Thoko and her highly motivated team have spent the last two-and-a-half years carving a niche for Batsumi in both the private sector and within various government departments. ‘The company has grown substantially in this period and we’ve gained a reputation as a reliable, service-oriented company that goes the extra mile,’ Thoko says.
Although the company has reason to be proud of its status as the first BEE mailstream operation to be headed by a Black woman, Thoko doesn’t believe this is the only reason for its success. ‘Apart from the fact that I’m well-suited to this environment, having gained extensive managerial experience when I ran national and provincial elections in KwaZulu-Natal, Batsumi has made its mission one of devising customised solutions that provide maximised productivity and minimised downtime,’ she explains.
Success also hinges on the uncompromising quality of the products offered. ‘As part of the Pitney Bowes Group, we have access to a range of high-tech mailstream products that have been tried and tested in the most demanding environments. Whenever I assess a customer’s specific needs and recommend a suitable product, I feel confident that the installed system will provide unrelenting service,’ Thoko insists.
Feedback from government departments that have implemented Batsumi mailstreaming solutions has been encouraging. ‘In one instance we received a call at 11:00 asking for a system to be provided the same day. This required drawing on our capabilities to provide a seamless, instantaneous solution within a matter of hours. Needless to say, the customer was very satisfied with the service we exhibited,’ Thoko relates.
Overcoming bottlenecks
In another example of the Batsumi team’s ability to overcome seemingly impossible situations, a bottleneck occurred in a large government department’s billing section with a system that incorporated a DI425 paper-folding machine, coupled to an envelope-insertion machine and a franking machine. ‘The department had previously employed a manual system, which resulted in lengthy delays in getting bills out to customers. Within days, the Batsumi workflow solution had reduced the pile of papers to a controllable level,’ says Thoko.
Batsumi provides maintenance contracts for customers and equipment is available on either an outright purchase basis, on a rental basis or as a rent-to-purchase option. ‘Each customer’s requirements are individually assessed by our technical team to ensure that the system we select will provide maximised productivity and reduced running costs,’ Thoko explains.
While mailstream solutions provided to government are similar in makeup to those implemented in the private sector, one big differentiator is the time period required from tendering to orders being signed. ‘Unfortunately, there’s a more complex hierarchy within government departments, which means that more people are involved in the approvals and purchasing process. However, being cognisant and sympathetic to this fact has won us great favour with the people we deal with in this environment,’ Thoko concludes.
