Electrical contractors working in suburbs, cities and townships often don’t get the one thing that defines Rossow Lourens’ business approaches and ethos – friendships. As the owner of E&R Elektries, Rossouw provides electrical contracting services and solutions to farms in the Limpopo and has built long-lasting relationships as a result.

“In this area and line of work, we see the same people all the time which means customers become friends after a while,” he says.

Rossouw started his own business while working on a farm managing the electricity. He realised there was a gap in the market in his town and set out to provide the farmers in the region with electrical services and prepaid sub-meter installations.

“Farmers need to provide housing at a certain standard if they want to export their products, so we’ve been installing prepaid sub-meters in the workers’ houses to ensure that they have access to electricity,” says Roussouw. “The advantage for the farmer is that they can more closely manage power usage, and for the workers it gives them better control over their spend.”

When asked what he believes ensures his long-term success and ongoing customer relationships, Rossouw has only one word to offer – consistency. He adds: “The best way to keep my customers happy is to be fast. Most of the time they’re getting in touch because something is wrong and because they can’t work without power, there’s always a hurry. So I focus on speed and efficiency.”

Rossouw started working with Citiq Prepaid sub-meters when the company he bought his materials from started stocking the products. He realised that these prepaid sub-meters were easier to work with and has stuck with them ever since.

“The service that I get when registering the meters is really good, far better than any of the other companies I’ve worked with,” he adds. “They’re always there to help us. The Citiq Prepaid sub-meters are also easier to work with so that’s an added advantage.”

Rossouw provides superb service to his customers in the region, offering them more than just customer support and high-quality prepaid sub-meters. He enjoys his job, it’s just what he loves to do, he says, but when asked what piece of advice he’d give to anyone thinking of undertaking this career in the future, he replied with: “Sterkte.”