Comms Dealer

No business plan goes unchallenged and the true test of any strategy lies in its formation which is a matter of clear adaptive leadership, according to 8x8 commissioned speaker Kevin Uphill, Chairman of business strategist Avondale.

He urged delegates to move from management to leadership, map the line of probability, explore parallel sectors, make decisions more collaboratively, and watch and listen with eyes and ears wide open.

Why? Because too many businesses are stripped of proper long-term planning according to Uphill who prescribed a remedy to bring strategy back to the boardroom table.

In a keynote address to Comms Vision delegates he praised those leaders who are determined to transform their business and defy 'default' behaviours.

"The market is accelerating and we need to deal with that pace of change through strategy, so leadership is important," he stated. "As leaders, bring the team with you, give staff 'permission' with clear roles and responsibilities. Take time out on business design, always ask why you're better than competitors and articulate that succinctly to customers."

Uphill presented plenty of evidence to show that one form of leadership does better than others - mainly by inserting clear space between day-to-day management activities to create conditions that meet the requirements of true leadership.

From this space will emanate the building blocks needed to construct a viable long-term strategy that delivers a competitive advantage in a fast changing market.

"Get into the strategy space," urged Uphill. "Many leaders avoid this move because it's uncomfortable, less certain, hands-off and doesn't feel like work.

"To take practical leadership steps we must put ourselves aside, listen and watch more carefully, and dedicate more time to competitor analysis.

"By researching our environment we can overlay the macro and micro picture which helps us to identify the line of probability which in turn determines how we can take advantage."

The market is converging, getting faster and smarter, software is nibbling at margins, and resellers will struggle to bring value if they talk to customers from a product perspective.

They must become idea businesses as opposed to product focused operations, believes Uphill. And with no clear strategy they may struggle to communicate why they are better than the alternatives.

"Look at consultancy models," he added. "What does the customer really want? How are they operating collaboratively? What silos need to be removed to create an overall technology roadmap?"

Uphill also urged delegates to consider whether they need to pursue acquisitions as part of their strategy. "The M&A sector is alive with activity because of general slow growth," he said. "There are too many businesses offering the same services with diminishing margins. Acquire companies that together will create disruption, which in turn generates shareholder value."

Obliged by some primal urge to think negatively, we default into a cocoon of 'comfort zone' security, and our very own behaviour fosters the outcomes we hope to avoid.

So says Comms Vision speaker and leading performance coach Dave Alred MBE, who would reform the entire concept of failure and even proposes that human potential has barely been tapped, and is ultimately an unknown quantity.

Alred displays a rare enthusiasm for what is possible and, if it was within his power, he would ban the word 'failure' as it is not in the human interest.

"People can perform," he said. "They will always get there in the end. If not there yet, it's not the end."

Alred's approach to performance improvement was clear from the off and he wanted no 'playing safe' from the audience. "Convention does not challenge people, nor does fear of failure. As managers and coaches we can change that," he commented.

Sticking to conventional ways will only reinforce the status quo that is a grim legacy of growing up, noted Alred. And the effects of all this will only be curbed by overturning long held assumptions about personal development.

"Why do kids learn quicker than adults?," he asked. "It's attitude. They are excited when successful, and simply try again when they fail. But adults are hard wired to the idea of failure when not matching their intentions. The human brain goes straight to the consequences of failure before celebrating success.

"We need the enthusiasm of a child. It's never too late to change and grow. If enthused correctly people will do anything. We are not even scratching the surface of human potential.

"What stops us from succeeding? Convention becomes our sanctuary and attitude protects the status quo. It takes courage to change. So fully consider conventions and assumptions and how they can block the road to progress."

Nurturing people to defy convention and perform better also challenges business leaders to enable improvement. They should be mindful of the pitfalls of conventional assessment, such as marks out of ten which stifle development. "Such methods create a mental ceiling and even slow down the journey to the top," added Alred. "There should be no limits to what we can do."

Going for success may perforce introduce a state of vulnerability because change introduces new processes, and when under pressure we may doubt what we can do and unpick procedures that should be second nature. But, believes Alred, harbouring enthusiasm and assumptions of success creates a new level of activity and a positive vibe, which in turn supports learning and development.

One of Alred's tactics when helping companies to improve their performance is to encourage people to do a seven foot standing long jump. During the process they tip towards a point of no return. This process needs to be ingrained through ongoing practice which enables the act to be done more deliberately. But when the consequence of failure is higher (for example, the same jump but between two buildings), the fear interferes with the process. "The key is to follow process and stay focused," said Alred.

Above all, he gave an intelligent indication of how to bring discipline into play and fashion a better performing business, rather than default at every turn into a sterile world of self-limiting conventions and assumptions.

"Fear of failure keeps us in the comfort zone," commented Alred. "But the Ugly Zone is where it all happens. How can we get into that area? We need to inject enthusiasm, vibe and excitement into what we do, and create a wow factor that enables us to improve and succeed."

Key points
• Effort is success, there is no such thing as failure
• Any marginal improvement is winning
• Injecting enthusiasm, vibe and excitement into what we do creates a wow factor 
• Building self esteem creates commitment
• Start assuming you will succeed and progress
• Defy convention. You'll be in the race, but never win
• Praise the commitment and attitude before the outcome

About Dave Alred MBE

Dave Alred MBE is a leading performance coach whose achievements include nurturing rugby world cup winner Jonny Wilkinson and helping Luke Donald become the world number one golfer.

Businesses must offer far more than traditional marketing techniques if they are serious about growth and strategy, according to Comms Vision speaker Allister Frost, founder and Managing Consultant at Wild Orange Media.

If marketing messages are to remain relevant to their target audiences they must extend their influence to the 'segment of one', he told delegates, and this can only be achieved by alleviating historic divisions between marketing and IT departments.

"IT needs to understand marketing and see it as an enabler for growth," he stated. "The marketing versus IT divide cannot continue. Data is key to making marketing messages hyper-relevant. This is your big opportunity."

Frost, who has spent 25 years working in big organisations such as Microsoft, now gives a helping hand to companies wanting to evolve in line with how technology is fuelling the customer experience.

"It's commonly said that we live in a Digital World where screens are cheap and offer a window into wider realities," he added. But it's not a Digital World, it's Our World and there's no reverse gear. We are irreversibly changed and hyper-informed with more access to information sources than ever before. We become welded to the technology we trust."

Hyper-connected consumers are no longer the underdog. They have to an extent disempowered businesses by taking control of 'knowledge'. And customers are intolerable to sub-standard service.

"This all means that businesses must improve," added Frost. "Organisations must learn to play the long game, create new marketing messages and build relationships that can be nurtured. Prospects must not be rushed, they should be given information on their terms - helping is the new selling."

The language of marketing is no longer a language of action and hoped-for reaction. It's interactions that count most and this dynamic has driven an evolution in content marketing. And there is a clear danger in hyping blanket messages that should sensibly be more targeted and individualised.

"Marketing is no longer a case of 'spray and pray' to see what sticks," noted Frost. "It should be laser targeted to reach specific people in a short space of time. Marketing is now about talking to an increasingly smaller group of people, and saying the right things to the right people at the right time."

This tech-fuelled reaction to customers should encourage all channel marketers to think differently. "As technology and automation moves us forward, the 'segment of one' has emerged," added Frost. "Personally tailored messages will be key."

A fresh wave of technological innovation and a strong push for closer partner relationships has unleashed a new phase of intense activity within BT Wholesale, revealed James Hennah, Managing Director of Fixed and VP of Media and Broadcast.

In his 19 years at BT he seen the market move, but perhaps not so fast.

In a keynote address to Comms Vision delegates Hennah provided insights into the strategies behind BT Wholesale and Ventures, including a drive to broaden and deepen partner relationships, bring together fixed and mobile assets following the EE acquisition, while investing in portals and B2B gateways to integrate closer with the channel - all happening apace against a backdrop of technological advancements in areas such as G.fast+, 5G, optical services and M2M.

"Portal development in hosted comms has driven 200 per cent growth this year," stated Hennah.

Another hot topic, 'killing' telecoms fraud, is also in growth mode following the launch of an intelligent call analysis solution.

"And we're seeing growth from the economics of owning and managing platforms, which is a difficult and relentless task," added Hennah. "BT Wholesale has witnessed significant uptake of hosted Centrex and SIP lines, along with BT's integrated field services proposition."

Gamma's flexing of mobile muscle reflects a new campaign to give partners the clout they need to disrupt an outdated mobile industry, according to CEO Bob Falconer who delivered a lively presentation on day one of Comms Vision 2016. There is one sure way to take on the mobile market – give channel partners the power of customer ownership  – believes Falconer, who in partnership with Three has done just that.

"Over the past 20 years choice has been reduced," he stated. "We've broken the model with credible differentiated services."

Gamma is now a full MVNO having acquired a mobile core and invested millions to provide a converged services proposition.

"The reality is that we need control of fixed and mobile networks," added Falconer. "The mobile industry is now vertically integrated which means less choice for the channel and more control for the networks."

Richard Woodward, Chief Financial Officer, Three, told delegates that the business sector was an untapped market for Three and that it entered this space with a challenger mentality offering 'sensible wholesale terms'.

"Gamma is a vital part of Three's go to market and has access to our data network," stated Woodward. "We see the business market as ripe for change. Smaller, innovative challengers have been held back, but with Gamma we are shifting the market."

As Gamma marches into mobile territory with Three by its side Falconer's message to the channel is clear. "We give control to partners in real-time which is a great strength," he stated. "Gamma empowers partners to become thin MVNOs. We are also developing our own converged Horizon, SIP and mobile product to provide differentiated integrated services."

Comms resellers already providing value added services are in a prime position to attack the world's fastest growing and most profitable industry - software - according to Comms Vision speaker Hans Peter Bech, author and economist.

"Software is creeping into everything and the industry has low barriers to entry," he stated. "But software is situational, its value lies in its context and the volume of services resellers can deliver such as consultancy and operational excellence, creating customer intimacy."

Business leaders and staff alike have a vested interest in closing the gap between their near non-existent capacity as adults to think outside the box and their more creative past selves.

On the decline of creative genius, Jamie Anderson, academic, author and Comms Vision speaker, noted that our capacity to think creatively plummets from 98 per cent in the up-to-six year age group to next to nothing in fully fledged grown ups. "Just 2 per cent of adults think divergently," he said. "They stand to gain a bigger slice of more complex markets that require new thinking."

The innocence of new borns has been iconised since time immemorial. Less widely known is a child's innate capacity to think divergently, a powerful attribute that is all-but quashed by the passage of time and life experiences. According to Anderson, rediscovering our latent fount of creativity is the catch-all salve to today's key strategic challenges.

And his keynote address to delegates was a piece of pure inspiration as he examined the audience's capacity for creative thinking via a lively display of revealing tactics, some interactive, some slightly unnerving (such as sketching a portrait of the person sat next to you), all designed to help regain our long lost capacity for creative flair and
put some creative oomph back into delegates' businesses.

"What drives linear thinking?" stated Anderson. "Why do we think the way we do? Education and deeply ingrained habits condition our minds to think in a certain way. Our experience would be valuable in a linear environment, but the world is divergent therefore life experience can create barriers when trying to deliver results. We must be open to lifelong education and create an environment in which creativity is fostered.

"There is a difference between intelligence and creative thinking. The brilliantly intelligent can also be too focused and harbour a narrow field of view. We need liquidity in thinking processes to find many different perspectives, redefine the problem and build it into strategies. It's about sensibility, originality and flexibility.

"In a complex market we must develop business models that are different. It takes time to understand market dynamics and solve complexity, and we need the motivation to learn new skills, be curious about developing markets. Without curiosity we cannot learn. We must question our environments and cultures, take time to reflect, identify our inspirations and boost our creative thinking."

CityFibre has kicked off a new phase of construction as part of its Glasgow Gigabit City project that will see the city centre connected to its existing 31km pure fibre network in Glasgow.
 
Work has commenced on Ingram Street, Renfrew Street and Douglas Street, and will be expanding to bring next-generation, ultra-fast internet connectivity within reach of more than 7,000 businesses.

James McClafferty, CityFibre's Head of Regional Development in Scotland, said: "It is great to see our Gigabit City network now reaching the heart of Glasgow.

"Pure fibre connectivity and ultra-fast Internet services are already changing the way thousands of businesses operate nationwide and now Glasgow's business community will benefit too.
 
"A Gigabit City network will help support the city's growing demand for data, boost competitiveness and create new opportunities for digital entrepreneurs. The rise of digital is really transforming the way we live and work, but to keep up with trends and maintain Glasgow's profile on the world stage, we need the infrastructure to match."
 
Councillor George Redmond, Executive Member for Jobs, Business and Investment at Glasgow City Council, added: "This is a key development for Glasgow, with the greater network capacity and speeds that will come from this delivering great benefits for people and organisations all across the city. 

"We have made great strides in smart systems in Glasgow in recent years, and this will help us maintain our competitive edge."
 
CityFibre's launch partner for the Gigabit Glasgow project is HighNet which opened new offices in the city's St Vincent Street in August.

David J Siegel, Managing Director at HighNet, said: "High-capacity fibre connectivity backed up with a comprehensive Service Level Agreement enables transformative digital technologies to be introduced across all business sectors.  

"Even the basic elements such as reliable high-speed internet access and replacing copper phone lines with modern IP Voice systems can make a real difference to productivity, and it lays the foundations for new digital advances which can keep Glasgow at the forefront of commerce and cultural life in Scotland."

Pennine has scooped the Solution of the Year award from distributor Scansource.

The Bury-headquartered business won the title after it created a multi-site communications solution on behalf of a longstanding international client.

This saw Avaya's IP Office platform being installed at six main UK hubs and a further 20 satellite locations to serve circa 1,000 users.

Pennine's MD Andrew Roberts commented: "The client not only needed an effective and efficient communications solution to serve sites right across the UK, but swift implementation due to a recent contract gain."

In other news, Avaya has awarded Pennine Diamond Partner status.

TeleWare has strengthened its senior team with the hire of Lee Mansell as Product Manager with a primary focus on developing TeleWare's Customer Experience (CX) Analytics offering and TeleWare Communication Manager (TCM) solutions.

Mansell said: "In previous roles I've worked with TeleWare and used some of its products! I am excited to be joining the team and working with them to continue to develop the CX Analytics offering and product roadmap."

Steve Haworth, CEO, added: "This year has been an exciting one. We have forged some successful new partnerships, launched new products and product enhancements, and even achieved a world first when we routed, recorded and analysed a call solely through the Microsoft Azure cloud.

"We're not resting on our laurels and we have plenty more activities to come. Lee has more than 18 years experience in product management and deploying major software and we know he's the right person to help us maintain our momentum."

He joins TeleWare from Gamma where he was the Product Manager looking after Horizon. Prior to that, he worked at Intercall as Hosted UC Product Manager, and Rocom where he worked as the Alcatel channel manager.