The paperless era has arrived, bringing with it a new world of e-signatures,
electronic bills of lading and real-time track and trace accessibility.
The choice is simple - adapt or die.
This mini-feature takes a look at some of the industry majors
who have embraced the new era, and the solutions they offer
to maintain competitive edge.
AS E-COMMERCE takes hold, the concomitant growth in telecommunications bills is an issue which local business is hard-pressed to absorb.
While the Telkom monopoly limits cost-cutting avenues at present, there are several ways to reduce your telecommunications bill now, says Jo Randell, national sales manager of multi-national forensic cost consultants NUS South Africa.
An insurance company is now R34 000 richer thanks to a rental credit following an audit by NUS, while a healthcare company was refunded R32 000 when errors in its bill for installations and adjustments were picked up.
Telecommunications companies use complexity as a marketing tool, says Randell. NUS has the expertise to cut through that complexity and find billing errors which are not immediately apparent to the layman, he said.
But more than this, NUS can offer advice on future cost-cutting measures, particularly in the light of privatisation which is deadlined for 2003.
When that happens companies will need advice on the many options available. And here again NUS is well placed to provide the inside track, says Randell who was based in Australia at the time of that country's deregulation.
In the run-up to deregulation in South Africa - as has been the case elsewhere in the world - Telkom is likely to begin offering some very attractive deals with fairly long-term commitments in a bid to lock out the new contender in advance. NUS is in a position to offer informed advice on what decisions should be made.
And when deregulation does happen, the plethora of choices will require careful analyis by a specialist, says Randell who recalls that Australia's state provider increased its service menu to 200 discount plans while competitors added another 40 to that. You need someone to advise you which way to go, he said. This requires careful analysis of a company's business needs in relation to the packages on offer. It's often advisable not to settle for a single service provider, but to combine a variety of packages to suit specific needs.
Research by NUS into Telkom's pricing mechanisms over the years compared with that of its overseas counterparts makes interesting reading.
In the comparison of a three minute business call to New York, we find South Africa at the top of the pyramid by far, at R13,74 paying more than twice the price of any other country surveyed and nearly 11 times more than the cost from the cheapest country, the Netherlands.
E-commerce is clearly the way ahead, and if South Africa wants to trade and compete with other developed nations, its telecommunications costs will have to follow those of the developed world.
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