Diary of a Nokia E61 User

‘Mobile internet - now this is more like it!’

I used to use a 3G Sharp mobile phone that had Vodaphone Live! running on it and I thought that was as good as the Internet on a mobile phone had really become. I was hugely disappointed.  It was pretty useless really and everything seemed to cost money, which is not what the internet should be about.  However, with the Nokia E61, I’ve discovered that the mobile internet can be just as good as the normal internet.  I can use our internet banking facility, update our blog, get travel directions, check websites of contacts I’ve just met, etc. There is nothing I haven’t been able to do yet and it’s proved invaluable on a number of occasions. Like the time my sat nav gave out when I was trying to find a prospective customer’s office. This is more reminicent of the good old days of using a Psion 5mx and browsing the internet, except it’s in colour, quicker, and you can do it wirelessly anywhere.

You don’t get the whole of a website on the screen, of course, but the screen size is pretty good and there is a useful zoom facility. Also, there is a clever page overview that overlays on the screen as you move around and allows you to see where you are on a page.

A number of sites, including Google, have views designed for mobile devices, which can help with the speed of browsing, and there is less moving around the screen.

Along with the notes application,email and diary, this has allowed me to stop using my laptop in a number of mobile situations, many of which weren’t that practical in the first place.  It’s so much easier to use the E61 on a train rather than to try and sit with a laptop. Plus, I can save the charge on my laptop for when I get to my destination.

Of course, there is also a web feeds reader application, so I can subscribe to the web feeds I like and keep up to date on the latest posts when I’m on the move. Why would I need a paper? They can be pretty awkward when you’re out and about as well. With the Nokia, I can access news stories all over the world and search for the content that I’m interested in.

I like the feature that I can use a wireless LAN if there is one available rather than the 3G network.  Also, I find that even at home, I reach for the Nokia rather than bother with the laptop, if I want to quickly check the internet for something.

I want to talk about the Email and Diary applications in other articles, and I’ve already written about the creative thinking possibilities with the Notes application, but when you combine the Internet browsing capabilities with these other factors, it’s astonishing how much benefit I am getting from this one tiny device!

Well done Nokia!

Choosing the right IT supplier

Assessing and implementing alongside the IT requirements of any business is usually a dreaded headache which a lot of business owners put off and finally tackle reluctantly.  There are a lot of myths and confusing  jargon associated with IT, but it really doesn’t need to be as scary or confusing as you might think. 

I read a useful article recently by Mark Greatrex, who is product and services director with Lakeview.  They are a provider of bespoke software for business management, accounting and manufacturing control.  In his article, Mark sets out clear steps you should take to help you chose the right IT supplier.

I totally agree with what Mark is saying and I’m pleased to say that our approach fits well with the points that he raises.

Mark suggests you should check you’re getting the best out of the systems you already have in place.  We often find that our customers believe a system is capable of doing a specific thing for them, only to find that they need an additional module to make it work.  At other times, it is simply that the settings on the system in question are wrong.  You might find that little or no additional spend is necessary and a simple adjustment could be all you need to allow your business to become the streamlined operation you originally envisaged.

He also says that your staff may need some additional training in order to use the system in the most efficient way possible. Some software providers fall by the way side when it comes to after sales service, training and customer care. It’s worth researching the possibility of some independent training, as there’s every chance that this gap has been noticed and that training courses are available in that area.  For example, our training courses are tailored to business people who want to learn essential IT skills, but are not interested in the technological complexities behind the scenes.

He mentions that budget is always a deciding factor of any new purchase.  Be sure to set out a clear budget from the very beginning. If you do find that you need to purchase additional systems, don’t be tempted to buy new technology for the sake of it.  Only buy what you need.  Excess technology can be a hindrance, as it can make things over complicated.

Mark states that the relationship you have with your IT supplier is key.  They should listen to your requirements and advise when they feel it is necessary.  A responsible supplier will help you to fulfil your requirements in the most efficient and cost effective way for you and not bombard you with jargon or new technology.  This is part of our commitment to our customers.  With us, you are dealing with people who understand your needs, can talk to you about them in plain English, and get your IT delivering what it truly can to make your business more profitable.

For more information about us, or to contact us, please go to www.eximium.net. 

To read Mark’s full article see http://www.smeweb.com/technology/features/top-tips-on-selecting-an-it-supplier.html.

Customers help themselves to customer care

It appears that only half of all call centre transactions are now handled by people.  This is because the use of automated self-service tools in call centres has surged over the past decade, to the point that only 50 per cent of callers actually talk to real people.

In 1997, 90 per cent of contact centre calls were handled by an operator but today that figure has fallen by almost half. Interactive Voice Response and web-based systems now respectively account for 15.5 per cent and 13.7 per cent of all transactions. Other transactions use part computer / part person systems such as the VCII offered by Voice Connect www.voiceconnect.co.uk installed at the Houses of Parliament for example. 

Derrick Cameron from IT firm Eximium comments “Whilst it can be very temping to save money through automation, it is important to recognize that the cost of a lost customer can be very high to your business when things go wrong.  Certain processes can be simplified and even improved through automation, but it’s important to keep the human element in the equation when things don’t work out.  Where automated processes are introduced, it is important to carefully think through just what is going on in the mind of the customer to ensure that a proper service is being provided – and not just the inability to complain due to lack of opportunity.”  

It now takes and average 39 seconds for centres to respond to a call, compared with 23 second in 1997. And the time taken to respond to messages left by customers has almost doubled from 11 to 20 hours.

Diary of a Nokia E61 User

Making Time For Creative Thinking

I’ve had the Nokia E61 smartphone for some time now and I thought it worthwhile to share the ups and downs of using it with you. In this diary, I hope to give some insights into what difference having handheld computing power, with remote access, is making to my business.  This week, I want to talk about creative thinking.

Creative thinking is something we all need time to do. Like any business owner, director or manager, I have to make sure I spend time working on, not just in, my business.  But, how do you do that, given the pressure on your time during the working day?

Once again, this is where I’ve found having the E61 is the ideal solution to at least part of the problem.

The notes application on the E61 is ideal for putting down and organising creative thoughts whenever they come to you.  The thing about the E61 is that it has a very usable full keyboard, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to use it to any great extent.

As a result, I’ve found time to spend time thinking creatively about my business in what were previously situations where I might have just mulled things over in my head, or simply sat and done nothing. For example, while waiting to be collected in a customer’s reception area, during taxi journeys, and when I wake up first thing in the morning.

All of a sudden, these are my most creative moments, and my subconcious mind seems to reserve it’s most creative thoughts ready to be used at these stolen moments throughout the day.  Most of the articles I write for magazines, websites, and our blog (including this very article!) are either sketched out or written completely on the E61, at these times.

Waking up is an especially good example. I often wake up early with thoughts buzzing around my head. By getting these thoughts down into the notes application, it ensures they’re recorded somewhere before they’re forgotten, and it gets them out of my mind so I can think about something else, or go back to sleep.

Then, having got the bones of the idea down, I can flesh it out later on.  By either continuing it on the phone or emailing it to myself from the phone, which is very easy to do.  In fact, you can use bluetooth or simply wait until the next time you synchronise your phone with Outlook, as the notes get automatically copied along with everything else.

I find that, looking back at my notes, I’m often inspired again to write more on the same subject. 

Of course, this doesn’t replace the strategic meetings I have with the team, but often I find I’m bringing notes made on the E61 along with me.  It’s made a huge difference to finding time to be creative about my business - I can’t recommend this approach strongly enough to all those other busy business people out there!

Business owners increasingly clinching deals on the move

Nearly half of UK SME bosses have won business by being able to respond to prospects while on the move, according to a survey by Research In Motion.  The research also suggests that the majority of SME decision makers are out of the office for significant periods at least twice a week.

The need to juggle business requirements and communications on the move is therefore of vital importance. Two thirds of respondents said that ‘regular communication’ and ‘reacting quickly to queries’ are the two most critical aspects in successful relationships with customers.

However, despite 65 per cent of SMEs stating that keeping in touch with business stakeholders is ‘very important’ or ‘important’, nearly a third still use letters as the preferred method of communication.

“It is commonplace for SME owners to spend large amounts of time out of the office, and multitasking is often essential to keep their business moving,” said Derrick Cameron, MD of Eximium.

“However, customers and prospects expect a certain level of service and speed of contact regardless of whether they are in the office or not. It is becoming ever more important to use reliable mobile solutions.  They are essential to the success of SMEs in the UK and across Europe, so adopting the right tools and procedures from the beginning is key to long term success.”

The proportion of SME bosses who have clinched a deal while out and about is around 62 per cent across Europe, rising to 86 per cent in Spain.

Businesses could be forced to fund new e-crime unit

The Home Office is currently thinking about whether business will be expected to fund a new e-crime unit that is under consideration by the Home Office. Not surprisingly, the private sector has said that the core funding for such a police unit to combat e-crime must come from the government.

The proposal stems from a suggestion that the Policing Central E-crime Unit, as proposed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Metropolitan Police Service, would be jointly funded by the Home Office, ACPO and businesses.

Derrick Cameron of Eximium comments, “It’s pretty obvious that e-crime is a problem for everyone in society and affects businesses as well as consumers. Whilst it is in the interests of companies who sell online that it is properly policed, it seems unreasonable that they should be expected to pick up the tab. The funds should come from general taxation.”

Derrick goes on to add, “As an economy, we should be encouraging business owners to do more online not asking them to pay more if they want to trade on the web.”

The unit would be aimed at stopping hackers who can often be found tapping into the profits of ever more businesses. Although for many it is ‘something fun’ to pass the time, it is taking its toll on company profits. In fact, many hackers have spent time creating a business model that is nearly as sophisticated as that of legal software providers.

“Cyber crime is no longer something that affects only big businesses — it affects small businesses just as much; in fact, there are few aspects of the economy not affected by it. Let’s hope the e-crime unit is up to the significant task ahead of it,” adds Cameron.

CRM finally seems to have come of age

There is no doubt that, after being hailed as the ultimate in 21st century business tools, with a rapid return on investment, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) failed to live up to its promises, and sales of the technology lost pace. Now this formerly much-hyped technology is finally coming of age.

CRM software is simplifying many business processes and becoming more user-friendly. The result being CRM is actually starting to live up to its early promise.

Derrick Cameron of IT firm Eximium comments, “In its early days, the first and second generation CRM technology was supposed to propel businesses into a new customer centered mindset. In truth, the technology wasn’t where it should have been. It was too complex and difficult to use effectively. Instead of making the lives of sales people and customer service personnel easier and their jobs more efficient, it tended to make processes and tasks harder and less efficient.

“The result was that early adopters found few real benefits. In effect, CRM became regarded as good in theory with few practical business applications. The expense, effort and time required in implementing a CRM solution and to train people, rarely worked out for anyone,” adds Derrick.

But the signs are that 2008 will be a different story. “Interest in CRM is picking up again because users are coming to realise that what they had in place was over-complicated. There is no need to have-it-all and do-it-all to benefit from CRM,” Derrick adds.

Derrick’s main three ‘must have’ points to remember about CRM are:

1. Incident Management - know when and what complaints customers have logged with your company.

2. Sales Management - know what a customer has bought, enquired about and their credit record.

3. Market Segmentation - know what location and sector the customer operates in and the types of products other people in that sector have previously bought.

CRM products have matured to the point where users can quickly and easily make use of the functionality of the CRM application that best suits their needs. “Get these 3 processes right and the CRM package is likely to quickly pay for itself,” adds Derrick.

Small firms lagging behind in IT race

IT can help drive business growth, but Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are missing out, according to new research.

New research from Cisco suggests that UK businesses that embrace new technologies grow faster and hold on to their employees for longer.

The study showed that smaller businesses still lag behind their larger counterparts in adopting technology.

In particular, wireless network adoption (41 per cent compared to 64 per cent) and remote or home working technology capabilities (46 per cent compared to 67 per cent) were lower in SMEs than in larger businesses.

“With British companies competing for business against a global market, every aspect of their offering is important to ensure they are competitive” comments Derrick Cameron, from business IT specialist Eximium. “Margins are increasingly tight and, with key labour shortages at home, companies are turning to technology to give them the edge they require. However, it is also important to consider carefully what you really want from your systems, and look at how you can achieve your objectives by improving and adapting them – just bringing new technology in is rarely the right answer”.

Business managers’ top concern was finding and retaining the most talented staff, according to the study.

Home working ranked as the lowest influencing factor on IT managers’ technology investment priorities over the next 12 to 18 months.

The survey polled more than 600 business and IT directors across the UK in companies ranging from 20 to 1,000 employees, split into firms with 20-249 employees and larger companies with over 250 employees.

Survey reveals IT is secret behind UK business success

Recent survey finds that good IT was instrumental to businesses achieving the 7 identified attributes of successful businesses.

A recent report carried out by Henley Management College, and sponsored by Hewlett Packard, identified 7 key attributes of successful companies, including staying focussed and having big ideas. It was shown that all 7 of the attributes were supported in some way by IT.

The survey found that IT helped companies achieve their goals and remain innovative, among other key success factors.

Richard Wright, HP’s vice president personal systems group for the UK and Ireland said, “IT is the hidden eighth. It is key to business and helps enable the rest of the habits.”

Derrick Cameron from business IT specialist Eximium comments “IT can be a great asset to a company but it can also be its worst enemy. The key to great IT, and clearly to business success, is to make sure that your IT delivers what your business needs from it and not just what it can manage with.”

For more information about how to harness the power of your IT, contact Eximium for a free IT Fact Find worth £500.

Research shows poor planning is cause of IT failures

New research shows that planning is the most important factor behind successful IT projects.
Poor system specifications in the design and preparation stages of IT projects are the reason that more that 66% of new initiatives fail. The lack of clear and properly planned technical and business requirements combined with poor design criteria and descriptions are derailing 2 out of 3 IT projects.

Research conducted by Coleman Parkes for vendor Avanade says inadequate business understanding, badly thought out selection and lack of funds also contribute to the problems.
“Businesses tend to blame the IT team when an IT project fails. But this research shows that often it goes back to the old saying – when you fail to plan you plan to fail. In this case, technical staff are being blamed for a lack of focus on essential planning tasks needed by senior business management. It is important that business management take ownership and get more ‘hands-on’ with the IT team, to ensure that they are going to get what the business needs from the project” says Eximium’s Technical Director, Derrick Cameron.

Eximium expands into new offices to accommodate growth

Business IT specialists Eximium have completed their move into their new office space at Regus Business Centre, Capability Green, Luton.

The decision to leave their current premises was largely down to space and the desire to have more flexibility in their accommodation.

“Our new offices offer a wide range of meeting rooms of various sizes. This means that we can meet up with clients, and offer training and workshops sessions, no matter how big the number. It’s also just off the M1 and close to Luton Airport so we can be in London, Birmingham or Glasgow for that matter, in just over an hour” comments Paula Wheatcroft, Eximium’s Operations Director.

The new office is situated in the Capability Green business development, which is the premier business park of the east of England, according to the Bedfordshire & Luton Economic Development Partnership. It is close to the M1, M25, mainline trains into Kings Cross, London and Luton Airport. Eximium will share the site with companies such as Ernst & Young, Siemens plc, Bae Systems, Anritsu & Astra Zeneca.

Eximium becomes a Microsoft partner

Business IT Specialist Eximium announced today that they are to become registered Microsoft partners with immediate effect.

Microsoft is one of the world’s largest companies and offers the most widely used software on domestic and business computers. The new relationship means that Eximium can offer specialised advice and more flexibility to customers.

“We are delighted to now be considered as a Microsoft partner and are looking forward to offering new services to our customers, including sourcing Microsoft products directly from us” comments Eximium’s Technical Director, Derrick Cameron. “This also means that we can work with our customers to ensure they have the best licensing arrangement for new and existing software, so that they are not paying more than they have to, but can also access the latest Microsoft products”.

Eximium announces new Management Structure

Business IT specialist Eximium have announced a shake up in their structure with the statement that Nick Smith is to step down as Operations Director and Company Secretary.

His role will be filled by newcomer Paula Wheatcroft. Paula comes from a strong business and IT background and brings experience in quality assurance, as well as training and development to the role.

Derrick Cameron, Eximium’s Technical Director states “I’m sad to see Nick go. I am most grateful for his help and support over the last 2 years to get us where we are today. However, I look forward to working with Paula to develop the company further based on the work that Nick and I began”

“I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to help the company move forward. The staff here are so dedicated and knowledgeable, and I see my role to co-ordinate activity to make the most of their considerable talents” adds Wheatcroft.