Comms Dealer

A clear strategy based on recruiting the right staff and giving customers exactly what they want while nurturing client retention is certain to trigger a pipeline of profitable business, according to Richard Pennington, Managing Director at 4net Technologies.

Pennington's ambition is to be the first port of call for organisations looking to transform the way they communicate internally and with their customers, and he aims to generate revenues of £25 million-plus within five years. "We will get there through staff development, the recruitment of the right new people, aligning all of them to our company objectives and ensuring we look after our customers," he confidently stated.

To say that Pennington is on track for growth would also be to invoke his early days in the comms industry while working at Telinet, then a small but growing reseller business based in London. "I spent three years in the mid-90s carrying an SDX INDeX on and off the tube trains, learning and serving my sales apprenticeship," said Pennington. "In those days, all leads were self-generated and there was a degree of scepticism about independent resellers. Positioning a 15-man reseller which had little or no reputation against carriers, manufacturers and a few larger resellers proved difficult."

But the daily challenge of working for a small business fostered an entrepreneurial spirit and can-do attitude. "Those early years covering Central London and working for a small business had a big impact on me," added Pennington. "We had to make things happen, source opportunities, find the equipment to sell, do our own project management and on many occasions attend a customer site as a stand-in maintenance engineer. These experiences pushed me outside of my comfort zone and taught me to deal with any customer issue."

Pennington then moved to a larger more established reseller, Genesis Telecommunications. "I was amazed by the amount of support, project management and technical resource we had," he said. "However, I created a new challenge for myself by leaving most of that behind to move to Genesis' newly opened Manchester office as the third team member and first dedicated sales person, joining the people who are now my co-Directors at 4net. What I learnt from Genesis is that having a great culture in a business, where everyone loves coming to work combined with a sense of purpose enables people to achieve great things."

Following a three-year stint at Genesis, Pennington moved to Central Telecom (since acquired by Vodafone) where he gained his first management experience running the Manchester office. Soon after he was recruited by Redstone to build a northern sales operation for what he says was one of the first 'truly converged' businesses. Redstone was a professionally run organisation with around 500 employees, offering telco, ISP, network integration, PBX/IPT and IT/desktop services. "It sounded like a sales person's dream," said Pennington. "However, building a sales team from scratch and selling these services was a challenge.

"My biggest learning point at Redstone was the re-enforcement that good people are key to success. No matter how hard you try as an individual and how much coaching, training and support you put into a team, there is only so much you can achieve if you don't have the right people to start with."

Following Redstone's acquisition of Xpert Communications in 2005 there was a period of confusion when the senior management team underwent a reshuffle. This was the catalyst for 4net's four founding directors - Frank Jennings, Mike Jervis, Steve Tyrrell and Pennington (who had worked together before) - to do what they had often discussed and set up on their own as 4net Technologies.

"The company has achieved profitable growth every year since inception," said Pennington. "There have been many deals along the way that have pushed us up a level or into new territory. Building teams in the Midlands and London has also helped us to accelerate our growth and create a scalable platform for further expansion."

4net Technologies has realised an impressive 270 per cent growth over the last three years. Turnover is forecast to hit £7.7 million this year with projections for £10.8 million in 2015. The company now has 39 staff stationed across three offices in Manchester, London and the Midlands. It targets customers in the mid-enterprise, enterprise and public sector with a specific technology focus on contact centres and managed services. "We have undergone significant internal changes in all aspects of the business to help create growth," added Pennington. "But the most significant step has been the development of a scalable internal structure."

Another big change in 4net Technologies' go-to-market strategy has been its approach to managed and cloud services. "We have gradually added to our managed and cloud services portfolio to meet customer demands and to differentiate ourselves," commented Pennington.

"We also focus on UC and contact centre which are underpinned by our managed services. We work closely with our customers to enable workplace and customer experience transformation through the relevant implementation of technology. We manage this through building strong long-term relationships and have a customer retention rate of 99.96 per cent."

4net Technologies has collected a number of awards in recognition of its managed services offering, called 4net ESP. The company has also been chosen to represent the UK in the European Business Awards for Customer Service, having garnered plaudits for building a staunchly loyal customer base.

The 4net Technologies team has also retained a loyal and fruitful partnership with Avaya that dates back to the mid-90s. The company is now an Avaya Platinum Partner and also has a rapidly developing MS Lync practice. "Our Lync proposition has contact centre at its heart, and we work with strategic partner Enghouse to enable enterprise class contact centre capabilities within Lync UC environments," added Pennington.

Aside from the aforementioned, there are a number of additional areas that interest Pennington such as video and BYOD. But key to growth are cloud and customer experience transformation. "Cloud services provide flexibility, scalability and redundancy," explained Pennington. "This is an important area of growth and focus for 4net Technologies as traditional hardware revenues diminish. We have built our own core cloud infrastructure in order to deliver private cloud solutions and integrate public cloud services into our hybrid offering."

The second focus area, customer experience transformation, draws on the firm's contact centre and customer interaction capabilities. "Almost all of our largest clients have a contact centre at the centre of their operations, whether that is 50 seats or 500 seats," noted Pennington. "A few years ago customers were only interested in reducing their contact centre costs, now they're focused on customer experience transformation to win new customers and maintain the loyalty of existing ones."

The end user consumer now demands a real-time response via the media of their choice - voice, email, web chat, social, mobile etc, at the time of their choosing. If organisations cannot provide this they risk losing customers within a few clicks. "Our clients need to transform in order to meet this demand," said Pennington. "4net has therefore developed this capability. We now have a portfolio of services including our own applications to ensure customers maintain a competitive advantage."

In this technology-orientated customer environment traditional revenues from hardware and equipment, and even software in some cases, are no longer available. But revenues from managed services, consultancy and new areas of technology more than make of for those losses. "Resellers need to adapt their models rapidly to ensure they remain relevant to the customer," commented Pennington. "My priorities over the last 12 months have been to ensure that we have the appropriate internal people and structures in place to continue our rate of growth and that they are all aligned to our company objectives and end user requirements. Recruitment of the right skills and experience remains our biggest challenge."•

The average British worker receives 1,728 pointless emails in a typical year, according to a poll by Sennheiser Communications.

Emails detailing trivial information such as 'organising a whip around', 'please sponsor me' and the reams of polite 'happy birthday' emails topped the list of irritating topics.

As does mail with subject headings such as 'the printer has broken' and 'can we turn the air con down?'

The poll found mundane emails about fire drills, Secret Santa and running out of milk were also viewed as futile by busy workers.

The poll of 2,000 office workers found a third said they have someone in their team who is known for sending pointless emails and half said they have colleagues that copy in 'everyone and anyone' to round robin emails.

Not surprisingly, 53 per cent of those polled said they wish everyone picked the phone up and spoke more to one another, rather than clogging-up inboxes with wasted emails.

And over two thirds said things are far less likely to be misconstrued when there has been a physical conversation opposed to an email trail.

Charlotte Gaskin, Marketing Manager at Sennheiser Communications, said: "We are used to firing off emails for even the slightest thing. But it seems like some of the more mundane requests can be avoided. Copying in lots of people to emails does seem to be a bugbear of British workers.

"Sometimes it's more effective to have a face to face conversation or just pick-up the phone. This way there's less room for misinterpretation as well."

Electronic mail introducing new starters, messages about the lottery syndicate and missing food from the fridge were also deemed pointless by time stretched workers.

Not surprisingly, staff members also recoiled when emails about blocked toilets dropped in to their inbox.

The poll also found 38 per cent of adults said they have sent an email that has been taken the wrong way, with the recipient thinking they were being rude, sarcastic or upset.

And writing emails in capital letters causes havoc with employees, with more than two thirds of Brits saying they feel like they are being shouted at.

And half of people said it irritates them when the person sat next to them sends them an email instead of just talking to them.

But 25 per cent said they're usually emailing because they are talking about someone behind their back.

And 24 per cent said they like to make out they are working, when in reality they are just typing emails to their pals.

The study found 67 per cent of workers reckon they send more emails than they make phone calls, with seven in ten claiming it's easier and one in five confessing to not being confident on the phone.

One in ten even say they are often scared to pick up the phone and talk.

In contrast the best email to receive were ones that included pay slips, juicy bits of gossip and those detailing birthday cakes in the kitchen or canteen.

Gaskin added: "It's clear many people tend to hide behind emails, rather than have a telephone call.

"But phone calls don't leave room for error and making a call is usually easier than writing an email, especially with the wide range of professional headsets we offer, which mean your voice can be heard in HD sound clarity.

"Headsets allow you to be hands free and multitask to allow for even the most hectic of working days. You're also far more likely to resolve an issue quickly and correctly. Perhaps it's time we all started using our voices a little more often."

IT Europa and Angel Business Communications will jointly be staging the fifth annual UK Managed Services & Hosting Summit on 17th September 2015.

The event will bring leading hardware and software vendors, hosting providers, telecommunications companies, mobile operators and web services providers involved in managed services and hosting together with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and resellers, integrators and service providers migrating to, or developing their own managed services portfolio and sales of hosted solutions.

All indicators are pointing to the continued rapid growth of managed services, but many organisations remain uncertain as to direction in which the market will develop.

Recent research by IT Europa has also pointed to significant differences between channel organisations and their clients in perceptions of the factors both driving and inhibiting the growth of managed services as a supply model.

The UK Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2015 is a management-level event designed to help channel organisations identify opportunities arising from the increasing demand for managed and hosted services and to develop and strengthen partnerships aimed at supporting sales. Building on the success of previous managed services and hosting events, the summit has been expanded in 2015 and will feature a high-level conference programme exploring the impact of new business models and the changing role of information technology within modern businesses.

The summit theme for 2015 is Creating Value through Managed Services and conference sessions will include:
• The changing face of Managed Services - Trends in service delivery and changing customer demands
• Improving the Customer Experience - the key to creating value and gaining competitive advantage - How to create value, gain competitive advantage and build greater value into your business.

These conference sessions will be augmented by breakout sessions within which leading vendors and service providers which will provide further insight into the opportunities for channel organisations looking to expand their managed services portfolios. Area addressed within the breakout session will include:
Service Management - more than Tools and Tickets
Security and Data Management - controlling access and ensuring continuity
Cloud and Managed Hosting - not what we think it is
Customer experience - automating operations
New Opportunities - exploiting the customer relationship

Throughout the day there will also be many opportunities for both sponsors and delegates to meet fellow participants within the Summit exhibition and networking area.

"Advances in technology, economic pressures and evolving business models are combining to fundamentally change role of both IT and Telecoms channels, with more and more organisations are adopting cloud-based solutions and Hybrid IT as part of their IT landscape," says Alan Norman, Managing Director of IT Europa.

"The Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2015 provides a unique opportunity for vendors, VARs, integrators and service providers to come together to address the issues and opportunities arising from the surge in customer demand for managed services and hosted delivery models," says Jason Holloway, Director of IT Publishing at Angel Business Communications.

The Managed Services and Hosting Summit 2015 will take place at 155 Bishopsgate, London, on 17 September 2015. MSPs, resellers and integrators wishing to attend the convention and vendors, distributors or service providers interested in sponsorship opportunities can find further information at: www.mshsummit.com

The latest version of 3CX's VoIP system incorporates click-to-call and video calling functionality based on WebRTC technology, a development that takes UC to the next level, claims 3CX CEO Nick Galea.

"UC has been no more than a buzzword until now," he said. "Our new video conferencing and click-to-call function is set to change all that. Customers no longer have to pick up the phone, with one click they can be immediately connected for free.

"This technology offers great benefits for all businesses by enabling them to provide a new customer service experience."

Using click-to-call website visitors can make a free voice or video call directly to a business through the Internet browser without the need to download any additional software.

When the embedded call button is clicked a VoIP call to the business is initiated. Calls can also be elevated to offer screen sharing to show customers new products or offer assistance.

"Businesses using 3CX Phone System 12.5 can publish any number of call button links enabling customers to be directed to the most relevant person," added Galea.

"As inbound calls via the click-to-call function are free, businesses can reduce the cost of expensive 800 number calls. This new feature also includes a WordPress plugin so that it can be easily integrated into a business's website."

3CX Phone System 12.5 also provides each extension user with their own personal WebRTC call link enabling users to make video calls. Additional new functionality includes advanced telephony features, updated 3CXPhone Mac client, improved Chat feature, and new supported IP phones. 

Purple WiFi, the UK-based WiFi social login and location analytics platform, has announced new funding to accelerate its rapid international expansion. 

The $5m funding was led by Sir Terry Leahy, Bill Currie, Iain MacDonald and Bob Willett from the William Currie Group with participation from Juno Capital a leading Angel Syndicate. 

Purple WiFi allows users to gain free access to a public WiFi network through their existing social media accounts or a short form.

The user gets access to family friendly WiFi, while the benefit to the business hosting the service (such as a restaurant, hotel, shop, museum, sports stadium or shopping mall) is that they are rewarded with valuable analytic insights into the profiles and movements of their customers and a sophisticated built-in marketing platform.

Purple WiFi have also appointed new board members as part of the process, including Sir Terry Leahy, former Tesco CEO who took the retailer from the third largest in the UK to the third largest retailer in the world, launching the Clubcard during his tenure; and Ian Kelly, Serial Entrepreneur in Telecoms, Energy and other markets.

Additional investors include Bill Currie, Iain MacDonald and Bob Willett from the William Currie Group; Jonathan Hammond and Steve Ashton from the beverage distribution industry; Juno Capital a leading Angel Syndicate, including high profile investors such as Sir Nigel Rudd, Chairman at Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited (formerly BAA) and formerly Chairman Alliance Boots, and three senior Ernst and Young partners, who facilitated the round.

Purple WiFi was originally established due to a recognition of the world's growing need for fast, free public WiFi.

The service has been designed to be user friendly, to be technology agnostic, cloud based and scalable across geographic boundaries.

Purple WiFi's social media authentication covers a number of global social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Google and Instagram, with Chinese Weibo and Russian VKontakte coming soon. The login journey and analytics platform auto-translates into 18 languages.

Thousands of venues globally have already been secured, with strongholds in Europe, Asia-pac and the Americas. Deep technology partnerships have already been established, most notably with Cisco, Cisco Meraki, BT, Telstra and Vodafone, but also many others.

A channel organisation, Purple WiFi has distribution agreements with Ingram Micro and Westcon Comstor.

Sir Terry Leahy said: "Having been in the retail space for many years, I have seen how technology has and will continue to revolutionise the industry.

"Purple WiFi is a brilliant example of how additional value can be driven from an existing infrastructure. I've been incredibly impressed with what Gavin and the team have achieved to date. I very much look forward to helping them drive global expansion and adoption."

Gavin Wheeldon, CEO, Purple WiFi, added:  "WiFi is something that is expected, for free, just as we expect access to heat, light and water.

"But the big question in recent years has been how to monetise WiFi. Purple WiFi has created an low cost solution that gives analytics and insights, while driving true ROI for businesses.

"We have seen unimaginable interest and demand for the product, not just within the obvious sectors of retail, leisure and hospitality, but also unexpected sectors such as social housing, education and healthcare, where they want to use WiFi to communicate better and deliver services."

Business comms specialist VIA has secured a deal to supply software company OpenCRM with Microsoft Lync with other bespoke functionality across its sites in Richmond, Yorkshire and its satellite offices in Swansea, Sunderland, Iceland and Spain.

The Internet-based system replaces OpenCRM's previous IP telephony setup and brings together voice communication, instant messaging, email, video, and audio, across a variety of devices, such as landlines, smartphones, PCs, and tablets.

Graham Anderson, MD, OpenCRM, said: "Previously we had disparate systems for voice, video, instant messaging and screen sharing, with limited integration with email.

"The VIA system has made life easier and our workforce is now able to choose the right channel of communication at the right time, which helps to increase efficiency across the business."

Alex Tebbs, Sales Director, VIA, said: "The VIA solution allows employees to stay continuously connected at all times, whether they are based in the UK or even overseas."

Nimans has added free music on hold functionality to its GS-hosted proposition.

Group Sales and Business Development Director Richard Carter said: "Music on hold is proven to enhance the customer experience, dramatically reducing the amount of abandoned calls.

"More and more businesses are polishing-up their image with a professional service that can be set-up easily. The standard package is bundled for free whil other bespoke paid-for options are available. These represent a great way for resellers to ramp-up their sales and take advantage of additional revenue opportunities."

Annodata has strengthened its senior management team and underscored its growth ambitions with the appointment of Joe Kelly (pictured) as Group Finance Director. The move comes soon after the company acquired Keltec in late 2014 and chimes with its plans to become a £100m business by 2016 through organic growth and by acquisition.

Former Group Finance Director Suki Purewal is now the company's Commercial Director.

Prior to joining Annodata, Kelly worked for a range of listed, private and private equity-backed businesses, including 365ITServices, PRGX Global Inc and the Parity Group.

"With significant financial, operational and M&A experience working in mid-markets in the technology and business services sectors, Kelly will play a key guiding role in helping Annodata fulfil its growth ambitions," said Martin St. Quinton, Chairman of Annodata

"Joe joins the company during a period of intense growth and rapid change as we seek to diversify our product offering and strengthen our nationwide footprint.

"Annodata has major growth ambitions and to achieve them it's important that we have a strong senior management team in place.

"Joe's extensive experience working with dynamic organisations and excellent track record makes him a strong addition to the company, and I would like to welcome him on board."

Kelly added: "Annodata has undergone a number of important changes in recent years and, in the process, done a lot of growing up, making it an exciting time to join the company.

"2015 is shaping up to be a busy year as we look to make a number of strategically important acquisitions and bed in those acquisitions already made. I look forward using my experience to capitalise on the advances already made and help to drive the business forward."

A partner event hosted by Cloud Telephones and Gamma aims to get resellers thinking about VoIP opportunities, in particular the Horizon Hosted VoIP service.

The event will be staged at Gamma's City of London showroom in February where delegates will be given an overview of Gamma's service and insights into the future development of voice services. There will also be an opportunity to trial the service first-hand.

Cloud Telephones will outline how it is helping partners to develop and grow their voice business, and how VoIP can be used as a stepping stone to developing a long-term, sustainable business model based on hosted services.

John Carter, MD of Cloud Telephones, said: "This will be a good opportunity for resellers who are new to VoIP, and those who have dipped their toe in the water previously, to assess the business potential that exists in the market today.

"Customers understand the benefits and they are ready to adopt digital voice services, so there is a really good opportunity now for resellers to take the VoIP message to both their existing customer base and new prospects."

Interest in VoIP has been increasing in recent months and Carter believes 2015 will see a substantial rise in adoption.

"VoIP is taking off and now is the time to grasp the nettle," he said. "Resellers that ignore it will soon find the rug pulled from under their feet and with the whole market moving towards hosted and subscription services, VoIP is an ideal starting point. It's easy to sell and services like Gamma's Horizon are proven and easy to install."

Cloud Telephones also offers other cloud services and provides a billing engine that can be used by resellers to bring together the costs of all the services they provide to customers into one simple monthly bill.

Pent-up demand for a job change among UK workers has reached its highest level in a generation, according Clive Jefferys, Director at JMA Network Recruitment.

"Never in my working life have I seen so much bottled-up demand for change among UK workers," he said, commenting on the latest poll from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) which found that 37% of those questioned want to move job in 2015.

"Unsurprisingly, this level of demand is three times higher than it was in 2013. With inflation now below 0.5%, and Deloitte forecasting a 9% increase in business capital investment this year, the stage seems to be set for some major expansion in the economy.

"Salaries for new job offers rose between 6% and 11% last year, depending on where you live in the country, and the New Year spike in jobsite registrations supports all these positive indicators."

However there is an issue looming, warns Jefferys. "Every General Election causes anxiety among businesses," he added. "I believe the overall picture will remain unclear until well after May."