Most SA logistics businesses are losing money to a phone system that can't keep up with their operation
If any of these sound familiar, your current communication setup is costing your operation real money — every single day.
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Drivers burning through prepaid airtime to stay in contact
Every driver call to dispatch costs prepaid airtime. When airtime runs out mid-route, the driver goes dark. No communication, no ETA updates, no way to resolve urgent delivery issues.
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No shared system between depots, warehouses and head office
Each depot on a separate Telkom line. Calls between Cape Town and JHB cost money. No transfers, no shared routing, no visibility of what’s happening at other sites.
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Delivery disputes with no call recordings to fall back on
Client says they gave different delivery instructions. Driver says otherwise. No call recording means no way to resolve it — just a dispute that damages the client relationship.
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Clients and suppliers can’t reach the right person first time
Calls to one number reach reception, who manually transfers to dispatch, tracking or claims. Every unnecessary transfer wastes time and frustrates the caller.
Drivers always reachable — zero airtime cost
Every driver uses the Othos mobile app. Calls between drivers and dispatch are free. No prepaid top-ups, no silent drivers when airtime runs out, no personal numbers shared with clients.
All depots connected — calls between them always free
Cape Town, Durban, JHB and every other depot on one system. Transfer clients between depots instantly. Internal calls between any two sites are always free.
Every client call recorded for dispute resolution
All calls stored securely in the cloud — POPIA compliant. When a delivery dispute arises, pull the exact call in seconds. Delivery instructions, agreed timelines, POD confirmations — all on record.
FEATURES FOR LOGISTICS & TRANSPORT
Every feature your operation needs — built for how logistics actually works
From Durban Harbour freight operations to long-haul transport and same-day courier delivery — Othos is built for SA logistics.
Mobile app — drivers always reachable, zero airtime
Every driver installs the Othos app on their own phone. Calls to dispatch are free. Calls from clients come in on the company number. When airtime runs out, they keep calling — on mobile data. No driver goes silent on a route again.
Multi-depot — all sites on one system, free between them
Cape Town, Durban, JHB, Midrand — all connected on one Cloud PBX. Transfer calls between depots instantly. Internal calls between any two sites are always free. Head office has visibility across the whole network.
IVR — clients routed directly to tracking, collections or claims
"Press 1 for shipment tracking, 2 for collections, 3 for claims, 4 for accounts." Clients reach the right team first time. Dispatch handles dispatch, not tracking queries. Every team works on what they're supposed to.
Call recording — every delivery instruction on record
All client and driver calls recorded and stored securely. When a delivery dispute arises, pull the exact call in seconds. Delivery instructions, agreed timelines, collection confirmations — all documented and POPIA compliant.
24/7 routing — operations never
stop
Time conditions route after-hours calls to an on-call dispatcher or recorded message. Urgent after-hours delivery issues reach someone. Non-urgent calls are handled professionally without disturbing anyone unnecessarily.
Ring groups — dispatch always answered
Inbound dispatch calls ring all available dispatchers simultaneously. First to answer takes the call. When drivers need support on the road, they always reach someone — not voicemail, not a busy tone.
REAL LOGISTICS SCENARIOS
How Othos works in your operation day-to-day
These are the exact situations SA logistics, freight and transport businesses face — and how Othos handles each one.
DRIVER COMMUNICATION
Driver’s prepaid airtime runs out mid-route
With the Othos mobile app, drivers call dispatch over data — not airtime. No top-ups needed. No silent drivers. A driver on the N3 between JHB and Durban can call dispatch, update the client and resolve any route issue — all for free on mobile data.
DELIVERY DISPUTE
Client disputes the delivery instructions they gave
You retrieve the original call recording where the client gave delivery instructions — date, time, exact conversation. The dispute is resolved immediately with facts. No he-said-she-said, no damaged client relationship, no credit note issued unnecessarily.
PORT OPERATIONS
Freight agent at Durban harbour needs to reach CT depot
Because both the Durban harbour team and Cape Town depot are on the same Othos system, the call is free and instant. No Telkom charges, no mobile rates. The two teams coordinate cargo movement across ports as if they’re in the same building.
CLIENT ROUTING
Client calls the main number to track a shipment
The IVR routes them directly to tracking — no receptionist involved, no hold music while someone manually transfers. The tracking team answers, has the shipment details up and resolves the query in under two minutes.
AFTER HOURS
Urgent collection request comes in at 9pm
stop
Time conditions route after-hours calls to the on-call dispatcher’s Othos mobile app. They answer professionally on the company number. The urgent collection is handled. The client never knows they reached someone on their mobile rather than the office.
MULTI-DEPOT
JHB depot needs to divert a shipment to Durban
The JHB operations team transfers the client call to the Durban depot in two seconds, for free. The Durban team picks up immediately and handles the diversion. No callback needed, no client left waiting, no inter-depot call charges on the monthly bill.
TYPES OF LOGISTICS BUSINESSES WE SERVE
From Durban Harbour freight to same-day courier delivery
Any logistics, transport or freight business where communication between dispatch, drivers, depots and clients is critical — which is every logistics business in South Africa.
Freight & shipping companies
Durban and Cape Town port operations, clearing agents, freight forwarders and shipping coordinators need seamless communication between harbour operations, inland depots and client offices. Othos connects all sites on one system with free internal calls.
Long-haul transport & trucking
Long-haul operators with drivers on multi-day routes across SA need drivers reachable at all times on the business number. The Othos mobile app keeps every driver connected to dispatch without prepaid airtime — regardless of where in SA they are.
Courier & parcel delivery
Same-day and next-day courier companies with large driver fleets need free driver-to-dispatch communication, ring groups that ensure dispatch is always answered, and call recording for delivery confirmation disputes.
Warehousing & distribution
Distribution centres and warehousing operations with multiple sites across SA need all locations on one phone system — free between sites, with IVR routing for inbound supplier and client queries and ring groups that always reach someone on the floor.
Cross-border & regional transport
stop
Transport companies operating across SA borders into Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia need their SA base fully connected regardless of where drivers are. The Othos mobile app works across borders over mobile data — at free internal call rates.
3PL & supply chain operators
Third-party logistics providers managing complex supply chains need professional call routing, per-client IVR options and call recording for every client interaction — all from one Cloud PBX without legacy hardware at any site.
GETTING STARTED
Your entire operation live in one business day
No hardware to install at any depot. No engineer visits. No Telkom installations. Our SA-based team handles everything — your drivers can be on the system the same day.
1
Book a free demo
Tell us about your operation — how many depots, how many drivers, current setup. We’ll design the right IVR structure, ring groups and driver extension setup for your specific logistics model.
2
We configure everything
Our team sets up your IVR (Tracking / Collections / Claims / Dispatch), depot ring groups, driver extensions, call recording, 24/7 routing and head office visibility. Your number is ported if needed.
3
Drivers and depots go live
Drivers download the Othos app, log in and are immediately reachable. Depot staff are live on their extensions. All internal calls are free from day one. Call recording is active across the whole operation.
WHY OTHOS
How Othos compares to what most SA logistics businesses are still using
Most SA logistics operations use Telkom lines at each depot and prepaid mobiles for drivers — a setup that costs more than it should and delivers far less than you need.
Free calls between all depots & drivers
Drivers reachable when prepaid runs out
IVR — Tracking / Collections / Dispatch
Call recording — POPIA compliant
24/7 after-hours routing
Company number on all driver calls
All depots on one shared system
Head office visibility across all depots
No hardware at any site
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Everything your logistics operation needs in one plan
One monthly fee per extension. No setup costs, no hardware, no hidden extras. Everything below available from day one at every depot and for every driver.
Mobile app — iOS & Android for all drivers & staff
Free calls between all depots, drivers and head office
IVR — Tracking, Collections, Claims, Dispatch
Ring groups — dispatch always answered
Call recording — POPIA compliant, cloud stored
24/7 time conditions — after-hours routing
Call queues — manage peak inbound volumes
Voicemail to email — never miss an urgent message
Multi-depot — unlimited sites on one system
CRM integration — HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho
Number porting — keep your existing business number
SA-based support team — not a call centre
WHAT SA BUSINESSES SAY ABOUT OTHOS
SA businesses that made the switch — and never looked back
Real feedback from real South African businesses on Google.
FAQ
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Can all our depots be on the same phone system?
Yes. All Othos extensions are part of the same Cloud PBX regardless of location. Your Cape Town depot, Durban harbour operations, JHB distribution centre and any other site are all on the same system. Calls between any two sites are always free. Clients can be transferred between depots instantly. Head office has visibility across all sites from one dashboard.
How does call recording help with delivery disputes?
All client and operations calls are recorded and stored securely in the cloud — accessible, searchable and downloadable. When a client disputes delivery instructions they gave over the phone, you retrieve the exact call in seconds. Date, time and full conversation are all on record. This resolves disputes immediately without damage to the client relationship or unnecessary credit notes. All recordings are POPIA compliant with appropriate access controls.
Can the system handle after-hours urgent delivery calls?
Yes. Time conditions automatically route calls differently after business hours. Urgent calls can be routed to an on-call dispatcher's Othos mobile app. Non-urgent calls hear a professional recorded message with instructions to call back during hours or leave a voicemail that arrives as an email. The on-call dispatcher answers on their Othos app — the company number shows as caller ID and the call is recorded, just like an in-office call.
Does the Othos app work when a driver is outside South Africa?
Yes. The Othos mobile app works wherever there is mobile data connectivity — including in neighbouring countries like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia. Drivers on cross-border routes remain connected to dispatch and can call the office using their Othos extension. Standard data roaming rates from the driver's network provider apply, but no additional Othos charges are incurred for cross-border use.
How long does setup take for a multi-depot logistics business?
Your full Cloud PBX — including IVR, depot ring groups, driver extensions, call recording and 24/7 routing — is typically configured and live within one business day. Our team handles everything. Drivers then download the Othos app, log in with their extension details and are immediately operational. If you're porting an existing number from Telkom, that process runs in parallel and completes within 5–10 business days.
Zero airtime costs for drivers. Free calls between all depots. Full call recording for dispute resolution. Our SA team sets everything up — live in one day.
EXPLORE OTHOS CLOUD PBX FEATURES
