Comms Dealer

CCA (Customer Contact Association), an independent authority on customer contact strategies and operations, has undertaken a new research project with Kcom, extending their collaboration for a third year to investigate the changes in customer behaviour.

John Knell, co-author of 'The 80 Minute MBA' and former director of The Work Foundation, will be leading the research for CCA with a focus on four industries - banking, retail, insurance and utilities.

Companies from across the sectors (including Barclays, Virgin Money, Aviva and Phones4U) have taken part in workshops to draw out the critical factors in delivering customer service in their industry.

The project will look at key issues such as how the next generation of technology devices will influence interaction with customers and an analysis of how current service propositions must change to meet the needs of more demanding and better informed customers.

The workshops will be followed by consumer research, desk research and a CCA member survey which will generate data and insight on the critical ways in which customer service habits and preferences are changing. It will examine the ways customers choose to make contact and the drivers that influence these choices.

CCA Chief Executive Anne Marie Forsyth said: "Each year we undertake our major 'Future of Customer Service' research we shed fresh light on important developments which will have a big impact on customer service delivery.

"CCA is developing clear roadmaps to the future which will enable organisations of every kind to develop smart strategic responses. We are confident that our work with Kcom will make a valuable contribution."

Sally Fuller, Director of Strategic Propositions at Kcom added: "Organisations providing front line customer services are operating in a difficult economic climate. They're faced with reduced budgets and increasingly demanding customers.

"Research programmes like this are key in helping them make the right decisions when it comes to shaping their customer service strategies. I'm confident that this research will deliver compelling data which can be used to shape their critical decisions."

Micro-P is launching a new hosted VoIP solution designed to help resellers move into both voice and hosted services.

Through Conect resellers from the IT, comms and mobile arenas with little or no experience of voice or hosted services can move into this fast growing area using the Micro-P service as either wholesale or white label with no admin charges.

Rob Hendry, head of business development at Micro-P, said: "This new hosted VoIP service will allow resellers who may be concerned about stepping into either voice or hosted solutions to go and sell this service with confidence.

"It represents huge upfront commission payments, much like traditional voice system models, with recurring revenue thereafter. Our strategy is to keep the VoIP and connectivity as simple as possible.

"Voice and data can be complicated for those who haven't sold it before. Conect makes it easy for a reseller with no experience. This is a true end to end service for resellers.

"We can support them technically, with hardware, fixed line connectivity and broadband for voice and data, and in deployment and training."

Three easy steps within the new Micro-P Conect hosted portal take resellers through a process that makes selling a hosted VoIP solution straightforward, claims the firm.

It allows them to test the strength of connectivity at a customer's location, and then the system can recommend a fibre or a dedicated line, plus make further connectivity and hardware suggestions.

Micro-P also does a site assessment for its resellers and then delivers onsite staff training and implementation of solutions.

Hendry added: "We offer pre and post installation and 360 degree aftercare. In theory, you may not need to touch the products from cradle to grave. They're all supported via the portal.

"Micro-P sells hundreds of thousands of routers and switches. We have consulted our resellers about what they are doing with them and how they are connecting them to the network, and based on that feedback we are now bringing to market a simplified hosted solution."

Micro-P's hosted VoIP solution is based on the Broadsoft network.

A high number of UK workers are blighted by isolation, relationship problems and stress, according to new research by Jabra which suggests that employees are failing to achieve a good work-life balance. 

They also experience significant feelings of isolation, are untrusting of home workers, and feel that they are not supplied with the right equipment by their IT departments. 

The report, called 'GenM 2013: One Year On', looks at 1,000 UK employees of 'office-based companies', (Contact Centre Workers, Office Workers, Home Workers and Mobile Professional Workers), and examines how well workers are adapting to the changing face of modern workplace communications, as well as the interpersonal implications of modern working.

The study also offers tips on how IT and HR managers can help employees to adapt to the changing workplace more effectively.

The results found tat 75% of UK workers suffer from some kind of significant work-related stress or anxiety. A feeling of being undervalued is the most common issue, (at 33%), followed by having poor interpersonal relationships, (32%), feelings of anxiety and stress, (29%), exhaustion, (24%) and feelings of isolation (20%).

While home workers enjoy the best mental health and wellbeing of the four groups surveyed, their distance from the office-based working population seems to breed suspicion between them and everybody else, according to the findings.?

The survey says that 55% of the workers think that home working breeds mistrust, citing 'negative gossip', (11%), a perception that they 'do not work as hard', (13%), or that they undertake 'personal tasks' (31%) as their justification for lack of trust of home-working colleagues.

One in three believe home working could put their career at risk. Overall just 14% of those interviewed said that remote working is widely accepted, undertaken in their organisation and seen as being productive.

However, home-working is clearly here to stay: 7 out of 10 workers (69%) either work from home or have a colleague that does, 24% want to work from home more often and 15% would only take a job in the future if it was home-based. As home working becomes more common, employers need to address these issues of mistrust, says Jabra.

Poor communications play a large role in isolating and dividing groups and Jabra's research suggests that the importance of face-to-face and verbal communication between workers is being underplayed.

Employees regard having the right tools to do the job as essential: However, only 40% of workers are currently satisfied that they have the tools to do their job.?
IT departments still struggle to provide the appropriate devices required. This is such a serious problem that 41% of workers would consider switching jobs if they were given poor quality devices, (with 18% suggesting they would leave if they were not allowed to use their own communications devices at work).

The modern UK office worker clearly values a good work-life balance, with 54% agreeing that it is more important than a pay rise, (compared to last year's report, where 27% of respondees said that maintaining a work-life balance was the most important priority for their working life).

However, despite this, 40% of people are regularly checking email outside of work hours, (up significantly from 19% in last year's study). What's more, 74% of employers fail to even offer flexible working policies, suggesting that this popular option for a better wo rk-life balance is still out of bounds to most workers.?
"Transformation in the workplace is creating entirely new challenges that need to be addressed," commented Andrew Doyle, Managing Director UK & Ireland, Jabra Business Solutions.

"Employers are perhaps focusing too exclusively on the 'technology'. Good communications tools do not necessarily make good communications.

"What's more, as we also saw last year, there is a hunger for more flexible and homeworking practices among workers. If companies are to retain the best staff this is something they cannot afford to ignore.

"Employers need to examine reports such as 'GenM 2013: One Year On', to understand how the changing world of work affects how employees relate to one another, and  ultimately how productive they could be. Businesses can then adapt their communications strategies and working practices accordingly.

"Jabra recommends employers consider making room for flexible-working practices and allow for more worker-employer dialogue, where practical.

"At the same time, while equipping themselves with the right type of technology such as 'smart' devices, multiuse headsets and Unified Communications applications enterprises should also consider the importance of core communications good-practice: They can help to maintain happy, cohesive, motivated and productive workforces by encouraging more back-to-basics face-to-face and verbal interaction, whether in person or via technology."

A partnership between Rangers Football Club and Huawei is set to bring fans into a new era of WiFi-based engagement with the Club.
 
In a seven-figure investment, the Club is working with Huawei to provide a fully converged stadium-wide WiFi deployment. 

The project will ultimately give every fan seated at Ibrox Stadium - as well as those in the approaches, concourse, restaurants and corporate areas - instant access to content-rich media and allow them to participate in real-time interactions with the Club. 
 
Starting in August on a stand-by-stand basis, the phased development will allow Rangers to engage with fans and create the best possible matchday experience. 

The new set-up will remove connectivity problems in high-density areas and ultimately give 50,000+ supporters access to club competitions, merchandising, Rangers Media, Team Talk discussions, forthcoming events and enhanced fan/club engagement.
 
Rangers Chief Executive Craig Mather commented: "More and more people are using smart devices as a primary means of communication and we look forward to revolutionising the way in which Rangers fans can engage with the club before, during and after the match."
 
Victor Zhang, CEO, Huawei UK said: "The high data capacity that WiFi delivers will allow Rangers fans to use social networks to share their experiences, as well as allowing the club to enhance its 'digital dialogue' with its supporters."
 

Outsourcery has extended its market reach following a link up with IT giant HP in a move that sees the cloud service provider enable select HP channel partners to offer UC to small and medium businesses.

"UC&C enables businesses to work in smarter, more effective ways, but SMBs may not have the expertise or budget to implement it," said Michael Clifford, Director, Cloud Computing, HP United Kingdom & Ireland.

"Leveraging Outsourcery's cloud hosting platform and the implementation expertise of specialised channel partners enables SMBs to cost-effectively deploy unified communications on a pay-per use basis."

UC&C services available via the cloud will include Microsoft Lync for VoIP, video, web and audio conferencing and chat, and Microsoft Exchange for email and document management.

Dependant on size and complexity, these will be deployed on a multi-tenant platform or in a dedicated environment in Outsourcery's secure data centres.

Implementation and support will be provided by channel partners Damovo (a Gold Microsoft partner focusing on managed connectivity, data networking and UC&C), IP Solutions (a business communications consultancy based in the City of London), Neptune Consultancy Services (a consultancy specialising in Managed Services, Intelligent Business Security and Communications), and Freedom Communications.

"Working with HP and channel partners that are embracing the opportunity, this new initiative will give SMBs the same access to unified communications and collaboration as larger enterprises," added Piers Linney, Co-CEO of Outsourcery.

"More companies are looking to transform the way that IT serves their business. Through our cloud solutions, we can provide their IT delivered as a service, with fast deployment and minimal need for capital investment."

Three Frontier Voice and Data directors, Peter Southgate, Sean Linehan and Ian McNamara, took on the 75 mile charity bike ride from the London Eye to Brighton, tackling some challenging hills which included the notorious Devil's Dyke.

The trio raised money for Norwood, a charity that helps children and adults coping with learning disabilities and social disadvantage to reach their full potential in life; and the Down's Syndrome Association.

Peter Southgate, Managing Director at Frontier "I'm sure the organisers designed the route to take in the steepest hills in the south of England, but when you finally get to the coast, you realise the sense of achievement and know its been worth all the effort!

"I'm proud of the team and the money we raised for such worthy causes, particularly as the challenges those they look after face every day make what we did today pale into insignificance."

The next challenge set by the trio is RideLondon, a 100 mile ride through London and Surrey.

Triade, the consumer electronics business unit of Computer 2000, part of the Tech Data Group, has signed a UK distribution agreement with Sennheiser Communications, manufacturer of headsets, headphones and microphones.

The agreement gives resellers and retailers enhanced access to Sennheiser's range of wired and wireless headsets and accessories for the professional business market.

Jo-anne Foreman, Director of Triade UK and Ireland, said: "This agreement means that UC and telephony resellers can now take advantage of our stock-holding and logistics resources to maximise availability of Sennheiser solutions and meet all customer needs without delay. There are huge growth opportunities in the professional headset market and Sennhieser's products presents resellers with excellent margin opportunities."

As well as immediate stock availability and overnight delivery to all corners of the UK, Triade will be working with Sennheiser to ensure resellers have access to promotions and offers on the company's products.

Jane Craven, Director of Sales for Sennheiser UK Telecoms, added: "This agreement extends Sennheiser's reach in the market and means that our solutions are more readily available to many more B2B resellers throughout the UK. We will be working with Triade to increase awareness of our products and drive sales though promotions and incentives that offer more value and profit potential for partners."

Sennheiser recently launched a series of promotions to help partners drive sales. Offers include a free standard bottom cable with every wired headset purchased and a free EHS cable or handset lifter with DW wireless headset system as well as free accessories with a number of its other wireless and wired solutions.

Ireland-based ICT managed services provider Unity Technology Solutions has installed a new NEC telephone system for The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's (ISPCC) Childline service. The move forms part of the firm's Corporate and Social Responsibility strategy.

Ashley Balbirnie, CEO, ISPCC, said: "As a charity working in a challenging economic environment, the ISPCC has to fundraise 90% of its annual income, and in fact the Childline service itself receives no statutory funding whatsoever, relying on the generosity of the general public, companies and schools to maintain the service.

"Our existing telephone system was ageing, unable to handle large call volumes and in need of replacement. We were delighted when Unity Technology Solutions offered their expertise in a voluntary capacity.

"The new telephone system will significantly improve statistical reporting and will allow us to continue to provide a valuable listening service as we endeavour to answer significantly more calls and give children the support they need for many years to come."

Declan Hughes, CEO, Unity Technology Solutions, added: "As part of our corporate and social responsibility strategy, staff volunteered their time and expertise and we worked closely with Andrew Cooper of NEC Infrontia in securing a phone system that met with Childline's requirements. We are delighted to work the ISPCC, our chosen charity, in implementing a new NEC phone system nationwide and in supporting the system for the next three years."

Now in its 25th year, Childline receives up to 2,300 calls and messages per day, and with its new call centre capabilities callers can be instantly routed to the next available call agent, regardless of location.

Pictured: Ashley Balbirnie, ISPCC with Declan Hughes, Unity Technology Solutions

Mobile apps continue to be a critical factor in the mobile operating system battle, according to ABI Research which reckons the mobile app market will reach a value of $27bn this year.

BlackBerry and Windows are slowly augmenting their apps catalogue as they compete for the third ecosystem, but are still far behind Apple and Android, said the firm.

"iOS continues to lead the way and the OS is projected to generate over two-thirds of the revenues for smartphone and tablet apps in 2013," stated senior analyst Josh Flood.

"Although Google's Android OS recently surpassed Apple in terms of total app numbers, iOS users continue to prove they're more willing to depart with their cash. The revenue gap between the two leading OSes looks unlikely to close over the next 18 months."

An interesting aspect of the mobile app market is revenues generated by smartphone versus tablets. Thus far, app revenues generated from smartphones have significantly dwarfed app revenues from tablets. However, tablet revenues are quickly catching up and it is projected tablet app revenues will overtake smartphones by 2017, according to the findings of ABI Research's Mobile OS, Browsers and Applications Research Service. 

Answerphone service provider Moneypenny has launched a digital receptionist for SMEs called Penelope, an app that enables small business owners to control where and when their business calls ring 24/7.

The app uses voice recognition technology (Nuance and Aurix), supported by 'real' people to guarantee 100% success rate, claims the firm.

Depending on the function they want it to perform, Penelope can be a used as a message transcribing service through to a complete phone system, all from the user's smartphone.

Penelope operates as a complete call handling solution and via the app users decide where and how their calls ring, on there office phone, mobile or home phone etc.

Ed Reeves, co-founder and director of Moneypenny and Penelope commented: "Penelope is the direct result of customer feedback and we have worked tirelessly on its development.

"There are more than 3.6 million micro businesses in the UK who are struggling to stay in control of their calls, but feel that they cannot afford a good quality receptionist or answering service. Penelope meets this need, with an easy to use app that provides on-the-go support, when and where they need it the most.

"We know from Moneypenny that professional and well managed call management is critical for business success. That is why we have built a bespoke solution for growing businesses. Every missed call means missed business, so with Penelope they can fast-track their success."