The Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) will, on October 6, launch its digital platform for its member businesses, and all its services, including business training courses, business tools, support services and functions and industry-specific clusters, will be accessible online.

Each member company would be able to add its employees to the online profile system, if needed, to enable each member to derive benefit from the services of the chamber, said JCCI president Caren Sutherns.

The JCCI serves not only large corporate companies, including banks and insurance companies, but also all industries and smaller companies, as well as individual members. The digital platform is aimed at making the chamber’s services readily available to all members and to make interaction with the JCCI simple and quick.

“The DigAItal Launch will connect corporates, the public-private sector, government, major stakeholders, entrepreneurs and sponsors to create real impact locally and globally. Added to this, our mission is to drive inclusive economic growth and initiatives that support youth entrepreneurship and informal sector development,” says JCCI CEO Bernadette Zeiler.

During a live demonstration of the new online platform on October 1, in Johannesburg, business software systems company Intoweb head of special operations Thorsten Neuendorf told attendees that new products and functionality would be added to the platform each month to continuously grow the benefits members receive from it, in line with the JCCI's strategy to make all its services readily accessible to all members.

Further, Intoweb would add AI features to the platform in 2026. The AI features would also include access to generative AI model ChatGPT for all member companies to use, he said.

The features of the base version of the JCCI digital platform that would be launched on October 6 include a shop where members can buy services and book events. The shop will accept various payment methods and offer special pricing for members.

Members can also renew their memberships online on the platform.

Further, all the JCCI's business training courses can be accessed by members on the platform, which each member company's employees could also access as needed.

Members and JCCI's partners could also upload their own courses, Neuendorf added.

Each member will also have a unique QR code, which can be shared with prospective members and will take them to the JCCI's membership application webpage.

Additionally, a feature that will be added to the platform at the end of October is for each member to create digital business cards that can be customised with the company's information.

Meanwhile, Intoweb would add human resources tools, budgeting tools and leave-management systems, among others, to the platform that members could use in the coming months, he said.

“We will also soon add chat features, which will also have image and file sharing, as well as archiving functions to record the conversations, in which members can speak to multiple other members. Members will also be able to search for services, other member companies and events by category and industry on the platform,” he said.

Intoweb also provided live-chat support services for users, and would train JCCI staff members to answer more complicated questions, such as about payments and memberships, from member companies.

A suggestion feature, in which members could post anonymously or publicly, would be added to the platform to ensure members had direct input into how it served their needs, he said.

Meanwhile, in response to a question from the audience, Neuendorf noted that Intoweb had a full cybersecurity team that carried out penetration tests and monitoring.

“The primary focus of JCCI is member expansion, member retention and member restoration. The launch of the DigAItal Era platform will give the Chamber an immediate and powerful opportunity to provide meaningful and tangible benefits and support for its members,” said JCCI business development strategist Marcus Wendell Jacobs.