Merchants
Johannesburg,
South Africa
http://www.merchants.co.za
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Merchant offers customer management solutions, consulting and managed services in fifty one countries around the world. It consists of 1510 staff members and focuses strongly on youth skills and employment development in South Africa. There focuses are not on highly skilled people but people with a drive and passion including disadvantaged individuals. With 30 years of experience in the contact centre industry, the foundation of the company lies in the commitment to developing young talent. Merchant specialises in customer experience and interactions, focusing on three main components; people, process and technology. Having such a rich history of success they are able to attract the best of talents globally, making them different from the rest. There investments are the people and the development. They began the first telemarketing company in the UK, which was established in 1981 and are renowned leaders in contact centre industry being a pioneers and key innovators in the game. To stay on top of the ladder, they regularly changed the way they think and work, coming up with new services and solutions. According to research done by the CRF institute Merchant was rewarded a certificate for best employer 2012/13 based on the following: Youth development,empowering employees and through couraging positive social skills.
Work for Merchants? Have your say!
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Add a Review-
"Compliment"
Added 10 Oct 2013 by a current employee
Merchants cares about their employees. They are all about growth and development. They give you an opportunity to choose a career path and they assist you in achieving your career goals. The only thing that would make it even better would be better salaries.
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"Move up or Move out"
Added 18 Jul 2013 by a current employee
Merchants is an organisation that really makes a difference to lower the unemployment statistics in South Africa. This organisation creates hundreds of jobs each year through innovative solutions to the outsourcing industry. Despite all this, senior management are all British. They view South Africans as low cost labour and there is a limit to how high you can grow. Salary increases are never above inflation and performance reviews are rated on how you are perceived to have performed. The biggest challenge is our constant need to please clients. It is not uncommon for staff to be made scapegoats to protect company interests with its clients. The "contract is bigger than any individual", and the company will do whatever it takes to protect the contract. This is understandable, considering the contract is what ensures everybody has jobs and salaries to take home. The Sales team makes promises that the Operations teams are unable to keep, and this creates tremendous pressure. Long after the sales staff have enjoyed their commission and pats on the back for new business, the staff are left to deliver on those promises. In short, the operations team are doing the "impossible for the ungrateful". By ungrateful, we refer to those ruthless callers who bash our agents to pieces with insulting words, while we are forced to smile and get on with it. Overall, this is an industry for the tough that can take a beating all day, every day and still remain resilient enough to smile. Only join this industry if you can handle pressure, constant change and have a sense of inner recognition. Outward recognition does not exist here.
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"Move up or Move out"
Added 17 Jul 2013 by a current employee
Merchants is an organisation that really makes a difference to lower the unemployment statistics in South Africa. This organisation creates hundreds of jobs each year through innovative solutions to the outsourcing industry. Despite all this, senior management are all British. They view South Africans as low cost labour and there is a limit to how high you can grow. Salary increases are never above inflation and performance reviews are rated on how you are perceived to have performed. The biggest challenge is our constant need to please clients. It is not uncommon for staff to be made scapegoats to protect company interests with its clients. The "contract is bigger than any individual", and the company will do whatever it takes to protect the contract. This is understandable, considering the contract is what ensures everybody has jobs and salaries to take home. The Sales team makes promises that the Operations teams are unable to keep, and this creates tremendous pressure. Long after the sales staff have enjoyed their commission and pats on the back for new business, the staff are left to deliver on those promises. In short, the operations team are doing the "impossible for the ungrateful". By ungrateful, we refer to those ruthless callers who bash our agents to pieces with insulting words, while we are forced to smile and get on with it.
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"previous employer"
Added 16 Jul 2013 by a current employee
Merchants was a stepping ground for me, my first job just after varsity as a call agent. It gave me a good experience to get the job that I have now at a different company. The experience they gave me was a bigger picture of what is expected of an employee in the corporate world. Even though it was the hardest way of learning and the working conditions were not conducive, have to knock off at 12 midnight and there was no transport for you to get home where as at the point of employment it was promised that transport would be provided. It was not easy working there but it groomed me to be a better employee. Adherence is on point. Working very hard is just in me, but I do not wish that job for anyone else.
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