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

Small Business Awards launched on 24 April 2018

Hyde Park, Sandton – June 4, 2018 – A couple of weeks back, Smartcom had some rather thrilling news to share. They launched the Small Business Awards – an exciting opportunity where Smartcom will be giving small business owners and entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their business, and stand a chance to win a coveted title and exceptional prizes.

Promoting budding entrepreneurs has always been something that Smartcom has supported, but they want to delve deeper into this complex, but exciting venture. And so the Small Business Awards were born.

Smartcom collaborated with a vast range of established and successful companies, like BlackBerry, Nippy Print, The Social Media Company, From Me, and more. After careful deliberation with the various companies, they announced the competition, and prizes of up to R50 000!

To make this a fair fight, three categories were introduced – The Smartcom Small Business of the Year, The Smartcom Informal Business of the Year, and The Smartcom Youth Entrepreneur of the Year – each focussing on a specific group of entrepreneurs and businesses.

To enter, you will be required to complete the relevant application form, and upload photos that will showcase your business, team, products and/or services. Entries for all categories in the Smartcom Small Business Awards officially open on Monday, 23 April 2018, and entries will close on 30 June 2018.

Small businesses are the backbone of their communities and a driving force of the South Africa economy as a whole. Smartcom believed that initiatives like the Small Business Awards will encourage small business owners in this vitally important endeavour. By kick-starting this initiative, Smartcom is giving you a head start in the cutthroat business world we have come to know. Don’t waste time – be part of the movement and let us help you and your business be a force to reckon with.

If you are an entrepreneur keen to enter, please visit this link:

https://www.smartcom.co.za/smartcom-launches-smartcom-small-business-awards/ 

The mobile workforce is growing at a rapid rate, and its workers need technology that enable them to be more efficient at collaborating and communicating. Gavin Sear, Manager Global Product Marketing at Plantronics talks about the new Calisto 7200 in his recent blog:

"Today I have the pleasure of letting you all know that Plantronics has added to the Calisto family of speakerphones by introducing Calisto 7200 to the market. This new, sleek and compact speakerphone is designed specifically for small “huddle rooms” for up to six people, to provide a meeting experience beyond compare. With the addition of Calisto 7200, our partners can now offer their customers a complete selection of audio collaboration devices: headsets, personal and small group speakerphones.

We created this product in a collaboration that began last year with Polycom, a leader in the conferencing space, as we share a mutual goal of providing users with superior user experiences. There’s no doubt the need for small conference rooms is growing quickly. A Nemertes 2018 study found 67 percent of IT leaders are evaluating now, or planning this year or next year, to invest in meeting rooms. Even in today’s open-office environments, the need for smaller conference and collaboration rooms is increasing.

Calisto 7200 offers a professional audio experience on both ends of the call, powered by Polycom. Four highly-directional microphones pick up speech from every corner of the meeting room, with a great reduction of the “cave effect” of room reverberance. In addition, Calisto 7200 comes with wide band support for natural-sounding meetings with a small group of people. Noise cancelling technology filters out undesirable background noises like keyboard typing and paper shuffling when nobody in the room is actively speaking.

One of the best things about this speakerphone is that it can help increase adoption of unified communications (UC) systems. Because it’s so easy to use, with intuitive, plug-and-play connectivity for both PCs and mobile phones, it’s just flat-out simple to connect with UC applications. An additional side benefit is that businesses placing these in their huddle rooms don’t need to worry about post-installation availability. Calisto 7200 comes with a combined USB audio and security cable. However, without the locking cable, the device is portable, so you can take it on the road with you if you wish. To top it all off, there is software support for asset management via our Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering, Plantronics Manager Pro. With the subscription of Plantronics Manager Pro, IT can track these (and other) Plantronics audio and mobile devices to control inventory, update firmware, pre-configure and lock device settings remotely to ensure consistent audio across all devices.

Calisto 7200 connects easily via a USB cable, or you can connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. It has touch-sensitive controls to make it easy to manage calls and the Bluetooth memory can be cleared of previously paired devices which is essential for a shared audio device. And it’s affordable enough to install in all of your huddle rooms, small conference rooms and collaboration zones."

Designed for exceptional conferencing performance in a small group conference room, watch this page https://www.plantronics.com/za/en for more information about future availability in South Africa or speak to one of our local South African distributors.

Read the blog here

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 

Plantronics is a trademark of Plantronics, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Company now offers the industry’s widest range of stereo Bluetooth devices with active noise cancellation 

Johannesburg, South Africa — 23 January 2018 – Plantronics (NYSE: PLT), an audio pioneer and communications technology leader, introduced today the Voyager 6200 UC, the company’s latest addition to its flagship Voyager family of enterprise headsets. The new neckband wearing style features Bluetooth wireless connectivity, a boomless design with comfort-fit earbuds, active noise cancellation (ANC), and integration with major UC applications.  With the addition of Voyager 6200 UC to its line-up, Plantronics is now offering professionals the widest range of stereo Bluetooth devices with ANC of any vendor in market.

“Accommodating individual employee work styles is becoming increasingly important, especially when it comes to retaining millennial and Gen Y talent,” said Alaa Saayed, ICT Principal Analyst, Frost & Sullivan. “By offering a wide choice of headsets and letting people choose their preference, IT and line of business managers can create a solid win-win scenario; optimizing the UC and collaboration experience overall for the company, and engendering goodwill with highly valuable personnel.” 

“We continue to hear that noise and distraction are the number one pain-points for office professionals,” said Gavin Sear, Global Product Marketing at Plantronics. “The best way to get people to embrace technology that can help them communicate and collaborate better is by offering choices that speak to their individual work style as well as their lifestyle, whether they’re in or out of the office. The Voyager 6200 UC delivers this versatility with business-grade audio to a new group of users that find existing headset and headphone offerings too limiting.”  The Voyager 6200 UC offers a unique combination of features and benefits unlike any other neckband headset with earbuds in market, including:

• Four omni-directional microphones that listen to sound from all directions and deliver a professional-grade audio experience on both sides of the call, without a microphone boom, via Plantronics “clear talk technology”
• Active and passive noise cancellation, ensuring focus when surrounded by noise and distractions both in and out of the office
• Wide band audio delivering clear PC calls and premium hi-fi stereo, which is especially important when listening to music
• Versatile design, allowing users to listen to calls or media in stereo or simply drop either earbud for single ear use and to be more aware of their surroundings; the neckband discreetly vibrates to indicate an incoming call or alert
• Certification for Microsoft Skype for Business; compatibility with Cisco Jabber, Microsoft Teams and numerous software apps
• The ability to pair up to eight devices and connect to two simultaneously for easy audio management
• Class 1 Bluetooth, providing a wireless range up to 30 meters/98 feet Dynamic mute alert, ensuring optimal productivity by sensing and alerting users via an in-ear whisper if they talk while muted
• Up to 9 hours of talk time, and up to 16 hours of listening time, to communicate and collaborate all day
• Compatibility with Plantronics Manager Pro™, an additional purchase, that enables IT teams to gain insight into every compatible Plantronics headset being used company-wide

Voyager 6200 UC and Plantronics Manager Pro

Voyager 6200 UC is fully supported by Plantronics Manager Pro, which allows IT managers to monitor, manage and maintain devices company-wide, including usage and acoustic analysis. This includes the ability to configure the user experience, manage firmware deployments, and harvest predictive analytics to detect compatibility issues before they become critical. Plantronics Manager Pro is available as a subscription service, sold separately from the Voyager family. 

Voyager 6200 UC will be coming to South Africa soon and will be available in black and sand colours through Plantronics authorized South African partners. More information about features offered within the Voyager Family, and Plantronics Manager Pro are available at www.plantronics.com/za/en   

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 plantronics.com. 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. More information is available at www.plantronics.com/za/en 

Johannesburg, South Africa – November 2017, Plantronics (NYSE: PLT), an audio pioneer and communications technology leader, recently announced enhancements to its Software as a Service (SaaS) technology. With focus in the last several years on capturing new opportunities as the communication landscape shifts to the cloud, the technologies designed to deliver communications shift in response to a workforce increasingly in motion.

Plantronics has been a leader in providing innovative, high-quality headsets to large enterprises and contact centers through authorized partners in South Africa for many years. Recently, Plantronics started offering software applications such as Plantronics Hub and Plantronics Manager Pro [1] to help organize important business insight - giving IT and customer experience managers additional information into their communications environments. In order to extend the reach of Plantronics Manager Pro, Plantronics has recently made Open Data Access (ODA) and related APIs[2] available on its Plantronics Manager Pro Developer Portal, a first to market program in such an industry at the time.

Designed for businesses, Enterprise IT and call center managers can benefit from the ability to extend the information in the software dashboards they use today to monitor their communications environment to include analytics related to how the headset interacts with their other communication tools. Plantronics is happy to work with partners and software developers who want to innovate in the communications landscape by integrating analytics into their software. Business partners can benefit by new software integrations that work seamlessly with enterprise audio solutions, joining up UC and contact center customer value. 

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. is a trademark of Plantronics, Inc. registered in the US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

[1] Available soon through authorized SaaS Distributors in South Africa only, check with local authorized partners for more information

[2] Check with local authorized SaaS Distributors in South Africa for availability dates

Range of pre-prepared cable assemblies for popular Molex connector families provides cost-effective solution for markets including communications, consumer and industrial 

Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 August, 2017 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has announced availability of a number of pre-prepared cable assemblies that provide compatible solutions for key product ranges from Molex, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of connectors and interconnection components. 

Targeting a wide range of applications in industries including automotive, consumer, defence, industrial and medical, as well as telecommunications and networking, the new Molex range of pre-terminated cables makes it even easier for engineers to adopt interconnection components in new and existing designs, removing the need for expensive tooling, long production times and laborious testing procedures. 

The wire-to-board cable assemblies have been designed with terminations chosen to work with some of Molex's most popular interconnection families. These include the FIT range (Micro-FIT, Mini-FIT Jr. Nano-FIT and Mega-Fit), as well as the CLIK-Mate and Micro-Clasp and Pico-Clasp connector ranges. 

The Molex pre-terminated cable assemblies are now available from RS. 

 -- Ends --

About RS Components 

RS Components is the market leader in the high service level distribution of electrical, electronic, mechanical, tools and industrial products. Operating in 26 countries whilst serving a further 100 through third-party distributors, RS serves every sector of industry in the procurement of their products relating to maintenance, repair, operations, low volume production, research and development.   

With over 500 000 products across 2500 leading brands, the company is committed to ensuring that their 1,5 million customers have fast access to a broad, as well as deep range, of products and technologies, all under one roof. RS’s customers, whether ordering single or multiple items, experience a quick, easy, secure, painless and cost effective process. 

The RS catalogue, available at za.rs-online.com, offers full colour pictures with extensive clear product specifications.  Free access to thousands of datasheets ensures the correct product choice. 

Order placement is easily facilitated through za.rs-online.com, the call centre, e-mail, fax and trade counter.  Locally held stock is delivered to customers within 24 hours, and products held internationally, within four to six working days.    

It is proven that departments traditionally spend 80% of their time sourcing products that account for only 20% of their total procurement spend. RS is focussed on reducing the customers “total cost of product ownership” by reducing the need to make multiple calls to various companies to source products, reducing supplier related administration and allowing for the amalgamation as well as consolidation of supplier bases.  

Through this process, procurement efficiency is improved and time is freed up to concentrate on the more important business decisions.  For more information, please visit the website at za.rs-online.com  

Press Office
Le-andra Olivier
PR and Communications Specialist
RS Components South Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 11 691 9345 

Further information is available via these links

• Twitter: @rsonline_SA; @DesignSparkRS
• Facebook: facebook.com/rssouthafrica/
• RS Components on LinkedIn -
• http://www.linkedin.com/company/rscoms 

Relevant Links
RSPro
RS Components South Africa
www.electrocomponents.com
DesignSpark Magazine - http://www.designspark.com

Micro-D connector series from Norcomp offers real alternative to military-spec connectors in industrial applications 

Johannesburg, South Africa, 25 July, 2017 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has announced availability of a new range of micro-miniature industrial connectors manufactured by Norcomp, which are a cost-effective and highly capable alternative to the use of military- and aerospace-rated micro-D connectors.  

The 380/381/382/960 series of Micro-D connectors and cable assemblies has been designed for commercial markets including robotics, telecommunications and instrumentation equipment, and other applications where space is at a premium yet which also require a robust shielded I/O connector system.  

The Norcomp Micro-D series is available in three industry-standard sizes – 9, 15 and 25-way – as well as in vertical and right angle board-mount and cable-mount options. Offering a contact spacing of just 1.27mm (0.050-inch), the connectors are less than a third the size of standard D-sub connector types, yet deliver a metal-to-metal interface that provides robust mechanical connection and shield effectiveness.  

Able to mate with most commercial competitor products, other features of the series include a 1A contact rating and an operating temperature range of –55C to +85°C.  The Norcomp range of industrial Micro-D connectors is now available from RS.  

-Ends-  

About RS Components 

RS Components is the market leader in the high service level distribution of electrical, electronic, mechanical, tools and industrial products. Operating in 26 countries whilst serving a further 100 through third-party distributors, RS serves every sector of industry in the procurement of their products relating to maintenance, repair, operations, low volume production, research and development.   

With over 500 000 products across 2500 leading brands, the company is committed to ensuring that their 1,5 million customers have fast access to a broad, as well as deep range, of products and technologies, all under one roof. RS’s customers, whether ordering single or multiple items, experience a quick, easy, secure, painless and cost effective process. 

The RS catalogue, available at za.rs-online.com, offers full colour pictures with extensive clear product specifications.  Free access to thousands of datasheets ensures the correct product choice.  Order placement is easily facilitated through za.rs-online.com, the call centre, e-mail, fax and trade counter. 

Locally held stock is delivered to customers within 24 hours, and products held internationally, within four to six working days.  

 It is proven that departments traditionally spend 80% of their time sourcing products that account for only 20% of their total procurement spend. RS is focussed on reducing the customers “total cost of product ownership” by reducing the need to make multiple calls to various companies to source products, reducing supplier related administration and allowing for the amalgamation as well as consolidation of supplier bases. 

Through this process, procurement efficiency is improved and time is freed up to concentrate on the more important business decisions. 

For more information, please visit the website at za.rs-online.com 

Press Office

Le-andra Olivier
PR and Communications Specialist
RS Components South Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 11 691 9345 

Further information is available via these links

• Twitter - @rsonline_SA; @DesignSparkRS
• Facebook - facebook.com/rssouthafrica/RS Components on
• LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/company/rscoms 

Relevant Links

• RSProRS Components South Africa - www.electrocomponents.com
  DesignSpark Magazine - http://www.designspark.com

Johannesburg, South Africa, 30 May 2017. Vuma Reputation Management is proud to have hosted eight learners from the Kwabhekilanga Secondary School, during the 15th annual Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day® on May 25th, 2017. Vuma Reputation Management spent the day with the learners under the mentorship of the executive team. A detailed programme was planned that involved what the company is about, what it does, what the respective roles of the various employees are; how the company operates on a daily basis and specifically on what reputation management is all about.  

Education is a vital component to fostering sustainable gender equality and empowerment of women. Cell C’s Take a Girl Child to Work Day ® statistics show that this day has a profound effect on a girl child with many choosing a career based on their day in the workplace. Janine Hills, founder and CEO of Vuma Reputation Management says: “We are delighted to have taken part in this life altering initiative for young women and have made a commitment to assist the school in providing reading material for the learners”.   

Issued by:
Tshego Kekana
Account Manager
Vuma Reputation Management
087 941 3497
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

15 FACTS ABOUT THE CELL C TAKE A GIRL CHILD TO WORK DAY® 

1. Take a Girl Child To Work Day® was started in 2003 as Cell C’s flagship CSI project. The programme targets Grade 10 to 12 girl learners, who want to start making decisions about their future careers. In the last 15 years, this impactful campaign has grown into a nationwide movement and one of South Africa’s most recognisable and successful social campaigns.   

2. From the very beginning, the project aimed to expose girls to a day in the professional workplace, showcasing a wide variety of career opportunities they would not otherwise be exposed to – and in doing so helping them to dream, believe and achieve. 

3. The Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day® initiative contributes towards the development of strong, smart, bold girls and assist in preparing a core of future women leaders who will be vibrant contributors to the economy and leading job creators for our country. 

4. The concept caught the imagination of corporate South Africa and its growth has been exponential. In 2003, 85 companies signed up to host school girls. By 2016, a record 720 corporates partnered with Cell C to host an estimated 100 000 girls. 

5. To date, more than 750 000 girls have been through the programme. 

6. The campaign has been received with enthusiasm and excitement from all sectors: government, the corporate world, media and the non-profit sector. Some of the high-profile people who have supported the project since its inception include former President Nelson Mandela; former President Thabo Mbeki; current President, Jacob Zuma; former Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Nqcuka; Minister of Women in the Presidency, Ms Susan Shabangu; erstwhile Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela and JSE CEO, Nicky Newton-King – to name just a few. 

7. Well known South African women (among them Basetsana Kumalo, Rolene Strauss, Cheryl Carolus, Sophie Ndaba, Leanne Manas, Jenna Clifford and Dolly Mokgatle) have served as ambassadors for the campaign. As successful women in the fields of media, business, government and politics, these women provide an example to young women while helping them believe that anything is possible. 

8. Seeing the need for an initiative that helps young women further their education, and wanting to replace the “one day” concept with a legacy programme, Cell C partnered with the Tomorrow Trust in 2012 to form the Cell C Girl Child Bursary Fund.  To date, 30 girl learners from disadvantaged backgrounds have received bursaries to pursue Further Education and Training (FET). 

9. Cell C also established a Girl Child Institute of Mentorship in which successful senior female executives and managers share their expertise and time with girl learners.  

10. At a United Nations World Conference on Women in 1995, the development of the Girl Child was identified as one of twelve thematic areas of need.  

11. In 2015, the African Union, acknowledged that a lot still needs to be done in Africa to bring women into the epicentre of development.  They have declared 2010 - 2020 the ‘African Women’s Decade’ under the theme: “Grassroots approach to gender equality and women’s empowerment”. The Africa Agenda 2063 provides for 50% women representation in decision-making by 2020.    

12. The vision of Africa 2063 is a Continent with full gender parity, with women occupying the centre stage in all sectors relevant to the economy. The successful implementation of this strategic framework will go a long way in destroying the economic and political glass ceiling that restricts women’s progress and integration into the economic mainstream.  

13. The Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day® initiative was recognised in October 2016 as one of the unique interventions that seeks to address not only an ICT industry skills risk, but also a national risk of girls failing to take up the opportunities open to them in the corporate world which has an obvious effect on aggravating the skills shortage.  The award was given to Cell C in recognition of its contribution towards managing the Skills Shortage risk and addressing inequality. According to the Institute of Risk Management of South Africa (IRMSA), skills shortage is the third highest risk both on national and industry levels. 

14. One of Cell C’s proudest moments was when the project was voted as one of the country’s “single largest collaborative acts of volunteerism” by The Encyclopaedia of Brands and Branding in South Africa. 

15.In keeping with the theme of empowering women, the majority of Cell C’s workforce is female.

When it comes to telephony solutions, there are many options to choose from and business owners are indundated with multiple calls per day from various solution providers who are all prett much selling the same thing.  With all these options, business owners tend to make the wrong choices, going with the cheapest provider or the most familiar brand and often-times regretting their decisions a few months into their contract, leaving them helpless to change their fate for the forseeable future without incurring additional costs.

ESAPARTNER has taken on new initiative in the sales and support of telephone systems for the business market with a team certified in the sales and maintenance of multiple telephone system brands, and skilled in building solutions that do more than just save companies money but transform the way that companies communicate by taking their communications into the future, tailor-making each solution to individual business requirements.

The company based in Cape Town, South Africa services more than 200 PABX customers in Cape Town and throughout South Africa, spanning across the various brands that they represent - Yeastar, Samsung, NEC, Avaya, Far South and even hosted asterisk-based business and call centre telephony systems. The technical team servicing these clients are all specialists in their fields with certifications and expertise on each of the products to provide clients with peace of mind from the very start.

Being multi-vendored in the PABX industry gives ESAPARTNER's the edge as they are able to suggest products based on specifications and not based on brand-limitations. As a result, ESAPARTNER does not provide out-of-box solutions and each solution is tailor-made to meet individual business requirements. When tailor-making a solution, the company into account network infrastructure, security, and compatibility, breakout speeds and contentions, system usage and requirements and various other factors that relate to the operation of the system and then build a solution to ensure that each factor is covered.

VoIP has been a very competitive market for many years with major service providers competing aggressively for the lowest call charges and the best solution for the South African market. In between the major players are the wholesalers and resellers, competing for their portion of the pie which we know as Voice Over IP.

ESAPARTNER came into the VoIP market in 2013 after becoming a well-known name in the office automation and PABX industry, servicing well over 1000 clients. Since then, ESAPARTNER has grown its VoIP and Telecommunications department, internally known as ESACONNECT and is servicing a significant slice of the market with high-quality VoIP and IP technology. As their clientele has grown, so has the company's technologies with the company offering a full range of VoIP and internet products including hosted PBX, gateway solutions, ADSL, VDSL, LTE and fibre. 

The company is increasing its clientbase in the VoIP sector of the market while also gaining marketshare in the internet and bandwidth sector, to meet the demands of increasing data consumption in the country. ESAPARTNER has partnered with various upstream providers in its aim to provide its clients with the best solution based on technology and not brand.

Based in Cape Town, ESAPARTNER services the Western Cape but also has a footprint throughout South Africa with various SME and corporate clients using a variety of internet and VoIP products offered by ESAPARTNER. The company supports all its clients on a level 1 and level 2 technical scale with strategic partners who offer 3rd level technical support.

For more information regarding any of the VoIP and internet products provided by ESAPARTNER, contact the company on 021 552 5233 or visit the company website on www.esapartner.co.za