom, Chief Customer and Innovation Officer at <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/customer-success-stories/axa/">AXA</a> understands the importance of soft skills and a good understanding of his customer’s challenges to improving customer satisfaction and personalising the experience: “To achieve a good rating, we need to deliver a personalized, omni-channel service. Small business owners are pushed for time; we need to make things as fast and easy for them as possible.”



Technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, chat bots, and self-serve are all worthwhile investments to free up your service team to focus on giving customers more personal and valuable interactions, while helping to reduce resolution times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-evolution-of-field-service-drives-revenue">The evolution of field service drives revenue</h2>



Over the past year, consumers have come to expect to be able to interact with companies digitally. But when it comes to field services, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/">two-thirds</a> of global respondents actively look for companies who can come to them, and organisations with strong field services are repeating the benefits.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1279" height="719" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2.png" alt="Native" class="wp-image-407107" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2.png 1279w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-820x461.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-140x80.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px" /></figure>



Field service is a key part of service strategies in South Africa for 88% of decision makers, with 84% citing that it drives a significant portion of revenue. Mobile workers have been categorised as key workers during the pandemic, but the onus is on businesses to keep them safe by instilling social distancing measures, better cleaning, and providing PPE. Only 60% of global respondents reported that their employer regularly performed wellness checks, which is an area that needs to improve to ensure high levels of employee satisfaction and lower staff turnover.&nbsp;



Other areas identified for improvement include inventory and asset management, which only 30% of staff think their company excels at, access to information and knowledge articles, which again scores 30%, and communication and collaboration, which score 41% and 36% respectively.&nbsp;



Field workers are especially dependent on digital tools. Look for solutions with specially designed capabilities that simplify workflows and give users access to everything they need on the go, including customer records, scheduling tools, maps, and knowledge articles.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-investing-in-people-is-a-trend-that-s-here-to-stay">Investing in people is a trend that’s here to stay</h2>



The pandemic has undoubtedly been a catalyst for change for service teams, but it’s also been a great opportunity for companies to become more adaptable and learn how to maximise resources. By accelerating innovation, many organisations have established best practices that will help to improve customer satisfaction and empower their field service agents.



With the role of the agent becoming more strategic, reps are feeling more valued and optimistic about their career development, so it’s an excellent time to nurture your talent with training programmes to help them learn new skills – both soft skills and digital.&nbsp;



But the one thing that has proven unshakable despite the pandemic is the firm belief by service teams in South Africa that customer satisfaction is the single most important metric, and behind every great customer interaction is an empowered and happy employee.



If you want to become a customer service superstar, check out the <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/signup/service-guided-tour?d=7013y000002K0qpAAC&amp;nc=7013y000002K0rcAAC&amp;utm_source=cnbc africa&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=emea+za+svclobcon_gtm&amp;utm_content=dcs+test_banner+7013y000002K0qpAAC&amp;ban=ZA">Service Cloud guided tour</a>. Immerse yourself in this interactive tour of the latest agent tools, featuring self-serve capabilities and rich data insights.

Young creative business people meeting at office.

Customer service in South Africa: how businesses are embracing agility to deliver memorable experiences

14 June 2021 &#8211;&nbsp; Johannesburg, South Africa: Today marks the official launch of Access Bank South Africa Limited, and another step in engraving Access Bank Plc into the continent’s history.



Noting the enthusiasm of all parties leading up to this day, Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe says the SADC region represents the strongest economy on the African continent.



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>“This means Access Bank SA is firmly seated in one of the principal geographical areas apart from Nigeria, in terms of the size of the economy, and unlocks the gateway to the entire Southern African region.”<cite>Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe</cite></blockquote></figure>



Wigwe highlighted Access Bank’s solid presence in Zambia too, saying the opening of the South African subsidiary cements the Bank’s commitment to sub Saharan Africa as a portal for exceptional banking opportunities across the continent.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="532" height="800" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Herbert-Wigwe-Group-CEO-Access-Bank-Plc-532x800.jpg" alt="native" class="wp-image-406869" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Herbert-Wigwe-Group-CEO-Access-Bank-Plc-532x800.jpg 532w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Herbert-Wigwe-Group-CEO-Access-Bank-Plc-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Herbert-Wigwe-Group-CEO-Access-Bank-Plc-53x80.jpg 53w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Herbert-Wigwe-Group-CEO-Access-Bank-Plc-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Herbert-Wigwe-Group-CEO-Access-Bank-Plc-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Herbert-Wigwe-Group-CEO-Access-Bank-Plc-scaled.jpg 1363w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 532px) 100vw, 532px" /><figcaption>Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe</figcaption></figure>



Building on the organisation’s vision of delivering a robust banking operation that connects key African markets, Bennie van Rooy, CEO of Access Bank SA, lauded today as “an exciting event for the South African banking industry”, and the provision of sustainable support to existing customers while appealing to new clients with a business presence across Africa.



“As part of the robust Access Bank family, the South African operations look forward to contributing meaningfully to the achievements and ambitions of the Group. In offering a full suite of financial service products to a market we understand in depth, Access Bank SA is delighted to grow the family footprint.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-opportunities-and-the-power-of-choice">Opportunities and the power of choice</h2>



Wigwe says the Group continues to focus on building relationships, as a partner in both businesses and in communities it serves. “It’s vital that our banking solutions give clients the advantage they need to grow sustainably, with access to smart solutions that help them reach greater goals.”



With its transactional account and online banking, commercial and asset finance, offshore investments and Forex requirements or deposit solutions, Access Bank puts the power of choice in clients’ hands.



“Partnerships with all our clients mean power for them to achieve their aspirations, while Access Bank’s growth brings greater advantages in the financial sector. Like Bennie, I am excited to be on this path with the knowledge and experience of the continent that we share,” said Wigwe.



“We look forward to the opportunities that present themselves with opening doors for individuals and businesses, and growing possibilities as we go.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="532" height="800" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bennie-van-Rooy-CEO-Access-Bank-SA-3-532x800.jpg" alt="native" class="wp-image-406870" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bennie-van-Rooy-CEO-Access-Bank-SA-3-532x800.jpg 532w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bennie-van-Rooy-CEO-Access-Bank-SA-3-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bennie-van-Rooy-CEO-Access-Bank-SA-3-53x80.jpg 53w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bennie-van-Rooy-CEO-Access-Bank-SA-3-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bennie-van-Rooy-CEO-Access-Bank-SA-3-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bennie-van-Rooy-CEO-Access-Bank-SA-3-scaled.jpg 1363w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 532px) 100vw, 532px" /><figcaption>Bennie van Rooy, CEO of Access Bank SA</figcaption></figure>

Access-Bank-Grobank-deal

Signed, sealed, delivered: Access Bank’s South African division open for business

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“We want to have the right conversations with our customers at the right time on the right channel.”<cite>Sagren Pather, Executive Head of Digital, Direct Marketing, and Marketing Analytics, Standard Bank</cite></blockquote>



Whether it’s email content updating in real-time or the ever-increasing ways to personalise experiences – digital innovation has accelerated at a rapid pace. And so too have the challenges of the marketer.&nbsp;



Customers want empathetic and valuable interactions – and they want them at the right time, in the right place. Keeping up with the latest, up-to-the-minute needs of the customer has never been more relevant, or more important.&nbsp;



So, we surveyed 200 marketing leaders in South Africa as part of our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/form/pdf/6th-state-of-marketing/?sfdc-redirect=227">global report</a> on the State of Marketing to find out what’s trending, and how they’re overcoming their biggest challenges.



Here’s what we found out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-marketers-need-the-right-it-to-harness-customer-trends">Marketers need the right IT to harness customer trends.</h2>



One of the biggest difficulties faced by marketers today is the pressure to engage with customers on the right channel, at the right time, with personalised content. (And this isn’t limited to B2C interactions either: the increasing demand for consumerised experiences in the B2B sector was confirmed by 82% of global market leaders.)



The key to achieving this consumer-centric approach is through smarter use of data – but this is easier said than done. Respondents in South Africa listed their main challenges as unifying customer data sources, and balancing personalisation with customer comfort levels.



“We want to have the right conversations with our customers at the right time on the right channel,” said Sagren Pather, Executive Head of Digital, Direct Marketing, and Marketing Analytics at <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/customer-success-stories/standard-bank/">Standard Bank</a>. “Customers who have a high-quality experience are more likely to keep doing business with a brand and buy additional products.”&nbsp;



This is a common vision among companies in South Africa. To get there, marketing leaders need to use modern tools and technology to unlock that single view of the customer – so they can innovate and scale and at speed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trust-and-transparency-are-vital">Trust and transparency are vital.</h2>



Unlocking a single view of the customer isn’t just beneficial to the marketing team: it’s central to providing an amazing customer experience across sales, service, and ecommerce. <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/state-of-the-connected-customer-report-outlines-changing-standards-for-customer-engagement/">A whopping 89% of South African customers</a> say their experience with a company is just as important as its products and services.



It’s no surprise, then, that today’s marketers are more involved across the entire customer journey. In fact, 69% of global survey respondents think traditional marketing roles limit customer engagement. But marketers are breaking free from these constraints to make the customer experience more seamless, as demonstrated by the 64% who use 360-degree visibility to put marketing comms on hold if customers have an open service case.



And then consider this:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>More than 75% of marketers in South Africa share goals and metrics with sales, service, and ecommerce teams.</li><li>81% of respondents across the world collaborate with the sales team on account-based marketing programmes.</li></ul>



The trend for cross-team collaboration and a single view of the customer is here to stay.&nbsp;



In 2021, marketers predict they’ll pull customer data from at least six sources – up from four in 2019. “We need solutions that enable our teams to capture and analyse data from different sources to better understand our customers and prospects,” said Pather.



And with data firmly in the spotlight, respondents predicted that new data regulations are set to have the biggest impact on marketing in the next 10 years. As a result, building trust with customers by using their data wisely and sensitively will be vital: 58% of customers say they’re comfortable with their data being used transparently – but only 63% of global companies are perceived as being transparent.



The companies that do win their customers’ trust will have greater opportunities. They’ll be able to use insight-rich data the customer has consented to sharing, such as first-party data and tracked browsing behaviour, across multiple touchpoints.



For example, Standard Bank uses <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/uk/products/marketing-cloud/overview/">Marketing Cloud’s</a> Customer 360 Audiences feature, which you can learn about in our <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/marketing-cloud/guided-tour/">guided tour</a>, to analyse how customers interact with its content and to capture metrics such as bounce and drop-off rates.&nbsp;“We wanted to close the loop with regards to form abandonment and improve overall conversion rates,” explained Pather. And that’s just what the bank achieved. “By using Customer 360 Audiences for retargeting in the pilot test, we’re seeing a 104% performance increase of personal loan leads, when compared to the normal way of targeting, combined with early indications of overall sales conversion uplift.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bringing-ai-into-the-mainstream">Bringing AI into the mainstream.</h2>



Innovation was cited as both a challenge and a priority for the months ahead – and the biggest opportunity in this space is AI. The top four uses of AI according to South African marketers are:&nbsp;



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Driving next best actions.</li><li>Personalisation.</li><li>Smarter segmentation and lookalike modelling.</li><li>Automating processes to give staff more time to focus on creativity.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-820x429.png" alt="native" class="wp-image-407119" width="686" height="359" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-820x429.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-300x157.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-140x73.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3-768x402.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image3.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 686px) 100vw, 686px" /></figure>



With good data integrity, the possibilities of AI are game-changing. But you need to move fast, as it’s quickly becoming the norm for marketers, rather than a differentiator. In 2018, only 29% of global firms were using AI across marketing operations, compared to 84% in 2020.



Turning AI into a differentiator relies on companies using it to build unique experiences. One brand leading the way in this field is <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/ai-boosts-adidas-personalized-email-marketing/">adidas</a>. The company implemented Salesforce Customer 360 to create connected experiences for customers, and today it uses <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_pb_einstein_content_selection.htm&amp;type=5">Einstein Content Selection</a> (ECS) to personalise emails – even after the message is sent.



“Imagine if you received an email two days before a major holiday, and when you opened it on the actual day, the content reflected that moment in time? ECS allows us to be far more connected to our customers – adapting when we speak to them and what we’re speaking about to meet their needs,” commented Robert Lochrie, Vice President of Digital Products at adidas.



This level of innovation will give companies a significant competitive edge during challenging times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapting-and-thriving-in-the-new-normal">Adapting and thriving in the new normal.</h2>



In this rapidly changing environment, adapting quickly is the only way to survive. And when it comes to digital, companies need to walk before they can run.&nbsp;



That means investing in robust, reliable, and flexible technology – and creating a central repository of high-quality data to prepare for getting creative with AI and exploring the opportunities of 5G.



Customers are looking for empathy and personalisation when they interact with a company, and the smartest way to make sure you’re meeting those needs is to build strong relationships and invest in social listening. The right tools give you the power to get predictive and proactive, which creates a better experience for your customers and better results for your business. Remember: when your customer feels like they’re winning, you’re winning too.



If you’d like to get up close and personal with Marketing Cloud take the guided tour <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/form/marketingcloud/guided-tour/?d=7013y000002K0qoAAC&amp;nc=7013y000002K0rbAAC&amp;utm_source=cnbc africa&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=emea+za+mktlobcon_gtm&amp;utm_content=dcs+test_banner+7013y000002K0qoAAC&amp;ban=ZA">here</a>; learn how to build smarter marketing campaigns in our immersive, hands-on experience.

We’ll ensure your query gets answered

South Africa’s top marketing trends – and how to make them work for you

In 2019, Forbes magazine <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zarkodimitrioski/2019/02/13/how-much-money-is-in-the-global-marketing-industry-more-than-we-believed/?sh=2ab410b917c3">reported</a> that the global marketing industry was worth $1.7 trillion worldwide. Last year, the estimated total for global digital advertising and marketing alone was <a href="https://www.reportlinker.com/p03646022/Global-Digital-Advertising-and-Marketing-Industry.html?utm_source=PRN">$322.5 billion</a>, projected to reach $640.2 billion by 2027. These numbers are evidence of marketing’s growing importance as a central consideration in companies’ business imperatives. The Nedbank IMC, an integrated marketing conference aimed at South African and African marketers and trademarked as Marketing is BusinessTM, seeks to ignite conversations that encourage the critical consideration of the business of marketing and its migration from backroom to boardroom. 



From having traditionally been regarded as a tactical cost centre, executives are now eyeing marketing as an investment and driver of growth. When global consulting firm McKinsey conducted <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/views-from-the-top-what-ceos-and-other-execs-really-think-of-marketing">research</a> two years ago seeking to probe C-suite opinions of marketing, it was found that CEOs were in support of marketing’s “mission and growth agenda”. This changing perception could be summed up by one respondent who said that marketing and data had become the “first-class citizens in a way they were not four to five years ago.” This “first class” citizenship came down to two main aspects: the measurability of marketing, and the ability of marketing to demonstrate complete ownership of the customer.



In a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbooksauthors/2021/05/20/marketing-at-the-crossroads-backroom-button-pushers-or-boardroom-influencers/?sh=53ee19073db4">Forbes magazine column</a> published earlier this year, Dr Debbie Qaqish, a chief strategy officer, underscores the point of customer ownership. She writes that sales teams may only become aware of customers once they are already 70 to 80 percent of their way through the buyer’s journey, while marketers have full visibility of the customer from the get-go, thus being able to influence &#8211; and own &#8211; the customer journey from beginning to end.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="533" height="800" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-533x800.jpg" alt="native" class="wp-image-406777" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-533x800.jpg 533w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-53x80.jpg 53w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2.jpg 850w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px" /><figcaption>Dale Hefer, CEO Nedbank IMC</figcaption></figure>



Today there around 8,000 marketing technology tools which marketers can leverage in determining how data can be harnessed to drive proactive and responsive campaigns that not only meet but anticipate customer needs throughout the buyer journey. C-suite executives are becoming cognisant of how this powerhouse of information can significantly impact the company’s profitability and growth. The <a href="https://www.teradata.com/Resources/White-Papers/Forging-the-Future-of-Customer-Experience-CMO-Council-and-Teradata-Research">CMO Council reports</a> that 91 percent of marketers felt that there was an expectation by senior management and board members for marketers to drive measurable growth, with one in three saying that their business leaders felt it was the&nbsp;primary mandateof marketers today.



However, this brings with it certain challenges. The marketing function is being driven beyond branding and into the realm of customer experience and revenue growth.&nbsp;The CMO Council’s research points to the struggles of marketers as they wade through abundant data, and the emphasis this now places on marketing leaders to understand how to integrate customer data, scale customer insights, turn insights into action, and build the customer-experience culture. As many as 60 percent of marketers were reportedly unhappy with the depth and granularity of customer insights, while over 30 percent admitted to not having the data to know, let alone anticipate, their customers’ needs.



Conversely, marketers are also faced with criticism by CEOs over the analytics used to measure campaigns, particularly in the digital marketing and social media space. For example, C-suite executives are critiquing an over-reliance on measurements which for them have no overt link to business goals and growth. Behavioural targeting platform Bango <a href="https://marketingtechnews.net/news/2021/jun/02/65-of-uk-ceos-think-marketers-focus-on-analytics-too-much/">suggests</a> that instead of quoting social media statistics to C-suite executives, such as the number of likes, retweets, impressions and followers, marketers would be better off using social media marketing to collect insights into what customers are buying; focusing on engagement that ties back to sales. Bango cautions that, in a survey of 200 UK-based CEOs, 62 percent felt that too much marketing budget is wasted on activities that don’t deliver meaningful results. If engagement doesn’t tie back to sales then it quickly becomes a huge drain on company resources.



Understanding that “Marketing is BusinessTM” is increasingly important, with the conversation between marketers and CEOs never as crucial as it is today. Marketers are operating within a constantly shifting terrain as marketing evolves from a cost centre to a profit driver. Within this context, CEOs must employ insight when considering marketing’s contributions to growth, ensuring that as a discipline it is neither side-lined (and excluded from boardroom decisions) nor its role in the company misinterpreted.



The Nedbank IMC will further this conversation (amongst others) at the annual virtual event scheduled for 29 July this year, as Nedbank Group’s CEO, Mike Brown, joins in conversation with Khensani Nobanda, the Nedbank Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs. The goal of the Nedbank IMC is that conversations such as these remain ongoing at boardroom level, where marketing’s identity can be firmly entrenched and its potential articulated against business goals.



For marketers, perhaps the one constant is that their domain continues to change and adapt, and this state of flux is the nature of the beast. Consider a McKinsey <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-changing-face-of-marketing">article</a> “The changing face of marketing”, which states that “change is the dominant&nbsp;fact of life in every business today. And the ability to master and exploit change has become one of the most sought-after management skills. This is particularly true in marketing, where the very tempo of change is constantly quickening.” While apt for the current business environment, these words were written in 1966. While marketing has always been a part of business, perhaps now 54 years later, it will finally be regarded as business.







Dale Hefer is CEO of the Nedbank IMC,&nbsp;Africa’s foremost integrated marketing conference&nbsp;aimed at local and African marketers, and a consecutively sold-out event in 2019 and 2020 (lauded as the “virtual benchmark”).&nbsp; This year’s event will be held on 29 July:&nbsp;One day. One stream. 18 top local and international speakers. No sales pitches – just hard-hitting and practical insights for anyone involved in any discipline of marketing.&nbsp; At any level. &nbsp;Marketing is Business™.&nbsp;



Dale is a former Businesswoman of the Year, award-winning entrepreneur and the bestselling author of the marketing book “From Witblits to Vuvuzelas’.&nbsp; Her second book entitled “Hustling, Happiness, and a Blow-Up Doll Named Percy” was launched on 20 May 2021. Dale is the founder of top advertising agency Chillibush, which she started in 1998 and sold in 2014. By then it was billing more than R100m per year.&nbsp;



For more information on the Nedbank IMC go to <a href="https://imcconference.com/">Nedbank IMC Conference</a>.



Website:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.imcconference.com">www.imcconference.com</a>



Facebook:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/IMCConference">www.facebook.com/IMCConference</a>



Twitter:&nbsp;@IMCConf

Map of Africa with Countries on blue digital background

Measuring the business of marketing

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="270" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-820x270.jpg" alt="native" class="wp-image-406017" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-820x270.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-300x99.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-140x46.jpg 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4-1536x505.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABSA_Insights_AgricultureSeries_CNBC_1910x600_V4.jpg 1910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



In April 2012, legendary US investor and market commentator Jim Rogers made a bold pronouncement: Farmers, not bankers would be the next group driving Ferraris and Lamborghinis.



In a popular <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2012/05/10/legendary-jim-rogers-brokers-going-broke-farmers-will-become-rich-very-rich/?sh=13f34305f2d2">interview with Forbes magazine</a>, he said:



“More people in America study public relations than study farming. We have no farmers. You went to Princeton; nobody you went to school with became a farmer. I went to Yale; nobody I went to Yale with became a farmer. The average age of farmers in America is 58 years old. In Japan, the average age is 66. In Australia, it&#8217;s 58.”



Fast-forward to 2021 and while there are not a lot of sports car owning farmers on the African continent [yet], the investment case for the Agriculture sector is intact.



The issues that Rogers touched on in this interview are incredibly relevant today. The training of young farmers on the continent, access to infrastructure and the rising cost of agriculture and “soft” commodities are all likely to be catalysts for the sector over the next decade. Considering that Africa holds more than 60% of the worlds uncultivated arable land and the sector counts for roughly 12 – 15% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the continent, it is critical that we embrace strategies for growing this part of the economy.



Looking at our deal pipeline for the bank and our ongoing engagements with clients, forward-thinking entrepreneurs and investors are prepared to take a 15-20 year view on the continent.



Agriculture for the most part has been a shining light for the continent and the investor community and governments have recognised that agri is a driver of a couple of key aspects:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Overall economic growth</li><li>Job creation, particularly entry-level and micro-entrepreneurs where the sector accounts for roughly 60% of jobs on the continent</li><li>Food security</li><li>A commitment from all stakeholders to invest in R&amp;D and critical infrastructure</li></ul>



To fully realise the benefits of the agri opportunities on the continent, this investment in infrastructure is critical.



Consider for a moment that 55% of the cost of agricultural products exported from Malawi consists of transport costs while approximately 20-25% of all cereal products produced on the continent are lost in the logistics chain.



South Africa has a very real challenge in that Transnet is our major mover of maize products but only has capacity to move 40% of the grain for export to the ports – the rest is forced to be moved via expensive trucking routes. &nbsp;We have often heard that it is cheaper to transport maize from the USA to Cape Town than from Viljoenskroon to Cape Town. Until we can build critical capacity in these areas, African produce will prove to be expensive and unreliable.



Sub-Saharan Africa remains a net importer of food and is missing out on the solid increases in commodity prices. This impacts the ability of countries to secure valuable foreign exchange revenue that governments require to fund budget deficits. &nbsp;



Fortunately, the continent is recognising that investment is required and there are a number of success stories that we can reference.



The Cashew nut industry in Kenya is getting the attention it needs after decades of regression as a result of government taking an investor- friendly stance toward capacitating this strategic sector.



In Tanzania – which currently imports 50% of its sugar requirements – government has deemed this commodity a strategic one. 5000 hectares and the equivalent of R1.5bn has been set aside to develop local capacity.&nbsp; We expect this investment in the entire sugar value chain to have a profound effect on the local sector here and build a product which will be export ready in the next decade. The Tanzanian government has also realised the folly of interfering in the Cashew nut sector, and has taken a much more investor friendly stance.



Countries like Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi and Uganda have also seen private and public sector investment in infrastructure rise and we believe that this will receive a further kicker from the improvement in intra-Africa trade.



The fertilizer sector is another one which offers significant growth prospects and countries like Zambia are investing heavily here. For context of the scale of the opportunity, the average fertilizer application per hectare across the globe is 142kg. In South Africa, this currently sits at 66kg and sub-Saharan Africa is 19kg.



Closer to home, we have seen a bumper in Citrus crops and this represents a very significant export opportunity. While government often comes in for criticism, feedback from the industry suggests that the proposed investment in port infrastructure is expected to pay dividends and being well received by the local Citrus value chain. &nbsp;There are significant challenges, but the traction is seemingly in the right direction.



A key question that is often asked – primarily by our South African clients – is around the contentious issue of property rights and whether this is holding back investment on the continent. This question is closely followed by the one about security and whether this is impacting investment appetite, particularly in light of recent events in Mozambique.



The short answer is that while these issues are topical and important, as far as we can see it is not something which has significantly dampened appetite for investment in major agri projects, financially strong agribusinesses are still investing for the long run. &nbsp;



While we haven’t quite reached the farmers in sports cars stage in the development of local agriculture, there is no question that this is one of the economic bright spots on the radar and there are some very exciting projects that can be funded in the coming years.



As a Pan-African bank specialising in the agri sector, we look forward to working with our clients to facilitate their growth as we usher in a bold new era.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="258" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CNBC-Video-Wall-KV-Visual-Only-02-820x258.png" alt="" class="wp-image-406647" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CNBC-Video-Wall-KV-Visual-Only-02-820x258.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CNBC-Video-Wall-KV-Visual-Only-02-300x94.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CNBC-Video-Wall-KV-Visual-Only-02-140x44.png 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CNBC-Video-Wall-KV-Visual-Only-02-768x241.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CNBC-Video-Wall-KV-Visual-Only-02-1536x483.png 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CNBC-Video-Wall-KV-Visual-Only-02.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>

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Farmers, Ferraris and harvesting good investments in Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="258" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Absa-Access_CNBC-Header-Banner-_1910x600-130-kb-820x258.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-403175" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Absa-Access_CNBC-Header-Banner-_1910x600-130-kb-820x258.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Absa-Access_CNBC-Header-Banner-_1910x600-130-kb-300x94.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Absa-Access_CNBC-Header-Banner-_1910x600-130-kb-768x241.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Absa-Access_CNBC-Header-Banner-_1910x600-130-kb-1536x483.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Absa-Access_CNBC-Header-Banner-_1910x600-130-kb.jpg 1910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



Technological breakthroughs in the banking industry have shaped how we bank today, advancing an industry that is reliant on innovation to meet the needs of its clients. These advancements are a part of our everyday life and challenge banks to create innovative solutions that make their clients’ run their business easier and it is imperative that the industry adopts the latest trends in technology, security, design and data. &nbsp;



As a Transactional Banking business, Absa’s ambition is to provide its clients with a Pan-African platform that will enable them to effortlessly oversee their payments, collections, information products, trade finance, FX and international banking as well as liquidity management through a single platform.



For this reason, Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) has over the past three years been investing in building out the Absa Access platform. Absa Access is a Pan-African, single sign-on platform that gives clients standardised, secure, and near real-time access to their business portfolios and the banking services. This enables them to make informed decisions to drive the growth of their businesses, managing their finances with the speed and intelligence that the platform provides.



“This platform will offer our Corporate clients with an integrated solution to complete their domestic and cross border payments including verified payments &#8211; including Tax and Custom Payments. This ensures greater visibility of their cash flow needs in all their markets, says Yasmin&nbsp;Masithela, Managing Executive for Transactional Banking at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking



A game-changing platform launched as part of Absa CIB’s digital journey, Absa Access is testament to Absa’s decision to become a digitally-led organisation.&nbsp;



“Absa&nbsp;Access&nbsp;provides a framework which enables clients in the way that makes the most sense for them be it online, host, mobile or API’s or a combination thereof across all geographies.&nbsp;The convenience and risk mitigation options of this framework are enormous as well as allowing us to have a multi-tenant approach which allows us to significantly increase the rate of change to this environment as the market changes around us,” says Masithela. &nbsp;



James Scott, Head of Absa Digital and Platform Services, says there has been a big shift in the way that businesses are looking for solutions from their banking partners. “It is imperative that the industry adopts the latest trends in digital, data, security, experience and design. The shift from traditional products to platforms will be a big trend unfolding on the continent in years to come.”



Masithela believes that the payment industry on the continent will represent a big opportunity for the CIB cluster, driven by the displacement of cash, increased digitisation and the potentially shifting regulatory landscape. The opportunity to deliver solutions and form partnerships to capture the growth will be essential and with competition from fintechs, telcos and the traditional players it’s going to be an interesting time for the continent.



The increase in the number of Fintechs, innovative solutions from Acquirers and other technology companies as well as digital solutions from Telcos operators will all provide new&nbsp;opportunities on the continent.&nbsp;



The biggest opportunity remains the displacement of physical cash which still accounts for more than 70% of transactions and remains a costly method of doing payments. According to a study by Mastercard, the cost of cash processing &nbsp;in South Africa is R23billion and estimated to be R45billion in Nigeria according to analysis from the Research Gate reviewing the importance of the Cashless Policy in Nigeria, says Masithela.



Data out of the African Development Bank estimates the Trade Finance Gap in Africa to be $91bn, with the focus on Intra Africa Trade and improving credit risk management solutions on the continent, the ability to offer innovative finance solutions on the continent will offer new opportunities for growing the bank’s market share in trade.



New digital solutions &#8211; such as concluding trade transactions using blockchain &#8211; will increase the data integration between the flow of goods and the financial transaction flow, which will improve the risk profile of trade transactions and be the catalyst for narrowing the Trade Finance Gap. &nbsp;



Masithela concludes: “We have invested in both technology and people in this space and are transforming towards a more modern world which is more aligned to customers and responsive to market changes.”

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Innovation is key to unlocking Africa’s banking potential

Johannesburg, 14 April 2021 – Professional Provident Society (PPS), the financial services company focused solely on providing financial solutions for graduate professionals, produced a resilient 2020 performance. This was amid a year in which COVID-19 impacted lives and livelihoods. Despite this, PPS stood focused on delivering its core purpose of paying valid claims and protecting its members’ financial health.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="258" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1910x600-banner_Imbi-1-820x258.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-402370" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1910x600-banner_Imbi-1-820x258.gif 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1910x600-banner_Imbi-1-300x94.gif 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1910x600-banner_Imbi-1-768x241.gif 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1910x600-banner_Imbi-1-1536x483.gif 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



PPS’s strategy of delivering value to members, its strong balance sheet, coupled with growth of the business, contributed to its solid performance in this tumultuous period.



“We entered 2020 with solid capital reserves and with good momentum. This meant that we could act swiftly to put relief measures in place, pay claims reliably, secure our adviser network and maintain our full staff complement throughout the lockdown. The unique situation presented by the pandemic also served as a catalyst to accelerate the process of expanding and implementing our digitalisation strategy,” says Izak Smit, PPS Group CEO.



“Our resilience as a business, strong organisational values, the performance-driven culture of our people and our trusted relationship with financial advisers added to the sustainability of PPS through this difficult year,” he adds.



PPS is unique in the South African financial services industry, differentiated by its ethos of mutuality.



“This has proved its value as we mark 80 years since PPS was founded by a group of hard-working dentists who chose a methodology which is nowadays not so common in financial institutions. Mutuality permeates every aspect of our business, from the way we are structured to how new innovations are designed. The past year has again confirmed the purpose of our existence: to protect our members and their families so that they can focus on their professions and the lives they want to live.



“Our performance is significant against the backdrop of spending nine months of our 2020 financial year operating under lockdown. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of mutuality in providing financial security and long-term benefits to our members.



“In 2020, the Group paid R4.84 billion in benefit pay-outs and valid claims to members. This is 29% up from R3.74 billion in 2019. Focusing on life claims in particular, this amounted to R3.12 billion in 2020, up 45% on the R2.16 billion in 2019. Of this, PPS paid more than 4 200 COVID-19-related claims to the value of R389.8 million between March and December 2020. As expected, medical professionals were most affected by the pandemic and accounted for 74% of these claims.”



Commenting on the performance, Smit says: “PPS has been able to provide a reliable financial safety net for its members. Because there were no outside shareholder interests to protect – we do not have such stakeholders – we looked for opportunities to assist members adjusting claim and premium protocols specific to the pandemic, while ensuring fairness between different cohorts of members. Despite this, due to our strong balance sheet and inherent profitability of the risk pool and the businesses, PPS was still able to allocate R2.2 billion in 2020 in total profit to our members with qualifying products.”



Smit adds that the Group’s life insurance gross earned premiums was R5.12 billion and were 7% up on the R4.77 billion in 2019. While many members’ finances were strained, and they remained cautious about spending, their awareness of the need to protect themselves and their families against unforeseen shocks increased. This, and assistance with premiums where members were struggling, helped to keep lapses low. Despite the challenges of 2020, all the subsidiaries showed incremental growth. PPS Investments had a strong year. Gross new investment flows to PPS Investments of R7.5 billion were 22% up on the prior year.



Among the innovations introduced in 2020 to address the evolving needs of professionals is the enhanced PPS Profit-Share Cross-Holdings Booster. This makes loyal members’ Profit-Share work even harder for them in the long term, rewarding them based on the combination of products from PPS Investments, PPS Short-Term Insurance and Profmed medical aid that they hold over and above their PPS Life Risk Products.



Looking ahead, Smit says that it is impossible to make firm predictions for 2021 as the pandemic continues to evolve, and the long-term impact thereof is not yet known. A certainty is that the effects of COVID-19 will continue to be a market disruptor and a creator of opportunities. “We are bracing ourselves for further waves, but an aspect that works in our favour is that many professionals in the frontline in fighting the pandemic, particularly those in the health professions, were the first to be vaccinated. We are confident that the professionals for which PPS was founded will continue to show the significant role that they play in ensuring the health and well-being of South Africa’s citizens and economy.



“I want to extend PPS’s special thanks to our members for their boundless service to the community. South Africa is indebted to them. Thank you for your continued support and trust,” concludes Smit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-about-pps">About PPS</h2>



PPS boasts in excess of 150 000 members who enjoy access to a comprehensive suite of financial and healthcare products that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of graduate professionals.



PPS is the largest South African company of its kind, exclusively for graduate professionals, that still embraces an ethos of mutuality, which means that it exists solely for the benefit of its members. Thus, PPS members with qualifying products from PPS Insurance, PPS Investments, PPS Short-Term Insurance and Profmed share in the profits of PPS Insurance, PPS Investments, PPS Short-Term Insurance and PPS Healthcare Administrators via annual allocations to the unique PPS Profit-Share Account.



PPS membership provides access to the following tried, tested and trusted products and services: PPS Life Insurance, PPS Short-Term Insurance, PPS Financial Advisory, PPS Investments and Profmed Medical Scheme. Visit www.pps.co.za for more information. PPS is a Licensed Insurer and Financial Services Provider.

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PPS RESILIENCE PRODUCES SOUND PERFORMANCE IN UNPRECEDENTED YEAR

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At MiX Telematics, asset management does not just mean helping companies track their vehicles and monitor their fuel consumption. It also means using data from connected vehicles to keep drivers safe, to route alarms to the transporter’s control room in just thirteen seconds, and to dispatch ambulances or roadside assistance to injured or stranded customers in a matter of minutes. We spoke to Rubeena Moosa, the Software Development and Applications Manager heading up a team of 10 Trailblazers, about how they make operations run seamlessly behind the scenes.







<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="647" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-820x647.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-402224" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-820x647.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-300x237.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-768x606.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-1536x1212.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubeena-Moosa-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Rubeena Moosa</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-more-about-your-role-at-mix-telematics">Tell us more about your role at MiX Telematics</h2>



I manage applications design and development, high-level architecture and solutions. I have a small but powerful team who’ve all been at the company for more than seven years—we’re like a family at this point! We are very passionate about our work and MiX Telematics has given us the opportunity and tools to design, build, and create excellent solutions. It’s very exciting, and by combining technical expertise with a thorough understanding of our business strategy we’re able to design solutions to help the company achieve its business goals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-kind-of-customer-experience-does-mix-telematics-aspire-to-provide">What kind of customer experience does MiX Telematics aspire to provide?</h2>



MiX Telematics solutions are delivered as SaaS to three-quarters of a million subscribers spanning more than 120 countries across the globe. Insurance providers often require their policy holders to subscribe to a tracking and recovery service, which gives us even more reason to give them a valuable experience to prove it’s worth having.



Our main goal is to be there when our customers need us, and do it as quickly as possible. That could be when a driver hits their panic button in the event of a hijacking, if they’ve broken down at the side of the road and need assistance, or if they’ve told us their car was parked at the mall and we notice it’s actually heading off down the highway! To respond quickly to customers depends on working closely with a network of partners, such as emergency and recovery services. If a customer’s alarm goes off, we aim to have it routed to our control room for action in less than thirteen seconds.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="528" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-820x528.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-402235" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-820x528.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-300x193.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-768x494.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-1536x989.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_219477561-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Topdown view of a highway in Cape Town, South Africa</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-were-the-challenges-you-faced-around-data-management-and-integration">What were the challenges you faced around data management and integration?</h2>



We’re a leading technology company and we use the best software available. All those tools need to integrate seamlessly to give us a single source of data and greater efficiency across the business.



We knew we needed a new solution during a period of rapid growth. We wanted to launch a new product, but vehicle tracking relies on being able to process a huge amount of data, such as automatic vehicle location (AVL) data and impact data. Our legacy Enterprise Service Bus system was struggling to process 300 messages per second, so we knew it wasn’t going to be able to handle the volumes needed to achieve our growth goals.



Following a proof of concept, we selected MuleSoft to streamline data and integrations across the business. A representative flew out from London to help us build our architecture from scratch to enable the solution to scale in line with the business requirements. It’s a good thing they did because today, via our integration with Apache Kafka, we’re processing 4,000 messages per second, which is 18.6 billion a year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-smarter-integrations-help-streamline-the-day-to-day-running-of-the-business">How do smarter integrations help streamline the day-to-day running of the business?</h2>



With MuleSoft integrating our core systems together with vehicle data, we have a 360-degree visibility of the customer. When we collect device data, we already know who the customer is, which services they pay for, and whether they’re up-to-date with payments. If they’re consistently failing to pay, we can suspend their services.



We can also work more closely with our partners. For example, we share information with insurance companies via APIs rather than custom integrations, and in return they pass us leads. All these seamless integrations impact efficiency across the whole organisation, and we can even onboard new customers – including getting confirmation from their bank – in 7 to10 minutes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-are-you-using-machine-learning-and-ai">How are you using machine learning and AI?</h2>



Once we built our architecture, it was easy to start collecting large volumes of data. After two years, we had enough data in the system to start using machine learning to help identify false positive alarms &#8211; so we don’t flood the customer with messages for no reason. We also use AI for heatmaps for a graphical representation of the data and trend analysis.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="545" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-820x545.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-402234" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-820x545.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-300x199.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-768x510.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-1536x1021.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AdobeStock_95222541-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-the-biggest-benefits-of-mulesoft-for-you-and-your-company">What are the biggest benefits of MuleSoft for you and your company?</h2>



There’s a lot to love about MuleSoft and my experience has been wonderful. It’s much easier to maintain than our previous system, which has saved the company around $1 million USD already.



It’s easy to use, which means I can easily upskill my current developers without having to hire people with specialist skills, and it’s allowed us to drastically shorten our delivery times.



Seven years ago we did two big deployments a year, but today we can deploy up to three releases a week, so we’re helping the business to be much more agile and to continuously adapt and evolve to meet changing customer and employee expectations. We’ve also had great support, not just from the MuleSoft team but from the wider community of real users across the world.

Blue big rig semi truck with grille guard trabsporting frozen cargo in refrigerator semi trailer with skirt spoiler running on the straight road

How MiX Telematics is keeping drivers safer with connected data

Operating in Africa for technology convergence providers is not for the faint hearted. There is a plethora of different cultures, country stability scenarios, citizen needs and environments ranging from rainforests to deserts. What works in Angola is not necessarily going to work in Algeria.



That said, Africa’s markets are some of the fastest growing in the world due to an under-served population and both urbanisation and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2018/how-increased-internet-connectivity-will-drive-development-in-nigeria/">connectivity</a> are growing at a rapid rate. Africa has been cited as the last continent where explosive exponential growth is possible.



Since 2003, MiRO has evolved its product offering and skillsets from what is suitable for South African conditions and it now has a solution for any environment and is aggressively pursuing the African market.



There is a mix of global and local in MiRO’s offering that makes it a one-stop-shop for next generation convergence technologies. MiRO is now one of the leading distributors of broadband wireless, networking, SDWAN, WiFi, IoT, security, VoIP and IP video products – and its African footprint continues to grow.



While MiRO partners include global brands such as <a href="https://miro.co.za/brand/48-tenda">Tenda</a>, Cambium Networks, Grandstream, <a href="https://miro.co.za/brand/27-tp-link">TP-Link,</a> Radwin, Ring, Siklu, <a href="https://miro.co.za/brand/31-ubiquiti">Ubiquiti Networks,</a> Uniview, MikroTik, and SIAE, South Africa has also proven its ability to be able to create and manufacture world-class products and services.



MiRO’s local portfolio includes cutting edge solutions from BFR Digital, Clearline, Deltec, Forbatt, Acconet and Mean Well.&nbsp; This combination of local and international partnerships means that MiRO can empower Africa’s service providers, technology integrators and resellers to connect consumers, the public and <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/private-sector.asp">private sectors</a> through its best-of-breed, cutting-edge solutions.



Knowledge of each environment is vital. There are still cultural differences, for example, embedded in certain regions, such as the manner in which genders converse and interact. There needs to be sensitivity and understanding to pair MiRO’s expert knowledge wisely with local service providers and their clients.



MiRO’s online ecommerce store has no such limitations. Anyone can log in and access the wealth of information available 24/7. This makes it easy and convenient for partners to purchase online as and when they need to.



Using <a href="http://www.miro.co.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">miro.co.za</a> users can build their own quotes, view stock availability at all the branches and apply real-time order tracking to accurately plan inventory and installations. Supporting this, the MiRO technical and sales team is just a click away, wherever a user may be.



Knowledge is power and a core MiRO value is to put the power of knowledge in the hands of its clients. This is what led to establishing MiRO Academy as the vehicle through which the company could meet the need for top-notch, comprehensive IP convergence training.



MiRO Academy is an online learning platform where students, individual and business professionals can register for courses. The Academy means access to smart tutorials and hosts an ever-growing range of custom-developed training courses. There is zero-to-hero basic training on the range of networking technologies, as well as internationally certified training from multi-national vendors.



Free webinars on product and technology developments are also readily available on MiRO Academy so any of MiRO’s users can remain a step ahead through continuous learning, as and when it suits them. Thousands of IT professionals have already gained the knowledge to embrace and implement the spectrum of exciting new technologies via both MiRO’s instructor-led classroom training and the online Academy.



Unlock the convergence and communications wealth of Africa by taking advantage of the products and services MiRO offers. Visit <a href="https://miro.co.za/">miro.co.za</a>.

CNBCAfrica Miro image

Going boldly into Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="258" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-820x258.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398015" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-820x258.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-300x94.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-768x241.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image-1536x483.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Article-image.jpg 1910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



by: Nick Treunicht, Customer Engineer, Digicloud Africa 



Let’s start with a seemingly audacious statement. Google is no longer competing with the best. Google is the best. Google has redefined collaboration with Google Workspace. Leading companies from around the world are tapping into Google Workspace to transform how they work – and it is delivering measurable results. This may be a bold opinion, but here are some facts to support it.



Today, Google is helping over 6 million businesses move towards a modern way of working, knowing that now more than ever, remote teams need tools that work even harder to make life a little easier. That’s why Google is introducing Google Workspace: everything you need to get work done, now, in one place. It brings together the communication and collaboration tools that users are already familiar with from G Suite – messaging, meetings, docs and more – in a thoughtfully connected way.



The way we work today is so far removed from how we worked at the beginning of this millennium. Attaching files to e-mails and running our own e-mail server infrastructure. Using our mailboxes to find files that were attached to e-mails. Trying to identify which version of a document is the right/current version.



Google first started revolutionising the technology industry with Gmail. If there is one thing that we have all come to know and love about Gmail, it is that it’s always up and running, never failing you when you need it. Since then, Google has built an entire productivity suite on top of Gmail with product releases and incremental changes to those products. Add to that Google’s ability to consistently push feature updates to its suite of cloud collaboration tools, which has made even competitors rethink their collaboration strategies.



Organisations that were using G Suite would have seen the consistent pace of feature updates over the last year or two, culminating in the launch of Google Workspace last month.A complete interface overhaul of Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Groups to name a few. A retirement of Google Hangouts, which has been replaced with Google Meet for video calling and Google Chat for everything else. The new version of Google Chat virtually makes competitive messaging platforms redundant, especially with the latest addition of Rooms in Chat. This new feature gives users one space to discuss and collaborate on projects, all without having to leave Gmail. Advanced Rooms in e-mail enables employees to assign tasks related to projects, share project files and folders and collaborate on Docs without having to switch between tabs.



It’s not just the rich features available to consumers, but also the deep integration of Google’s products into other third-party apps like Salesforce, Draw.io or Zoho, to name a few.



G Suite started off as a variety of separate productivity tools, whereas now, Google Workspace has morphed into one single workspace where you can get everything done. It made sense for Google to redefine the platform.



Add to that how work has changed in 2020. Version control for documents and collaboration from anywhere in the world has become paramount. We simply cannot keep doing the same things in the same ways and expect a digitised workforce. We cannot expect our colleagues to work smart without smart tools.



Google commissioned Forrester Consulting to quantify the business benefits and cost savings of moving to Google Workspace. This report (“The Total Economic Impact Of Google Workspace”, February 2020) revealed that Google Workspace delivers value in four key areas:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Revenue growth</li><li>Employee efficiency</li><li>Risk mitigation</li><li>IT cost savings</li></ul>



For users who want all their e-mails and documents backed up to the Google Cloud – all the time; with nothing but a browser and login details; with no need to install software for video conferencing (unlike where someone has to be the host, using their laptop hardware to try and host an online video call on other platforms); with just one single link with access to everything you need – Google Workspace is your answer.



Digicloud’s vote for 2021 is a vote for change and continual progress, it’s a vote for Google Workspace.



About Digicloud Africa



A proudly African business established to enable access to innovative cloud solutions through a robust network of resellers, Digicloud Africa (Pty) Ltd has been designed to support Google Cloud and has been appointed as the Reseller Enablement Partner of Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace products in Africa. We take great pride in our partnership with Google and strive to grow our footprint of specialised cloud resellers throughout Africa.&nbsp; Together, we aim to digitally transform businesses in Africa.

shutterstock_426836902

Uncover the business value of Google Workspace

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="408" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-820x408.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398045" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-820x408.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-300x149.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-768x382.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-1536x765.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Northern-Cape-SA-International-Logo-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



Majestically reaching over 360 000 sq kilometres from the world-renowned Kalahari Desert to the arid plains of the Karoo, the Northern Cape, South Africa offers visitors a unique Southern Africa holiday experience.  With its open spaces, friendly people, rich history and unique cultural diversity, this land of the extreme, promises an extraordinary tourism destination.  Come and experience personally! Here are ten tantalising reasons to choose The Northern Cape as your Southern Africa leisure destination :











<h1 class="wp-block-heading"></h1>







<h2 class="wp-block-heading"> 1. Unique flavor and flair</h2>



The Northern Cape is a truly remarkable holiday destination. Explore the unique flavor of the province with its unique combination of ancient Africa with an overlay of confident democracy. Walk barefoot on the land of the ancestors, proud of its roots and enthusiastic about the future, creating, solving challenges and greeting the world with a wide, warm smile.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Unforgettable, enriching experiences</h2>



Do not miss the opportunity to view night skies ablaze with a million stars at Sutherland, or at&nbsp;!Xaus Lodge, situated in the <a>!Ae!Hai Kalahari World Heritage an</a> international Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of only 10 such sanctuaries world -wide. Go hunting for fossils in the Karoo or searching for San rock art deep in the caves of the Diamond Fields, or experiencing the world’s richest floral offering in Namakwa, camping deep in the bush surrounded by wildlife and the famed black-maned lion of the Green Kalahari, or kyaking down the mighty Orange River, the Northern Cape is more than an adventure, it’s an enriching life experience.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="546" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-820x546.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398047" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-820x546.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tswalu-Tarkuni-people-relax_HW-2-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>







<h2 class="wp-block-heading"> 3. Value for luxury</h2>



The inherent warm hospitality of the people of the Northern Cape makes visitors feel like celebrities when they come to this vast province.  They can stay in the luxurious establishments, be pampered with spa treatment, dine on fabulous food and wine and afford all those once-in-a-lifetime experiences they’ve been longing to try. Not only will you have an excellent rate of exchange, but our facilities, activities and service equal outstanding value- so you can do more for your money. We call it value for luxury.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Special Occasions, Weddings and Honeymoons</h2>



The Northern Cape’s un-spoilt nature and breathtaking scenery with deserts, rivers, beaches, mountains and forests provide the perfect backdrop for the wedding of your wildest dreams. That is why the province is fast becoming one of the world’s most desirable and sought-after wedding and honeymoon destinations







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Rich, cultural encounters</h2>



The distinct cultural groups that make up the Northern Cape are as rich as the country’s history. Meet the oldest human inhabitants of Africa, the ‡Khomani San Bushmen at Askham or the indigenous Setswana and Nama in Namakwa and the Diamond Fields. Visitors to the Northern Cape have ample chance to immerse themselves in these unique cultures through exploring cultural villages and arts and crafts markets, indulging in local cuisine at township restaurants, watching traditional dances and ceremonies, listening to real stories at interactive museums and talking to our people, who are willing to teach their customs and phrases to our guests. It’s the best way to experience the heartbeat of the province and to take a bit of the Northern Cape with them when you leave.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398046" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ssimg_689-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6. Leading family adventure destination</h2>



With unexpected adventures around every corner, the Northern Cape is arguably the leading family adventure destination of Southern Africa. It’s all about pushing individual boundaries, personal growth and reconnecting with each other. For some, adventure is going on a walking trail, a hot-air balloon ride or tasting a foreign cuisine.  For others, adventure is captured in an adrenaline rush by traversing the rapids of the mighty Orange River in a kayak or leaping off a mountain or waterfall. Family activities range from game safaris, bird watching and leisure hikes to food tours, museum visits and archaeological discoveries. No matter the skill, inclination or interest, there is an adventure to thrill all. Combined with our beautiful weather and spectacular scenery, it’s a heady mix!







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7. Natural beauty and wildlife</h2>



The Northern Cape is unquestionably South Africa’s most beautiful and natural province. For the active, it’s an ideal environment for exploration and adventure. Visitors are hard-pressed to choose between our two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two Transfrontier Parks, the Kgalagadi and the çAi-çAis Richtersveld with its red and golden sand dunes or any one of the other four national parks, six provincial nature reserves and numerous private game reserves. Share the intimate bush knowledge of a Nama or ‡Khomani San Bushmen guide and tracker. The Northern Cape’s natural beauty is enhanced by it’s an enigmatic wildlife. From the small five to the big five, watching wild animals at dose range is something truly unforgettable. There are walking, horseback, 4&#215;4 routes, little five and many more safaris to incorporate in your trip.  The province is also home to two of the largest rivers in South Africa and three legendary deserts.  Each one of the 5 regions will capture the imaginations of those who dare to explore its rugged mountains, endless flatlands and undulating dunes.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398048" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Xaus-Lodge-Dark-Sky-Sanctuary-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Our annual BEYOND EXPEDITIONS Adventure, driven by ISUZU (SA), via five desert regions, including Namaqua West Coast, Richtersveld, Kgalagadi, Namib-Naukluft and Augrabies, in Namibia and South Africa, RSA</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">8. Great weather</h2>



The Northern Cape weather makes it a perfect year-round destination. The mild temperatures of the months July to October are perfect to visit the Northern Cape and escape the cold winters of the rest of the country and world. In summer the excellent weather invites visitors to enjoy the outdoors, play golf, indulge in massages under open skies, hike, walk, canoe, or have an open fire dinner or go on stargazing safaris.  Visitors can choose from a variety of outdoor adventure activities and seasonal experiences and take advantage of the excellent weather.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">9. A firm favorite for incentives</h2>



Due to our great weather, diverse cultures, adventure credentials, historic Freedom Struggle, lively urban rhythms, award-winning food and wine, luxury accommodation, natural wonders, spirit of Ubuntu, fascinating wildlife and welcoming nature, the Northern Cape has become a firm favorite for domestic and international incentive travelers. Build memories to last a lifetime with an unforgettable, life-enriching trip to the Northern Cape.  







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">10. The Floral Kingdom of the Namakwa</h2>



<a href="http://www.travelground.com/accommodation-in/namaqualand" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Namaqualand</a>&nbsp;is a stunning section in the Northern Cape, famous for its 6,000 plant species, 250 bird species, 132 reptile and amphibian species, and 78 mammal species. An astonishing 40% of the species found here are endemic – they do not exist anywhere else on earth.



Keep an eye out for the Namaqualand famed flowers from July to early October when the region is transformed into a kaleidoscope of color with the arrival of the flower season! Start in the capital of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.travelground.com/accommodation-in/springbok" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Springbok</a> and visit the Goegap Nature Reserve where you can explore the Hester Malan Wildflower Garden in a guided open truck tour. The 103,000 hectare Namaqua National Park is well worth a visit.&nbsp;



Akkerendam Nature Reserve in Calvinia is a proclaimed bird sanctuary with 10 floral species unique to the Hantamberg area with two lovely walking trails. Just outside Nieuwoudtville a must see is the Quiver Tree Forest and the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve with 533 plant species and extravagant displays of wild flowers during the months of July to September.



For more information do visit <a href="http://www.experiencenortherncape.com">www.experiencenortherncape.com</a> or contact <a href="mailto:marketing@experiencenortherncape.com">marketing@experiencenortherncape.com</a>



Social media Platforms



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NorthernCapeTourism">www.facebook.com/NorthernCapeTourism</a></li><li>Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/NorthernCapeSA">www.twitter.com/NorthernCapeSA</a></li><li>Instagram: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/northerncapetourism">www.instagram.com/northerncapetourism</a></li><li>YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/northerncapetourism">www.youtube.com/northerncapetourism</a></li><li>Hashtag #ExperienceNorthernCape</li></ul>

Augrabies Falls NP_Landscape_Viewpoint

Leisurely pursuits in the Northern Cape, South Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-394212" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Murray-Gardiner-MD-Bluecode-Africa.jpg 1365w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><figcaption>Murray Gardiner, MD, Bluecode Africa</figcaption></figure>



Population growth in Africa tends to outpace that of the rest of the world. In fact, by 2050 the population will likely have grown to 2 billion people, versus the rest of the world that expects flat or declining population numbers. This is particularly pertinent when looking at bank account ownership, with numbers still as high as 1.7 billion (31 percent of all adults globally), down from 2 billion unbanked adults in 2014, covering those without either a traditional bank account held by a financial institution or one provided by a mobile money provider.



In high-income Western market economies, adults are almost universally “banked” says a 2017<a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/"> </a><a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/">Global Findex</a> study conducted by the World Bank, versus the unbanked (many of whom are women) who reside predominantly in developing nations. To put the gender disparity into perspective, about two-thirds of the one-fifth of unbanked adults in Kenya, as just one national example, are women. The business world also shows a disparity, with the major corporations on our continent being formally banked across the board, versus the many small and micro businesses who tend to run cash-based operations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-informal-sector-inclusion">INFORMAL SECTOR INCLUSION</h2>



In times when unlocking economic growth on the continent is a priority to governments and private institutions alike, ways need to be found to include this essential informal shadow economy composed of cash-based businesses. These are significant, reveals the<a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_627189/lang--en/index.htm#:~:text=In%20Africa%2C%2085.8%20per%20cent%20of%20employment%20is%20informal.&amp;text=The%20report%20shows%20that%2093,women%20(58.1%20per%20cent)."> </a><a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_627189/lang--en/index.htm#:~:text=In%20Africa%2C%2085.8%20per%20cent%20of%20employment%20is%20informal.&amp;text=The%20report%20shows%20that%2093,women%20(58.1%20per%20cent).">ILO</a>, as they are thought to provide as much as 85.5 percent of employment in some countries.



Experience has taught us that financial institutions can only “see” clients through data and digital transparency from transaction accounts, mobile payments, and bill-paying. Unfortunately, informal sector businesses are generally not visible to the formal sector because they are mostly cash-based. This impedes not only the ability to tap into the informal sector’s value (due to a lack of digital records), but also the consequent ability for financial institutions to offer the affordable banking products needed for small and micro-business to thrive. The financial institutions that find a way to digitize informal sector payments will increase the size of their addressable market and will benefit from first mover advantage in the most rapidly growing market for financial services in the world.



“Research suggests that digitising payments can improve their efficiency by increasing the speed of payments, and reducing the cost of disbursing and receiving them,” say the authors of the World Bank’s<a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/sites/globalfindex/files/2018-04/2017%20Findex%20full%20report_0.pdf"> </a><a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/sites/globalfindex/files/2018-04/2017%20Findex%20full%20report_0.pdf">Global Findex Report</a>. In fact, shifting payments from cash into digital can have a range of unexpected benefits, beyond the obvious for the bank. “It can also enhance the security of payments and thus lower the incidence of associated crime. And disbursing payments through digital channels rather than cash has been shown to increase transparency and reduce corruption,” the report continues. It goes on to list an additional benefit of shifting to digital payment systems as resulting in substantial increases in saving behaviour among new account owners.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-following-the-leaders">FOLLOWING THE LEADERS</h2>



In Ghana, for example, a countrywide standard has been offered in QR code payments, which simplifies the payment process for merchants and customers alike. Just announced, the country’s EMVCo QR Standard for universal QR customer push payments allows every merchant to be identified and registered with a static QR code – which any consumer can then scan and send to their bank in order to directly pay the merchant. This system streamlines Africa’s usual mobile person-to-person (P2P) arrangement that is widely promoted by mobile network operators (MNO) such as Safaricom’s Mpesa.



The system depends on all banks in Ghana being connected to an Instant EFT switch that has a clearing and settlement agreement with the national payment gateway. This is part of a general trend to reduce friction for digital payments and afford merchants the opportunity to accept payment alternatives, connected directly to the bank account or any other consumer funding source, thereby avoiding cards and the costly infrastructure associated with card payments. Many other nations, which are investing in the digital payments arena, can be expected to follow suit.



African markets differ significantly from those of offshore nations and are also wary of becoming dependent on the likes of Visa and MasterCard. While these successful American card-payment institutions are globally recognised and adopted in developed nations – along with their numerous fintech partners and conversion to virtual cards – African nations require a higher level of autonomy, along with tailored solutions with which their own markets, merchants and consumers can feel secure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-mobile-we-trust">IN MOBILE WE TRUST</h2>



The challenge for the private sector and governments in African countries is to show potential customers that the available cash-based alternatives, in which they have been investing, are “safer, more affordable and more transparent”, reveals World Bank research. If these payments can take place via a mobile phone, without needing a bank card, that seems first prize. In Kenya, for example, less than 50 percent of account owners have a debit card and, among those who do, only about one-third make use of it for direct purchases.



In fact, mobile remains the leading payment technology on the continent, with as many as 19 percent of adults (30 percent of account owners) making at least one financial transaction over a 12-month period – using a mobile money account, their mobile phone, or the internet. Indeed, more than 10% of all adults in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Zambia and Uganda have reported receiving agricultural payments into an account (in most cases a mobile money account) over the past 12 months.



But cash is still king, with the typical economically active African adult making, on average, 1 500 payments each year – almost all of which are small and relate to transport, food, and other everyday necessities. However, this reliance on cash can be overturned by an interoperable universal payment platform, with feature-rich interactions, valuable merchant support and sought-after financial services.



It is time to pivot and bring digital transparency to the informal sector. Once trust is gained, such digital offerings will sweep the dependency on cash aside as we march steadily into Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution.







About Bluecode:



Bluecode is a mobile payment solution that combines cashless payments via smartphones with value-added services and enables payments with merchant and banking apps. Founded in Europe, Bluecode has now expanded into Africa. Bluecode Africa is taking mobile payments into markets where its value as a technology payment service and scheme can make a significant difference for retailers, SMMEs and in the everyday lives of consumers. Bluecode Africa is focused on driving economic growth in the productive economy by unlocking opportunity and business potential with digital transparency. For more information:<a href="http://www.bluecodeafrica.com"> </a><a href="http://www.bluecodeafrica.com">www.bluecodeafrica.com</a>&nbsp;

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