Comms Dealer

Rainbow Telecom has acquired the customer base of 3G Limited for a cash consideration.

Sussex based 3G Limited offer a wide range of mobile products, including all the leading brands of mobile devices and tablets. The company specialises in providing bespoke packages for both voice and data services as well as offering a wide range of support services said to be unique to the mobile customer base.

Dave Corgat MD of Rainbow told Comms Dealer: "The acquisition of 3G's customer base is a continuation of our strategy to build on our mobile base, both organically and through acquisition. In the past 18 months we have aimed to integrate all our services alongside our mobile offering and expand our portfolio of data services to the mobile market. "

David King MD of 3G Limited said "We have been trading in this industry for well over 25 years alongside my wife Debbie and the team and we have seen some tremendous changes in product and service over that time, and we have built a sound business based on excellent customer service, to such a high degree we consider many of our customers to be friends.

"Rainbow offers such a wide choice of services, which increasingly need to be linked up to the whole mobility piece. With their skill sets and the flexibility of their billing platform, we believe our customers will be better served moving forward."

Nimans has strengthened its 'Everything Connected' reseller strategy by launching a cost effective range of data infrastructure cabling.

The own brand Titan Cat 5e and Cat 6 solid copper cabling are supplied in easy to use reel-style boxes of 305m. Cat5e is available in PVC and 'low smoke' options and the more resellers buy the more they save, from a box to a pallet, with prices starting from £34.50 including free delivery.

"Our Everything Connected business philosophy enables a reseller to complete a job from start to finish - from the smallest connector clip to the biggest system and all associated connectivity, end points and support services," said Head of Category Sales, Paul Burn.

"The Titan cabling provides resellers with a competitive market advantage. They come with price breaks so the more they buy the cheaper they become. The cables are manufactured to the highest standards and provide exceptional transmission performance."

The reassurance of a stable fixed line network combined with mobility and a fashionable look has been emphasized by Graham Norton's use of the stylish 'see through' Swisscom ePure DECT phone on his highly popular chat show.

Nimans, which exclusively distributes the cordless phone into the UK channel reports growing interest in the ePure following its regular TV appearance when Norton randomly phones people and personalities and passes the handset onto his guests to chat with the person called.

"The phone is perfect for executives wanting a stylish look and freedom to roam and we are delighted it is getting such great exposure' on the Graham Norton Show," said Nimans PR Manager Chris Widocks

Customer contact technology specialist Sabio, Avaya's Partner of the Year for 2014, has implemented a web chat solution for Beagle Street, the BGL Group's online life insurance provider.

Sabio deployed web chat technology from LivePerson to make a live chat service available to Beagle Street customers who need additional support to help them complete their online interactions.

Matt Dyer, Head of Multi-Channel Solutions at Sabio commented: "Beagle Street is all about bringing the power of digital customer engagement to a more traditional market sector such as life insurance, so it's right that the BGL Group is supporting its online proposition with the most appropriate digital channels.

"With LivePerson technology in place, organisations such as the BGL Group can immediately identify potential bottlenecks or service disconnects within an online customer journey and provide immediate support."

Quintessentially Lifestyle, the world leader in luxury lifestyle management, has implemented NewVoiceMedia's true cloud contact centre solution ContactWorld for Service acorss its 60 offices worldwise.

NVM says the technology, which integrates seamlessly with Salesforce, has enabled the company to offer its high net worth, globe-trotting customer base a completely unique and personalised experience, making a Quintessentially membership truly exclusive.

Paul Drummond, Commercial Director and Co-Founder at Quintessentially Lifestyle, commented: "With NewVoiceMedia, we have found a technology partner that truly understands our company and the high standards our customers expect. Exceptional service is core to our business and we are constantly striving to deliver world-class experiences to customers, each and every time. ContactWorld is helping us to deliver on this vision, as we can now offer a consistently personalised service, while improving the satisfaction of our lifestyle managers".

The European ISV Convention 2015, which will bring together Europe's leading independent software vendors, major vendors and service providers to develop business relationships and discuss key issues affecting development of the European IT market, will take place at the Lancaster London Hotel on March 25th2015.

A combination of strategic conference sessions, meeting and networking opportunities will provide a unique opportunity for any provider of platform technologies or related services to engage with leading ISVs to drive applications-based growth in Europe.

For further information visit: www.isvconvention.com

Virtual1 have strengthened their operations team with the appointment of Joel Tortolero as Director of Customer Experience and Operations. Joel will be tasked with offering world-class customer experience and support to Virtual1's customers, enhancing the company's recent exponential growth and Network expansion.

Joel joins from BT Group, where he recently worked as Head of Customer Experience. Having worked for BT for 10 years, Joel has held a variety of senior roles including Head of Business Development in BT Wholesale, CX Service and Solution Design Lead in BT Business, and Customer Experience Lead in Openreach.

His experience in managing large operational teams, designing a new customer experience platform that supports over 2 million business customers, and delivering industry-leading transformational change programmes will be a great asset to Virtual1. Joel will take responsibility for Virtual1's Customer Experience strategy, as well as their Provisioning, Support and Service Management teams.

Tom O'Hagan, Managing Director of Virtual1, said: "I am delighted that Joel has joined the Virtual1 team. By enhancing our strategy of putting our customers first in everything we do, Joel will provide a positive impact throughout the business.'

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has shipped 100,000 of its new Premium DeskPhones in record time proving that the appetite for business phones remains strong.

The new range of Premium DeskPhones were released in April 2014 and are said to complement and leverage the rich telephony capabilities of the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise OpenTouch Suites for small-medium businesses (SMB) and mid-to-large enterprises (MLE). Alongside the integrated alphabetic keyboard, the deskphones also offer future proof, secured capabilities such as being IPv6 ready and embedded software encryption.

Eric Penisson, General Manager of the Enterprise Communications Business Division at Alcatel-Lucent commented: "We are meeting our customers' needs for exceptional telephony communications products. Our new Premium DeskPhones are superior in the richness of communication features and the impeccable quality of sound. All of this coming in a sleek, modern, and attractive package giving employees the most pleasurable user experience."

Channel service provider Eclipse has launched a hosted version of Microsoft Lync available on a per user per month basis.

Eclipse says the solution can be implemented without the need for any changes to on premise IT environments and gives its resellers the opportunity to target smaller enterprises looking to connect easily and effortlessly, regardless of location.

Pete Tomlinson, director of product, marketing and sales at Eclipse told Comms Dealer: "Businesses are rolling out Lync trials in days with full adoption in weeks - all backed up with the support of the Eclipse Cloud specialist team.

"Lync can transform the way a business operates which is why it was chosen as the latest product to be integrated into Eclipse's portfolio of cloud solutions and join Hosted Exchange, Backup and Managed Hosting, which all work together to provide a subscription based suite of productivity tools."

"Lync is too good to remain the preserve of corporate giants. Every business should be able to benefit from new ways of working and Lync does just that, especially when combined with Hosted Exchange. It's is no surprise that the UK's fastest growing businesses are those embracing the agility of a SaaS model".

Tomlinson confirmed that Eclipse plans to extend its offering shortly to include the ability to make voice calls from within the Lync application, driving even more value and flexibility for reseller customers.

Nimans hopes resellers will take advantage of a special bundle offer combining a BT conferencing unit with an 'easy use' sim-free mobile phone.

The distributor says demand for BT's X500 audio conferencing device is set to further accelerate with the addition of a free Panasonic mobile phone (worth around £100 RRP) that features large font sizes and buttons and a dedicated help call button.

BT's X500 boasts four wireless microphones for meetings of up to 16 people. Dynamic noise reduction and echo cancellation are combined with full duplex functionality, a 6m connection cable and 50 name and number directory.

Ian Brindle, Nimans' Head of Conferencing Sales, says the bundle offer is for a limited time only, whilst stocks last: "The X500 is a very cost effective out-of-the-box complete conferencing solution. The wireless microphones add a dynamic dimension to any conference call ensuring all parties can easily be heard. They sit neatly within the unit when not in use as part of a compact, user friendly and easy to use overall design.

"Together with the easy to use sim-free mobile phone from Panasonic, it's a very compelling combination that offers dealers the opportunity to capture additional revenue streams," he added.