Managing ICT Overheads in Challenging Times

Vodia’s South African Partner, ICTGlobe, Recommends Combining Cost-Effectiveness while You Pursue New Business

SMEs are the engine of the South African economy, with some 60% of employed South Africans working for small and medium-sized enterprises. What, however, keeps reseller SMEs in the country’s competitive ICT sector moving forward?

The answer, according to independent telco ICTGlobe, is maintaining a single-minded focus on generating new business while keeping down costs. “Small resellers of voice and data ICT services need to be cautious of taking on overheads that interfere with their ability to nimbly secure new business,” says Lucien Brink, Executive Head of Products and Services at ICTGlobe.

According to a recent MasterCard survey (May 2021), six in 10 SMMEs in South Africa anticipate growth and are proactively planning for the future. The best way for resellers to keep focused on their core business of selling the voice and data services that enable corporate South Africa to do business better? Entrust the maintenance of back-end ICT services that support the sales effort to specialists.

“A strong sales team needs to prioritise on making sales, rather than attending to the installation and maintenance of back-end IP-based support solutions,” Mr. Brink explains. “It’s best to secure the services of a dedicated communications specialist like ICTGlobe.com, so there won’t be any blockages in the sales funnel due to relatively minor technical issues.” He outlined five reasons why reseller ICT SMEs are better off focusing on new business ventures over system maintenance:

1. Outsourcing to specialists converts fixed IT expenses into variable costs and allows the small enterprise to budget effectively during the all-important start-up growth phase.
2. It’s easier to determine if an outsourced supplier is properly qualified, as compared to an internal employee – business owners who aren’t IT-trained won’t know if a new hire has been trained in the applicable back-end ICT systems.
3. An in-house IT employee often has an isolated existence, and qualifications aren’t always equal to relevant experience.
4. A quality outsourced ICT partner can quickly implement the latest available communications technology to efficiently support sales efforts.
5. By outsourcing to a qualified ICT company, the SME reseller can be assured of compliance with all relevant security and other standards.

As a Tier 1 operator, ICTGlobe owns its telecom network, which means it has full control over roll-out and maintenance of this core asset. Operating its own interconnect and networking facilities means the company can reliably offer voice calls at South Africa’s most affordable rates. Finally, Vodia distribution rights for Africa complement ICTGlobe’s guaranteed uptime voice and data services.

Want to find out more? info@ictglobe.com.

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