African Excellence Awards 2026

17 accessibility and customer feedback all contribute to the final experience. For this reason, Hisense continues to strengthen the link between customer insight and operational decision-making. Customer sentiment is analysed. Pain points are identified. Root causes are investigated. Improvement actions are assigned. Performance is measured. Customer feedback is gathered again. This creates a culture of continuous service improvement and organisational accountability. It is also where innovation and empathy meet. AI can identify a pattern, analytics can highlight a service failure, an AI assistant can provide support at midnight, but empathy, accountability, and responsible decision-making remain essential to delivering true customer service excellence. Hisense therefore combines technology with people, national capability with local talent, and innovation with human understanding. The Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative 2026 – South Africa and Corporate Community Impact Excellence Award 2026 – South Africa therefore recognise more than a collection of individual initiatives. They recognise a broader philosophy in which innovation, community impact, local development and customer service excellence reinforce one another. For Hisense South Africa, the ambition is clear: To deliver world-class technology supported by world-class service, powered by local people, enabled by AI, accessible 24/7/365, guided by empathy and defined by accountability. That is how Hisense aims to enrich the lives of South Africans, not only through the technology in their homes, but through the quality of the support, opportunities and service surrounding it. Contact: Natalie Boyd Company: Hisense South Africa Web Address: https://hisense.co.za/ requirement for technically skilled professionals capable of diagnosing, repairing and supporting modern products. Hisense recognises that developing this capability locally is essential. The company is therefore investing in technical skills development and public-private partnerships that connect industry requirements with education and practical training. Through partnerships with educational institutions and skills-development organisations, Hisense is helping create pathways for young South Africans into the electronics, appliance and technical service sectors. These partnerships provide opportunities for students to gain exposure to real products, modern diagnostic equipment, practical technical training and industry standards. The objective extends to contributing towards a broader pool of technically skilled young people capable of participating in South Africa’s technology and service economy. This creates a direct connection between customer service excellence and social impact. More skilled technicians mean stronger technical support for customers. At the same time, young people gain skills, experience and access to employment opportunities. This approach reflects how Hisense views corporate responsibility. Employing people from local communities strengthens customer support while creating employment. Building multilingual capability makes service more inclusive while developing local talent. Training technicians improves repair quality while creating technical career opportunities. Partnering with colleges and training organisations strengthens the service ecosystem while supporting youth development. Building a national service network improves customer accessibility while supporting local service businesses and technical professionals. Using AI improves service insight while making support available around the clock. For Hisense, these are not separate initiatives. They are part of one broader commitment to supporting the customers and communities the company serves. This philosophy is also reflected across Hisense South Africa’s wider community investment programmes. One example is the Load of Love initiative, created in partnership with the Dis-Chem Foundation. Through the initiative, essential appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines have been donated to beneficiaries and care facilities across South Africa. These appliances can make a meaningful difference to the daily operation of organisations serving vulnerable communities. Reliable refrigeration supports food and medicine storage, while laundry capability can improve hygiene, efficiency and dignity. Hisense has also supported the healthcare sector through donations to institutions including Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, contributing towards improved environments for patients and healthcare professionals. Hisense South Africa Youth development remains another important area of focus. Through initiatives such as the Pitso Mosimane Youth Football programme, Hisense has supported young athletes with technology, equipment and development opportunities. The company also exposes learners to science, technology, engineering and mathematics through educational initiatives associated with its Atlantis manufacturing facility. These initiatives provide young people with an opportunity to see modern manufacturing and technology in practice and understand how classroom learning can translate into real career opportunities. The Hisense Tevolution Museum in Cape Town further contributes towards this educational focus by providing an accessible space where visitors can experience the evolution of television and technology. Hisense’s environmental commitment is similarly reflected in its support for initiatives such as the Hermanus Whale Festival, where the company has served as a technical sponsor. The festival contributes to conservation awareness, environmental education and local tourism surrounding the annual migration of Southern Right Whales to the Western Cape coastline. At its Atlantis operation, Hisense continues to create employment, workplace exposure and skills-development opportunities for surrounding communities. These initiatives reflect a broader belief that long-term business success depends on the prosperity and capability of the communities in which the company operates. Sustainability is one of Hisense’s core values, alongside innovation, integrity and customer focus. These values influence how the company develops products, employs people, interacts with customers, works with service partners and contributes to communities. Customer focus, in particular, is increasingly embedded throughout the organisation. Hisense recognises that customer experience cannot sit only within a contact centre or service department. Product quality, spare parts availability, technical competency, communication, repair turnaround times, service partner performance, digital

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