The Digicall Group acquires specialist ethics and fraud contact centre provider Advance Call
The acquisition extends the Digicall omni-channel offering and will enable them to provide their customers with a certified, proven and 24/7 contact centre solution to meet all their Ethics & Fraud Hotline needs.
The Ethics & Fraud Hotline, which is certified by The Ethics Institute as a Safeline-Ex service provider, assists organisations in combatting fraud and corruption by providing an independent, dedicated, safe report line, as well as awareness material and training. The Ethics & Fraud Hotline is available 24/7 and provides employees, customers, suppliers, service providers and other interested parties with various channels of communication to disclose fraud, corruption, theft, misconduct or any other unethical behaviour or practice.
Ruben Moggee, group executive officer at Digicall, commented: “We are delighted to bring Advance Call into the Digicall group and make this unique offering available to our customers. Digicall and Advanced Call’s service offerings are perfectly aligned. I believe this also unlocks new client and existing client upsell opportunities for Digicall.”
Advance Call has an extensive portfolio of South African based clients. This partnership has also come at an opportune time for both firms ahead of the EU Whistleblowing Directive set to take effect on 17 December 2021. Moggee notes that most affected companies will probably already be prepared for this, but smaller companies (50–250 employees) have until December 2023 to comply, and Digicall is now positioned to assist and support these European based customers as well.
Leonette Craffert, COO at Advance Call, commented: “This partnership potentially affords Advance Call easier access into international markets where the Digicall Group currently has a presence such as the UK, EU and Australia. We also now have access to regulatory experts who will provide crucial support for international expansion.”
Advance Call uses proprietary Software to administer the Ethics & Fraud Hotline, which was specifically designed to provide a case management system and ensure Whistleblower protection. This is something that Digicall can immediately introduce to its existing customer base, Moggee further added.
Craffert also mentioned that “Advance Call’s long-term vision is to grow its customer base with a particular focus on the private sector. The Digicall Group’s significant existing customer base provides a huge opportunity for Advance Call to achieve this while also spring boarding us into the UK and EU. By growing our customer base, Advance Call will be positioned as an industry leader in whistleblowing hotline services and ancillary services in corruption and fraud prevention.”