Live. Work. Play

You can see it from anywhere in Umhlanga Rocks – the unmistakable façade towers majestically over the lush Chris Saunders Park and the peaks of the Gateway Theatre of Shopping. In just over a year of existence CCI South Africa’s head office has made its presence felt. Managing Director Mark Chana gives The Umhlanga a tour.

The building’s interior is just as striking as its exterior: an abundance of frameless glass, slick chrome and bright red chairs dotting the reception area. A quick elevator ridetakes us up to the sixth floor, where a cluster of glass-walled offices is wrapped by a panoramic view of Umhlanga – a glimpse of the sea out of one window, the Palm Boulevard out of the other and a spectacular aerial view of the famous Chris Saunders Park. “It’s not too bad, is it,” Mark Chana quips as he sits down. Chana, who was born in Kenya and studied in the United Kingdom, has lived in KwaZulu-Natal for nine years and proclaims that Durban is “the best place in the world. Even better than Cape Town, I’d say!”

Durban, specifically Umhlanga, has been especially kind to the CCI South Africa brand; it was this that led the international company to set up headquarters on the East Coast. CCI South Africa has grown to be the country’s largest international contact centre. The R200m headquarters launched in January this year, after an unbelievably quick 18-month construction period. “We pushed our contractors to get the building up as soon as possible. We wanted to get off the ground fast,” Mark says, though he acknowledges there are still finishing touches being done. “But we are pleased with the way the offices turned out.”

The company has grown from a 50-seat centre to the mammoth 3000+ -seater it now occupies. The company cares
about each employee, says Mark. This played a significant role in the choice of location and design of the building. “We are a people-centric business. I think the ultimate goal is not to be the contact centre employee of choice, but simply the employer of choice,” he says. “When we chose Umhlanga, it was with our employees in mind. I want each of them to be proud of where they work. With our 24-hour operations, security was also of utmost importance. Our location is convenient; our employees are close to the busiest hub in Umhlanga Rocks.” Being placed in a central area has also aided notable job creation for youth from surrounding areas, including Tongaat, Chatsworth and Phoenix.

The building itself is nothing short of magnificent, as we discovered on a guided tour. Mark says the idea was to
build something aspirational and iconic, recognisable within the Umhlanga precinct. Sleek lines, clean finishes and
bright colours characterise the four floors that house employees. A fully stocked  cafeteria, with cheerful yellow accents, houses a grill room plus buffet and a la carte options, all of which is subsidised for staff. A wellness centre offers healthier options for lunch, while a gym/studio just around the corner offers pilates, yoga and weekend dance classes for employees’ children. A nurse, doctor and counsellor are also available. Mark also showed us a gorgeous hair and beauty salon with treatment rooms, where staff can make appointments to get their hair, nails and facials done.

The building also houses conference and training facilities, which Mark says were designed to inspire learning; this
much is clear from the unique desks and glass walls, opening out into a courtyard with a view of the park. On the sixth floor are six executive, fully-furnished apartments for visiting clients. The lively contact centre floors are branded with pops of neon colours, with demarcated break areas – foosball, table tennis and pool tables are there for agents to take five. The building makes the ‘Live.Work. Play’ philosophy come alive, designed  to ensure optimum energy efficiency is achieved. The lift foyers were specifically designed to manage high peak traffic times and provide direct staff-only access to the secure multi-storey car park and sheltered taxi drop off points.

Mark is satisfied with the buildings iconic status, chuckling as he says he has seen it posted on Facebook and Instagram a few times. But, CCI South Africa won’t stop with just Umhlanga – the plan, says Mark, is to be the best contact centre in the world. Judging from their strong start, that should not be too much of a stretch!