Telecel service ISO certified

BUSINESS

By Alfonce Mbizwo, Harare, Zimbabwe

Telecel Zimbabwe has been recertified for ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems by AfriCert, a Johannesburg-based company that provides ISO certification that is recognized worldwide.

AfriCert is accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS).

Telecel Zimbabwe Project Management & Quality Assurance Director Dzingwa Madzima said Telecel’s ISO certification guides its business processes to ensure consistent quality service delivery for the benefit of its customers.

“Quality customer service is the focus of all our operations. That is why we have installed the new IN system and are creating an enlarged technologically up-to-date call centre.

“It is why we went for ISO 9001:2008 certification in the first place and are happy that we have been recertified, confirming we meet that International Standards Organisation standard for quality management systems,” he said.

Recently, Telecel Zimbabwe CE Francis Mawindi announced that Telecel had installed a new intelligent network (IN) management system that will enable it to provide its customers with more value added services.

He also announced that it was establishing a new third generation technology call centre that will have interactive voice response (IVR) and the capacity to deal quickly with customer queries, whether they are made over the phone or by e‑mail, messaging or text message.

Installation of the IN system began in April this year. Unlike the previous system Telecel had been using, which had reached its capacity for value-added services, the new IN system has a virtually limitless capacity for new value added services.

It is capable of taking on countless new applications that can help enhance subscriber services. Its on‑the‑shelf products reduce the time it takes to market new value-added products. The system has a disaster recovery site that ensures nothing is lost in the event of the system being damaged or compromised.

It makes it possible for the company to provide more services for both pre-paid and contract subscribers, who may soon be able to set a limit on their monthly account levels and be able, once they have reached the limit they have set, to load airtime in the same way as a prepaid customer does.

The new customer care centre has a capacity for 90 customer care agents, as opposed to the maximum of 20 at the current call centre. The IVR system will make it possible for subscribers to obtain automated responses to many of their queries even after customer care staff has gone home at midnight.

It will also speed up the resolution of queries, as information will be easily accessible online by customer care agents.

“ISO 9001:2008 quality management systems recertification confirms that we are maintaining the procedures and processes we put in place to ensure high quality service.

“Taken together with the new IN system and the new customer care centre, this can only mean still better service to our customers in terms of the quality of our network, products, value-added services and customer care,” Madzima said.