Samsung South Africa boosts SME development with its Accredited Service Centre programme

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Recently, two new proud owners of Samsung accredited service and repair businesses enthusiastically welcomed customers as they opened for business in under-served South African communities.

As part of its R280-million Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP), Samsung supported the passionate entrepreneurs, who can now serve disadvantaged consumers at their walk-in facilities. Clients no longer have to travel long distances or experience long waiting periods for in-home service due to the service centres’ geographical locations, all of which creates a better customer experience.

Addressing customer needs in meaningful ways

The business model of electronic repairs has changed over the years. Customers want quick service turnaround, a high quality service offering and professional client interactions, at a price they can afford. Samsung South Africa is uniquely positioned to support small enterprises by establishing and growing Accredited Service Centres (ASC) in such communities.

At these centres, staff can now repair and service consumer electronics such as TVs, monitors, refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners across all brands, as well as Samsung hand-held devices, such as smartphones, computers and tablets. Samsung provides the selected entrepreneurs with grant funding to support their operations, including specialist business development support and access to Samsung’s service repair network.

Zaheera Abrahams, an astute finance professional and Aslam Peerbacus, well-known for his leadership skills, are focussing on the untouched SME market to deploy their solutions, while targeting blue-chip clientele in parallel to further their growth trajectory. They currently service the B2B and B2C sector in the Gauteng region; post sales services in KwaZulu-Natal, Western and Eastern Cape provinces are routed through third party logistics. They offer clients from the B2B and B2C sector the following services:

Samsung warranty and non-warranty repairs on mobile phones, tablets, watches audio/visual, PC monitor and major appliances (B2B and B2C);Samsung warranty and non-warranty In-Home repair service (B2C); and Warranty and non-warranty repairs on barcode scanners, mobile computers and barcode printers (B2B).

Tshilivhali Tshivhase, a technician by trade and Munashe Ngwenyama, a seasoned business professional, established SUS Repairs in 2016. The business is a small black-owned and managed company that specialises in the repair and maintenance of mobile telecom devices, particularly mobile phones and tablets.

Tshivhase says: “The partnership with Samsung resulted in a newly-built repair centre and tools of trade that will contribute to business growth and bring us closer to the dream of building a training centre where young people can be trained as technicians. We believe that through training we can positively impact the lives of the youth and impact job creation meaningfully.”

Locations throughout South Africa, where black entrepreneurs from the community can be developed and appointed as ASC owners, have been identified. Samsung, in partnership with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, has plans in place to create four more ASC businesses to grow its SME development programme  further.