New markets International business linkages can provide your business with a number of potential benefits, including access to new markets, improved supplier and customer relationships, increased innovation, and the ability to learn from best practices abroad. By establishing links with businesses in other countries, you can gain exposure to new markets and cultures that may be different from your own. This can help you expand your customer base and reach new consumers who may be interested in your products or services. Working with businesses in other countries can help improve relationships with suppliers and customers overseas. This could lead to increased efficiency and better communication when doing business internationally. Export Growth Strategy As a manufacturer, there are many reasons to pursue international linkages as part of an export growth strategy. One of the most important benefits is that these can help businesses access new markets and distribution channels. This is especially important for small and medium sized companies, which may not have the resources to break into new markets on their own. By teaming up with other companies in foreign countries, businesses can share costs and marketing resources, making it easier to penetrate these markets. Key Customers and Key Suppliers Another benefit of pursuing international linkages is that it can help businesses build relationships with key customers and suppliers abroad. These relationships can be beneficial in terms of securing contracts and business deals down the road. Additionally, strong relationships with foreign partners often lead to increased trade between countries, which helps boost economic growth rates on both sides. New Technologies and Best Practices Finally, pursuing international linkages can also help businesses learn about new technologies and best practices from around the world. This knowledge can then be used to improve operations back at home base. By working closely with foreign partners, companies may gain a better understanding of cultural norms in other countries – something that could come in handy if they decide to expand operations there in the future being able to learn from the best practices of companies in other countries can help improve your own operations. When it comes time to do business in another country yourself, you will have a better understanding of what needs to be done thanks to the knowledge gained from working with foreign businesses. International B2B Linkages International business linkages can be extremely beneficial for businesses of all sizes. By forming partnerships with companies in other countries, businesses can expand their customer base, increase profits, and learn new techniques. However, before entering into any type of partnership or agreement with a company in another country, there are several things that should be considered. Legal Implications of Doing Business Internationally The first thing to consider is the legal implications of doing business internationally. Every country has its own laws and regulations governing trade and commerce, so it is important to make sure that both parties are aware of them and are willing to comply with them. Additionally, businesses should have a clear understanding of the cultural differences between themselves and their potential international partners. Misunderstandings can often lead to conflict and litigation, so it is important for both parties to be aware of each other’s customs and expectations. Financial Stability of International Partners Another important consideration is the financial stability of potential partners overseas. It is essential that businesses do their due diligence on foreign companies before entering into any agreements; after all, you don’t want your hard-earned money going down the drain because your partner couldn’t keep up their end of the bargain! Specialist Skills and Networks There are many reasons to pursue international linkages as part of an export growth strategy. Let a specialist with B2B networks and export experience open doors and facilitate the export growth strategy for you. It will save you time and money and the targeted focus will render greater benefits and results. Information on B2B matchmaking and market linkages to secure new markets, new suppliers or new clients available from Monique Labat E: monique@moniquelabat.com or T: +27 (0)82 924 6349

SUPERCHARGE YOUR INBOUND LEAD GENERATION ON LINKED . . . . . .and get potential customers messaging you! (Without paid ads, even if you don't have a big following) If you're looking to get consistent enquiries that gives you the freedom you want to steadily grow your revenue and create the life and business, you want - then reading this page will be the best decision you can make for your future. How to write magic messages and powerful posts - on LinkedIn Updated: Aug 5 Andy Gwynn coaches' business owners on how use LinkedIn more effectively to easily connect with ideal prospects, form relationships, develop conversations and close sales. His recent KZN Top Business masterclasses in this regard have been invaluable. The first webinar covered about why you should be using LinkedIn and the two key sides to LinkedIn – your profile and your strategy. The second webinar covered what you should be doing with your profile. Notably your profile needs to: Get found Give value to the reader Prove your credibility The third session will cover how to write magic messages to engage with your connections to generate sales leads. In addition, Andy will cover how to write powerful posts that get read, generate engagement and are converted. Andy says, “Don't assume that people will pay attention to you just because you have a particular set of skills or knowledge. You need to show your audience why they should listen to you. You need to show why your content is valuable enough for them to interrupt their day to consume it.” JOIN POST PARTY CLUB TODAY

Have you ever purchased a beautiful shawl online only to be left with an ugly dishcloth once your package had been delivered? Or maybe ordered lollipops for your kid’s birthday party and ended up with a box full of crushed candy. Technology and globalisation have made great strides in the goods and services available to a consumer. One cannot fathom that only fifty years ago, cellphones were a rare occurrence. However, the fast-paced consumer industry, though extremely convenient, can ever so often leave a consumer feeling ‘cat-fished’ so to speak. The good news is that as South Africans, we have recourse in the form of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). The CPA sets out the minimum requirements to ensure adequate consumer protection in South Africa. All suppliers of goods and services within South Africa need to comply with the requirements set out in the Act. Certain exceptions to compliance such as the State are identified in the Act. The aim of the Act are as follows: · Establish national standards to ensure consumer protection · Promote a fair and sustainable marketplace for consumer products and services · Promote responsible behaviour by consumers · Make provision for improved standards of consumer information as well as prohibit unfair marketing and business practices · Establish the National Consumer Commission Any individual consumer acting in his or her own capacity, authorised to act on behalf of another or representing the interests of a group of people, may lodge a complaint in terms of the CPA. The CPA gives effect to the consumer rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights, including the right to fair and honest dealing, fair and honest marketing, reasonable terms and conditions, the right to equality in the marketplace and protection from discriminatory business practice. The right to protection against discrimination ensures equality (a constitutional value), in that no supplier may limit access of their goods and services or prioritise certain groups of consumers over others when marketing and selling their products. Consumers are also given the right to query the quality of the goods supplied to them in terms of the Act. Complaints need to be lodged with the National Consumer Commission who will then refer the said complaint to the Equality court. The Consumer Protection Act and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) both emphasise the fact that a consumer cannot be forced into unsolicited direct marketing, has the option to opt-out of such marketing and cannot be forced to enter into supplier agreements with third parties. Given these similarities, the Information Compliance Department at LabourNet has opted to offer our newly launched CPA product as a value-add to all POPI retainer clients. This add-on will save a company/client both time and money by directly assisting the company in becoming compliant with both Acts at once, as well as indirectly assisting the said company by giving them the necessary tools to watch out for ‘red flags’ in respect of daily interactions with their own clients and suppliers. It is important for businesses as well as individuals to understand that the CPA has far reaching consequences related to our everyday interactions. Whether it be cancelling a reservation or renewing a fixed-term agreement, the Act has you covered. There is even provision made for a right to request pre-authorisation for maintenance or repair services, a simple step that if not utilised often leads to major inconvenience for the consumer. In addition to making life more convenient, gaining a good understanding of the Act serves as a deterrent for the supplier in respect of reputational damage. Remember, if your customer orders ice-cream and your driver delivers milkshake instead, you are not likely to secure any long time business. There has been a global rise in health consciousness among the average consumer. As medical and environmental research advances, we (the consumer) have started taking notice of the fine print on our purchases. The Consumer Protection Act requires suppliers and service providers to display labelling and descriptions on their packaging that are not misleading to their consumers. Trademark protection is also covered in the Act. In conclusion, understanding the Consumer Protection Act is imperative in order to facilitate good business, leisure, and many other interactions. So when that anniversary diamond ring that you ordered starts looking suspiciously like a cubic zirconia, remember that LabourNet and the Consumer Protection Act have you covered!

Workplace accidents and incidents are the most common, yet most ignored source of information in the modern working world, and I am desperate to get your attention and to keep it for the next few minutes. When this reality hits you, it will change the way you see your workplace forever. The first thing we must establish is what an accident or incident really is. Have you ever thought of that? An accident is literally an unplanned event. Just idle there for a second. Unplanned… literally meaning that something or someone in your workplace lost control! It means that something happened that you did not prepare for, did not anticipate and were not ready for! Please do not tell me that if a worker cuts his hand, the first aid box in the corner with the small padlock and the name tag is your idea of being prepared. The truth is that if that worker cut his hand in an unplanned event, he lost control of whatever caused the cut, it could have been a hundred times worse! Simply put, if an event is unplanned, then clearly the severity and the exposure of that event is also unpredictable. Herein lies the problem. When something like this happens in the workplace, your natural reaction can be summarised in two simple questions. Who got hurt and how bad is it? Does that sound familiar? When you are at home and you hear your child scream, but you cannot see anything from where you are, you ask the same questions. “Are you ok, and how bad is it, let me see…” At this point you have done exactly what we do in our risk assessment systems. You are determining the exposure and the severity. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I do the same. What follows, however, is what makes the difference. At this point your subsequent actions, whether at home or at work is almost solely based on the answers to those two questions. If the answers are: Not serious, i.e., a small cut on the hand or your wife stepped on a Lego block, well, chaos reigns for two minutes and once the dust settles, life simply goes on. Within a few hours the entire episode is forgotten as the injuries were minor as well as the possible offence committed by not packing the Lego away or not working with gloves. If the answers are: serious, and a limb is severed, or a cut to the head requires stitches and there is blood everywhere, well, then the situation becomes much more severe and your full attention is guaranteed. Once the initial chaos is managed, you need to investigate and establish what happened to ensure that this event does not happen again. We launch investigations, check CCTV camera footage and we interview potential witnesses. We scrutinise risk assessments and analyse safe work procedures to establish who, what, where, when, and of course, why… Our children suddenly get helmets, knee pads and gloves for Christmas, and you find yourself checking the environment where your children play or better yet, check what they play with. My question to you is, why do we not handle the not serious accident, with the same determination? I am willing to bet, that in many instances, you will find that there have been many not serious accidents that had occurred leading up to the serious one. You might find that many of these not serious accidents carry within them the same root causes as the serious ones! In 2016 a staggering 313 million workplace accidents were recorded; 2.3 million of those cases resulted in someone losing their lives. Who knows what happens in undocumented factories and mines in third world countries? Let us not fall into the category of being reactive, rather than proactive! You might be too late to save a life! Investigate every accident, no matter how small. Create a culture of near miss reporting and analyse the data. If you do not know where to start or how to manage this, call us. LabourNet will gladly come to assist, but do not let the sun go down before you know you have done everything possible to prevent the sun from setting on your employees’ tombstones. For more information contact LabourNet Durban T: +27 (0)31 266 6570 E: kzninfo@labournet.com #KZNbusinesssense

DRG Siyaya is a black female owned human resource management organisation, with a big and exciting future. Registered in 2006, as a SANAS accredited B-BBEE verification agency – amongst the first eleven to receive such accreditation, built upon a comprehensive and rigorous quality assurance process. DRG Siyaya offers DRG Online, a state-of the art Human Resource App helping companies to coordinate HR transactions with team members. This app provides employees with ‘HR on their phone’ and helps companies to coordinate all leave types as a core activity. In addition, employers can post payslips, IRP5s, contracts of employment, job descriptions, policy manuals, etc. employees may also upload sick notes and expense claims, update personal and banking details, as well as record time sheet details. Through the KZN Top Business Platinum Benefits Programme a 10% discount is offered when you subscribe to the programme. For more information contact Nikita Pillay T: +27 31 767 0625 E: nikita@drg.co.za W www.drg.co.za

The purpose of Salary Benchmarking is to compare the pay levels within your organisation against a relevant comparator group, in the market in which you compete for skills. The mix of both guaranteed and variable pay should promote attraction and retention of superior talent. Remuneration, one of the key elements in the Total Rewards Model, remains the most critical factor for the attraction, motivation, and retention of staff to an organisation. To remain competitive organizations should review the way they establish their pay levels. Role Profiling, Job Evaluation and Salary Benchmarking can help organisations to overcome various issues. Crucially, this is a much more focused and detailed process than simply interrogating a traditional salary survey to establish a salary range for a given job title. Role Profiling helps you create profiles that replace complicated and poorly structured job descriptions, often no more than a ‘Duty List’ with reference documents that are far more useful for employees, managers, and hiring teams. These role profiles form the basis of key talent management applications — from recruiting and onboarding to development, grading of positions, and succession planning. Properly constructed Role Profiles serve to establish role clarity and, in doing so, mitigate conflict arising out of uncertainty. Job evaluation allows you to understand the relative complexity of various roles in your organisation. It makes a systematic comparison between jobs to assess their relative worth for the purpose of: Providing a logical basis for salary benchmarking & designing an equitable pay structure (internal & external equity); Determining the difference in complexity between positions/roles, using the same systematic approach; Developing a logical and consistent hierarchy of roles within the organisation; Compliance with Equal Pay legislation; Creating career paths; Gaining control of remuneration processes & administration; and Providing a common language and defined point of reference for salary & wage negotiations. Salary benchmarking is a process by which an organisation jobs are matched (typically, at least 70% match) to similar jobs and descriptions in a selected salary survey or other source of market pay data. The information obtained for Role Profiling and Salary Benchmarking are typically used: To obtain relevant, accurate, representative data on levels of pay and benefits for specific jobs in the organisation; To adjust the pay levels of employees in response to changing market conditions; To analyse pay-related problems; To set the pay mix (guaranteed vs. variable); To offer appropriate starting rates; To design and modify salary structures and pay scales; To determine acceptable rates of salary progression; and To provide guidance on pay review decisions and well as salary levels of individual employees. Companies often come to us wondering whether their senior executives’ remuneration packages are in line with those offered by other organisations of similar size. Few employers routinely have access to this information and gaining it can be challenging. Pay varies widely depending on sector and many other factors. Salary benchmarking allows organisations to get an idea of these differences, while at the same time finding out pay levels typical in their own sector. Some businesses have remuneration committees in place for exactly this purpose but, without any guidance of the compensation packages offered by other organisations, it can be difficult to know where to start. Salary surveys can be useful for benchmarking at more junior levels, particularly with the significant volume of data that can be generated when comparing pay for roles that are relatively common in the marketplace. The value of different components of the package can differ greatly depending on the employer. Salary benchmarking considers all aspects of remuneration to ensure it gives an accurate reflection of the package, this may include Basic Salary, Cost-to-Company, Benefits and Incentives/Variable pay. Most importantly, salary benchmarking allows companies to make comparisons of these figures between many other businesses. As part of the analysis, for example, the research can determine the median, lower and upper quartiles, as well as various percentiles of the value of each component of compensation packages. These then give a better indication of how pay levels compare with market levels. In developing a suggested pay-line and salary scale structure the organisation’s policies on remuneration must be taken into consideration, such as skills shortages and premiums, competitive position, review dates, lead/lag policy, etc. One needs to identify the market segment with which the organization should compare itself – typically defined as to where the organisation may either recruit staff from, or lose staff to. In addition, the organisation should select the position within that market for which you strive, e.g. median, upper quartile, etc.; It is important to extract the information from the selected data sources and develop pay-lines using graded information or by analysing benchmark roles linked to guideline job levels or grades if necessary. Overall, salary benchmarking gives an impartial and accurate idea of pay information to help businesses make informed and effective remuneration decisions, while at the same time accounting for variations that need to be considered. Government has made significant changes to Employment Equity reporting requirements with the goal to improve the accuracy and efficiency of collecting data about wage disparities between the highest-paid and lowest-paid employees. It hopes that this will enable the Department of Employment and Labour to identify wage gaps and set benchmarks for different sectors. In the past, for Employment Equity reporting you only needed to report the total remuneration of all employees within an occupational level, population group and gender. The new requirement demands that organisations report the total remuneration of the individual who is paid the highest remuneration in each of the occupational levels by gender and population group. Only active employees should be included in EEA4 reporting, unlike previous years, when terminated employees were included. Reporting remuneration of individuals will simplify the detection of wage gaps. Organisations further need to report the average remuneration received by the top 10% and bottom 10% of their organisation. In addition, this means declaring the median earners’ total remuneration. Organisations will have to indicate the vertical gap between the highest-paid and lowest-paid employee, and whether the remuneration gap in an organisation is aligned with your policy. Companies’ remuneration structures, policies and practices need to be carefully evaluated to identify and quantify cases or possible patterns of remuneration and conditions of employment which may fall foul of the grounds listed. Failure to do so may be costly as it can potentially expose employers to hefty penalties to be imposed should the Department of Labour conduct an equal pay for equal work audit. The Employment Equity Act and its Regulations provide protection to all employees in that a difference in terms and conditions of employment between employees of the same employer performing the same or substantially the same work, or work of equal value that is directly or indirectly based on any one or more of the grounds listed in section 6(1) of the EEA is an act of unfair discrimination. Employers must ensure that they have policies and mechanisms in place to resolve remuneration gaps and avoid unfair discrimination, real or, perceived. If there are disproportionate differences in remuneration that are not justifiable, they need to take measures to progressively reduce such differences or face possible consequences in the years to come. With the correct Role Profiling, Job Evaluation and Salary Benchmarking technology, we are able to aid in helping you quickly build consistency across the organization. It is our pleasure to assist companies in these critical areas of attraction, motivation, and retention of their staff. T: +27 31 767 0625 E: info@drg.co.za W: Home (drghumancapital.com)

Royal Tyres held a women's empowerment event. It was an informative and fun-filled event celebrating women’s month. BestDrive did a tyre changing demonstration, Virgin Active SA Westville led us in a heated game of musical chairs and Bushido Martial Arts Dojo taught us some useful self-defense tactics. Thank you to the following people and businesses for contributing fantastic prizes: Dr Nishani Maharaj from Paint a Pot , Kelly Candice Williams from Silver Lining Photography , Elaine Pillay from Maharaja's, Lizelle Shadrach from Love Flowers and Aarti Hiralal from Instant Radiance . Your contributions really helped to make the day a huge success. Finally thank you to all the women who made the time to attend, it really was an amazing day.

Moontree Organics is a local organisation passionate about health and wellness. We are dedicated to making our beautiful country a better place to live and solving some of our socio economic problems. We can see that small scale farming plays such an important role in alleviating poverty, providing food security and giving people real purpose to their lives, and it is for anyone who is willing to learn. We have also seen how much excitement and positivity is created when a garden is developed. It really is a viable solution to many of our country's problems. Moontree Organics created a registered NPO/PBO called Imifino which has been very involved in the local surrounding areas over the last few years. We specialise in building food and herb gardens and sharing valuable knowledge on nutrition, with an emphasis on reconnecting to traditional wild harvested foods. Imfino has embarked on an exciting initiative to create an organic food garden center at the Hillcrest Library with rain harvesting facilities and a seedling nursery as part of the project. Our aim is to create a world class training facility in order to provide workshops for suburban and urban residents. We really believe that this is a model which can be rolled out into every corner of our country. The food garden will benefit the entire local community. One of our goals is to provide a venue to provide motivation/upliftment and training to the vulnerable people around our beautiful village. The beggars and vagrants at the traffic lights and around town will be our first recruits. We hope to encourage and empower these people to return to their homes and take up farming projects. This will in turn have a positive impact on the local residential and business communities. This will probably be an ongoing program. The venue will also be used by the library during the holidays, as fun farming days to teach children how to plant seeds and grow their own food. The venue will be inclusive to any group that would like to engage in food gardening workshops. We have experience in providing all aspects of organic food gardening including: Composting, seed saving, organic fertilisers and insecticides, companion planting and permaculture principles. We also specialise in wild food foraging, Imifino means 'wild greens' which are freely available superfoods. Our company Moontree Organics has also been involved in herbal, nutritional and wellness product development for more than 15 years, and can provide valuable input into new projects which can be initiated through this program, thus creating potential income generating concepts that originate from the garden. We would like local Highway businesses to support this initiative by sponsoring various elements of the garden. Our first requirement is the installation of the enclosed garden which in total will cost R 55,000.00. This is a lockable, fully enclosed structure approximately 80m2. Further activities to complete the food garden include the seed nursery at a cost of R 20,000.00 and local community training at a cost of R65,000.00 per 12 week seasonal cycle (R5000 per week for 2 x morning workshops per week). This is an ongoing project and will continue to evolve as the seasons change. The yearly cost of the training will cost R260,000.00. In our appreciation of sponsors for this initiative, we will provide high quality social media coverage, as well as affect a contributors signboard. There are many other branding opportunities including stationary, tools, clothes and training collateral. Imifino has already completed over 12 food gardens in our local communities, and believe that our food garden model will benefit towns and villages right across our country. We have seen that Imifino food gardens and nutritional workshops provide real attainable solutions to food security, unemployment, general wellness and upliftment to any local community. We would really like you to join us and come on board to join the green organic revolution, where we can build a better, greener future for our wonderful country! The photo is of Kaz and Matt Wilson of Moontree Organics and our assistants at Ntubeni School, one of our projects. Snethemba and Zuki. Don't forget to check out our website: www.moontree.co.za

DURBAN ICC A FRONTRUNNER ON THE WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS FOR AFRICA’S LEADING CONVENTION CENTRE AWARD Having just hosted two successful major events - Africa’s Travel Indaba and the Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour – the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban ICC) is in pole position to clinch the crown as Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination. Nomination has opened for the 29th World Travel Awards™ (WTA) which rewards and celebrates excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. The WTA brand - also known as the “Oscars of the travel industry” - is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence. Voting has opened in the various categories for the Africa region. Winners in the regions (Europe, Asia, Oceania, Middle East, South America, Central America, North America, Africa, Indian Ocean & Caribbean) will go head-to-head for the world awards. Travel industry professionals, the media and consumers are invited to cast their votes for travel brands - such as Durban ICC - that they consider to be the very best in Africa. The nominee gaining the most votes in a category will be named as the winner. Durban ICC has been nominated as Africa's Leading Meetings and Conference Destination 20 times and has been voted the winner in this category no fewer than 17 times. The state-of-the-art venue has also been nominated the World's Leading Meetings & Conference Destination for the past 10 years. Lindiwe Rakharebe, Chief Executive Officer, Durban ICC, said the convention centre will be going all out to bring the trophy home, yet again. “Despite the lockdowns forcing the Durban ICC to mothball itself, when restrictions were eased, we worked diligently to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain business continuity as far as was possible under the dire circumstances. “We have just completed two major back-to-back events which tested all our systems and the verdict is that the Durban ICC is ticking over like a well-oiled machine.” She said the Durban ICC met all its performance targets and exceeded targets in many instances. “Competing and winning - be it for events or awards – is in the DNA of the Durban ICC. We are thrilled to have been nominated in the Africa round and hope to also vie for the global award as it will raise Durban’s destination profile for business tourism and will help the Durban ICC to attract more international events to the city. “This will create more jobs and generate positive economic impact for KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. “Winning awards is a visible demonstration of all the behind-the-scenes hard work from the Durban ICC teams and people whose principal focus is to continuously provide world-class customer service to clients, both local and international. “It is for this reason that the close-knit team strives to maintain the Durban ICC strong inherent culture of warmth and hospitality that we are known for and strives to ensure that each guest leaves the Durban ICC happy and satisfied with the service received,” said Rakharebe. Cast your vote now for the Durban ICC by clicking on this link: https://bit.ly/39bnkbS and help raise the international profile of the city’s world-class conference and event destination.

Good news for those that missed last nights cut off, we have extended entires until 5pm tonight (Thursday) So for those of you who still want to enter, please get your entires in online before 5pm today. See you Sunday at Registration! Enter here: https://entry.bactive.com/

To be the "poorest billionaire" is probably the biggest paradox! Imagine looking at your financial statements which show that even though you own nothing, you still benefit from Trusts worth R2,4 billion. Does that make you rich or poor? According to the Oxford Dictionary, a paradox is "a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well-founded or true." Other paradoxes you'll find in the Wealth Mastery System are: Less is more Do the thing you think you cannot do If you don't risk anything, you risk everything Earn money by spending it These life-changing paradoxes will be explained in our Wealth MastersClass on the 20th of August at Garden Court, Umhlanga. Everyone who books a ticket will also get a free one-on-one mentorship session with Coert Coetzee, the Founder of the Wealth Masters Club. Join Coert Coetzee as he teaches you how to create generational wealth through specialised Trusts, Property Investment and Taxes. 'Investors eager to become financially independent in a very short period of time are urged to attend Coert's life-changing course as soon as possible'. - Media24 - Biggest Media Group in SA. Limited seats are available - book now on the link below to avoid disappointment.

The Woodford Group has been on a drive to bring mobility and service excellence to everyday South Africans in a way that improves lives and enhances lifestyles. Its premier division, Woodford Car Hire, is taking this mission to heart by addressing some of the most common frustrations and complaints in the industry. Receiving complaints is normal in just about any business, but in the realm of car rental, there seems to be a pattern. Just look at any feedback or review aggregator and you're likely to find the same gripes, the same issues, and the same sense of dissatisfaction from renters. In a move driven by Woodford's dedication to customer service excellence, South Africa's highest rated car rental company is saying "no more". In a message to Woodford's customer base launching a new initiative, the Group's Managing Director, Essa Suleman wrote: "We know where your frustrations lie when it comes to car hire. We know the industry is broken when it comes to its problems and perhaps it seems that no one cares, but it's something we take personally at Woodford. We simply want to make it right." Transparency, reliability and accountability are the key words in Woodford's latest campaign that is centred around the goal of zero complaints. And the campaign isn't just about empty promises. Woodford Car Hire has established five central points to reach this seemingly impossible goal of no complaints: taking responsibility, communicating clearly, being transparent, taking ownership, and maintaining integrity. These points come to life by combatting everyday complaints that usually are left to fester. For example, undocumented damages are something that unfortunately do occur and can be seen as a way to charge customers for damage they had nothing to do with. Falling under the tenet of transparency, Woodford will not be billing their customers for damages that were not documented or pointed out to them during the inspection. Woodford will also be upfront and honest to their clients with a "no fine print and no hidden cost" policy. To achieve this, clients are informed of potential charges that may occur during their rental, with an added option of an all-inclusive package that provides no surprises. One major change that Woodford has enforced, is ensuring that their staff uphold an unwavering sense of ethics when dealing with customers -- no lies, no passing on responsibility and a commitment to dealing with queries on the turn. The fundamental aim of this campaign is to ensure that customers feel more comfortable when renting vehicles, and not have to live with any fears or concerns whilst doing so. This means cutting out any chance of issues and being proactive if or when they may arise. "Woodford is committed to getting rid of these issues completely. We're aiming for 100% satisfaction and zero complaints, and while we know that there will still be mistakes, we are going to make sure that they are the exceptions and not the norm," says Mr. Suleman. The initiative represents the shift in thinking by the Group as a whole and a drive to change the face of the car rental industry, and Woodford has no plans to hit the brakes anytime soon. As Mr. Suleman explains: "Overall, what we've implemented at Woodford Car Hire isn't groundbreaking, but we have committed ourselves to mastering these elements," he says. "We've been guided by this vision of mobility in everything we do and our promise is that we'll provide you with a perfect and positive experience." The campaign has already received positive feedback from clients (take a look at a few at https://www.hellopeter.com/woodford-car-hire ). Woodford Car Hire was already the highest rated car rental in South Africa, but the plan is to dominate every aspect of car rental by providing exceptional service and taking mobility to the next level. Woodford Car Hire is aiming for zero complaints when it comes to car rental. Put us to the test: www.woodford.co.za This post and content is sponsored, written and provided by Woodford Car Hire .