Technical consultancy for business decisions

The decision to computerise a process should not be based on the assumption that everything is better if it is on a computer. Other principles should be applied:

• common sense
• how often does the current system procedure break down/cause problems ?
• does the information need to be shared ?
• does the system cope if the person responsible is not available ?
• could time be saved if computerised ?
• is the procedure repetitive ?
• what aditional benefits would computerisation provide ?
• is the procedure independent or would replacing it have a knock-on effect ?
• does the cost justify the benefits ?

Plans for expansion are always an excellent opportunity to review current systems - some upheaval has to be expected and therefore why not take the opportunity to ensure the whole company is working effectively ?

Being involved with a company with impressive growth plans is an exciting time, all the hard effort has started to pay off and the company is ready to go to the next level. Decisions taken now can have a significant effect on how sucessful these new ventures turn out to be.

We have no intention to tell you how to run your business - but we want to help. We are experts at logistics. By working through your current systems we can ensure a planned approached is taken; minimising disruption and giving the best possible chance of success.

Some facts:

• the Internet is a wonderful business tool, which can revolutionalise how a company operates.
• many companies have invested many thousands of pounds into web sites without working out what they really want to do.
• many companies web sites, especially SME's, are 'information only' web sites. It is a glorified company brochure. This serves a very valuable purpose but misses some other very useful benefits.
• The explosion of cheap, 'always on' internet connections have opened up many exciting new opportunities for SME companies

Consider the following business opportunities:

• sharing information with your customers and suppliers. How many phone calls could be saved if up to date information on your client's projects/orders could be available to them in a secure part of your web site ?
• sharing information with your employees. For example, how useful would it be if all your employees could access a shared diary from anywhere, add notes to a customer order ? e.t.c.
• create data pages from your company databases using the fastest technology currently available.
• web site pages (HTML pages) are pretty but can be functionally limited compared to a Windows® based program running on a PC. What benefits could be derived by your company if you could run your company database programs from anywhere ?
• increase staff efficiency and reduce head office costs by allowing staff to work remotely.

For most companies a telephone system is the communication centre of their company. They are a capital investment which companies can usually expect to keep for 5 years or more. It is our opinion therefore that making the right decision can save the company thousands of pounds in the future and can have a big effect on how much you can integrate your company systems.

If you are looking to invest in a new phone system, generally now known as a phone switch, it makes sense to choose one that can be integrated in to your computer system. The following benefits can then be explored:

• bringing up customers details up on the screen when they call you.
• allow you to dial a phone number listed on the computer screen.
• bring sophisticated call management within your budget.
• the use of VoIP (Voice over IP) i.e. sending phones calls over the internet at greatly reduced rates.

Not only do we sell phone switches that closely integrate with other products within our range but we can advise on what to look for within a phone switch or how your existing system could be used more effectively.

E-mail has overtaken fax as the communcation tool of choice. However, companies should not dismisss fax as it is still more prevalent and in some circumstances a better form of communication than email.

Everyone has now heard of computer faxes but what are the benefits ?

We are the authorised reseller of the best, most reliable, function packed network-based fax solution available. Whilst a computer fax solution can not completely take over from manual fax - we always recommend at least one manual fax is kept - there are significant advantages to be had, the main benefits are:

• it's reliable and scalable from one fax line to 100's.
• print incoming faxes to any network laser printer.
• fax direct from your desk.
• it's multi-user, no more waiting.
• full history of incoming and sent faxes.
• route incoming faxes to a group or individual user.
• with the necessary telephone architecture have individual fax numbers for key personnel which route their faxes to their desktop. A very useful feature for confidential material. The system can also be configured not to be print these faxes or print them to a personal printer.
• ability to alter an incoming fax and resend it with the amendments. This is very useful for replying to a fax with a quick typed comment but it also has a variety of other uses. For example, a music distribution company used to remove the supplier details and prices on a product offer, type in their selling prices - matching the existing font and sent it on to their customers passing it off as their offer! This not only saved them many hours retyping the fax but also ensured they got their offer out before their competitors - resulting in more sales.
• offer a fax-back service on product literature or special offers.
• integrate into Sage Line 50 and 100 products to automatically fax out statements and invoices on pre-formated forms.

For most companies email has become the number one choice for communication. Deciding on which email system to deploy is an important business decision. However the decisions don't stop there.

Increasingly emails are the most common method of spreading viruses. Since a virus has the potential to destroy valuable company data and lose many hours of work, what steps does your company take to ensure they are protected from such viruse, from emails and other methods of infection ? Have you instigated backup procedures if your frontline defence is breached and a virus gets through ? Are you using an email system more prone to virus attack ? What can you do about that ?

Sadly today, virus attacks are becoming a daily occurence, can you afford not to review your current systems ?

Most companies use at least one of the following forms of communication:

• Email
• Faxes
• Voice Mail
• SMS (Text messaging)

They are all useful tools in business today. What if one product existed which incorporated all these types of messages into one universal inbox ? How useful would it be to be able to go to just one place to pick up all your messages ? That is the principle behind unified messaging. Then consider the additional functionality that could be added:

• have remote access to all your messages by dialling in from any phone. Remote access to your voice mail is not unusual but also imagine having the ability for your emails to be read out to you. No more missing an important email when you can not get access to a computer or the internet
• have remote access to all your messages by logging in from any computer connected to the internet. Allowing yourself to reply from whereever you may be as if you were in your office
• send text messages from your computer - great for a quick note to a sales person on the road or to remind a customer that special offer is about to expire.

We are authorised resellers for a UMS product which has been developed specifically for SME market. Consequently, it's price/features ratio is very competitive especially when compared against buying solutions for email, network fax, voice mail and text messaging individually.