Our Heritage: The Story Behind WIRUlink’s Success

The WIRUlink Head Office in Roodepoort, Gauteng

Picture this: It's September. As the flowers start blooming, we're reminded that it's not just spring season — it's Heritage Month. This is the time when we celebrate everything from traditional dishes to enjoying unique moments with loved ones. And since we’re already travelling down memory lane, we couldn’t think of a better time to take you on a journey of our own - the WIRUlink story.

In this article, we'll unveil the tale of WIRUlink - the beginnings, the obstacles we’ve bravely surmounted, and the exciting promises that the future holds. Join us in this narrative of innovation, dedication, and the spirit of progress as we explore WIRUlink's incredible journey.

Our Heritage

WIRUlink was started with one goal in mind - to provide fast, reliable and affordable fixed internet and telephones where other providers were unable to. Initially focusing on rural areas, brothers Riaan (CTO) and Jaco Maree (CEO) recognised the broader demand for these services. After they decided to sell their IT Support business to concentrate on their wireless venture, the success story began. WIRUlink ultimately transitioned into a leading fixed wireless network provider in Africa, boasting resilience, extensive infrastructure and exceptional customer service.

Riaan Maree - CTO (left), Botha Maree - CFO (middle) and Jaco Maree - CEO (right)

“Initially we had to do everything ourselves,” explains Jaco, “without the excellent team we currently have as part of the WIRUlink family. This included marketing, sales, customer installations, picking up stock from suppliers, installing equipment on towers and invoicing while also keeping abreast of the latest international technological developments and planning growth for the business.”

Culture is a big part of the WIRUlink team - the company prioritises the concept of family both within its staff and its customer relationships. With multiple employees who are spouses working in different departments, the company fosters a familial atmosphere among its team members. This emphasis on caring for one's "work family" extends to our customers, ensuring that everyone is treated with the highest level of respect and care.

The Core of Why we do What we do - our Customers and our Staff

WIRUlink stands true to the phrase “the customer always comes first.” The company built its entire reputation and brand around offering trustworthy services and ensuring that its clients’ happiness always took priority. “We knew that exceptional customer service would be key to our success and still spend a lot of effort to ensure our customers are treated like Kings and Queens to set an example to all South African businesses,” Riaan mentions.

A huge contributor to our stellar customer satisfaction is the WIRUlink team who are well-equipped to cater to each client’s needs, so much so that customers have unwavering confidence that any issues they encounter will be effectively resolved. Also, we prioritise exceptional customer support and have implemented network redundancy to ensure uninterrupted wireless services, even if we face the challenges of load shedding or fiber outages that can disrupt other providers' networks.

The Impact We’ve Made

WIRUlink is undeniably a prominent player in the market, driving healthy competition among providers to enhance their services in terms of speed, reliability and affordability. As we expand into new regions, competitors are forced to elevate their standards, ultimately benefiting both the market and its users. Within the communities they serve, these competitors contribute by supporting CCTV security systems, sponsoring schools with internet and phone services, and actively engaging in local events, thereby strengthening security and connectivity for their valued customers.

Expanding Across South Africa

“WIRUlink is a company committed to continuous improvement, emphasising that complacency should never set in,” explains Riaan. “We are constantly testing new emerging technologies to see how we can offer more for less. Our in-house software development team is constantly developing the tools to give customers better control of their services and internal staff to improve customer service and efficiencies.” He continues, “We are also busy expanding our network to more cities across South Africa to bring an excellent internet experience to more people.”

Takeaway

WIRUlink's success story holds a valuable lesson: happy customers & adaptation is the key to growth. The company's journey is far from over, and as we continue to evolve and expand our reach, we can expect even more remarkable achievements and contributions in the future.

When asked what advice Riaan had to help others achieve success he had this to say: “The only way to grow is to adapt to changing conditions around you. These changing conditions include the changing needs of customers, new technologies, changes in the economy, load shedding, competitors, pandemics, politics, etc.. The same is valid for personal and business growth. If you don't adapt, you will fall behind.”