Andrew Stegmann

How to Choose a Telecom Provider Abroad

Whether you are about to establish your business abroad or settle in your new home, you will have to choose a telecom service provider from the many available companies targeting the market. Our professional and personal lives are heavily dependent on online, instant communication and wireless telephones, and our home entertainment has incorporated streaming media. In a free market, with more options than ever, it can be difficult to conclude on a telecommunication service provider, especially when you are overseas, and you are not familiar with the brands and expectations. However, there are several things that you need to consider to select a provider which matches your needs.

Customer service
Efficient and considerate customer service is a big plus when looking into different telecom providers. Even the most reputable provider will, at some point, have to resolve some sort of a problem with their service, whether it is poor internet speed, billing inquiries, or service upgrading. However, before committing to a telecom service provider, you should feel confident that when an issue occurs, their customer service will apply good communication skills, and will treat you with patience and respect to solve the problem quickly. You can contact other expats, and ask them to share their customer service experiences with you, or ask the company directly to give you examples of their customer service methods.

Reliability
How important are the phone and internet services for your business or other tasks? Do you run an online business, which with every minute offline loses money? Or are you a freelancer whose work is conducted online? In any case, it is vital for your peace of mind to know that you have chosen a reliable telecom provider. Check with the different providers whether they own the fiber optic network or lease it from others, as this may affect the speed with which they resolve potential problems. Of course, no one is perfect, and especially if you live in a location with extreme weather conditions or developing infrastructure, issues may come more often than normally expected. However, the difference lies in the provider’s ability to fix the problem with the least possible impact on your work and day-to-day tasks.

Cutting-edge technology
With technology progressing exponentially, you would like to be assured that your telecom service provider is offering the latest technology available, and is conducting regular maintenance and upgrades. However, keep in mind that upgrades can often result in interruption of services or other failures. Thus, your service provider should be able to guarantee in advance that improvements are generally smooth and hassle-free. Also, you should be given the option to select or deselect products, depending on your company’s or personal needs, without any inconvenience.

Security
With the fast pace of technological development, comes a series of challenges to the security of telecommunications data. Risks may have an impact on the availability and confidentiality of telecom services and can result from hardware damage, misconfiguration, or hacking. For example, it is not uncommon that a third party may steal your service. However, you rely on your telecom provider to store and transmit data safely, and it is therefore essential to ensure that the provider you have chosen has taken proactive measures and has implemented regulatory frameworks to manage security risks and challenges.

Affordability
Last but not least comes the cost of your telecom service. Before you get carried away by marketing campaigns, check the quotes of as many companies as possible. In the past telecom service providers were mainly owned and operated by the government, but that is no longer the case, as many have been privatized. Thus, the competition is high, which is beneficial for clients, as prices can vary significantly from one provider to another. Also, make sure it is clearly stated in your contract what does the overall price cover — are cloud, broadcasting, voice, data, and internet products included? Are there other services you wish to add, and does the company offer tailor-made packages?

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: Expat.com [1], [2]. Image sources: Donald Giannatti via Unsplash [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann

The Best and Worst Airlines and Airports: 2018

The 2018 AirHelp Score report has been released. AirHelp is a company that advocates on behalf of air travelers for compensation in cases of delays or cancellations. Its sixth annual survey uses data from the first quarter of the year to rank the 72 international airlines for which the company had statistically significant data.

Overall rankings are based on three factors: on-time performance, quality of service (gleaned from public reviews on an array of reliable websites), and a claims-processing score (which reflects how a company handles customer complaints).

“South African Airlines has a fantastic claims-processing score,” explains Ashley Raiteri, an industry adviser for AirHelp—the airline earned 8.69 points of a possible 10—and it’s also got a good track record of keeping flights on time.

“Irregularities in flights are going to happen,” Raiteri adds. “What’s important is whether the airline has planned for that so they can make the experience less hellish for the consumer.”

With that in mind, here are the best and worst airlines of the year, according to AirHelp, along with their on-time performance records.

The 10 Best Airlines of 2018

1. Qatar Airways (89 percent on-time performance)
2. Lufthansa (76 percent)
3. Etihad Airways (86 percent)
4. Singapore Airlines (85 percent)
5. South African Airways (85 percent)
6. Austrian Airlines (80 percent)
7. Aegean Airlines (90 percent)
8. Qantas (89 percent)
9. Air Malta (86 percent)
10. Virgin Atlantic (82 percent)

The Worst Airlines of 2018

63. Jet Airways (65 percent on-time performance)
64. Aerolineas Argentinas (85 percent)
65. Iberia (84 percent)
66. Korean Air (64 percent)
67. Ryanair (86 percent)
68. Air Mauritius (69 percent)
69. EasyJet (79 percent)
70. Pakistan International Airlines (61 percent)
71. Royal Jordanian Airlines (83 percent)
72. WOW Air (75 percent)

Surprises exist on both lists. Iberia—which ranked among the best airlines on a similar report from FlightStats last year that was configured purely according to on-time performance—appears in AirHelp’s worst airlines list, a reflection of its poor “claim processing score”.

KLM and Emirates, airlines with passionate fan bases, ranked 11th and 16th, respectively, just outside the top 10.

U.S. carriers didn’t fare particularly well: American Airlines Inc. performed best, at 23rd of 72, followed by United Airlines Inc. in 37th place and Delta Air Lines, Inc. in 47th place.

“Delta has a great on-time performance, but in dealing with claims, more often than not they either ignore them or reject them out of hand, forcing customers into court in order to pay what they’re legally obligated to pay,” Raiteri tells Bloomberg. While the three airlines won nearly identical scores in “quality of service,” Delta was the category leader by a few tenths of a point.

While budget carriers did not fare well, with Ryanair DAC, EasyJet Airline Co., and WOW Air all appearing among the bottom 10 airlines, there was one exception: Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA ranked 12th overall, reflecting a 76 percent on-time record and very good scores both for claims processing and quality of service.

The data concerning best and worst airports contain similar surprises. No American hubs were ranked in the top 30—Seattle-Tacoma took the domestic lead, in the 33rd slot—while a large number of Brazilian airports dominated the charts, something Raiteri attributes to good local weather and a “hub and spoke” route network that keeps flights moving smoothly and on time.

AirHelp’s data for airports cover 141 destinations. They factor in on-time performance, quality of service, and online consumer sentiment, but its rankings heavily favor the first two criteria.

“Different airports deal with different problems,” Raiteri explains, saying that Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta has recently battled a series of power outages, while airports in Scandinavia tend to get knocked for weather delays, despite their sleek looks and efficient service.

“In some places, the local culture can leave people feeling cold,” Raiteri adds, describing the direct style of security agents in northern Europe. Here are the best and worst airports of 2018.

The 10 Best Airports of 2018

1. Hamad International Airport, Doha (DOH)
2. Athens International Airport, Athens (ATH)
3. Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Tokyo (HND)
4. Cologne Bonn Airport, Cologne, Germany (CGN)
5. Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore (SIN)
6. Nagoya Chubu Centrair Airport, Nagoya, Japan (NGO)
7. Viracopos International Airport, Campinas, Brazil (VCP)
8. Amman Queen Alia Airport, Amman, Jordan (AMM)
9. Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport, Recife, Brazil (REC)
10. Quito International Airport, Quito, Ecuador (UIO)

The Worst Airports of 2018

132. Eindhoven Airport, Eindhoven, Netherlands (EIN)
133. Bordeaux Merignac, Bordeaux, France (BOD)
134. Edinburgh Airport, Edinburgh (EDI)
135. Boryspil International Airport, Kiev, Ukraine (KBP)
136. Manchester Airport, Manchester, United Kingdom (MAN)
137. Stockholm Bromma Airport, Stockholm (BMA)
138. Paris Orly, Paris (ORY)
139. Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport, Lyon, France (LYS)
140. London Stansted Airport, London (STN)
141. Kuwait International Airport, Farwaniya, Kuwait (KWI)

One note of optimism: Raiteri says most airlines and airports that descended in the rankings this year did so because the marketplace is becoming more competitive, not because their individual performance is declining.

“What we mostly see is improvement, to be honest,” he tells Bloomberg. “Most airlines have been late to recognising their responsibility, but after all the publicity that United got last year, we’re seeing airlines taking a much different approach to dealing with passengers.”

For both airlines and airports, he says, “We don’t see folks falling in rank due to poor performance, but because another entity is doing better and pushing them down.” Consider it a silver lining the next time you’re stranded at the gate.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: IOL [1]. Image sources: Terence Ong [1].

Andrew Stegmann
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How We Have Adapted to GDPR

With the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation laws now in place, we thought we’d share what we’ve done over the past while in order to ensure we are compliant as a South African business. Much of what the GDPR has identified in terms of Data Protection were things that, over the past 25 years, we have already implemented, to ensure that we are a quality provider. Nonetheless, our Compliance Committee took the opportunity to review the requirements and ensure that we continue to meet global compliance requirements. Some of the areas we have worked on are:

  • Divisional Data Audits have taken place, providing us with an overview of how each business sector handles their data.
  • Our Data Protection Policy, that governs data protection for the entire business, was reviewed to ensure its compliance with GDPR requirements.
  • GDPR training systems have been implemented, containing guidelines to comply with the new regulations. The training can be updated as needed.
  • A revised Data Privacy Policy has been added to our website.
  • Our email disclaimers have been amended.
  • We have taken the step of introducing a few new processes in terms of authorizing our Ground Consultants to deliver services, as well as closing off files, to ensure higher levels of data protection.
  • Our IT systems have been reviewed to ensure all data is secure while in transit, and when stored.

Going forward, we will be actively monitoring the legislation’s roll-out, to keep ahead of any possible changes. If you would like more information about our GDPR compliance, feel free to reach out to us. We implore all businesses, even those based outside the EU, to ensure that they have strict data protection policies in place – even those that extend further than the new GDPR requirements. The protection of personal information is becoming increasingly important in a time when more information can be sourced and disseminated online.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1]. Image sources: rawpixel on Unsplash [1].

Andrew Stegmann
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Our Key Takeaways From EuRA’s 2018 Conference in Croatia

Last month, we attended EuRA’s 2018 Conference in Dubrovnik, and beyond having a great opportunity to connect with those in the industry, we attended a number of talks and workshops. Below, we have summarized our key takeaways.

Eura Conference – Croatia 2018 – by René Stegmann

Attending the EuRA conference in such a picturesque location, with the sunshine all day everyday, made for a pleasant business experience. On our way to Dubrovnik, Croatia, we managed a slight detour to experience some culture and wine in Kotor, Montenegro. Learning some of the history and meeting the locals, sampling their food and wine all made for a good start to the conference. We were guided by a local guide to get the full picture of their more recent history.

The conference venue was a resort outside Dubrovnik itself. We arrived early to represent Relocation Africa at the TIRA Day, which was an opportunity for all the TIRA members to benchmark, share knowledge, and ensure we are leaders of best practices in our businesses. It was a great day, and ended with a beautiful boat trip and dinner in Dubrovnik itself.


The next day was filled with Supplier – or as I prefer to refer to them, partner – meetings of which there were many, all with their unique delivery of sharing what each of their businesses are seeing as trends, and how their businesses are adapting.
There are a number of trends which are similar across all partners, and generally in certain locations, volumes are lower, however, in other locations, volumes are good. There seems to be a fair amount of consolidation in the industry as Lexicon has acquired Sterling, Weichert has acquired The MI Group, Madison Dearborn Partners has acquired Sirva, and K2 Mobility has acquired Harbour HR.

There were big talks on GDPR and the impact on our businesses, with the new regulations having just been implemented as at 25th May 2018. As a South African/African business that operates Globally, it is important to ensure we are compliant, in order not to contravene the new legislation.

It seems the discussion between the DSPs (Destination Services Providers) and the RMCs (Relocation Management Companies) has been managed in a palatable fashion. However, there was a feeling that some of the questions were not answered fully. I am sure this will be taken up by those that need to, as it is an opportunity to raise concerns, however, the view is that you don’t want to be offering opinions that will possibly impact your business – even if it is for the improvement of the industry as a whole. During this session, questions were also asked as to why RMCs are now requesting commission from their partners, as traditionally RMCs request a management fee from their clients to cover these fees. There was a feeling that, should these be disclosed and as a DSP we are able to account for them in our fees, it would be appropriate. But note that this is a deviation from the norm of business over the past 25 years Relocation Africa has been in business.

The continuation of driving costs down and improving service delivery is on the top of each RMC’s mind’ and we as a consolidated group need to review how we can do this.

Essentially both the RMC and the DSP need to collaborate better to build partnerships with their clients, and have a direct impact on cost efficiencies and value creation. However, I noted that we as a DSP in Africa, and all the others are often referred to as suppliers. Without us as partners, the RMC could not service the client, and we should therefore never be referred to as suppliers, but only as partners. As you can tell I am pretty passionate about this particular point, but I believe when we are treated as partners, the value creation and cost efficiencies will ultimately be identified to the benefit of the client.

We had many meetings with RMCs, DSP partners, and others who were attending the conference, which allowed our business to appropriately benchmark and remain current in the industry.

We also attended a farewell to Beverly Mayhew, who has been a leader in our industry, carving a groove for many of us to follow. She recently sold her business, and although she has officially retired, she wants to remain involved in the industry.

The next EuRA conference we will attend will take place in Munich, Germany, from 30 April to 3rd May 2019. To learn more, click here.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1]. Image sources: Dominic Tidey [1], [2]; Sorin Cicos on Unsplash [3].