TBM’s Technology Overcomes Geographical, Cultural And Language Barriers

Johannesburg-based TBM is helping its clients, both corporate and government, become more successful by delivering specific education and training content to their own private TV networks, which are fed by satellite.

“Initially we offered clients a focused digital advertising solution, but now they can also utilize this powerful communication medium to correspond with customers, or train and educate their staff,” explains TBM’s CEO Pierre van der Hoven.

A private business network has many applications: clients use it for staff training, brand building, information services, promotions, competitive advantage, social responsibility, sponsor extensions or strategic alliances. It is ideally suited to organizations that have multiple departments, branches or offices that are geographically separated and have a need to communicate with staff or customers, or train personnel at different branches.

“Not only have we attracted attention with our unique technology, we are able to provide a versatile, cost effective solution with vast reach that can address education and skills transfer needs at a community level desperately needed in the African environment,” notes van der Hoven. TBM operates its own network of more than 700 plasma and TV screens countrywide. “The key technical breakthrough is satellite-reach combined with the ability to run unique content at each site,” he says. TBM is currently delivering tailor-made content to individually addressable SARS sites countrywide for internal training and external communication with taxpayers. A survey undertaken by SARS on the effectiveness of the medium, reveals that almost all of the staff watch SARS TV and most say they find it relevant and interesting. The overall level of staff satisfaction with this new medium is extremely high.

Taxpayers also rate the service highly. Almost all of the taxpayers surveyed believed SARS TV was a worthwhile service, and more than half said they learnt something new from the TV screens while waiting. TBM, as a leader in this field, believes its unique technology has even more applications in Africa because of the continent’s circumstances, in particularly the lack of infrastructure and significant geographical distances.

Apart from TBM’s vision of using this technology to make a major impact in the education arena, there are various other applications including skills transfer, sustainable development, poverty alleviation and AIDS awareness programmes. TBM’s technology has been creating interest from other organizations, including governments and NGOs, from all over the continent, anting to make use of TBM’s digital highway to conduct education, begin interacting with people, or generally to improve their communication. Van der Hoven predicts exponential growth for the company in Africa over the next few years. People need no special skills to watch a screen. As a visual medium it overcomes illiteracy and content can be delivered in various languages.

TBM offers clients two other ancillary services: the generation of revenue from advertising (it has a well-established sales team) and the creation of content on their behalf (TBM also has an in-house team of designers, technical and creative personel who create world class content).

“Not only does content creation earn foreign currency for South Africa, clients get excellent value for money by having it created here at SA Rand prices,” explains van der Hoven. In a retail environment, private TV stations can be used internally for staff training before or after operating hours and for external communication with customers during working hours.

“The beuty of this ‘hybrid’ model means that once the network is in place, the station can pay for itself through revenue from third party advertisers,” van der Hoven said.

“Each site is individually controllable and can run specially tailored content to address location-specific issues. Changes to content and updating of information is cost-effective and unlimited.” He says.

It is far cheaper for organizations to own their own network than to buy airtime or advertising space in conventional media. Out of Home TV is ‘exploding’ globally with more than 80 networks operating successfully in the UK alone, according to van der Hoven.

Johannesburg-based TBM is helping its clients, both corporate and government, become more successful by delivering specific education and training content to their own private TV networks, which are fed by satellite.
“Initially we offered clients a focused digital advertising solution, but now they can also utilize this powerful communication medium to correspond with customers, or train and educate their staff,” explains TBM’s CEO Pierre van der Hoven.

A private business network has many applications: clients use it for staff training, brand building, information services, promotions, competitive advantage, social responsibility, sponsor extensions or strategic alliances. It is ideally suited to organizations that have multiple departments, branches or offices that are geographically separated and have a need to communicate with staff or customers, or train personnel at different branches.

“Not only have we attracted attention with our unique technology, we are able to provide a versatile, cost effective solution with vast reach that can address education and skills transfer needs at a community level desperately needed in the African environment,” notes van der Hoven. TBM operates its own network of more than 700 plasma and TV screens countrywide. “The key technical breakthrough is satellite-reach combined with the ability to run unique content at each site,” he says. TBM is currently delivering tailor-made content to individually addressable SARS sites countrywide for internal training and external communication with taxpayers. A survey undertaken by SARS on the effectiveness of the medium, reveals that almost all of the staff watch SARS TV and most say they find it relevant and interesting. The overall level of staff satisfaction with this new medium is extremely high.

Taxpayers also rate the service highly. Almost all of the taxpayers surveyed believed SARS TV was a worthwhile service, and more than half said they learnt something new from the TV screens while waiting. TBM, as a leader in this field, believes its unique technology has even more applications in Africa because of the continent’s circumstances, in particularly the lack of infrastructure and significant geographical distances.

Apart from TBM’s vision of using this technology to make a major impact in the education arena, there are various other applications including skills transfer, sustainable development, poverty alleviation and AIDS awareness programmes. TBM’s technology has been creating interest from other organizations, including governments and NGOs, from all over the continent, anting to make use of TBM’s digital highway to conduct education, begin interacting with people, or generally to improve their communication. Van der Hoven predicts exponential growth for the company in Africa over the next few years. People need no special skills to watch a screen. As a visual medium it overcomes illiteracy and content can be delivered in various languages.

TBM offers clients two other ancillary services: the generation of revenue from advertising (it has a well-established sales team) and the creation of content on their behalf (TBM also has an in-house team of designers, technical and creative personel who create world class content).

“Not only does content creation earn foreign currency for South Africa, clients get excellent value for money by having it created here at SA Rand prices,” explains van der Hoven. In a retail environment, private TV stations can be used internally for staff training before or after operating hours and for external communication with customers during working hours.

“The beuty of this ‘hybrid’ model means that once the network is in place, the station can pay for itself through revenue from third party advertisers,” van der Hoven said.

“Each site is individually controllable and can run specially tailored content to address location-specific issues. Changes to content and updating of information is cost-effective and unlimited.” He says.

It is far cheaper for organizations to own their own network than to buy airtime or advertising space in conventional media. Out of Home TV is ‘exploding’ globally with more than 80 networks operating successfully in the UK alone, according to van der Hoven.

Source: TBM’s Technology Overcomes Geographical, Cultural And Language Barriers