O'Keeffe & Swartz Reviews South Africa 2026Employee Ratings & Honest Insider Opinions

O'Keeffe & Swartz offers a straightforward entry point for Matric graduates in Johannesburg who want paid training and a real shot at earning commission from day one. New starters begin with a structured training period that covers product knowledge, call scripts, and basic sales techniques. The programme runs for several weeks before you move onto live calls. Trainers stay involved during the first few weeks on the floor, listening in and giving feedback. This setup helps people who have never worked in a contact centre before. Most entry-level roles involve outbound sales calls. You will spend your shifts on the phone, explaining offers, handling objections, and trying to close deals. Targets are set daily and weekly. Some days feel steady; others bring long stretches of rejected calls. The base pay starts around R6,000 and can rise to R18,000 with strong commission. How much you take home depends heavily on your results, not just your hours. After a few months, consistent performers can move into senior agent or team leader roles. The sales and communication skills you build here transfer to other contact centres or customer service jobs if you decide to leave. Many people use the experience as a first step rather than a long-term home. This role suits Johannesburg and broader Gauteng candidates who have just finished Matric, live near transport routes into the city, and are willing to push through rejection while learning. It works best for people who want clear structure and training but understand that income will vary with performance.

— ShiftMate Editorial · O'Keeffe & Swartz worker

O’Keeffe & Swartz runs a typical South African BPO operation focused on outbound sales and customer service campaigns. Glassdoor gives the company 3.0/5 from 30 reviews while Indeed shows 3.3/5 from 137 reviews, with 63 % of Glassdoor respondents saying they would recommend it. The picture that emerges for contact-centre staff is of steady but demanding work where basic training and team atmosphere are decent, yet daily pressure and limited flexibility drag the experience down. Employees frequently praise the initial training and the chance to pick up product knowledge quickly. Reviews mention a “supportive environment” and “ability to learn new things,” especially for people new to sales or customer service. Culture scores the highest on Indeed at 3.7/5, with several staff noting a clear sense of purpose when campaigns are running well and colleagues are helpful. Pay and benefits sit at 3.4/5, which many describe as average for the Randburg and Johannesburg BPO market—nothing exceptional, but regular and on time for most. The recurring complaints centre on management and workload. Work-life balance scores only 2.9/5 on Indeed. One recent review titled “Too much pressure that one can learn from” captures the tone: targets are aggressive, call volumes stay high, and breaks feel tightly controlled. Management ratings hover around 3.2/5, with staff reporting inconsistent feedback and sudden changes in scripts or rosters. Several people mention that the job can feel repetitive after the first few months, and the “general feeling of work happiness” is listed as an area needing improvement. Transport access to the Randburg site is rarely praised, and shift patterns make commuting difficult for those relying on public transport. Career growth receives a middling 3.4/5 on Indeed. Internal moves into team-leader or quality roles do happen, but they are not guaranteed and often depend on hitting numbers rather than tenure. Many reviewers note that advancement feels slow once you are in a standard sales or service seat. Bottom line: apply if you want entry-level BPO experience, decent basic training, and a reasonably friendly floor culture while you earn a market-rate salary. Look elsewhere if you need predictable hours, strong work-life balance, or clear promotion paths without constant sales pressure. The company is not the worst in the sector, but it is also not a standout.