Young marketing learners can jump on the right path with free education and work experience by applying for Clockwork’s annual Marketing Learnership Programme, which is now open to applicants. In partnership with Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, Clockwork has five slots available each year, offering students and aspiring marketers the chance to learn from the best with a comprehensive 12-month programme.

The learnership programme consists of six months of classroom training and six months of integrated work learning at the Clockwork offices in Johannesburg. Students receive a holistic look at the world of marketing by studying Communications, Strategy, Content, Digital and Design in the course.

This is the perfect way to get a foot in the door of marketing or advertising, and the Clockwork Marketing Learnership Programme is open to anyone with a matric, regardless of previous marketing experience or education.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their CV with a cover letter and a 30-second video explaining why they should be the next learner at Clockwork. Apply here: https://www.clockworkmedia.co.za/careers/marketing-learnership-program/

Clockwork is proud to announce the appointment of Penny Motsamai as Public Relations Director. Motsamai has been with the agency running the Standard Bank Public Relations Accounts since 2019 and is a seasoned professional with a tremendous amount of experience in both client and agency side of corporate and consumer divisions.

Penny is a steadfast leader with an energy and approach that aligns to the Clockwork values as a business. When commenting on her new role, Motsamai expressed that, “Clockwork invests in its people and gives you the space and autonomy to bring the best of yourself to the table. The focus in this new role is to position Clockwork as the industry leader for reputation management and be known as the employer of choice for communication professionals”.

“A key passion of mine is growing and developing teams to always work independently and to their strengths. There is a saying I firmly believe in – ‘great leaders don’t set out to be a leader, they set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role – always about the goal’, and my goal is to deliver excellent, award winning, integrated communication strategies for our clients.”Tom Manners, co-CEO of Clockwork shared that he is delighted with the decision to appoint Penny in this role,  “Penny is a consummate professional, a strong leader and has become an important part of the fabric of Clockwork’s leadership team.

She’s done an incredible job driving results for our largest public relations client – Standard Bank, and we are excited to see her apply her knowledge and experience to our broader PR, reputation management and influencer offering”.  Throughout her career Penny has been a driving force behind corporate public relations and stakeholder and client relations on accounts such as Absa Bank, Omidyar Network, Government Employees Pension Fund and of course, Standard Bank.

Way With Words, a leading speech to text provider, is expanding its current range of services as demand for building language and dialect libraries rises for technology companies worldwide.  

Specialising in English-language dialects, the company has been approached by several large tech companies in industries including call centres, finance and telephony to help create and improve their English language speech to text models and, more recently, other local languages such as Afrikaans. The new libraries will help global organisations provide improved speech to text service support for their customers using their own technology.  

This brand-new custom service offers language modelling transcription solutions for technologies that use speech to text and require assistance to deliver accurate voice to text language processing. The service is also of value to companies looking to build specific repositories of languages, dialects or subjects for the purposes of speech to text products or services. 

Way With Words typically provides bespoke human transcription solutions worldwide, including audio and video transcribing and, more recently, a captioning service. 

With many big players entering the market with AI transcription and speech to text services, Way With Words has been praised by clients for its attention to detail and absolute accuracy, something that AI technologies in the field have so far failed to replicate.  

The company is making a significant investment in a new workflow platform that will provide an even faster and more precise transcription platform using human transcribers. With such an increased demand for language libraries and speech to text services from clients around the world, Way With Words is exploring other applications for its solution and researching new ways to combine technology and AI without losing accuracy or attention to detail. 

Adam Kossowski, Chief Executive Officer at Way With Words says, “Right now many specialist technologies are looking to address the accuracy of their speech to text functionality for specific industries or use cases. At Way With Words, we are realigning our business to adopt a solution that we feel provides a new space for people to continue to work with these technologies to ensure the best of both worlds for years to come.” 

To find out more about Way With Words, visit https://waywithwords.net

About
Way With Words provides 99%+ accurate transcription for audio or video. Rated as one of the best transcription companies globally, Way With Words ensures that all clients receive quality transcription produced by transcribers who are selected, vetted and thoroughly trained in line with the Company’s strict criteria. Way With Words also offers custom transcription solutions to meet any bespoke needs, from a brief interview session to ongoing B2B transcribing of thousands of hours.

Help your customers understand why workplace noise affects productivity and profitability. And how they can fix it.

Today, work happens everywhere — in busy open-plan offices and contact centers, at home, even coffee shops. This flexibility is great for business and people, but with it comes a new challenge: noise. Distraction caused by noise reduces productivity and well-being and, in contact centers, detracts from a positive customer experience.

Studies show that it takes 23 minutes to recover from distraction, and over 58% of employees are distracted multiple times each day. That represents a significant impact on your customers’ businesses you can easily help avert through proven noise reduction strategies and products.

Plantronics engineers solutions that help people manage the noise around them so they can be more effective — no matter where they work. Together, we can help your customers reduce distractions caused by noise so their businesses can thrive.

Plantronics in South Africa offers several solutions for managing noise. This week we focus on the Voyager 6200 UC, a Bluetooth® neckband headset with earbuds that offers professional-grade audio and versatility. 

On any given day, you might need to collaborate with colleagues remotely, field calls from customers or listen to music to help you focus on your latest project. Now there’s a headset that’s flexible enough to meet the demands of your role inside the office and out. Voyager 6200 UC offers everything you’d expect from Plantronics — active-noise canceling, clear voice transmission and premium audio — in a versatile Bluetooth® neckband headset with earbuds. Intuitive controls make it easy to use, and the neckband vibrates to signal an incoming call. Voyager 6200 UC is so comfortable and low-profile that you can use it all day long, in the office and on the go. 

IT Managers

The professionals in your organization have different roles, responsibilities and work styles, so why offer them all the same headset? Now you don’t have to. New from Plantronics, Voyager 6200 UC is the first Bluetooth® neckband headset with earbuds built to enterprise standards. With its premium audio and versatility, users will want to wear it — and stay connected — everywhere they go.

Flexible Workers

With premium features and professional-grade audio, Voyager 6200 UC is a Bluetooth® neckband headset with earbuds that has the versatility to go beyond the office. Transitioning to your next conversation is easy: Connect with colleagues working remotely, listen to music to focus distraction-free or drop an earbud to tune in to the conversation around you. You can count on Voyager 6200 UC for outstanding audio every time, everywhere.

Hear and be heard clearly with these features:

• On-demand active- and passive-noise canceling let you focus on your call or work.
• Four omnidirectional microphones with enhanced digital signal processing (DSP) deliver superior background noise canceling.
• Premium hi-fi stereo lets you immerse yourself in your favorite music.
• Wide band audio provides high-quality PC telephony.

About Plantronics

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers’ most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments. Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From unified communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth® headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit www.plantronics.com/za 

©2018 Plantronics, Inc. Plantronics, SoundGuard, aptX and Voyager are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. registered in the US and other countries, and Plantronics Hub is a trademark of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 01.18

1 Oxford Economics, “When the walls come down – the evolution of the workplace.”
2 Plantronics Noise in the Workplace Global Study, 2017.
3 The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress Study from the Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, 2008.

Only 1 percent of employees now say they can block out distraction in the office, a dramatic drop since 2015; millennials less satisfied with their office layout than older colleagues.

The open office is designed to increase employee collaboration, but a new study from Oxford Economics, commissioned by audio pioneer Plantronics (NYSE: PLT), finds that the resultant noise pollution of the open office is reaching epidemic levels. According to the findings, conditions have grown much worse since Oxford Economics conducted its first study in 2015.

Oxford Economics interviewed 500 senior executives and non-manager employees from many industries and functional areas for the 2018 study. Participants hailed from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, China, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The study also included detailed interviews with executives who are taking steps to deal with these business collaboration and productivity challenges in their open offices.

Among the findings:

Open Office Conditions Dramatically Decline

The majority of executives and employees report near-constant noise in their workplace and many say they lack quiet space for meetings or to focus. Conditions are much worse now than three years ago, yet the executive disconnect remains:

• Only 1 percent of employees (down from 20 percent in 2015) say they are able to block out distractions and concentrate without taking extra steps in the office.
• 54 percent of executives believe their employees have the tools they need to mitigate noise and distraction in the office, but only 29 percent of employees agree (down from 41 percent in 2015).

 As a result, employees are taking matters into their own hands by leaving or tuning out their surroundings to get work done:

• 75 percent of employees say they need to take walks outside to focus, and 32 percent use headphones to block out distraction.
• Employees in the noisiest office environments are more likely to say they may leave their job in the next six months.

Wellness, Productivity and Financial Performance

The findings suggest that noise and distraction impact wellness, productivity and even financial performance, yet executives aren’t doing enough to address the problem:

• 63 percent of employees say they lack quiet space for focused work, which has a negative effect on their productivity, satisfaction and well-being.
• 96 percent of executives see employee productivity as critical to their financial performance, yet just 40 percent understand the link between noise, distraction and productivity.
• A mere 6 percent of executives report having equipped their office with noise mitigating features.

Millennials

According to the study, millennials, or those aged 22 to 36, are more accustomed to an open office versus older colleagues, likely because they started careers in such a setting. Despite that, they are the first to acknowledge the issues that come with these environments and tend to deal with these challenges differently than their older colleagues. Millennial employees are:

• Much less likely to say they find a noisy working environment energizing (9 percent, versus 30 percent of older colleagues).
• Less satisfied with their office layout than older employees (38 percent of millennials versus 48 percent of others).
• More likely to say their organization should address noise, distraction and information overload (89 percent versus 75 percent of older coworkers).
• More likely to say they take walks outside to focus (84 percent versus 63 percent of older employees), and less likely to use an office break room or quiet space.

Top Performers Have the Right Recipe

The survey shows a correlation between companies’ revenue growth and how those same companies approach their work environments. More than three-quarters of top performers (revenue growth above 10 percent and less turnover) report that office design and noise mitigation are important to financial performance and are proactively addressing the noise epidemic in their offices. These top performing companies are:

• More likely to provide workers with tools to block out noise and quiet space to focus.
• Less likely to say some employees find a noisy environment energizing (28 percent versus 50 percent of others).

Plantronics commissioned the study to better understand how to help create environments where employees thrive. “This year’s results are telling – open offices may provide overall cost savings, but they’re taking a toll on our productivity and wellness,” said Jennifer Adams, director, Enterprise Solutions Marketing. “We’re applying nearly 60 years of expertise in acoustics to come up with a whole range of solutions to address these challenges, from noise-cancelling headsets to our Habitat Soundscaping solution. Our vision: an open office that employees are excited to come into because it enhances their well-being and inspires them to do their best work.”

For more information about the study, visit this page. Plantronics offers products and services that help companies optimize collaboration in open office environments. For more information about solutions available in South Africa, please visit  www.plantronics.com/za/

About Plantronics

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers’ most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments. Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From unified communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth® headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit www.plantronics.com/za

What's all of this that we have been hearing about Active Noise Cancelling? It is not new, but more business owners are connecting the dots about the terminology that aligns to the technology already being used every single day in business centers across the globe. Below is excerpt from a simple, informative article written by one of our global directors, Frank Timmermans, and it certainly applies to technology readily available in the South African region. 

"Silence sometimes feels like a warm bath. Spending time alone works wonders for your concentration, productivity and the quality of your conversations. But finding peace and quiet in the hectic environment of a busy open-plan office space seems to be extremely difficult because there’s always some form of background noise. Luckily many headset suppliers have found a solution for this: noise cancelling.

What is noise cancelling?

To start off: by noise we mean external sounds that don't come from the headset. Just think of buzzing appliances at the office, talking colleagues, traffic noise, ringing telephones and noises from incoming app messages and reminders for meetings. Noise cancelling technology is the method for reducing these undesired sounds. There are two forms: active and passive. Passive noise cancelling actually means nothing more than a good seal. You’re probably familiar with the malleable foam earplugs and hearing protection that road workers use. These are examples of passive noise cancelling. Headsets with this function work in the same way, they make sure that the ear is well sealed.

Active noise cancelling (ANC) on the other hand, is much more advanced. It works by adding sound to the sound coming from your headset. Contrary to what you might expect, this ends disturbing background noise.

How does it work?

Sound is vibrating air and it moves in waves. These waves of sound have an amplitude (which determines the volume) and a frequency (which determines the pitch). Think for example of the constant buzzing noise that comes from a plane engine which moves like the blue line.If you run precisely the opposite sound wave (anti-noise – the orange line) through an existing sound wave, you’re left with silence. This physical process is known as destructive interference. And this is exactly what headphones with ANC use. They are fitted with both a microphone that records ambient noise and the technology that ‘turns around’ these sound waves. These reversed waves are then added to the sound that comes out of the speakers in your headphones, and voilà: ambient noise disappears for the user. 

Noise cancelling in the microphone

The ANC technology not only ensures that you can work in your own bubble of silence. The person you’re talking to can also take advantage of it, by implementing the technology in the microphone of a headset. For the best sound, several omni-directional microphones are built into our newest products. Each microphone calculates where the sound of your voice comes from and focuses on that point in space. In this way the headset can already ‘ignore’ a lot of irrelevant background noise. In addition, the headset also lays several digital filters over the sound: one algorithm detects non-stationary sound like speaking colleagues, and another algorithm checks whether there are stationary sounds like buzzing printers or the air-conditioning. All of this combined means that it feels just like you’re alone in the office, wherever you are!

Why is ANC so great in a headset?

Noise in the workplace is not only the biggest enemy of efficiency, it’s also really bad for your health. So it’s no surprise that headsets with noise cancelling functionalities are popular in the workplace. We now have four different ANC products in our portfolio. This is our way of contributing to the whole world’s productivity!" You can view a demonstration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpgOVTtn0eQ 

Noise and managing it in the workplace is a popular topic which we will discuss across the South African region over the coming months. Including technology options within business strategies for helping workers have clear conversations is certainly something to consider, amongst other ideas for adapting to modern work styles. To read more about products available in South Africa which are strong ANC contenders for helping office workers, visit https://www.plantronics.com/za/en/category/office-worker 

About Plantronics

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers’ most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments. Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From unified communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information or to find authorized distributors in South Africa, visit https://www.plantronics.com/za/ 

64% of employees agree blocking out noise increases their productivity.(1)

Today, work happens everywhere — in busy open-plan offices and contact centers, at home, even coffee shops. This flexibility is great for business and people, but with it comes a new challenge: noise. Distraction caused by noise reduces productivity and well-being and, in contact centers, detracts from a positive customer experience.

Studies show that it takes 23 minutes to recover from distraction(3) and over 58% of employees are distracted multiple times each day.(2) That represents a significant impact on your customers’ businesses you can easily help avert through proven noise reduction strategies and products.

Managing Noise: In the Contact Center

In the contact center, noise remains the biggest complaint among employees(4) and can negatively impact customer satisfaction.(3) But managing noise effectively can raise productivity,2 improve customer experiences(5) and impact the bottom line.(1) Plantronics creates technologies that manage noise to help contact centers be more effective and businesses be more successful.

Customer Service Representative (CSR) - Needs to handle urgent requests from customers quickly and efficiently. Key challenge: Hearing and being heard by customers.

Help Desk Support - Manages intense, often lengthy, customer calls. Key challenge: Wearing headset all day (comfort, battery issues).

Supervisor - Supports CSRs with call assistance and training. Key challenge: Background noise and audio quality on escalated calls.

High-Level Support - Guides and supports CSRs on most challenging calls. Key challenge: Mobility within office to help with urgent situations. 

How do you handle these challenges within your business? 

Contact Center Solutions

Plantronics engineers solutions that help people manage the noise around them so they can be more effective — no matter where they work. Together, we can help your customers reduce distractions caused by noise so their businesses can thrive.The all-day comfort and superior sound quality of our headsets empowers contact center workers to provide exceptional service. Explore how you can provide a better customer experience, and empower your staff with better products, newer technology, and smarter workplace design. The EncorePro series is a great option, delivering the all-new generation communications technology for customer service centers and offices, designed for the future, and built on experience. The EncorePro series is available in South Africa through authorized distributors. More information about solutions available in your local area are available at www.plantronics.com/za 

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers’ most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments.  Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike, and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From Unified Communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit www.plantronics.com/za 

1 Oxford Economics, “When the walls come down – the evolution of the workplace.” 2 Plantronics Noise in the Workplace Global Study, 2017. 3 The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress Study from the Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, 2008. 4 Plantronics Persona Research, 2017. 1 Oxford Economics, “When the walls come down—the evolution of the workplace.” 5 Dimensional Research for ZenDesk, Customer Service and business results: A survey of customer service from mid-size companies, 2013.

Johannesburg, South Africa - 18 January 2018 --Plantronics (NYSE: PLT): Thriving in today’s business environment requires collaboration. The ability for virtual, mobile, or on-premises teams to communicate across devices in real time has become a competitive advantage and a business requirement. A seamless and intuitive Unified Communications solution enables that advantage. The market bears this out. UC deployments are on the rise. According to a 2014 survey on the State of Unified Communications, 57% of respondents have deployed or plan on deploying UC in the next year compared to just 38% in the year before. Those statistics may have changed slightly in the last few years, but the message is clear. And deployment is just step one. The second step is user adoption, and adoption rates are still lagging. If your people think—regardless of the reality—that a UC solution makes it harder to connect and collaborate, they won’t use it.

The way we work is evolving.

Effective collaboration requires clear communication. Today that means allowing people to communicate when and how they choose. As a result, the challenges IT departments face are more significant than ever before. The days of just provisioning equipment are gone. Not only does IT have to accommodate an increasingly mobile and disparate workforce that brings their own technology into the enterprise, IT may be tasked with supporting multiple UC platforms. It is no longer enough to make sure everything in the office works right. IT has to make sure everything for everyone works right everywhere.

User experience matters most. In order to improve user adoption rates and maximize ROI, a collective mindset change is needed. IT can no longer view employees as an active directory listing. Successful adoption comes when IT takes a user-centric approach. IT needs to view employee satisfaction as the first and most important element to a successful UC implementation.

4 steps to improving user adoption.

• Understand how work gets done: People need the ability to utilize the right tool at any time based on their work needs and location —IM, email, or voice; at the desk or around the office, at home or anywhere else.

• Recommend equipment based on employee needs: What are the challenges of different work styles? Equipment should fit the way people work, people shouldn’t have to change the way they work to fit equipment. Employees shouldn’t have to change the way they work best to fit with the equipment IT recommends. 

• Offer diverse training options: Sending a PDF on how to use your new UC application isn’t enough. Just as people have different work styles, they also have different learning styles. The training IT offers should take a variety of learning styles into account. 

• Develop clear policies: Don’t just tell people what you expect from them—explain why. If people don’t understand the reasons why their ingrained ways of doing things need to change, user adoption will suffer.

Multiple devices, one voice.

Making communication seamless across devices is a significant challenge. A Unified Communications solution that can intuitively connect users regardless of their work style is paramount in today’s business environment. Successful adoption depends on IT departments providing people with options that suit them. It’s about changing perspectives. Taking a people-centric approach gives your company the best chance of meeting its UC business goals.

Unified communications enable teams to work and interact with each other from virtually anywhere. We provide organizations with technology that brings clarity and integration to your UC devices and platforms—to simplify deployment, increase adoption, and help provide real ROI on your UC investment. Our goal is to make it easier for teams to connect and collaborate. Visit us online to explore tools, tips and strategies that can help drive UC adoption rates so your people can communicate whenever and wherever they choose.

Plantronics works with authorized distributors across Africa. More information about UC solutions available in your local area are available at www.plantronics.com/africa 

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers’ most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments.  Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike, and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From Unified Communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit www.plantronics.com/africa 

1Michael Finneran, “2014 State of Unified Communications,” Information Week Reports. 

Johannesburg, South Africa – November 2017, Plantronics (NYSE: PLT), an audio pioneer and communications technology leader, recently announced the Blackwire 5200 Series and Blackwire 3200 Series. With sleek, updated designs, professional-grade audio, and a range of product choices at varying price points, the new Blackwire headsets connect to laptops, PCs and smartphones for seamless communication.

“The Blackwire family has consistently delivered for our customers and remains one of our top-selling product lines,” said Gavin Sear, Manager, Global Product Marketing at Plantronics. “The Blackwire 5200 Series and Blackwire 3200 Series step up the line’s adaptability for the next generation of in-office professionals by enabling them to easily connect to all their devices while enjoying all-day comfort and a high-quality audio experience.”

The Blackwire family of products are designed for people whose work demands that they are connected to their computer or smartphone with the flexibility to switch between devices without missing a beat. Research shows office-based workers are often distracted by ambient noise and interruptions, and they need communications solutions to help them focus.

When professionals select the forward-looking industrial design, premium materials, and lava-red accents used throughout the headset and cords of the Blackwire 5200 Series and Blackwire 3200 Series they get a high-performance headset that assures they can hear and be heard in every conversation along with a new design that conveys competence and confidence to handle even the most critical conversation. The Blackwire Series is designed to work with popular software applications such as Cisco Jabber, Microsoft Skype for Business, and Microsoft Teams across PCs, laptops and smartphones with a headphone jack.

Additional features and benefits of the next-generation Blackwire family include:

• Folding ear cushions and included carrying case for easy on-the-go storage
• Intuitive one-touch call answer/end, volume increase/decrease and mute controls
• Works across a range of devices supporting USB-A or USB-C and 3.5mm connections
• User-friendly audio prompts with language customization and inline indicator lights alert the user to incoming calls, mute and volume status
• Wideband audio with noise-canceling microphones for high-quality telephony audio
• Compatibility with Plantronics Manager Pro, an additional purchase, that enables IT teams to gain insight into every compatible Plantronics headset being used company-wide
• Dynamic EQ automatically adjusts audio settings between voice calls and music

Features exclusive to Blackwire 5200 Series include:

• Passive noise cancelling to mitigate nearby talking and other distracting noises for greater focus
• Dynamic mute alert, ensuring optimal productivity by sensing and alerting users via an in-ear whisper when they are trying to talk while muted
• SoundGuard Digital enabled by Plantronics Hub software provides additional advanced acoustic limiting protection preventing average daily noise exposure from exceeding 85dBA
• A redesigned headband that was influenced by the Voyager Focus design.

The Blackwire 5200 Series and the Blackwire 3200 Series will be available soon in South Africa through Plantronics authorized partners. More information about features offered within Blackwire 5200 Series and Blackwire 3200 Series are available at www.plantronics.com/africa

About Plantronics
Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers’ most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments. Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike, and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From Unified Communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit www.plantronics.com/africa. 

_____
Plantronics, Inc. Blackwire, Plantronics, and SoundGuard are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. registered in the US and other countries, and Plantronics Hub is a trademark of Plantronics, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Skype for Business are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Cisco is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

[1] Not all statements applicable to Blackwire 3210/3220

Lorge: Ready to make waves at Botswana’s Premier International Exhibition  

~ Global Expo Botswana ~ 2016 ~

04 November 2016
- By Genesis Articles Global

Introduction  

Lorge Consulting Services will be joining a host of key industry stakeholders, international and regional business delegates and strategic role-players gathering in Botswana, from the 23rd to the 26th November 2016. They will be attending the 11th Edition of the country’s premier business-to-business (b2b) and multi-sectoral exposition held in Gaborone and hosted by none other than the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC). This calendar-highlight event, known as the Global Expo Botswana (2016), will attract thousands of exhibitors and attendees over its four day duration. 

Why is Lorge Participating?  

Responding to a personal invitation, Lorge is strategically positioned to participate at a major trade and investment platform of this nature. As a specialist provider of Business Management (BMS) and Business Intelligence (BI) Solutions for the past 30 years, Lorge continues to enjoy a growing footprint in Southern Africa. The theme of this years Global Expo Botswana, being Unlocking Opportunities for Economic Growth, is one that is firmly endorsed by the dedicated Lorge team. This is reflected in the company’s loyal and expanding client-base, including progressive enterprises operating in various sectors of Botswana’s economy.   

Benefits to Exhibitors and Attendees at Global Expo Botswana  

There are a host of mutual and exhibitor-specific benefits that expo participants and attendees can look forward to. Likewise, there are several positive reasons why Lorge has specifically chosen to be represented at the expo this year:

• Organisations that rely on customised BMS and BI software solutions can personally meet with Lorge representatives and discuss their individual needs. This includes enterprises seeking supply and implementation of Sage X3, Sage 300, Sage CRM, Sage X3 People and Qlikview business and technology solutions.
• Prospective suppliers and organisations with synergistic intentions will also have the unique opportunity to network with company representatives and engage in meaningful discussions over the 4 day period.
• Existing customers, associates and networks in Botswana, already collaborating with Lorge, will also have an opportunity to meet with company representatives at the exhibition.
• Forward-facing local and foreign-based entities already operating in Botswana or those intending on entering the market, will be able to draw on Lorge’s extensive BMS and BI expertise in Southern Africa. Furthermore, Lorge prides itself on providing cutting-edge solutions that are adaptable, scalable as well as industry or business-specific. Again, the expo provides the ideal platform to speak directly with Lorge representatives and make relevant enquiries.

Why Botswana is the Ideal Host  

Lorge is dedicated to offering sustainable software solutions that enable businesses to streamline their processes, maximise their efficiencies and optimise their competitive advantages. In order to achieve this, in an intensely competitive and demanding market, the company strategically aligns with current trends. This approach fosters the accurate delivery of customised solutions, which meet the present-day needs of enterprises in evolving markets.   For organisations that are seeking quality-engineered BMS and BI solutions and would like to expand their footprint in Botswana as well as other markets in SADC, here are a few reasons why Botswana is the perfect location for a multi-industrial expo on this scale:

• The country is ideally situated in Southern Africa, being more or less geographically central in SADC. The location therefore serves as a strong gateway into other parts of the SADC region, while also affording preferential market access into SACU, EU, MERCUSOR and US markets.
• The prospective local market, estimates a substantial populous of around 200 million people.
• The country displays impressive political and economic stability that stands out in the continent of Africa.
• The country has a low tax regime, there are no foreign exchange controls and sovereign credit ratings (Moody’s, Standard & Poor, World Bank ease of Doing Business, Transparency International and so forth) compare favourably to other African nations.

Why choose Lorge?  

There are a host of reasons why Lorge has become the supplier of choice for a growing number of enterprises in Southern Africa. Recently Lorge also participated at the Finance Indaba 2016, where the CFO’s and key stakeholders of thousands of organisations had the opportunity to learn more about the incredible advantages of the software solutions offered. Here are a few more reasons why Lorge has earned an undisputed reputation as a market leader and award-winning specialist in its field:

1. With three decades of specialised experience, the company’s passionate workforce has successfully implemented over 10 000 users across a wide spectrum of industries.
2. Is a trusted Service Provider for more than 250 companies, including multinationals operating in Southern Africa.
3. Provides world-class systems, customised as per clients’ needs.
4. Maintains a strong customer-centric approach, from sales and implementation to technical and ongoing general support, thanks to the Dedicated Client Care Centre.
5. Is resourced with a Dedicated Sage Accredited In-house Training Centre. 

For further information on the Global Expo Botswana or to find out about our exhibition, contact our Marketing and Sales Coordinator, Bronwyn Delport on 010 594 9800. We look forward to meeting you and your delegation at the upcoming expo in Botswana, later this month.    

Media Contact

This Press Release is proudly brought to you by communications specialists Genesis Articles on behalf of Lorge Consulting Services

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