Merchants cements itself as the most awarded BPO in South Africa

The Merchants team has taken home 12 awards at the EMEA regional leg of the 16th Annual Global Top Ranking Performer Awards from ContactCentreWorld.com – the global association for contact centre and customer engagement best practices.

Among the gold awards won by the organisation, is the award for Best Home / Remote Agent Program for Merchants’ Ekhaya work-from-home (WFH) solution. Meaning ‘home’, the Ekhaya solution contains all the necessary tools and technology to transform any home into a full-functioning contact centre – including:

• an uninterruptable power supply (UPS)
• fibre connectivity
• home office furniture
• security and real time collaboration tools, such as a smartphone and visual display unit

This WFH solution, currently being utilised by Merchants in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, can be implemented by local businesses across verticals and sectors. “A hybrid working solution has become an absolute necessity for businesses. Our Ekhaya solution has allowed us to mobilise thousands of agents to WFH, across the country, including remote and outlying areas. This office-in-a-box solution allows businesses to mitigate the risk factors and challenges many local businesses are facing, while ensuring their employees remain connected and engaged,” explains Mat Conn, Group CRO at Merchants.

The remainder of the awards were rewarded to outstanding individuals within the Merchants team, including:

• Gold – Best Contact Centre Supervisor – Tau Makoni
• Gold – Best Customer Service Manager – Hlabirwa Mohlala
• Gold – Best Customer Service Professional – Kebone Thukhutha
• Gold – Best Project Manager – Nicole Singaram 
• Silver – Best Contact Centre Supervisor – Nazar Janson
• Silver – Best Contact Centre Support Professional, HR – Wilna Peckham 
• Silver – Best Customer Service Professional – Athena Arendse
• Silver – EMEA Quality Auditor – Rodwell Botha 
• Bronze – EMEA Quality Auditor – Fikile Ndebele 
• Runner Up – EMEA Quality Auditor – Feziwe Oupa 
• Runner Up – EMEA Quality Auditor – Pumza Menzi

“Our business is powered by teams of inspiring, driven and innovative individuals, who have allowed us to continue driving the BPO industry forward. We are so proud of the recognition the business and our team members have received at the ContactCentreWorld awards, and continue to drive excellence and skills development throughout every level of our organisation,” concludes Conn.