Songpol Shanmatkit, the company’s chief executive officer, said TVD will also debut a new cable TV shopping channel to boost sales. He added that the declining economy and the exit of some digital TV broadcasters may affect the home-shopping business, which may encounter slower growth in the second half.

However, he expects the purchase of extra airtime and greater focus on cost management will improve sales in the second half, adding that there have been positive signs of growth in the past two months.

He added that TVD will also closely monitor household debts, which may dampen consumer spending.

A Cloud-based business administration software piloted for NokScoot prior to an industry roll-out, it  transforms the aviation business software catering to changes in the digital age, supporting efficient and accurate data management incorporating all dimensions of business process and connecting complete operations of every related party with highest security standard on Real-Time information display, in line with NokScoot’s goal to become one of Asia’s leading airlines.

Kridsada Satukijchai, Chief Executive Officer of Netizen Co Ltd, said: “As a consultant in Enterprise Resource Planning software (ERP), Netizen cooperates with SAP in developing SAP ERP for NokScoot Airlines presenting Netizen SAP ByDesign Arabica, fabricating system with Real Cloud ERP specifically developed to target the aviation industry. The goal is to enhance competitiveness for efficient business administration amid intense competition. This cooperation pioneers system architecture featuring Real Cloud ERP for the first time in the aviation industry in Thailand with the official pilot service for NokScoot Airlines to deliver solutions for enterprise resource management, aiming to manage cost, focus on accuracy, increase speed and enhance efficiency in the highly competitive aviation industry towards the digitalisation period”.

Highlight of Netizen SAP ByDesign Arabica is the integration of 3 business cultures, offering SAP ERP from Germany combining knowledge base in work process from Japan and user format developed with Thai Localization by Netizen to meet working style and business operation suitable for the country. Tax calculation complies with Thai tax codes and formulates accurate and complete tax payment to  the Revenue Department. Business administration is therefore agile and accommodates NokScoot to expand operating routes throughout Asia, enlarge airplane fleet, enhance airlines capabilities and engage more flight connections in the future.

Arabica or Netizen Arabica is the Real Cloud ERP in the extended version of core SAP Business ByDesign developed to add work processes to cover all work administrations, tailored to business format and process in Thailand from medium to large enterprises integrating 5 key solutions:

1. Thai Localisation: Adjust operating system to suit each industry in Thailand, supporting Thai language work. For returns on investment, the Software Package offers Best Practice Standard.

2. Easy Implementation Template: Easily transfer data of existing version to new system partnering with Ecosystem, ready to service customers in every step and understand business requirements from every department, fueling business growth in the digital age with smart and international work process standard and ongoing New Upgrade Version to add new features.

3. Business Process Scenario: Simulate over 200 Scenarios of Business Cases from SAP Business ByDesign, compared with previously 36 Scenarios, finding functionalities relevant to business requirements ranging every process from production management, finance and accounting to sales under the same platform with automatic system of main functions to serve workflows in various industries.

4. Integration Software: Support work integration with other systems including fast and convenient connect via Mobility using mobile phones and handheld devices operated by Fiori technology linking UI/UX with Netizen Arabica to enable uses from every type of equipment with advanced screen and easy functions. The Logistics & Warehouse Management system handles logistics related matters with Netizen Robusta and warehouse management to help improve production capacity, reduce cost and eliminate duplicated works and delay. Verify amounts, track goods receipt and invoice (GR/IR) on a real time basis. Validate in-depth purchasing data from central database on purchasing order.

5. Origami Platform: Establish Collaboration Platform in the organization to manage personnel and activities such as Training Academy, testing model, project management, E-document for work information and files storage and Helpdesk management.

In addition, the Netizen Arabica fully integrates function accesses and works from related departments with highest security and real-time information display. The ERP system including sales and marketing (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), finance (FI), human resource management (HRM), supplier relationship management (SRM) and production plan enables employees to work aggregately with efficiency by organising work format based on Enterprise requirements with convenience and speed. Generate accurate deep data analysis and report with Dashboards. Work on Mobility every time and place. Support business expansion with capabilities. System installation requires only a few months to complete, timely to competition in the digital age.

Yodchai Sudhidhanakul, Chief Executive Officer of NokScoot Airlines, disclosed “ Amis intense  competition for share in the aviation industry, business needs to expand operating routes for survival and serve accelerating growth of passengers. Technological shift in the age of digital disruption also impacts business and challenges  airlines operators to adjust to the digital transformation process.

The cooperation marked a significant step of NokScoot supported by Netizen and SAP to turn business operations to international standard. The application of Netizen SAP ByDesign Arabica will help us receive and manage all data at fast speed, reduce administration cost, evaluate work results with efficiency, coping with changes and align with technology driven competition at present, Yodchai added.

MCOT switched off its digital Family Channel 14 at midnight September 15, but is still operating its high-definition Channel 30.

Zendesk, a US-based customer support platform, is stepping up its marketing offensive in Thailand and other Asia Pacific markets, to deliver the best omni-channel customer experiences.

According to Sandie Overtveld, vice president/sales in Asia Pacific, ever-rising customer expectations due to vast improvement in personal and social communication technology have prompted a new paradigm shift in CRM (customer relationship management).

Previously, CRM was mainly about managing an organisation’s sales and marketing teams rather than engaging with customers. However, today’s smart businesses have to adopt a different approach by focusing on the “outside-in” factor or better customer engagement.

In other words, sales and customer support teams must be linked automatically and seamlessly to deliver better customer experiences via multiple communication channels, from messaging apps and social media to call centers and emails.

Based on the Zendesk customer experience report 2019, today’s customers on average use five communication channels socially and two channels when communicating with brands. In other words, customers want to communicate with brands the same ways they communicate with friends and families.

In addition, they often compare their experience with brands, citing the best experience they have had, regardless of differences in product or service categories.

As a result, it’s a big challenge for businesses trying to satisfy and retain their customers in today’s consumer-driven markets.

For example, customers do not want to repeat themselves while waiting for resolutions to their issues so it is necessary to have a complete history of customer-agent conversations flowing seamlessly across multiple channels used by customer support teams, so that they have a clear view of the specific customer.

Line, Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram are among the popular social platforms in Thailand with Line, for example, having more than 33 million active users. Thus, a business’s interaction with customers via messaging apps is now a crucial component of the new-generation CRM, especially in view of the growing popularity of super-apps such as Grab.

Besides Grab, other potential super-apps include Get and others which are aiming to be destination apps for hailing taxis, food delivery, payment, financial and other services.

Based on the Zendesk customer support solution, it is necessary to handle lots of customer and business agent messages automatically using both bots and humans with interaction at the right time and in a natural way.

According to research, phone calls have the lowest customer satisfaction level, but they are still necessary, while customers are most satisfied with chats and instant messaging services and in many cases prefer self-service features.

For example, Grab which operates in seven Asian markets including Thailand, uses the Zendesk platform to manage its omni-channel communications with customers, especially with regard to their questions and complaints, such as when customers query on a longer-than-necessary route, some car or driver problems, or when something is left behing in the vehicle by a customer.

Besides Grab, Sandie said the logistic industry is another key market for the customer support platform as the business is booming along with the rise of e-commerce sites, thus needing more efficient warehousing and delivery services, especially on the last-mile delivery of goods to customers.

In hospitality, Thailand’s Minor hotel group is another Zendesk customer using the omni-channel communications platform to better serve guests in a seamless way, from pre- arrival and while-staying to post-stay experiences.

Zendesk, Sandie said, also targets banks, financial services and other sectors as potential customers as the markets have been driven by higher customer expectations, especially regarding their experiences in personal and social communications.

Tom Keiser, chief operating officer of Zendesk, which has also acquired Smooch messaging platform, said the company now has a total of 145,000 customers worldwide, including several Unicorns or tech start-ups which are worth US$1 billion or more each.

With an overall worldwide revenue of $700 million so far this year, Zendesk also has about 20,000 customers in the Asia Pacific who are mainly start-ups as well as established companies rethinking their customer experience strategy as customer expectations rise.

For example, more coffee shop chains are taking orders online so that customers do not have to wait in queue or customers now expect e-commerce sites to deliver their products within hours instead of two days.

Or if customers have questions about products or services, businesses should be able to get the answers even before they are asked, which is possible using the new-generation CRM platform where sales and customer support data are all integrated and powered by artificial intelligence.

Chaiwat said the company is ready to file to the Securities and Exchange Commission with the first phase of the debenture at Bt6 billion, and the next at Bt4 billion will be a “greenshoe”.

The debenture will have a five-year life.

“We will issue the debenture to support our business expansion plan,” he said.

This represents one of the few US dollar bond issuances from Thai corporates.

The bonds were offered under the company’s subsidiary, Indorama Ventures Global Services Ltd, and are guaranteed by the company.

In addition, IVL’s bonds are unrated and have a tenure of five years with an interest rate of 4.375 per cent per annum. Thet are also listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading.

The transaction raised US$300 million (Bt9.151 billion) on the back of an order book which peaked at more than US$900 million (Bt27.453 billion).

Eventually, the final order book settled at US$650 million (Bt19.827 billion), representing a final oversubscription rate of more than twice the issue amount.

The bonds were allocated 66 per cent to Asian investors, with 34 per cent to EMEA investors. On the other hand, around 88 per cent of the allocation was given to fund managers, while the remaining 12 per cent is allocated to private banks, discretionary portfolio management accounts of private banks, and corporates.

This unprecedented success is a testimony to the confidence that the debt capital markets have in IVL, said a release from the company.

The proceeds of the bonds will be used for refinancing and to support future growth and the investment plans of IVL.

Sanjay Ahuja, the CFO of Indorama Ventures said, “We are very pleased with the response received from our maiden bond issuance in the international markets. The robust demand from the international investors shows their confidence in IVL’s strategy and growth prospects, as well as confirms our strong international profile and leading market position in the chemical industry. I want to thank the transaction team for their engagement and commitment to making the IVL debut a great success.”

Standard Chartered Bank acted as the sole global coordinator. ANZ, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, HSBC, and Standard Chartered Bank acted as joint lead managers and joint book runners.

IVL, listed in Thailand, is a leading petrochemicals producer, with a global manufacturing footprint across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Eugene, who joined the company on September 16, has a strong background in the hospitality industry and speaks five languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien. With more than 20 years of experience in Asia and the West, he is uniquely positioned to drive the development of an ambitious and fast-growing Asian hospitality business.

A graduate from the University of Michigan, Eugene’s career commenced in the US with New Great Wall Corp, a major F&B business, where he was instrumental in introducing new Asian dining concepts into the American market. As pre-opening & opening manager, he successfully grew the Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ chain in the US, overseeing everything from contract negotiations and restaurant construction to staff recruitment and menu creation. By 2010, he had worked his way up to the position of assistant general manager of New Great Wall Corp, handling the daily operations of a multi-million dollar organisation.

In the following years, Eugene established himself in executive positions with global F&B companies such as Outback Steakhouse and Compass Group in the US, before he moved back to his native Malaysia to become group general manager for Secret Recipe, where he was tasked with executing a multi-brand expansion across Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Most recently, Eugene worked for Wine Collection in Thailand, initially as operations manager and later as country director of operations, leading the group’s entire operations in the country, covering 31 restaurants and 55 retail stores. He is now bringing his lifetime of expertise to the Akaryn Hotel Group, where he will report directly to the company’s pioneering founder and Managing Director Anchalika Kijkanakorn.

“I am delighted to welcome Eugene to Akaryn Hotel Group,” said Kijkanakorn. “As we enter an exciting new phase of development, he has many of the skills that will help drive the growth of our business into new markets. In the coming months, two of our much-loved hotel concepts will make their international debuts, with Aleenta being introduced to Bali and akyra arriving in Vietnam. This will undoubtedly set the ball rolling for future investments, and with Eugene’s skills, we will be able to maximise the many advantages of being a strong and independent hotel company in Asia’s thriving hospitality sector.”

Akaryn Hotel Group currently operates a collection of six luxury boutique hotels and resorts in Thailand, located in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hua Hin. The company will make its international debut in 2020, with the launch of Aleenta Wellness Retreat Bali, followed by the opening of akyra Hoi An in 2021. It is also in the process of building up its domestic portfolio in Thailand, with akyra Rattanakosin Bangkok scheduled to launch in 2020 and Aleenta Wellness Retreat Chiangmai on track to make its debut in 2022.

In future, the company will continue to seek opportunities to expand Aleenta, its exclusive and intimate resort concept, and akyra, its cutting-edge boutique brand. Negotiations are already underway on at least three other properties, which are expected to be concluded by the end of this year. Under the group’s deep commitment to sustainability, every new hotel or resort opened by Akaryn Hotel Group will be 100 per cent free of single-use plastics.

Kavin Kanjanapas, the chief executive of BTS Group Holdings PLC, said he was “exceptionally pleased for BTS Group to be a privileged member of DJSI Emerging Markets index for the second time.” He said the achievement was due to “the company’s commitment to management discipline, which have been demonstrated in our prudent financial and investment practices, sustainable management policies and viable business progression covering all three sustainable dimensions of economics, social and environmental, as well as responsibility for all stakeholders.

“We have always strived to promote transparency in our business conduct and aim to create consistent value to our business that in turn delivers credible and incremental returns to our shareholders in the long run.”

BTS is among the most significant mass-transit services providers in Thailand and a privately-owned conglomerate.

The agreement follows a share purchase agreement signed in August in which a wholly-owned subsidiary of WHAUP will acquire a 34-per-cent stake in Duong River Surface Water Plant Joint Stocks Company (SDWTP), valued at approximately Bt2.76 billion.

“In Vietnam, with rapid expansion of the economy, demand for environmental businesses such as water production and waste water treatment is huge,” Do Thi Kim Lien, chairwoman of the board of directors of Aquaone Corporation, said at the signing ceremony.

“The mission of Aquaone is to be the pioneer in the sector and provide services for every single citizen in Vietnam. We are very happy and honoured to have WHAUP as our partner to fulfill that mission.”

Jareeporn Jarukornsakul, chairman and group chief executive of WHA Corporation PCL, said, “Today is an auspicious moment as it is the date on which Aquaone and WHAUP start our long-term collaboration to the develop water infrastructure business in Vietnam. The strategic cooperation agreement marks a significant step for Aquaone and WHAUP to join hands in improving the quality of life of the people of Hanoi today, via provision of quality clean water. We aim to expand the collaboration into other parts of Vietnam in the near future.”

Thailand’s Ambassador to Vietnam, Tanee Sangrat, said, “This strategic cooperation agreement … is another chapter for Vietnam-Thai investment cooperation in utilities businesses and paves the way for a new era in collaborations between the two countries.”

The signing ceremony was held just a day before a ceremony of kicking off the official commercial operation of phase 1B of the Duong River Water Treatment Plant on September 5. The project draws on German technology and will double the capacity of the plant from 55.0 million cubic metres per year to 110.0 million.

Pairote Cheunkrut, Head of Krungsri Auto Group, Bank of Ayudhya, said: “We have been able to jump from the Bt300-billion mark to the Bt400-billion mark within two years, thanks to our close working relationship with our manufacturer and dealer partners, our ability to provide well-rounded financial advice and the introduction of digital auto lending.”