Sparks Electrical News July 2019

STANDBY AND EMERGENCY POWER

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SUPERCHARGING THE POTENTIAL OF THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR C arel Scheepers, General Manager: Sales at Citiq Prepaid, and the Sparks Electrical News Personality of the Month for June 2019, examines the value of support and the dynamics of change in the professional electrical contractor community. that ethical values play a major role in decision making. Technology has not just changed the landscape; it has changed how employees and professionals view organisations and determine whether or not they will work for them or spend their money with them. This understanding has shaped how Citiq Prepaid approaches its relationships with prepaid meter contractors and the end user. We understand how important it is for people to have a clear view of how systems work, what they cost, and what processes have to be followed.

“The road to becoming a qualified and registered electrical contractor is long, complex and time consuming; it is also worth every cent and minute. Building a career in this industry is rewarding and dynamic, and it will see you encounter some truly unusual situations and some equally unusual challenges. New technologies such as the IoT, are catapulting us towards an ever more automated environment. I have worked in this industry for more than 26 years and much has changed in this time. Regulations, legislation, how you get your qualifications, the use of technology and the face of business – all these have evolved and are affecting how the industry operates and how it will look to the future. I believe that one of the biggest challenges facing the electrical contractor community today is the influx of new technologies. We need to learn how to adapt, how to evolve with greater agility, and how to use our expertise and understanding to diversify and explore new ways of working. This is not exclusive to our industry, of course, as IoT and an automated society is a force that’s shaping industries and organisations across the board, but we need to be ready. Electrical contractors are critical to the South African economy. We are in the enviable position of understanding many of the complexities that surround technology implementation and we can leverage this to create innovative solutions and business opportunities. At Citiq Prepaid, for example, we have paid close attention to the growing need for transparency in the industry. Along with technology’s evolution has come consumer and professional concern over how information is handled and the ethics of organisations. In fact, a recent report by Accenture found that customers will select a company based on its levels of transparency and how well it treats its employees. It also found

For the end user, the prepaid meter contractor’s customer, our prepaid meters allow for seamless payment and utility management, reduce admin time, and come with an online portal for instant access to information. For the prepaid meter contractor, we have ensured that we provide transparency into the hardware – we are upfront about the brands we stock and how they work – and into process and end user support. After all, it is the contractor who often has to face the questions asked by the customer so we’ve built systems that make life easier and prepaid meter installations that much more transparent and accessible. Citiq Prepaid has also developed its industry-loved pocketbook that provides you with the most up to date and relevant information you need so you can make informed decisions on demand. You can find error codes, registration information, and much more, right in this book. One of the biggest things we have done to really innovate within the industry and build a community is launch the Citiq Installation Club (CIC) as well as our first of it’s kind Pocket Book. I helped develop both the Pocket Book and the loyalty programme as I felt it was a critical shortcoming in our space within the electrical industry. These programmes have really created transparency for the contractor. This is what we are building with the CIC and our Pocket Book – a thriving community of prepaid meter contractors.”

LOAD SHEDDING SEES INCREASED GENSET SALES

F rom gensets specifically for the construction industry, to open-set pet- rol back-up gensets for residential and small office applications, Hire It has a range of solutions to assist its customers in dealing with the fallout from possible renewed load shedding. The resumption of load shedding in February resulted in a dramatic increase in demand for reasonably-priced solutions for homes and small offices in particular, and with winter in full swing, there are fears that load shedding may resume at any time. Hire It’s sales division, Tool Time, has filled this specific niche with the Honda FA6500 genset.

Enquiries: www.citiqprepaid.co.za

Enquiries: www.hireit.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

JULY 2019