NEWS
Telkom and Clickatell launch mobile messaging payments in South Africa
Clickatell , a chat commerce and business messaging leader , has launched its Chat 2 Pay feature with Telkom . Telkom ’ s millions of customers can now make payments via WhatsApp – one of the country ’ s largest chat channels .
Responding to the growing demand for fast , digital , self-help services , Telkom now deploys to its customers the Chat 2 Pay pay-by-link capability in WhatsApp , providing them with the convenience of safe and effortless mobile payments . Currently , Telkom ’ s chatbot offers customers mobile support by accessing their accounts and billing information . It also allows them to view sales deals , check for mobile or fibre upgrades , do cancellations , make directory inquiries and more . With the addition of Chat 2 Pay , customers benefit from a convenient and personalised service to pay bills and VAS top-ups via Mastercard and Visa debit and credit cards .
“ User behaviour has shifted and organisations are relying more and more on digital channels for revenue generation . But , asking customers to make payments through a different channel creates a break in the customer journey and challenges companies to convert sales ,” said Werner Lindemann ,
Senior Vice President Enterprise Sales , Growth Markets , Clickatell . “ Payments in chat give telecoms the tools they need to help their customers complete payments simply and safely in the channel they already know and trust , significantly boosting customer experience and revenue .”
81 % of African women in STEM careers negatively impacted in financial support , COVID impact
52 % believe women ’ s careers in technology suffered due to COVID-19 and cost-of-living crisis ; 32 % of those in the technology sector say they haven ’ t received a promotion for over 24 months ; 68 % see a skills shortage as a key barrier to entry ; 21 % of women in Africa technology roles are working more than one job to make ends meet ; women still need better pay and better flexible working opportunities .
A new global survey of women and allies , held under the theme DigitALL : Innovation and technology for gender equality , reveals that parity for women in technology-related positions and industries is still a way off , and suggests that COVID-19 has had a major role to play in blocking women ’ s advancement , along with a skills shortage , and that women are further hampered in their progression by a cost-of-living crisis and lack of access to funding .
The survey entitled , A deep dive into challenges and opportunities for women ’ s technology careers and women-led enterprises across Asia , Europe and Africa , attracted respondents from those three regions , with 45 % of respondents who live and work in Africa , 38 % based in Europe and 17 % in Asia .
The survey is part of a new annual benchmark survey mapping barriers faced by women in business , perceptions around why they cannot move forward , as well as potential solutions and opportunities to bridging the equality divide .
The survey found that over half , 56 % of respondents believed that when it came to the recent pandemic and to economic challenges in general , it was women who missed out on work opportunities , were forced to scale down work and take time off to care for children , as well as undertaking more household chores .
26 % of the respondents believe women are more likely than men to have been denied access to financial support from governments , whilst a further 26 % perceive women as shouldering most of the burden of childcare or care of other dependants in their households whilst juggling work responsibilities . The number increases to almost 81 % of African women . The cost-ofliving crisis seems to have a bigger impact in Africa than in Asia and Europe .
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