Advance Call and Ditikeni Investment Company are pleased to announce that Ditikeni has acquired a 30% shareholding in Advance Call. This is an empowerment investment, which furthers the interests of Ditikeni’s shareholders who consist of 19 non-governmental and not-for-profit organisations.

The Advance Call acquisition has been concluded within the framework of Ditikeni’s broad-based investment approach and mandate to invest in long-term investments with a view to achieve sustained capital growth. This approach ensures financial sustainability, investment returns and predictable income streams for the NGO shareholders to benefit their grassroots empowerment programmes.

In partnership with Ditikeni, Advance Call will continue its growth initiatives. Advance Call is a boutique call-centre company, which since its inception in 2001, has specialised in the conceptualisation, development, implementation and operation of call centres for a niche market, specifically within the South African public sector. Services, which benefit society in a variety of ways, are rendered for a combination of in-bound and out-bound call centres that support the core functions of clients.

Four infrastructure maintenance call centres developed and operated by Advance Call serve as a central communication hub for the infrastructure maintenance initiative of the Department of Public Works (DPW). With the aim of improving the efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness of operations at government facilities, more than 1.4 million calls have been logged with the infrastructure maintenance call centres to date. Advance Call’s services benefit more than 18,500 government facilities.

Advance Call also operates a Public Sector SMME Payment Assistance Hotline for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), with the strategic objective to provide small, micro and medium sized enterprises (SMMEs) with cash-flow security. Advance Call’s services are aimed to fast track overdue payment to SMMEs, in this way assisting Government in its initiative to ensure that late payments to SMMEs do not affect the liquidity of smaller businesses. To date, the Public Sector SMME Payment Assistance Hotline has attended to 17 456 calls and has facilitated R 8 125 982 worth of SMME payments, in the period 21 September 2009 till 31 January 2010.

Over the years Advance Call has developed and assured the operational execution of call centres in both the public and private sectors, among others in the health and financial sectors.

In light of the international competitive edge of Advance Call and South Africa’s position as a high-value, relatively low-cost off shoring destination, Advance Call has during 2009 engaged in negotiations with international players with the view to further business process outsourcing and off shoring opportunities.

These negotiations and the exploration of opportunities abroad will continue to be priorities during 2010.

For further information about Advance Call, please speak to chief executive

Philippus Fouché at telephone 012 452 0452 or e-mail philippus@acall.co.za.
Website: www.acall.co.za