Digitising the public sector Bring us your problems - Vodacom Business has the solutions
T
he importance of a strategic relationship between the private and public sectors cannot be understated, especially given the kind of challenges South Africa is facing. Vodacom Business stands out as one of the organisations which has built a strong relationship with the public sector, finding solutions to problems which have a direct impact on residents. At the helm of these initiatives is Vodacom Business’ Managing Executive of Public Enterprise, Poppy Tshabalala, who spoke to Public Sector Leaders about the outstanding solutions they are finding to society’s challenges. SOLVING SOCIETY’S CHALLENGES “At Vodacom Business we say to our customers, ‘Problems are inevitable. Everybody will have problems.’” says Poppy. “But we go further to say to them, ‘Bring those challenges, bring your problems to Vodacom so that we can help you to solve them, and help you to succeed.’” Vodacom Business Public Enterprise’s work covers all spheres of the government, including state agencies and
SOEs. They are intentional in partnering with the public sector, says Poppy. The world is in the midst of a digital revolution, and the digital solutions which are emerging aren’t confined to private use, but are also having an impact on how the public sector operates to the benefit of society. South Africa’s public sector is on a digitisation journey of its own, and Vodacom Business is coming forth to offer their experience and expertise to solve the challenges, showing what’s possible with the private-public partnerships. “The partnerships that we have are essential to our country’s economic prospects,” says Poppy. “Vodacom Business is proud to play a part in this very important ecosystem.” “We are proud of the relationship that we have developed with government and what we’ve managed to achieve together thus far. We are equally excited
about what the future will hold for us. And we believe that when we bring our collective capabilities, and desire to do even better for the country, we move our country forward.” Vodacom Business’ relationship with the public sector has provided the benefit of knowing where the gaps and inefficiencies are in service delivery. DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR The digital services that Vodacom Business is providing are working to great effect. Poppy shares examples of some of these services, the first of which is the Citizen Engagement platform, which “is designed to automate and enrich interactions between citizens, government, contact centres and field workers, as well as senior officials.” “It equips the citizen to be able to easily interact with municipalities. And for municipalities to also short circuit the time of getting
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