Bush Telegraph Blog

I attended a course on Tuesday of this week. It was organised by Business Link and was entitled "Social Media". It was intended to show the business benefits of using social media like Facebook, Twitter etc and of writing blogs like this.

I set off to the venue as a total disbeliever, and came back as a convert! Well done to Arun Grimshaw of Tonick for gaining at least one convert as a result of the excellent presentation he gave on the matter. Mind you, I still haven't received his email with the presentation notes that he promised to send. I expect he's too busy "tweating"!

So here's my first attempt at Blogging.

As the Managing Director of a SME based in Truro, and facing all the challenges of the current economic situation which has affected so many of us, I have been amazed this week to learn that somebody in government (national or local I'm uncertain of) has agreed to fund an artist to build an artificial island which he will then tow around the coastal waters of the south west peninsula in 2012 as part of GB Inc's contribution to the Olympic Games taking place in London. And to the tune of half a million onecers! (Source is the BBC's ceefax service amongst others.)

That's an amazing commitment at a time when the country's finances are apparently in appalling shape, and we've been learning that many of our politicians have been benefiting from some fairly dubious claims on their expenses. I'm of an age where I listen to Terry Wogan in the morning (apparently the average age of his listening audience is 53 so I more than qualify on that account) and one of his favourite phrases comes to mind "Is it me?"

So there you are then. That's my first Blog done and dusted. It's fun! I'm not sure what it's done to enhance my personal reputation of gain me more customers but I certainly feel much better for getting it off my chest!

Ah well. back to reality. Now where did I put that quote for a telephone system that I promised to get done before I go home this evening.

A bientot mes amis.

Holidays are coming

I was thinking I would have nice quiet run up to my holiday next week, but it was not to be! With the downfall of a large telecoms provider in the UK we have suddenly seen a big increase in customer enquiries with them seeing a way out of what are extortionate rates.

We are able to offer these potential clients some big savings and a much higher level of service.

Why?

The Bush Telegraph is an ethical business; we sell in a way we would want to be sold to

We are here to help you save money

We can help you operate more effectively

The Bush Telegraph has many years experience and most of our clients and staff have been with us for many years

We don’t make you pay twice for anything, which is common place with some of the other providers

We can integrate your systems to make your business more efficient

Well I am just about up to date with my paperwork so I am gone.......

Andy

Labels: Andy

Wading through a couple of press releases recently I wondered if our customers honestly understood all the information that is presented to them so I have listed a few of the more popular terms and acronyms that are found:

VoIP : Voice Over Internet Protocol
SIP Trunk: Session Initiation Protocol (Calls routed down a ‘virtual’ line)
CTI : Computer Telephony Integration
PABX : Private Automatic Branch Exchange
IP Office: Internet Protocol
Jelly Crimps: Type of pliers used by engineers
DECT : Digital Enhanced Cordless telephone
DECTSYS: Digital Enhanced Cordless telephone System
CAT 5 : Type of cabling for use in a network.
DIGITAL SYSTEM: Latest technology prepared for new applications.
ANALOGUE SYSTEM: Old technology
CCTV : Closed Circuit TeleVision
DAB : Digital Audio Broadcasting
ISDN : Integrated Services Data Network
ISP : Internet Service Provider
OEM : Original End-product Manufacturer
PCB : Printed Circuit Board
PSDN : Packet Switched Data Network
PSTN : Public Switched Telephone Network
WAN : Wide Area Networks

Hopefully this helps you break down the barriers of communication!

Well its now one week since our Chamber of Commerce presentation. A number of questions were raised including some regarding the pitfalls of VoIP and Sip Trunk call routeing. Some of the major points were:

When looking to gain maximum benefit from VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

• Be aware of poor or slow Internet connections affecting the quality of the call.
  Only use as an additional communication tool, say for internal or remote workers only, not for primary customer communication unless you are prepared to accept the risk of some call degradation and drop out.
  
• Be aware of bandwidths and contention ratios in your area, to ensure that this communication tool will perform the role that you need it to.
  

SIP Trunk Lines.

• Whilst they allow the use of different geographic or non-geographic numbers to be ported to one address, be aware of how this affects your brands / businesses perception. Ensure the service is being used to positive effect.
  
• Ensure that you have direct control of the numbers or can retain ownership in the event that you wish to transfer to an alternative supplier at a later date. Get a written statement from the SIP supplier (not necessarily the person selling the service!) that this will be the case.
  
• Don't pay 'up front' for the line rentals.
  
• Don't include line rentals or call charges within any lease agreements.
  

So remember if it sounds too good a deal to be true then it probably is....

How good is powerpoint? When you are at a presentation do you watch the screen or the presenter? All depends on which is the most animated I suppose, which makes a powerpoint on VoIP communications all the more difficult, throw in the subject of SIP trunks and non-geographic telephone numbers and calls and we are then really having fun! And that is exactly what we have to do today, prepare for our presentation to the members of the Cornwall Chambers of Commerce, which is taking place before breakfast on the 18th August at the Alverton Manor, Truro. Unified communications works best within our marketing department!

Happy Monday's!! with recent press releases in the all the local papers, profiles in telecoms trade magazines and email shots to our own prospects we are climbing the rankings of search engines, being noticed by the networks and generating a raft of new enquiries and sales from our webshop. It really is a world of unified communications and goes to show how promoting through various channels and networks really does work. Our marketing successes are being felt especially by our telesales and field sales teams who are finding it easier to promote and sell our small business telephone and IT systems as we create further awareness.

Labels: Marketing

Excellent, here I am sat in my office in Cornwall and I can see from our vehicle tracking system, that our engineers have all obeyed the speed limits and driven in a sensible manner to our clients premises. Today is a good day, not only have we met our corporate responsibility and saved fuel costs, but with 2 new small business telephone systems being installed in Taunton, Somerset and Plymouth Devon and one of our engineers responding to a fault with their telephone lines and cabling caused by lightning damage within just 1 hour of being called out, we also have some very happy telecoms customers!

Cornwall’s Bush Telegraph and an industry with revenues of $1.2 trillion in 2006?

It is 100 years ago this year that Guglielmo Marconi was awarded his Nobel Prize in Physics for his part in the creation of telecommunications as we now know them to be.

The award coming just a few years after he established wireless communication between Poldhu Cove, here in Cornwall and Newfoundland on the Canadian coast.

The industry in 2006 generated revenues that equalled 3% of Global output, which is a staggering statistic in itself before we realise that without the events that took place in the early 1900’s establishing a global communication network there would be little communication between continents and thus limited travel and few companies that operate across them. Without the work of Marconi, Samuel Morse, Alexander Bell and Elisha Gray there would be no internet or email communication, trials of which began in the 1940’s becoming the Arpanet (predecessor to the Internet) in 1969.

Research has taken place into all aspects of telecommunication and according to academic Edward Lenert leading global businesses have become the giants that they are and the best in their field due in part to having better communication systems than their competitors. Whilst Lenert cites Wal-Mart in his research we only have to look at the likes of Amazon.com and Ebay to realise that to be the best you have to have invest in the best technology.

When we look at they ways that these huge corporations conduct their business it is of no surprise that research by TNS Media showed that 58% and growing of all US advertising expenditure was spent on mediums that depended upon telecommunications.

The use of telecommunications isn’t just a benefit of operating in a developed world, we also see on the Ivory Coast coffee growers using mobile phones to check the price of coffee as it fluctuates on the global markets allowing them to get the best prices. And in Bangladeshi’s Narshingdi district, isolated villagers use cell phones to speak directly to wholesalers to place orders with wholesalers.

On a more regional level no-one could dispute the link between good communication tools and economic growth with some of the wealthiest countries, when ranked per capita, also have the highest percentage of their population benefiting from Internet access, with countries like Iceland, Sweden and Denmark ranking the highest.

Drilling down to a social level we are seeing a continued increase in the number of people utilising everything from SMS texting, email and social media to conduct their lives, broadcasting news stories, conducting business and even flirting…good communication is therefore vital in every aspect of our lives.

How different things are now, 100 years after Marconi’s successes, with call recording, voice transcription software, mobile technology, CTI, e-mail and internet communication and commerce we truly have moved on. At Bush Telegraph we embrace this technology and the need to maintain and support the systems by ensuring that our team are fully qualified and trained. From the consultants who advise you on the best systems to support your future growth to the engineers who install and support your infrastructure, everyone is conversant in their own area of expertise.

Whilst we weren’t in business in the early 1900’s at the time of Marconi we are probably Cornwall’s longest standing telecommunications company having sold our first systems in 1990. Since then we have grown at a steady pace with integrity and by recommendation. We are now in a period of proactive growth and working with our partners who include leading telecoms manufacturers Avaya, IT security organisations like Sopho’s, and IT manufacturers including Dell. We are pushing our commercial boundaries wider, expanding into, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and concentrating on ensuring that other businesses, like yours, that have a desire to be the best and to communicate in the most effective way can do so.

Labels: Marketing

All the work seems to be paying off with special offers including 0% finance options and discounts for schools who have telephone systems installed during the summer recess. Our sales teams are un-indated with enquiries relating to telephones, IT, web and email security, call management and call recording software. Just goes to show how communicating about networks with networks can really boost your sales.

Labels: Richard

Ahhhh brand names, product names, Avaya 2120, Ericson Server Boxes, Jelly Crimps, Retell bri………they all mean something to those in the telecoms and IT industry however I am not and need to tell the world that they can all be bought from Bush Telegraph! Fortunately Kim, Jon and the team in the office can all answer my questions. Apparently they are all parts of a small business telephone system and when put together with other things like Krone convertors and gn2100 ear hooks will ultimately allow you to make a phone call! So theres the answer to understand phone systems call Bush Telegraph!

Labels: Richard