Andre has gone completely paperless, replacing documents and books with his iPad.
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy developments during the Covid-19 pandemic has been the rapid adoption of digital solutions and technology. Capitec CFO Andre du Plessis loves and embraces this new way of life. “If there is one thing that Covid-19 has actually helped us with, it’s to force people to really become paperless and operate without manual intervention.”
Andre, who won the Finance & Technology Award and Compliance & Governance Award at the 2019 CFO Awards, operates completely paperless now, where in the past he often had to print documents. “I use my iPad with an extra screen, which takes the place of paper. I no longer print anything, I save everything possible in PDF format and do it on my iPad.”
Capitec has chosen a similar route, having recently installed SAP. “Our timing was very good in terms of it coinciding with the ‘away from office’ working because of Covid-19. So there’s no real reason why we need to look at physical documents anymore.”
He explains that he takes notes electronically, and reads all his daily newspapers, weekly magazines and books on his iPad. “Even the cameras in smartphones are so wonderful because you can take a picture of anything, at any time, and you will always have it.”
Andre says that what he enjoys about his iPad is that he can just hook it onto his drone and fly it around to take photos instead of getting into his car to go somewhere to take photos.
His favorite app at home is WhatsApp, which has enabled families and friends to stay in touch during a time when they aren’t able to see each other.
At work, his favourite app is Microsoft Teams. “It is an all-in-one communication tool for voice as well as messaging, and it’s easy to follow the chat lines as opposed to email trails, which can be difficult.”
Like a true accountant, he also likes using Excel, Word and PowerPoint. “I actually use the stock-standard programs more than the very specialised programs,” he adds.
And, of course, he loves the Capitec Banking app.
