Winning by pleasing clients

Nicola Jenvey finds out how Philips’ hottest agency got off the ground and was built into a formidable force

PHILTEC Services owner Krish Govender runs his business according to the motto “Our service is our advert”.

It is included in his e-mail signature and daily dealings with people and staff.

As a lesson in entrepreneurship, there can be few more powerful values on which to build a brand and business.

Govender, whose Pinetownbased business is the official authorised Philips sales and service agent for KwaZulu-Natal, turns the words into action by insisting today’s jobs get done today rather than being left until tomorrow.

This factor has seen him pick up more than half his customers outside KwaZulu-Natal despite Philips having regional agents countrywide.

The European high-end white goods manufacturer is in his blood as Govender spent 40 years with the company – 23 as an employee and 17 as an agent.

His interest in electronics was honed when he did lighting and sound for amateur dramatic performances.

However, it was the introduction of television in South Africa in 1976 that cemented Govender’s future.

He had intended to register for a computer science degree, but became aware of a call for TV technicians and was among the 2 500 hopefuls who applied.

He made the short list of 1 000 interviewed and just 12 were employed as apprentices.

Apartheid legislation meant he had to study at ML Sultan College in Durban, but not long into the programme he was retrenched and joined the SA Navy, where he worked in radar and telecommunications.

Two years later, Philips started an apprenticeship programme which Govender joined. He did his trade test six months ahead of schedule.

Achieving the near-impossible by passing his trade so swiftly, his career was set.

Philips asked him to become a training instructor and he became the city’s first black TV and video technician.

Further studies saw him rise in rank and he introduced train-thetrainer courses and trained floor staff. He was Philips South Africa’s best technician based on efficiency and productivity, an achievement that led to him being appointed the first black manager with Philips consumer service and a further promotion to national technical and operations manager.

The Durban office received the best branch performance accreditation from 1991 to 1994, the last being the same year Govender received the Philips Quality Link Award.

Lower overheads

He was instrumental in bringing to bear the electronic data interface project that saw dealers shift from having to phone to buy their stock to using an intranet-type facility, and was responsible for implementing new systems for service agents, effectively lowering overheads.

In 1998 Philips outsourced its branches in the big cities.

Philtec Services was born. As branch manager, Govender was given the opportunity to buy the store – and became the only branch nationwide to be wholly owned by a single person.

His vision was simple: to provide a level of service that exceeded customer expectations.

The venture was launched as a repair business for Philips goods, but the intervening years with rising labour costs changed the outlook.

Today it is typically cheaper to replace an item than to repair it, a trend for which Govender was preparing by 2004 when he developed his store concept, and 60 percent of turnover now comes from retailing Philips products.

Last year Govender was recognised as Philips’s largest South African agent, driven by his website sales.

His online presence exclusively promotes Philips products and he buys spare parts in bulk to ensure stock supply – and the ability to service other agents nationally.

Philips aims for its agents to be a one-stop entity for customers seeking repairs and sales, and Govender proudly admits that his extensive years with the company translated into customised knowledge.

It has won him customers from across South Africa and the honour of being the largest authorised Philips service agent in the country.

Some of his highlights include winning the contract to install 20 000 radio and CD shuttles in the new Renaults, Opels and Land Rovers as they arrived in the country before radios became a factory standard.

Govender owns the premises from which he operates and will soon expand the building to include another floor, in line with business development and demand.

He aims to be the preferred supplier to Philips personal care customers, while competitively sourcing customised brands and models for specific consumers.

He has ridden political challenges throughout his career and the segregation issues dictated by law when he worked in Philips remain with him – separate toilets, canteens and social clubs were elements he fought in the company to show they were unacceptable.

However, they were challenges that made him the strong person you’ll find serving your needs today.