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Courier Companies – Profile – Skynet
African and proud of it
Hendrina Westoll
“With the changes heralded in 1994, we knew that the way forward was to embrace totally the whole concept of black economic empowerment, so we bought Skynet from its original management, partnered with Community Investment Holdings and formed Crossroads Distribution, of which Skynet is now a division.”
From these small but quietly confident beginnings, Skynet Worldwide Express has grown to become one of the largest courier companies in South Africa, with branches in all the major centres and part of one of the biggest, independently- owned international courier networks in the world, with 1 115 offices in 209 countries. Together with its sister companies, it boasts representation in 150 offices throughout South Africa.
“Today,” continues Executive Director, Carl du Plessis, “I believe we represent the ‘can-do’ spirit of South Africa, we are
fiercely proud of being African. We nurture a deep-rooted sense of belonging and have birthed a culture where people know they are at home and that they have every opportunity to develop, and where their own passion for the business has helped to propel us to a position of leadership in our industry.”
“Our competitors are either focused just on the domestic market or are large multinationals who concentrate on the global scene,” adds National Sales and Marketing Manager, Diederick Stopforth. “We excel because we out-perform our opposition in both sectors. That makes us the express parcel company of choice!” Very proudly South African, Skynet has generated a solid reputation as the Country’s largest
black empowered courier company which takes an intense pride in its performance. “South Africa represents an infinitesimal part of their global operations to multinationals,” du Plessis points out, “But to us this is our home; Africa is our neighbourhood, our backyard, it is very important to us, and that is what makes us different.”
Service, complete honesty and a profound sense of responsibility characterise Skynet’s business relationships, traits which have forged a customer loyalty unprecedented in the industry. According to Stopforth, Skynet will go to the ends of the earth, literally, to ensure that customers’ expectations are not disappointed. “In fact,” he claims, “we have gone to the lengths of actually taking a customer’s parcel personally on board a plane to New York and delivering it to its destination when the normal process experienced a hiccup. It’s one of the reasons why average customer relationships with us amount to about 10 years, compared to the industry norm of about four or five.”
Customers know that Skynet delivers on its promises. “Mistakes are inevitable,” du Plessis confesses, “But if we have slipped up, we take full responsibility and immediately step up to the plate to rectify the situation.”
“It’s not only delivering consistent quality service that makes us exceptional,” explains Assistant General Manager, Jean Bakomito, “it’s providing flexible, tailor-made solutions for each individual client.” Skynet makes it a fundamental principle to understand the business of each client, so that it can appreciate all the diverse needs, the imperatives that drive delivery, the repercussions of a missed or late delivery. “In that sense, we play a vital role in promoting our clients’ performance and results,” he continues. “We take our own responsibility very seriously in that respect. We consider ourselves an extension of our clients in realising their own promises to their customers.”
24-hour accessibility to customers is a pivotal element in fostering customer relationships. “Our clients know that at any time, we are available to provide solutions for them,” du Plessis points out.
The preferred partner of Government and countless parastatals as well as the corporate world, Skynet handles traditional as well as specialist courier services. “Traditional services would include document exchange, motorised and tender deliveries, banking and messenger services,” Stopforth elaborates. “Specialist services focus on high-value items or those which are extremely time-sensitive with stringent deadlines, or which involve identification verification and person-to-person deliveries. We also provide technical couriers, drivers who are trained to replace damaged parts of office automation equipment and emergency spares warehousing... Not to mention our biotech service – a complete solution for transporting biological products within critical, specific delivery timeframes.” This also includes domestic and international express wine shipments.
“Government is on a big drive to improve its service levels, and consequently, service providers such as ourselves have an integral part to play,” explains du Plessis. “It furthers our own objective of making a difference in the lives of our fellow South Africans.”
Skynet’s list of awards is impressive. “We value the PMR awards in particular,” du Plessis stresses. “The significant response to PMR’s survey from our client base demonstrates the quality of our service and is important because it shows us what our clients think about us. We see this recognition and rating not just as an industry accolade, but as important benchmarks in our constant efforts to improve and grow."
And growth is very much on the schedule. “We are committed to increasing our footprint in southern and central Africa,” du Plessis states. “We either establish companies from scratch, or team up with local partners through joint ventures or by purchasing their businesses.” Skynet’s own expansion is closely aligned with that of many of its major clients, who themselves have realised the vast potential of Africa and are helping to develop the continent. “Our efforts dovetail with those of these clients,” continues du Plessis. “They rely on our services and our infrastructure and are confident of the service levels they have come to expect from our brand.”
With expansion come the relevant skills challenges, and true to its nature, Skynet has rolled up its sleeves to find appropriate responses. Personal development is strongly encouraged internally and the company’s stature in the marketplace makes it an employer of choice. Study loans and bursaries are part of the company investment strategy. Prospective managers are regularly sent to various university business schools. It is not unusual for people to join Skynet in lowly positions and progress to senior management.
The training and development drive complements Skynet’s rich and diversified corporate social investment policies, which are inspired by the passion of making a difference in the lives of individuals and their communities. Over half of these resources are poured into the fight against HIV/ Aids. “It is simply unacceptable to us that people, stricken by this disease, should not be able to afford the ARVs which can help them conduct normal lives,” du Plessis says.
The range of charities which benefit from Skynet’s support reflects the diversity of characters and personality within the company itself. “Our people subscribe to many different interests,” explains Stopforth, “So, in contributing to this broad spectrum of needs, we’re adding value to our own people as well.” National Sea Rescue, orphans, abused animals, Sparrow schools, senior citizens and the police are but some of the recipients of Skynet’s practical help.
The future, according to Skynet, is bright, as du Plessis confirms. “Despite the challenges, we are excited about South Africa and the opportunities it affords to those who are prepared to work hard. Our message is that nothing is impossible, and that together, ‘we can!’”
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