For small businesses, particularly SOHOs (small office/home office), a lot of time can be spent away from the office doing your job, meaning that your mobile phone is your most important means of communication. Advertising your mobile number to your customers does not present a professional façade and for credibility a landline number is needed.

However a landline, or fixed line, ties someone to the office, is answered by an answerphone message or, in the worst case scenario, rings unanswered. Could a landline number that rings on your mobile phone be the answer?

There are now many different solutions that give you a virtual landline number that rings on your mobile. The main difference is pricing and which one is best for you will depend largely upon your usage.

Vodafone One Net Express

Probably the most well known solution is Vodafone’s One Net Express. Originally a standalone product it is now possible to include it with a standard Vodafone tariff making it much more attractive and affordable to the average small business user.

Your virtual landline number is held by Vodafone and rings on your mobile without being diverted. This means that there are no call charges for transferring calls between landline and mobile. You also get a number of phone system features such as call waiting, music on hold, hunt groups etc. which are included within your package.

Basic tariffs start at £35 plus VAT which includes 300 mobile minutes, 3,000 landline minutes, 250 texts and 500MB of data. Higher tariffs are available for larger users.

Other networks offer similar products which work slightly differently but produce broadly the same end result.

Call management solutions

Other products exist which give you a virtual landline and then divert the calls to your mobile. This makes them non-network specific and means you can have your mobile contract with any provider and still receive calls. There is usually a charge for the diversion though so they only really work out cost effective for light users.

They do have the flexibility to be diverted to any number, so you can divert them to another landline at reduced costs, or change the diverted number at any time.

Compare available solutions

At Business Mobile World we offer a range of solutions for having a landline number on your mobile. We can provide you with a comparison between products and guide you to the best option for your usage.

It is not only SOHOs who take advantage of this new technology, many larger businesses look at similar arrangements to make their method of communication more flexible, ensuring more calls get answered by the right person first time. This increases productivity and customer satisfaction.

The Business Mobile World website was launched exclusively for business mobile phones but we are also able to offer a full range of telecom products and services, many of which are complimentary and should be considered when reviewing your mobile contract.

For instance, we have an employee management solution which uses software on your mobiles in order to track employees in real-time. Because it utilises GPS on the mobile device it can record movements in vehicles, on foot and allow you to follow staff to within 5 metre accuracy wherever they may be.

This allows you to maximise efficiency, sending the right people to the closest jobs, and also acts as a compliance tool for lone worker protection. Mobile phone tracking is also ideal for grey fleet management as it does not rely upon a device fixed in vehicle.

When reviewing your business mobiles could this type of system be of benefit to you? If so it can be factored into your pricing and the right handsets, which are compatible with the tracking software, supplied as part of the deal.

Unified Communications

We can also assist you with unifying your communications. You will probably have heard of Vodafone One Net, the system which allows your landline calls to ring on your mobiles too (this is a very simple explanation of the One Net product - it does a lot more and offers a range of features not normally available to small businesses).

A review of your mobiles should not be made without thinking about your landlines too and how they could work together to make you more productive and also to save you money. We offer a range of products, as well as One Net, which could merge landline and mobiles and give you the best of both for the future.

It may be that your current phone system is coming to the end of its natural life. Do you want to replace it, with all of the associated costs involved, or think about a hosted solution which doesn't involve up-front expense or ongoing maintenance?

We can help you with these decisions, giving you a full telecoms review which is costed and clearly demonstrates the benefits to your business of new technology. You could find that a complete overhaul of your current systems and replacement with the latest telecoms products and services still leaves you better off than you were before.

Save money AND improve your communications - increase productivity AND reduce costs - it's an offer you should find hard to resist. Best of all it's free to contact us and receive a review and all UK businesses are eligible.

Do you have any business contacts who are looking to save money? Are you in an industry where you deal with businesses on a day-to-day basis and could offer them a money saving service? Would you like to start your own mobile phone business or are you already in the industry looking for new revenues?

Perhaps you deal with people looking to set up new businesses? Because we offer a full range of telecom services we can provide them with a package deal which will give them an ideal balance of features and pricing, including their landlines, broadband and mobiles.

All you have to do is ask people if they would like to save money on their mobiles, landlines or other telecom services. Or it might even crop in conversation that they are experiencing problems with their current suppliers - we can help them!

We are always looking for introducers who can promote our products and services in return for a commission on successful deals. You don't have to be a salesperson, we will deal with everything from the point of first introduction.

From initial point of contact we provide them with a review for any services they are interested in. We will analyze their bills free of charge to show them where savings can be made and can provide them with advice on new technology which could improve the way they work.

If they are happy with our quotation we deal with all of the paperwork directly and sort out all of the necessary hardware. As soon as we are paid we pay the introducer.

The more business you introduce the better the commission we can pay, but don't let that put you off if you only have an occasional lead to put to us. Even a single business mobile contract could generate significant commission if it is for several handsets, and you will receive a good share of the profit.

Multiply this across several of our products and then introduce a few more leads and the scope for generating a decent income can clearly be seen. The list of products we offer includes:

• Business mobiles
• Landlines (rental and call charges)
• Call management & call recording
  
• Phone systems
• VoIP and hosted technology
• Tracking (vehicle and employee)
• Websites (hosting, design and SEO)

We have many customers who take a number of services from us - this gives them the best cost savings and ensures smooth integration.

We have a dedicated telecoms affiliate site, 21c Affiliates, where you can sign up and request more information. Here you will find the different opportunities available to introducers and partners.

Vodafone continue to push their One Net integrated telecoms solution heavily in the media. This merging of devices, having a single number which rings wherever you are, enables more flexible working and is ideal for users who are away from their office/home a substantial part of the time.

Whilst the Vodafone One Net solution offers a lot features, it is not always the best option for businesses looking for a call management package. There are alternatives, one of which is Inbound Call Management.

Vodafone One Net Express

The most popular One Net product is the Express variant, which is squarely aimed at SMEs with up to 10 users. Larger companies can use it but their needs are usually better served by the One Net package.

One Net Express offers a quick set up, no need for any type of installation or fancy hardware, making it ideal for small business users. It also features inclusive calls, texts and data making budgeting much easier and reducing the chance of "bill shock".

The landline number (or numbers) you choose are contained within the Vodafone network, meaning that there are no diversions when people call the number. This is the main distinction between One Net and its competitors.

Because most people carry their mobiles wherever they are these days, you can be taking important business calls out of hours, on holiday, or wherever you are, leading to the Vodafone One Net slogan "never miss a business call again".

The advantages of Vodafone One Net Express are the features it offers which are not usually available to small businesses, such as music on hold and hunt groups, and the flexibility of configuration. Whilst a price of £55 per user might not seem cheap at first glance, this is the cost for a combination of landline and mobile bills and unlimited calls. Add into this the improvements in customer service and the opportunity to win more business by answering more calls and it becomes more appealing.

Inbound Call Management

With the call management option you can have a virtual landline number which can be diverted to any other numbers, landline or mobile. It can also be diverted to multiple numbers which ring at the same time or call a single number with multiple failover options. For instance it could ring a landline number first and if not answered failover to a mobile or group of mobiles.

With this option you are charged for the diverted calls, however the monthly charge is only £9.95 per month. Diverts to landlines cost 1.25ppm and to mobiles 9.95ppm, charged by the second subject to a minimum 1p call charge. It is highly configurable and you can change your options at any time via the intuitive web interface.

Which option suits your business best depends upon the number of users and how many calls are being received. We can run through the different options with you calculate the most cost effective for you.

You may have seen in the news that mobile termination rates are set to be slashed following action from Ofcom. This is the amount charged by the network for connecting a call which currently stands at over 4p.

By 2015 this fee will be reduced below 1p (to 0.69p) meaning that calls to mobiles from landlines will be getting a lot cheaper. In the meantime the fee will gradually be reduced year by year.

Whilst the initial reaction from many commentators was to believe this would benefit consumers, it is likely that the networks will find other ways to recoup their losses from this rate reduction.

The real winners will be those that use their landline phones to call mobiles. At the moment businesses pay anything between 7p - 15p per minute to do this. A large proportion of this is the termination fee. As this fee drops so should the cost of calling a mobile from your landline.

Competition within the telecoms sector is fierce so packages reflecting the reductions should be available shortly. We are currently working on a new range of business landline tariffs including some all-inclusive deals which will give customers a better choice.

This may include an amount of free calls to mobiles alongside a bundle of minutes for local and national calls and even broadband. Full details will be unveiled shortly.

In the meantime if your business is looking for ways in which to reduce expenditure you should consider a telecoms review. By simply sending us a copy of your bills (by email or fax) and we will analyze them and provide you with a report detailing cost savings.

Alternatively, if you have other problems, such as your current telecoms systems creaking under the weight of your business expansion or existing suppliers not giving you the service you need please contact us to discuss your requirements. We can tailor a bespoke solution for your business regardless of size or complexity.

As well as providing mobile phone solutions to businesses we can also assist with landlines. These can be provided as separate products at different times or as part of a package. Our landline service provides your business with a range of savings in the following areas:

• Line rental
• Call charges
• Cheap calls to mobiles
• Phone systems
• Telephone numbers
• Call management
• Call recording

To compare our line rental and call prices with your current landline supplier all you need to do is fax or email a copy of your latest bill and we will analyze it and prepare a report showing you exactly how much you could save by transferring your services to us.

This is a free, no obligation service. Should you be happy with our report and want to transfer, the process is straightforward and does not involve you in any loss of service.

Bespoke Landline Solutions

For phone systems, larger companies and more complex solutions such as multi-site MPLS networks, we can undertake a full review of all of your services and put together a package that provides your business with cost savings and offers real improvements in your communication infrastructure including greater reliability and failover options.

We also offer unified communication solutions. This is your mobiles and landlines working together as one. There are a range of products and new technologies which can be utilised to achieve seamless integration of landline and mobile and we can offer advice and put together a package to address your own company's requirements.

One such solution, particularly aimed at small business users, is Vodafone One Net. This gives you a virtual landline number (or multiple numbers) which rings your mobile when dialled. This allows you to take calls when out and about as if you were in the office. There are no diversion charges and an easy to understand tariff with unlimited calls.

Depending upon your usage other unified communications solutions might suit you better. Call us for a quotation embracing all of the different options.

 

 

Good communication is essential in all businesses. Communication between employees, between departments, between offices, even between countries. That is just internal communications - the real difference between companies in many sectors, particularly where price differential is marginal, is how they communicate with their customers, and potential customers.

Businesses that place a real focus on their communication, utilising new technology to make their customer experience better, are going to gain market share over those that are stuck in the dark ages (in telecoms technology terms at least!)

The average business has a range of telecommunications which can be optimised to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity. This includes mobile phones, landlines and broadband. Then there are added services which your business might not have yet but which could deliver real benefits, such as call management and employee management (device tracking).

As and when your telecoms products and services become due for renewal you should take the opportunity for a full communications review to see how existing products can be improved and new products can be added to improve efficiency and productivity.

It is tempting, particularly amongst small businesses, to focus entirely on the contract that is due at that moment in isolation and to look only at cost reductions. This can be a mistake. These days telecoms need to integrate with each other and with your IT infrastructure and to neglect this synergy could leave you struggling with obsolete technology for a 2 year contract whilst your competitors improve their communications and gain customers that could have been yours.

Effective business communication cannot be achieved without technology, and the pace of change in the telecoms sector could leave your business floundering if you don't seek expert help and guidance to ensure you achieve the optimum balance between improving your telecoms and reducing your tariffs.

If you are a business decision maker reading this article now and you recognise that your company could benefit from a telecoms review please contact us. It doesn't matter if your contracts are not yet due, we can look at moving them at renewal date or even buying them out if this would benefit your business in the long run.

Don't struggle along with obsolete technology holding you back. Your business can grow with improved communications and the cost of investment is often less than you think or even free for new mobile handsets.

With 15 years experience in the mobile technology sector we can offer your business the opportunity to power ahead of your competitors with the latest communications hardware and a range of tariffs to suit all sizes of company. Contact us for more information.

As devices converge and their inter-relationship becomes more complex the advantages of a single supplier for all of your telecoms increase. As well as cost reductions the main area where you will see benefits is in problem resolution.

Take for example the following scenario, which is all too common:

• Line rental with Company A
• Broadband service with Company B
• IT contract with Company C

What happens when your business loses its broadband connection? Whose fault is it and how do you get it sorted?

You would probably start with IT support. Once they have exhausted their options and told you it's not their fault you move onto the broadband provider. Again, they run their tests and tell you its not their fault. Finally you contact the line provider, only to be told the line is fine and there's no problem at their end. Now what do you do?

You don't have any broadband and all three suppliers deny any knowledge of a fault. Without broadband your business is suffering - where do you turn next and how do you get it sorted?

Now imagine all three services are provided by a single company. You report the loss of broadband and the company concerned, who provide you with your entire broadband infrastructure, are certainly responsible for the outage. They chase around and get it sorted. You're back in business with a single phone call.

At this stage you're probably thinking that the above example is a bit far fetched but we have seen it happen. You might also be thinking about the dangers of putting all of your eggs in one basket - that is certainly an issue and you should always do a bit of research about any company with whom you are trusting your livelihood.

As part of 21c Telecom Ltd we can offer your business all of the above services and more. We already offer multiple services to many of our customers and are specialists in tailoring converged telecoms solutions to your particular business circumstances.

We are also able to provide services such as Vodafone One Net, a unified communications solution which merges landline and mobile enabling you to take incoming calls on either device at any time. You need never miss a business call again.

Contact us for a free telecoms healthcheck where we look at your communications in its entirety to identify cost savings and ways of improving productivity and maximising ROI from your telecoms spend.

In an ideal world you would never miss a business call. Missed calls mean that new business will be going directly to your competition or existing customers will be left feeling unwanted. Up until now the barrier between fixed line (landline) and mobile has meant that solutions were clunky or costly. But these barriers are coming down.

Many small businesses, particularly one-man bands, rely upon diverting landlines to mobiles, even though the cost can be 15p per minute or more. In SMEs with a few staff time is wasted daily trying to find people and get calls through to them on the right number. The solution is at hand.

Vodafone One Net Express, designed specifically for small businesses with up to 10 employees, is revolutionising the telecoms market by offering what are effectively mobile landlines. Single numbers can ring on multiple devices allowing the intended recipient to pick up the call wherever they are straight away.

You can choose the numbers you want, and can have multiple local numbers for increased presence or even several national numbers to give your business a bigger feel.

This number will ring simultaneously on your landline phone, mobile phone, computer and any other compatible devices and you can choose to answer on any of them. You can also transfer calls between devices when necessary.

The benefits of Vodafone One Net Express include:

No installation

Works with existing mobile and landline phones

Keep existing numbers or choose new ones

Add local landline numbers across the UK

Never miss a business call again

Reduce administration with a single supplier

No call forwarding costs

No on-site system to maintain

Perfect for small teams, remote or home workers

This solution is hosted and supported by Vodafone and they are bringing new features and enhancements on board regularly to keep their system at the forefront of unified communications.

Vodafone One Net Express is available quickly and without any expensive hardware or software. Vodafone do everything for you. For small businesses with a few users you benefit from a virtual phone system which offers features normally only found in corporate systems.

For more information get in touch with us.

As a partner with 21c Business Phones we are able to offer a number of associated telecoms products and services in addition to business mobiles. One of these is landline telephone billing.

Whilst we do have a number of tariffs available for all size of business, we are also able to offer bespoke landline tariffs. We have our own billing engine which allows us to provide different rates to customers based on call spend.

This allows us to beat most competitors by some margin. Savings of 40% are not uncommon.

We offer a free business landline review for all of our website visitors. Send us a copy of your latest bill (just the front page and breakdown page) by email or fax and we'll undertake a full analysis and provide you with a report detailing where savings can be made and exactly how much they amount to.

We can also save you money on line rental and offer a full business landline service including new lines and systems, telephone numbers, VoIP and specialist products such as call recording and call monitoring.

One of the areas in which we receive a lot of enquiries is making cheap landline calls to mobiles. If you are currently paying 10ppm or more you need to be contacting us because we can save you a sizeable chunk off your mobile calls.

Do beware of lengthy landline contracts though. You may think you are no longer in contract or nearing the end of your contract but do check with your current provider. Some companies are less than transparent in their business contract dealings.

With us we like to make things easy for you. Every rate is set out clearly and billed monthly with easy to understand bills. We can even add extra services to your landline bill so that you just receive a single bill for multiple services, streamlining your administration.

So don't delay, the sooner you contact us the quicker we can start saving you money on your landline bills.

If you took out a long contract a year or 18 months ago for your business mobiles it is almost certain that your handsets are pretty much obsolete. If you only use them for talk and text this is not likely to be a big problem. However, could better mobiles with enhanced functionality improve your communications?

If your business mobile contracts are due within the next six months now is the time to think about getting a free review to see how new mobile technology could help your business. This might be the latest mobile handsets or even tablet computers such as the iPad.

Prices for SmartPhones are dropping all the time due to increased competition between manufacturers. This means that small business users with relatively low tariffs can obtain them free of charge. Large business users with 10+ mobiles will be able to choose the more expensive phones such as the iPhone 4 within their tariff.

Data usage is now a big part of business mobile contracts with many companies issuing all of their employees with phones equipped for email and internet usage. Large business users often have their own company specific apps for their use.

The cost of data can make up a fair chunk of a business mobile bill so getting the right data package is essential. Going over your allotted MB usage can incur seriously high charges. If several employees are doing this every month you are going to see much larger bills than necessary.

We can review your mobile phone bills for your business using specialist analysis software which will pinpoint excessive usage and show you exactly how much you could be saving. If your business mobile tariff hasn't been reviewed recently it will cost you nothing to get in touch and receive a free report.

Whilst helping you with business mobile savings we can also advise on related telecoms products and services including broadband, landline calls, systems, VoIP and more. As more and more devices are IT powered their integration with each other can make serious improvements to your communications leading to increased flexibility and profitability.

 

As the snow continues to fall, some areas are experiencing considerable business disruption. We know because some of the companies we deal with are based in the frozen north and are struggling to cope with skeleton staff and even office closures.

Do you have contingencies in place for business disruption like this?

VoIP technology makes remote working solutions easier. No matter whether you’re working around planned holidays, or unexpected weather related disruption, remote working functionality allows users to operate as though in the office.

• Make and receive calls
• Access voicemail and fax
• Communicate with others via private instant messaging server
• Monitor the availability of colleagues
• Twin the users’ mobile phones with their desk phones to ensure they can receive every call
• Control the behaviour of incoming calls to full effect during extended periods where employees are unavailable

When implemented properly a VoIP remote working solution will make your customers believe you are trading as normal no matter how much disruption.

VoIP technology and software can also help you with business metrics. Monitoring and measuring your business performance with one-click reporting allowing you to see where you are performing well and where improvements can be made.

For more information regarding remote and flexible working solutions or for a VoIP evaluation and quotation please contact us.

What could your business achieve by mobile and flexible working? Communications technology can improve the performance of organisations by enhancing workplace conditions, improving employee satisfaction and increasing productivity. These are just a few of the benefits.

Others include cost reductions, reducing carbon footprint, an increase in efficiency, improvements to customer service and better staff retention. The quality of a company’s customer service can be the difference between success and failure.

Businesses are more concerned than ever with the customer service they provide. According to a Global Consumer Survey by Genesys, 75 per cent of consumers say they would do business with a company based on a great customer experience, while 50 per cent say the  last time they stopped doing business with a company was partly or wholly due to poor customer service.

Another factor to consider when thinking about flexible working is business continuity. In the event of a major problem such as severe weather where the majority of your employees are unable to make it into work could your business continue to function? With a flexible working solution your employees have the tools to do their work wherever they are.

Flexible working gives you and your employees a platform to effectively communicate, share and interact together from anywhere and at any time using a range of different mobile devices. This includes mobile phones, laptops, netbooks, tablets etc. integrated with your fixed line system and IT.

A flexible working approach does not have to mean increasing costs and will deliver real tangible benefits to your business or organisation in the long run. Contact us for a free evaluation and to discuss the benefits of a unified communications solution.

 

Phone technology marches onwards inexorably and more and more businesses are waking up to the possibilities offered by a VoIP phone system. Increased competition in the VoIP sector means prices are coming down and features being added all of the time.

Faster broadband speeds with greater reliability mean that VoIP offers better quality calls than previously, and is within the reach of most small businesses. With a hosted VoIP solution there is no need for an IT department to look after your hardware, you just need to plug your IP phones in and it works.

VoIP usually forms the main part of an integrated telecoms solution. It enables your fixed line calls to be integrated with your mobiles and IT. It also offers more features and services such as...

• Least cost routing
• Call management
• Portability
• Extra features - call recording, music on hold
• Home worker support
• System pre-programmed to enable "Plug and Play"

By routing your calls over the internet you are going to be taking advantage of the lowest call charges, saving your business money month after month.

The only requirement for a VoIP system is a solid broadband connection for both upload and download. We can supply a business broadband solution which offers guaranteed bandwidth and is specifically optimized for voice data traffic.

For a free VoIP quotation get in touch with us.

We offer a number of other services in addition to our core business mobile phones. We have now expanded our site to take into account two new pages:

• Business Landline and Fixed Line Telephony
• VoIP Phone Systems and services

Business Landlines

Has your business reviewed its fixed line telephony recently? Did you know you could be making savings of 40% on your call charges?

We offer all business users a free review of their business landline costs. All we need is a copy of your latest bill which ensures we are basing our savings on your actual usage.

We analyze all of your call spend broken down between local calls, national calls, international, calls to mobiles, premium rate etc. We apply our best rates to each call and show you what your bill could have been had you been with us.

As well as savings on call charges we can also provide line rental cheaper than many other suppliers as well as call management, phone numbers and telephone systems.

VoIP Phone Systems

Has your business looked into the benefits of an internet based telephony solution? IP phone systems offer flexibility and features way beyond the average analogue phone system.

With VoIP phone systems becoming more popular and prevalent the prices are also coming down. Now many small businesses can take advantage of the latest technology without breaking the bank.

Hosted solutions are available too, meaning that you don't need servers and expensive hardware on site. Nor do you have the maintenance and update issues when you run a cloud based system.

There are also VoIP systems with integrated sim card readers for free calls to mobiles - a great source of cost reductions these days with so many mobile calls being made by most businesses.

These are just a couple of the extra business telecoms services we offer. We can also help with employee management (vehicle and device tracking), broadband and mobile broadband, plus a range of website services.

 

Business VoIP usage is set to double by 2015. More businesses are taking advantage of the flexibility and range of extra options made available with this new technology. Integrating landline and mobile phones so that you can receive calls how you want wherever you are from a single number.

As technology advances, and more and more devices talk to each other, a total communications solution will become the norm amongst medium and large sized businesses. Small businesses need not be left behind.

Computer technology allows VoIP phone systems to be hosted remotely (in the cloud) which means that SMEs do not need costly hardware nor do they need a team of in-house IT experts in order to run it.

Costs are not as expensive as you might think and are coming down all the time. Simultaneously the reliability of VoIP systems is improving all of the time. Providing you have a reasonable broadband connection you will receive excellent call quality.

Broadband costs are coming down and even a dedicated broadband line is now within reach of many more businesses than was once the case.

Mobile phones can also be integrated within your system. The latest handsets have incredible power, more akin to computers than phones, and can make a lot of routine business tasks easier. You are now able to carry your office in your pocket effectively.

We are specialists at providing integrated business telecoms solutions. We can analyse your current systems and suggest improvements and cost savings where appropriate. You could end up paying less whilst obtaining a better system and improved lines of communication throughout your business.

A free quotation is available for all of our website visitors, just contact us for more information.

At Business Mobile World one of our key aims when talking to businesses is to reduce their bills. Saving money on your tariff, and therefore your monthly spend, is obvious and quantifiable. We have some examples of savings we have made for business mobile customers already on our website.

You can see from these examples that savings of hundreds of pounds a month, or several thousand pounds over the course of a year are often achievable. This makes for very happy customers.

Not so obvious are the savings your business could make by improving its communications. Getting new handsets which function in exactly the way you need them to and offer additional services which could be useful will save every one of your employees time. Time is money, so the saying goes.

We find that heavy email users tend to want BlackBerry phones and we can help with both the handsets and the setting up of BlackBerry email, BIS, BES and other email solutions.

These benefits are long term and in addition to savings which can be made on your contract terms. When it comes to taking out a new contract or renewing your current one we will be looking at a balance of both options to deliver the maximum savings to your business.

The business telecoms market is ever changing, particularly with the merger of Orange and T-Mobile in the UK. This means that new tariffs are becoming available and inclusive terms can differ wildly between networks.

That's why utilising the services of a broker to find your business the best deal and save you the most money makes sense. Our knowledge of the latest mobile phone technology can point you in the direction of the best handsets for the way your business uses them.

At the same time we can help with mobile data usage, via a dongle or laptop with integrated sim card, and also advise on the full range of telecoms products we offer including landlines, fixed broadband, tracking and more.

The Business Mobile World website is now listed at Free Index - http://www.businessmobileworld.freeindex.co.uk/

Free Index is an online business directory offering free listings to businesses with a range of features, all free of charge. We have added 2 services to our listings as follows:

• Business Mobile Tariffs
• Free calls to mobiles

These reflect our best current offerings to businesses of all types and size. The opportunity to reduce costs on your own business mobiles and to reduce your landline bills by making free calls to other people's mobiles.

We are always looking at ways of saving your business money, both at our initial review and on an ongoing basis. We also keep you up-to-date with the latest technology which could save your business time and money.

 

Whilst cost savings are always aimed for when renewing a business mobile contract there are other areas which should be looked at where improvements to your communications can be made.

The pace of technology means that new mobile phone handsets, particularly in the SmartPhone sector, now offer a range of features not available even a couple of years ago. If you are coming to the end of an 18 or 24 month business mobile contract it is likely you will need new handsets.

Could a new SmartPhone benefit your business? With so many apps around it is conceivable that there is one out there that could make your business life away from the office easier. There may even be several which, used in conjunction with each other, could save your business time and money.

Whilst the Apple iPhone is the market leader in terms of available apps other operating systems are catching up. The most notable of these is Google's Android OS which is rapidly increasing its market share. With it being open source Android is going to continue to grow both in popularity and available apps.

It is also worth considering a total business phones solution including landlines and broadband which has the advantage of reducing overheads, streamlining administration and ensuring seamless integration between business telecom products.

Whilst your other services might be bound by contract for the time being, we can transfer them quickly and easily once they fall due for renewal. We can also look at improving your technology for landlines with a VoIP solution, routing your calls via the internet, and free calls to mobiles via an integrated sim card.

Once we have set up your contracts we work with you at all stages to ensure that you always have the latest technology where needed and to continually deliver cost reductions whilst improving communications. Regular reviews ensure that you always benefit from the best business phone deal.

 

Changing your business mobiles from one provider to another can be a pain. It's a hassle, and one you can avoid by simply renewing your current contract regardless of cost. However, how much could your business save by getting a cheaper deal?

Sometimes the transfer is worth the effort when the cost reductions are significant. We have a page on our website with a few examples of how much you could save on your business mobiles.

All three examples show savings over a year in the £000s of pounds range. Hundreds of pounds each month! No business can say no to that level of savings. These examples are typical of the deals we can put together for medium sized businesses.

At the same time we aim to improve communications by providing improved handsets with extra features and capabilities. We can also help with BlackBerry set up and ongoing customer assistance where required.

We can offer similar savings on landline phones, broadband and other telecoms products. Get in touch with us to see what we can offer your business.

No two businesses are alike so your quote will be tailored exactly to your usage. We look at your past spend history by analyzing your bills and look to the future to see if there are likely to be changes to your business pattern over the course of your contract. We can also make suggestions regarding new technology and how it could improve your communications, both internally and with your customers.

All quotes for any of our products or services are free of charge and without obligation. You have nothing to lose by contacting us, the process of quotation is straightforward and will not entail any more work than passsing us a copy of your bills.

 

Although originally set up as a specialist supplier of business mobiles, over the years we have expanded our range of products and services to include a variety of business telecoms. It can make sense for businesses to place more than one of their telecoms products with us for a number of reasons:

• Cost savings - by taking out more than one product savings can be passed onto the customer
• Reduced administration - everything on one bill
• Better problem resolution - no more grey areas between suppliers or buck passing when problems occur
• Enhanced customer service - no call centres to ring or expensive numbers to dial
• Dedicated account manager - your account is pro-actively managed

We already have many clients taking multiple services from us. Some signed up initially for mobile phones and, impressed by our service, have subsequently taken advantage of our great landline and broadband packages. Just some of the services we offer......

• Business mobile phones - including BlackBerry
• Landline telephony - lines, calls and hardware
• Broadband
• VoIP - phone systems and call cost reduction
• Device and vehicle tracking
• Mobile Broadband - via dongle

We are currently promoting an innovative phone system which incorporates a sim card allowing calls to mobiles to be routed via the mobile network and thus coming out of your inclusive minutes. Making free calls to mobiles can seriously reduce your landline bills, allowing the system to pay for itself quickly. At the same time you improve your communications with the enhanced features a VoIP phone system can offer your business.

The main problem in consolidating your business telecom services is usually contract renewal dates. This makes transferring all of your services in one go difficult. Instead you can transfer the next due service, test out our customer service and our cost savings, and, if you are happy with our services, transfer more services as they become due.

We have a new product in our range which will enable business users to make cheap calls to mobile phones. It is a new kind of phone system which includes a built-in sim card to route mobile calls via a mobile phone network.

The system is a VoIP unit, carrying calls over the internet. It is also compatible with analogue lines. It can support up to 16 extensions so is ideal for small and medium sized businesses.

The size of a standard business phone handset (see picture), everything is included within the one main unit, including the pbx and sim card reader. Being a VoIP unit it has a number of advanced features which are not available on standard analogue systems.

Best of all this unit allows you to make cheap (even free) calls to mobile phones via the built in sim reader. Intelligent least cost routing identifies all calls to mobiles (starting 07) and routes them via the mobile phone network. These minutes come out of your agreed mobile phone package so they can be included within your inclusive minutes.

All other calls can then be routed via the internet. So all you require is a decent broadband connection, which we can supply if necessary. It is best to pay a little bit more for business grade broadband with a low contention ratio, giving a guaranteed service and call quality.

So impressed are we with this system that we are producing a dedicated website - 21c VoIP Phone Systems - to provide further information and to make it easy to purchase. This is a plug and play device - we program it to your requirements before despatch so that it can be used straight out of the box.

Get in touch with us for more information and pricing.

 

Businesses looking at their landline phone bills will know that a large proportion of their monthly spend is likely to be outbound calls to mobile phones. As more consumers rely upon mobile phones and don't even have a landline the cost of calling mobiles is going to rise further still.

Obtaining free calls to mobiles would considerably reduce the average bill of most business users and there are options available. A GSM Gateway, also known as a Premicell, is a hardware device which contains one or more SIM cards and allows a landline based call to be routed through a mobile phone in the most cost effective way.

It allows your telephone system to differentiate between numbers beginning with 07 (mobile calls) and others, routing calls to mobiles via the sim card and other calls over your landline. The sim card can belong to your standard business mobile contract, meaning that calls to your own company mobiles should be free and to other mobiles come from within your inclusive minutes.

Whilst this solution would save companies money, it will not be the solution for everyone. For many SMEs the answer is to obtain the best landline call rates for mobile phones. Check your latest bill and see how much per minute you are paying to ring a mobile number. Expensive?

We offer a free service to all businesses. You show us your bills and we will show you where savings can be made. In many cases savings of 40% can be achieved and this is not to be ignored even with a low call spend.

Obtaining the best business landline contract, reducing your line charges and call charges, will save your business money each and every month. These savings really add up. At the same time we can advise you about telephone systems, call management and other measures which could improve your customer service and deliver increased profits.

Even if you are in contract currently give us a chance to show you what your savings could be and we can then contact you nearer the contract expiry date and give you a firm quote based on the latest call details.

Savings are not limited to mobile phone calls, we can also save you money on local, national and international phone calls. We have our own bespoke tariffs and billing engine to ensure you get the best business landline deal.

Is your business still stuck in the 20th century? Technology, particularly phone technology, is moving apace and if you haven't changed your hardware and/or software in a few years it is likely you are using obsolete equipment.

For many small businesses this may not manifest itself in noticeable problems. Providing the equipment works and does what you need it to then there is no need to upgrade. However, could your business be making more money by making an investment in new technology?

With the improved technologies has also come price reductions. Competition, particularly in the mobile phone sector, is continually driving prices down. This is particularly true for SmartPhones where they can now be obtained free of charge on even the cheapest of business mobile contracts.

So if your current telecoms equipment is reaching the end of its life span, or starting to show its age, now is the time to look into replacement - you might be surprised how cost effective a total business phone solution is.

Our telecoms healthcheck takes an overview of your current setup, the equipment used and how it is put to use, together with gathering your ideas (and our own) of possible improvements to your communications.

The review covers a number of areas including:

• Mobile phones
• Landline phones
• Telephone numbers and call management
• Broadband (both fixed and mobile)
• Device tracking and employee management solutions (where appropriate)
• IT

Your business can benefit from the latest technology (future proofing for several years), better integration of individual communication products, a more coherent telecoms strategy, and all of this whilst realising cost reductions overall.

Placing all of your communication needs into the hands of a single supplier may seem scary at first but when you see the cost savings available, together with the advantages in billing (single bill for all services) and customer service (one point of contact) you should be convinced that this is the way forward for your business in the 21st century.

As well as business mobile solutions we also offer a full range of business phone products. This includes:

• Business phone systems (small and large)
• Business phone lines (ISDN2 and ISDN30)
• Business phone numbers (Geographical and non-geographical)

We offer a total communication solution for businesses large and small. This includes overhauling all of your current systems where necessary - often systems can become obsolete and fail to offer the services and reliability of modern phone systems. Whilst investing in hardware can be costly in the short term, in the long run a future proof business phone system (such as a VoIP system) will pay for itself many times over in improved efficiencies and lower call costs.

When thinking of a VoIP phone system, routing your calls over the internet, you need to make sure your current broadband is up to the job. We can offer uncontended business grade broadband offering guaranteed upload and download speeds ideal for this type of business phone system.

The benefits of utilising our services include:

• Free and without obligation
• Expert knowledge of current products
• Advice on improving your business communications
• Help with set up and ongoing maintenance when required
• Seamless integration of all products supplied

All businesses could gain from contacting us and seeing how we could improve communication, both within your organisation and with existing customers and prospects. Not only could you save initially on system costs, lines and calls but improving communication will inevitably improve customer retention and gaining new business.

For a free quote give us a call on 0844 880 8116 or fill out our online business phone enquiry form.

The cost of broadband for home consumers has never been so low. However, at peak times the speeds you are actually operating at can be well short of the advertised max speed. If you find your home PC is struggling with routine internet use check out the speed by using one of the online speed checkers (eg. http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/).

Even on reduced speeds standard web browsing is unlikely to grind to a halt, particularly if you are only using one computer with the connection. However for business users the broadband speed coming into the workplace is then diluted by the number of users. If you have several employees online this is where the lack of speed and high contention ratios will be noticeable.

Can your business cope with a loss of internet service? Many businesses now rely upon the web and email for their daily communications. A loss of several hours service in the form of downtime can be costly and distressing.

We now have reduced prices on our business broadband. Not on the cheap and nasty low grade broadband but on 1:1 contention business grade broadband giving you a dedicated service. This type of broadband is ideal for new technology such as VoIP because it provides guaranteed bandwidth end-to-end and symmetric download and upload speeds.

There are a range of options based on different speeds and we can guide you on the best one for your business. We can also supply hardware in the form of a variety of routers and assist in the set up of your new business broadband.

Any problems and you do not sit in a phone queue waiting for a call centre assistant, we have a dedicated broadband department available straight away. This grade of broadband has proved to be extremely reliable meaning that you are unlikely to be calling us in all but the rarest of circumstances.

For a free quotation, line test and suitability discussion please contact us.

 

 

Originally this site was started solely to sell business mobiles, and products and services related only to this category. We worked closely with 21c Telecom Ltd, our main supplier, and had good success supplying businesses with phones on contract terms.

However, the telecoms market has moved on, and more and more businesses are sourcing all of their communication products from a single supplier. The advantages of this approach include cost savings, reduced administration, better customer service and enhanced fault resolution.

We are also able to offer a full range of business telecom products including:

• Business Landlines

This includes line rental, reduced call charges, telephone systems, telephone numbers, maintenance contracts, call management and more. Easy to understand monthly billing and a single point of contact for questions and problems.

• Business Broadband

Business grade broadband with low contention ratios giving your business a greater share of the available bandwidth. High speed, reliable broadband with routers supplied and installed where necessary.

• Mobile Broadband

USB dongles supplied to give you 3G mobile internet via your laptop or netbook. Speeds up to 7.2mbps.

• Vehicle Tracking

Track your vehicles or employees via hardware or a mobile phone. Live view of current position via real-time web interface.

All types and size of business can benefit from taking out a range of services with us, achieving large savings over a multiple supplier solution. Quotes are always free and we aim to save you money whilst simultaneously improving your business communications.

 

We have a number of websites providing business phone services. These are mainly for business mobiles but also for business landlines, broadband, mobile broadband and IT services too.

One such site, UK business phone deals, has recently undergone a revamp, although this is actually a rollback to a previous site rather than a new website. Unfortunately our experiment with the content management system, Mojo Portal, has proved to be delivering pages much too slowly, making the website close to unusable.

So we've removed the database driven site and replaced it with the old straight html pages to speed it up. Hopefully this will improve the visitor experience and enable businesses to start saving money on their mobiles and communications.

A new website for UK mobile phone deals will be coming soon, when time allows. This will offer a full range of business phones including mobiles and landlines plus details of all of the many services we offer to improve your business communications.

We continue to work on all of our websites, adding new content and updating new products and services as they become available. Some of our other sites include:

• Best business mobile deals
• Best business phone deals

For news of changes and developments simply keep tuned to the Business Mobile World Blog where we will publish amendments as they happen.

We are always looking at new products and services that can benefit our customers by reducing costs and improving communications. One such product allows you to control your inbound calls on any number, anywhere, from any device.

It works for both geographic and non-geographic telephone numbers and provides online access to a full range of call routing, monitoring and management tools, helping your business improve its customer service.

The benefits of this service include:

• Use with any number, anywhere, from any device
• Easy to use, designed to be intuitive
• Immediate to set up
• No capital outlay

There are three plans available on this service, designed for all sizes of business from sole traders and single site businesses, through multi site/multi department organisations, up to large call centres.

The features provided include:

• Tailored call plans - build plans according to your business operating hours, schedule call routing, handling and divert options to maximise your call handling potential.
• Call statistics - easily interpreted graphs of your inbound call statistics, results of call handling.
• Call queuing - Queue incoming calls during busy periods. Live queue statistics and queue management.
• Auto attendant - interactive voice response can be uploaded for announcements to callers
• Optional call recording - record inbound calls for compliance, customer service and audit purposes.

The easy to use online interface gives you full control of the handling of all of your inbound call traffic. If this feature is something you think could aid your business please contact us to discuss your requirements.

We have been looking at how we can make it easier for you to get in touch with us to get a quotation for your business mobiles.

The first solution has been to reduce the size of our online enquiry form. A number of fields have been removed and now it is just basic contact information we require and we will contact you from there to obtain anything else we need.

We have tested the new form out and it takes less than a minute to complete, typing in every field. If you have any sort of auto fill for forms enabled on your browser it will be even quicker!

We have also changed the telephone number displayed on the website from an 0844 number to a local 0115 number. This means that callers from mobile phones can get in touch cheaper (and usually free from inclusive minutes). Call us on 0115 944 8977 for a business mobile quote.

Remember our quotes are free of charge and without obligation. We can quote from one handset to two hundred plus and our aim is to save your business money whilst improving your communications.

In addition to business mobiles we also offer a number of related telecoms products including landlines, broadband, tracking and more. All of our services are designed to work in harmony together, streamlining both your internal and external communications, not to mention your administration and billing.

So visit our new look business mobile enquiry form and take a single minute out of your busy day to save your business some money.

We have a number of websites promoting our products and services. Some are specifically tailored to a particular category, such as business mobiles, whilst others are more generalised giving an overview of many of the different communication areas we can help your business with.

We have today updated Best Business Phone Deals with another three pages. These are as follows:

• Small business phones
• Business phones in Derbyshire
• Business phones in Nottinghamshire

These all emphasise that whilst we are able to provide a national service, our core business is working with local businesses throughout the East Midlands to provide them with a full portfolio of communication and IT products.

The advantages of dealing with a local company are many. Firstly, if there is any element of call-out, a local company will almost certainly be cheaper than a centralised national company. For instance if you need a small telephone system installing.

Secondly, if anything goes wrong, particularly with hardware, we can come out quickly to put it right. Finally we provide a much more personal service. No call centres and a dedicated account manager to contact.

We are right in the heart of the midlands, ideally placed to service Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. There are no businesses too large or small to take advantage of our services.

Quotes are free and without obligation and as well as looking at ways to save your business money we also look at how your communications can be improved and new technology incorporated into your existing systems.

Fill out our simple enquiry form and we'll contact you and show you how much your business could save.

Have you reviewed your business phones recently? A phone review should cover not only cost reductions, where possible, but also communication improvements. Ensuring that your mobile phones and landlines work together to provide optimum performance and smooth lines of communication.

Too many companies fail to review their arrangements and renew their contracts without giving consideration to how much they might save by looking at alternative ways of organising their business phones.

In fact savings of several thousands of pounds are possible for medium to large users. This is money that should not be wasted, particularly in the current economic climate. No business should be paying over the odds for their telecoms.

Some of the areas to look at with a review include:

• Business mobile tariff
• Mobile network
• Changes of usage (more/less mins, sms, data)
• New mobile handsets
• No of lines/extensions
• Line rental costs
• Landline hardware (system/handsets)
• Cost per minute of most used destinations
• IT integration

By ensuring that your business communications are on the optimum plan you should not only save money on your basic monthly costs but should also benefit from increased new business and business retention by improving your communications both internally and externally.

You have nothing to lose with a business phone review from Business Mobile World. They are free of charge and take little time out of your business. After a quick fact find we can put together a proposal showing you where improvements and savings can be made.

These days most businesses of all types and size will use mobile phones in some capacity or other. Some of the reasons why your business benefits from utilising its business mobiles include:

• Accessibility 24/7
• Making and keeping appointments
• Checking details/information whilst away from the office
• Saving time, being able to communicate during "dead" time (eg. travelling)
• Accessing emails and internet
• Call forwarding from your landline
• Keeping in touch when overseas
• Lone worker protection
• Tracking employees by mobile device

There are numerous other reasons why using mobiles in your business and making them a key part of your communication strategy makes sense.

In the 21st century people have little patience to wait around for a slow response to a problem or complaint. Companies that recognise this and are able to keep communication channels open and active at all times will benefit in retaining existing customers and also gaining new business.

It is not enough to simply have mobile phones in your organisation, you need to use them to their best advantage and integrate them with your landlines, broadband, IT to get the best possible communication solution.

As experts in the telecoms field, offering a full range of products and services designed specifically to work together, we would love to help your business function better and help you improve communications, not only with your customers but also internally.

A converged telecommunications solution does not have to be costly or overly-complicated, it just needs the right products working together in the best manner. Quotes are free and we welcome enquiries from all types of business and all sizes from 1 mobile handset to 100+.

Increasingly the biggest differential between companies is the standard of customer service. Those that provide a quick follow up to enquiries and problems will find it much easier to retain customers and prompt replies to new leads will also put them at the front of the queue for gaining new customers.

When thinking about contact with your customers you need to be aware of all of the different devices and means of communication that are available. Not everyone wants to deal with things on the phone, many now prefer to email. The more channels of communication you offer the more people will be able to interact with your business.

When offering multiple communication avenues you also need to make sure that they work together to give the customer the optimum service. For instance if an email is left sitting in an inbox without being read or dealt with for several hours you are immediately risking the ire of an impatient customer.

Much better for a copy of that email to be forwarded to the recipients mobile phone when they are away from the office so that it can be read instantly. If it's urgent it can be dealt with straight away and if not it can be actioned at a later date.

Making it easier for people to contact you will result in gaining more business. Yes it will also mean that people with problems and gripes can get hold of you but it is better to sort these out in a timely manner so as to avoid losing customers or getting a bad reputation.

Small businesses need this more than they think. If someone is looking to get a product or service quickly they will almost certainly go with the first provider they can get hold of (providing the cost is not extortionate). So being unable to contact you could result in losing business. Having an answerphone does not always help if you cannot return the call until several hours later. By then the opportunity has often disappeared.

It is possible to have a single non-geographic number that tries all of your devices in turn until it can get hold of you. In the event you are uncontactable it can send a message straight to your mobile phone alerting you that your attention is required.

For larger businesses with dedicated staff answering the phones during office hours the need might be for out-of-hours services, forwarding calls to on-call staff, or home working options for people with families or in the case of bad weather.

All of these scenarios can be catered for by integrating your landlines, business mobiles and IT to provide seamless connections between departments and between your business and its customers.

It's all very well wanting the latest mobile phone free of charge on contract but this usually means signing up to a hefty contract. Whilst this will usually get you a fair chunk of minutes and texts, if you don't use them then you are pouring money down the drain.

Moneysupermarket estimate that up to £13 billion is being wasted by British mobile phone users each year in unused minutes and texts. In fact nearly half of the inclusive deal is being wasted. This is a 40% increase on the 2007 figures and is driven by high cost phones (iPhone anyone?) which require huge tariffs to be obtained free of charge.

Whilst a free phone might seem like a tempting offer, if you are wasting £20 of inclusive minutes each month over a 24 month period it would be much cheaper to take out a lower tariff and part-pay towards the cost of the phone.

Whilst these figures refer to the whole of the mobile phone market, and are largely a consumer problem, business users also need to be aware of the cost of unused minutes, texts and data. It's very important that your business mobile contract accurately reflects your usage in order to get the best deal.

If your usage remains fairly steady each month it should be a simple task to look at your current usage and get the right tariff that includes what you need but no more.

If your bills vary widely each month then you have a decision to make. Do you take out a contract based upon the highest monthly spend and waste the minutes and texts in low spend months or take out a contract on a lower tariff and pay for calls etc. above your tariff as and when they are made. You might need to get out a calculator at this point and see which works out best for you!

On the other hand get in touch with Business Mobile World (that's us!) and let us do the hard work for you. We can analyze your bills and produce figures showing you the best options and how much you could save by switching tariffs and/or networks.

We can also propose other money saving communication options including your landline phones, taking over your current lines and reducing your line rental and telephone call costs, and business broadband with low contention ratios giving you great speeds without great costs.

One call does it all, just pick up the phone and dial 0844 880 8116 for immediate attention or fill out our online enquiry form.

As a small business you will be aware that every penny counts. After all, who wants to spend more than they need to?

By obtaining a free review from Business Mobile World you will find out how much you could save. Not only that but we can provide you with advice relating to the latest technology and handsets and how they could improve your business communications.

We appreciate that your time is precious so we make it as easy as possible for you to get the best current deal and move seamlessly to a new network provider if necessary.

We can provide quotes and savings illustrations by phone, email or face-to-face whichever is easier for you.

With one of our small business plans you can get:

• Between 100 and 3,000 inclusive mobile minutes (dependent upon chosen tariff)
• Unlimited calls between all company mobiles
• Unlimited calls to all 01, 02 and 03 landlines
• Rollover unused minutes for 30 days
• Dedicated account manager
• Latest handsets free of charge

We can also provide small businesses with landline telephone services saving you up to 40% on your call charges, as well as a range of other services designed to help small business users. Get in touch with us for your free quote.

For larger business users we have a range of plans from the major networks and can provide integrated communication solutions bringing together mobiles, landlines, broadband and IT.

 

The start of a new year is an ideal time to take stock of your business and plan your success for the coming 12 months. As well as gearing up to sell more of your products and services you should be looking at ways of saving money on your costs in order to maximise your profits.

A telecoms review from Business Mobile World will analyze all of your current communications including mobile phones, landline phones, broadband and mobile broadband showing you where savings can be made.

Additionally we can also help with new products and services including telephone systems, VoIP systems, website hosting, design and promotion - we offer a fully converged telecoms solution.

The benefits of a review for your business include:

• Saving money on each product
• Ensuring all products work together optimally
• Simplifying your billing (one monthly bill)
• One point of contact

At the moment you will probably have a number of different contracts for each of your communication components with different renewal dates. We can arrange for a smooth transition for each of these as they become due for renewal.

And the downside of getting a review? If we cannot save you money or improve your communications then you have total peace of mind that your current deal/s are the best available in the market. It's a win-win situation.

Best of all it's a free service. It won't cost your business a penny to see how much you could be saving and how your communications could be improved. Just contact us for your individual quotation.

A recent survey of over 7,000 SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) reports that over 60% of businesses said faster broadband speeds had a positive impact on their business. Other beneficial technology included mobile devices (mobile phones and mobile broadband) and remote working tech.

Nearly 70% of those businesses that were embracing new technology were experiencing a "better" recession than those who lagged behind.

Not surprising to us, we have been blogging regularly about how new technology can help your business improve its communications and ultimately make you more money. Any initial investment can soon be overtaken by ongoing savings or increased profits.

And that is just the current scenario. Going forward into the future new technology will become ever more important in businesses that rely upon communications.

Even traditional trades, such as hairdressers, where actual technological advancements are unlikely to replace their core business (you cannot get a haircut on the internet!) need to embrace technology to make sure that their marketing remains relevant and accessible.

Letting customers (and potential customers) know about new styles, products and special offers by email or sms could keep all of their current customers happy and get people who may never have thought of using them in the past through the front door. 

All businesses should be thinking of how they could use technology to improve their communications inter-office and with customers. We can help you with advice about the latest technology and how it can be used to boost your business. Just get in touch.

Do you currently give out a landline work number and your mobile number for when you are away from the office? If you work from home some of the time you will likely give out this number too. So when someone is trying to reach you they could conceivably be ringing three different numbers, leaving messages on each and getting nowhere!

Make it easier for people to contact you and save time listening to duplicate messages. You can give out one number and technology makes sure the call finds you. This also enables you to be contacted at home (when it is convenient) without having to give out your home phone number.

Wasting time retrieving voicemail? Get it sent to you by email as an attachment. The subject line tells you who it is from so if you don't want to hear from them just delete the email! You can also forward the message to others if you need to.

These are just a couple of ways that modern technology will help your business keep in touch.

New internet telephone systems utilising VoIP will also be a means of improving communications and providing enhanced telephone features whilst also reducing call costs by routing calls over the internet. As internet connection gets faster and the technology matures it is likely that traditional phone lines will decline in usage, particularly amongst business users.

Did you know Business Mobile World can help you with VoIP communications technology? Remember, we not only offer business mobiles but also a full range of business telecoms designed to integrate seamlessly together to make your business communications easier.

 

A recent survey concluded that the 10 million people in the UK without internet access are missing out on approximately £550 each year in cheaper products and services. The internet is not only a fantastic way to keep in touch, but also the gateway to the best prices and savings.

Many business users don't pay attention to their broadband connection. They take the cheapest deal offered, often using consumer grade broadband. For those that do do some research they may choose a connection with a headline-grabbing download speed. But are you actually getting the speed as promised?

A quick broadband speed test will confirm the maximum download and upload speeds you are actually getting. It could be considerably less than you think. One of the reasons is the contention ratio.

The broadband connection you use is shared by other users. With retail broadband the contention ratio could be 60:1 - in other words up to 60 other people could be using the connection at the same time as you, meaning your speed is greatly reduced. We can offer your business a contention ration of 10:1 (or even 1:1 on your own private line if required).

With download speeds up to 24mbps our business grade broadband is fast, meaning that the days of slow downloads and waiting for pages to load are at an end. Think of all the time that is wasted in your business with slow connections. Faster broadband will save you time and money.

It doesn't have to be expensive. Taken in a package with telephone lines and call cost reductions your business should be saving money each month whilst benefitting from a better broadband experience. Contact us for a free quote.

 

Nokia are releasing a Windows 7 Netbook. Initially available in the US, but shortly available in Europe, this netbook release shows that mobile device convergence is continuing apace.

With Apple, a traditional computer company, gobbling up its mobile phone market share with the iPhone, Nokia are switching the tables with their new hi-spec netbook. Bridging the gap between the SmartPhone, which offers a limited browsing experience, and the full-blown laptop which is so much larger to carry around, more netbooks are being released and sold daily.

Convergence is the new watchword in the telecoms marketplace. There is no sign to the end of device convergence and increasingly the line between phone and computer is becoming blurred.

To keep your business ahead of the curve you need to be thinking about how you can best use the new technology and how your fixed and mobile devices connect with each other. The days of having mobiles with one company, landlines with another, computers supplied by someone else are disappearing fast for companies that want to embrace new technology.

Even the big networks are getting in on the act. Vodafone have, in recent weeks, announced a rollout of landline services for SMEs plus a deal to offer online cloud storage to its existing business and consumer customers. They realise that convergence is inevitable and offering a fully-integrated telecoms solution will help preserve their market share in the future.

At Business Mobile World we can tell you how your business can best take advantage of new technologies to ensure that your communications keep up-to-date. This may be across continents, work sites, or just across the next desk.

Shopping around for all the seperate parts of your business telecoms no longer makes any sense - it could cost you a lot more in the long run. An integrated telecoms solution will save your business money, in terms of reduced tariffs for packaged deals, enhanced problem resolution and better customer service.

When thinking about your business telecoms, and in particular your sales telephone number, it has long been the conventional wisdom that a freephone number (0800, 0808) increases enquiries by up to 40% compared to a regular number.

However, this was in the days when the majority of calls were made from landlines, meaning that your customers were not charged for their call to your business.

Those days are long gone, and the rise of the mobile phone means that many of your customers will actively avoid freephone numbers as they could be charged up to 20p per minute to call them.

It is forecast that 2010 will see the majority of UK phone calls made via mobile phones rather than landlines. Even now mobile phone calls account for around 45% of all calls made.

So what is the answer?

It could be an 03 number. This is a non-geographic landline number which can be called free of charge from a mobile phone's inclusive minutes. An 03 number can also be cheaper for your business than a freephone number.

With an 03 number you also have portability and flexibility. You can redirect incoming calls to any landline or mobile that you specify and benefit from a range of call management features.

Business Mobile World can offer you an 03 telephone number, or you can choose from a range of other telephone numbers which we provide. Just get in touch for a free quote.

Did you know...

...that almost 70% of the worldwide population now have some form of mobile phone subscription?

...that by the end of this year mobile broadband will have overtaken fixed line broadband?

The modern business needs to embrace this trend and ensure that it remains in touch with the latest technology and is able to move quickly with industry developments.

As the distinction between phones and computers becomes more blurred, with each device able to do the other's job, business users will need to make a decision - are you staying fixed or are you getting mobile?

Make the SMART decision, get a SmartPhone and release your business from the fixed telephony shackles. Better still, get an integrated solution from Business Mobile World involving your mobiles, landlines, broadband and IT.

Bundling them all together not only saves your business money but it improves the overall communications of your company by ensuring that all of your devices interact with each other seamlessly.

When there's a problem (modern technology doesn't always work correctly ALL of the time!) it's just one phone call to speak with a human being, not a robot, and the solution is at hand.

Want to know more? Let us show you how it all works. We can quote you for any or all of our many telecoms services, just get in touch.

We have written from time to time on this blog about the increasing convergence between devices, particularly the advance of mobile phone technology and how phones are replacing computers, at least in part.

Over the coming years, and it may not be that long with the pace of technological advances, landlines, mobiles and IT are going to become more entwined and having separate providers for each of these services is going to cause headaches and wasted time sorting out problems.

For instance, if you have a problem with accessing the internet is it your broadband supplier, your telephone line provider or your IT guys? Will any of them admit their responsibility and sort it out or will they all tell you "it's the other guys fault".

With a converged communications solution incorporating landlines, business mobiles, IT (and possibly other services like device tracking) you have one point of contact, one person to call who will sort it out. You don't have to worry about contacting all of the individual suppliers, that is all sorted on your behalf.

Best of all it is not going to cost you any more. In fact, in all likelihood you could save your business a sizeable sum by employing specialists to review all of your communication requirements.

As businesses evolve and expand the individual communication requirements tend to grow without any clear direction. This random growth often means over-complication and increased costs. Getting a free review is a no-brainer - after all what have you got to lose?

No business, in a recession or otherwise, should turn down the opportunity of saving money. Every penny saved is a penny added to your bottom line.

Getting the right tariffs for your business mobiles, reduced line rental and call costs for your landlines, business grade broadband helping your communications run smoothly and a solution integrating all of these services will help your business in the future.

As part of the 21c Telecom group we are at the forefront of converged communications. We would welcome the opportunity of helping your business save money and improve its communications.

Just contact us for a free review. We can call at your premises to look at your current communication provisions and see where improvements can be made.

 

 

As well as offering business mobile phones, we also offer a full range of business telecommunications products and services. This includes landline telephones.

We can install new telephone systems, telephone lines (analogue/ISDN2/ISDN30) and reduce your call costs. If you are currently with BT you could be saving up to 40% on your calls.

There is no interruption to your service and you keep your current number. We take over your billing and put you on one of our bespoke tariffs. Calls start from 0.75p per minute.

You get a simple to understand monthly bill detailing all of your calls.

We can also take over your broadband, providing business-grade broadband with low contention ratios, giving you excellent bandwidth and quick resolution in the event of problems.

We have a dedicated landline department, including telephone engineers, so we are only one phone call away if you have any concerns.

So, if you are approaching the end of your current contract, (NB - beware getting trapped into another lengthy contract by your current provider without your knowledge!) then get in touch and see what we can offer your business.

 

Our aim at Business Mobile World is to make your business communications simple, straightforward and cost-effective. One of the ways we can cut your costs is by including free calls within your package.

We offer many business mobile tariffs that include free calls to UK landlines. These are numbers beginning 01, 02 and 03. Eg. 0115 944 8977 (our number for you to call us).

If you have an inclusive package with free landline minutes this leaves the remainder of your minutes solely for mobile-to-mobile calls. This could mean a serious reduction in the number of inclusive minutes you need, a reduction in tariff, and best of all a reduction in your monthly costs.

If you have more than one mobile handset we can include free calls between all of your company mobiles. Again this can reduce the number of minutes you need and therefore the cost.

You need to analyze your current bills (or let us do it for you) and see where your minutes are being used. From this we can ensure you get the best value-for-money package.

We can also offer a GSM gateway (or Premicell) which you use for your landline calls to mobiles. This device automaticaly routes all calls starting 07 (mobile numbers) via a dedicated sim card meaning that these minutes can come out of your monthly inclusive allowance.

All of these ideas can be used together to ensure that you pay as little as possible for every business phone call and therefore maximise your profits.