Boxx Communications Ltd

Simplifying telecommunications for businesses large and small!

Mobiles

Estate Agents: Keeping ahead of the Game

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Estate Agents: Keeping ahead of the Game

The online revolution has affected pretty much every type of business going and estate agents are no exception…..

Once a firmly face-to-face profession, many of the processes of house-buying now happen online, from the initial searching and viewing of house particulars to booking appointments and liaising as the sale progresses.

As viewings and enquiries can now happen around the clock, estate agents have had to evolve, both in how they work and how they make contact with clients and vendors – both of whom expect them to be available when needed, even when they are out and about.

Additionally, the whole end-to-end buying process is often much quicker and estate agents who can’t keep up to speed will soon find themselves overtaken by their peers.

So increasingly most have found that their standard office phones and company mobiles just don’t cut the mustard in this changing world, and have turned to companies such as ours for help and guidance to find out how their new contact and call needs can best be met.

As ever, technology has effective and competitive solutions that can help estate agents with their increased and changing needs, and Boxx Communications customers Deakin White, for example, chose one of our VoIP packages so that they can run their office seamlessly, even when they’re not actually in it.

As a fairly new start-up, with a small initial team but lots of local interest and big ambitions, it was critical to them to find a way to make all would-be buyers and sellers know they were important, even if staff couldn’t get to the phone immediately.

With our VoIP packages, office calls immediately divert to mobiles if required, they have a call queuing feature and the call monitoring helps them plan – and Deakin White, happy with their tech, are proof that estate agents now need reliable broadband and VoIP if they are to stay ahead of the game.

VoIP packages also feature the ability to put calls on hold, play marketing messages and move calls seamlessly between users and offices so that customers will get the best experience when calling any business, no matter how busy you are.

If you’re an estate agent, you literally can’t afford to be without it!

Facebook Services: How it will help local businesses

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Facebook Services: How it will help local businesses

Facebook has rapidly become the go-to social platform for every aspect of our lives, but the sheer numbers of accounts and pages on it can make it daunting to navigate, especially for small businesses and those looking to access them.

Most businesses now have a Facebook page, but it used to be hard to find a choice of a service local to you, or indeed pit them against each other to which best suited your needs as well as having the best reviews.

Well, no longer – Facebook, spotting a gap in the market for just this within their ecosystem, has launched a professional Facebook Services Page. People can sign themselves and their businesses up, and then users can search by profession and location.

Crucially results are displayed based on rankings, so those with the best reviews and rankings are at the top.

Facebook Services

So what does this mean for businesses? Obviously, Facebook is a massive platform with enormous reach (over 1 billion people accessing it each day), so the potential is huge – and chances are your potential customers are already using it.

Plus, it’s already a place that people go to find out about the lives of friends and family, plus local events – so using this search environment as a place to source local businesses, above and beyond personal recommendations, is a natural next step.

And, unlike other search services, Facebook is free to access for both users and businesses, so there is no cost barrier to entry – setting up a page is free, and so is posting to that page, including when customers leave reviews.

So it’s a definite win-win situation: customers are happy because they get the best local businesses delivered at the top of their search, and can quickly click through to each page to find out a bit more about the company, including contact details.

Plus, businesses have the chance to reach thousands of local people who are looking for their service at only the time cost of setting up and maintaining the page. They also have the added incentive of delivering top-notch services at all times in the hopes of getting appropriately good reviews and thus staying high, or climbing higher, in the rankings.

So, what else does this new development mean for small businesses? Well, keeping your page up to date is nearly as important as starting one in the first place, as there’s no point ranking well for a service or product that doesn’t match what you currently offer. And while Facebook never releases the secrets of its ranking criteria, it’s clear that the number of likes and reviews, plus how positive those reviews are, will both be important, so do what you can to maximise these.

So make sure you have the right location information and general descriptive keywords on your page and in descriptions. Then, as long as you have happy customers and can encourage them to reflect this via Facebook, you can look forward to increasing the amount of new business that comes from the social platform, for no additional advertising spend. Hurrah to that!

Telecoms and Broadband: Essential briefing for 2016 and beyond

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Telecoms and Broadband: Essential briefing for 2016 and beyond

This year is set to be a big one for developments in the tech community that will impact the quality of our communications wherever we are in the UK…..

Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report combined with Government plans to put broadband access on the same footing as basic services (such as water and electricity) reveal significant trends and priority within the industry.

So you can keep ahead of them, we’ve prepared a summary of the key aspects……

Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report takes an in-depth look at the state of the nation’s telecoms and wireless networks, and had mostly positive news to report while accepting that there is still more to do; particularly in improving broadband and mobile availability/quality for consumers and businesses around the country.

Broadband: Coverage and quality of fixed broadband services in the UK has increased markedly over the past year. More than a quarter of homes (27%, or 7.5 million) have ‘superfast’ broadband (i.e. with a connection of 30 Mbit/s or more), up from one in five (21%, or around 6 million homes) a year earlier.

Superfast broadband is now available to 83% of UK households – almost 24 million – up from 75% last year, as BT rolls out its fibre network, Virgin Media converts more homes to faster packages and the Government’s on-going Broadband Delivery UK programme extends superfast broadband into areas not covered by the commercial market.

Broadband in rural areas also continues to improve, with superfast broadband now available to almost four in ten premises across the UK (37%, or 1.1 million).

One interesting trend noted in the report was a change in the way that people are using superfast broadband. Ofcom has found that, for the first time, users with speeds above 40 Mbit/s are downloading significantly more data – and those with the fastest connections are driving this increase. This increase suggests that people are getting much more out of faster connections, through greater use of bandwidth-hungry services such as catch-up TV, online film rental and video calls.

However, Ofcom has, as to be expected, also identified challenges in improving coverage across the UK. Around 8% of the UK’s homes – 2.4 million – are currently unable to receive broadband speeds of 10 Mbit/s or above – the connection which remains the tipping point after which most people rate their broadband experience as ‘good’. This figure jumps to around half (48%, or 1.5 million) in rural areas, where speeds are often affected by premises lying further from the network’s local street cabinet or local telephone exchange.

Superfast services are now available to the premises of almost seven-in-ten SMEs (68%, almost 900,000) – up from 56% in 2014. However, almost a half of SMEs (around 130,000) in areas like business parks are unable to receive speeds above 10Mbit/s. Ofcom estimates that by 2017 when 95% of all UK premises will have superfast broadband, around 18% of SMEs will still not have access to a superfast service – so there is clearly still an element of a two-tier service at play.

Looking to the future, ultrafast broadband, one of the next generation of superfast services, which Ofcom defines as a speed greater than 300 Mbit/s, is already available to 2% of properties – some 500,000 homes.

Ofcom also published its latest European Broadband Scorecard, which compares the availability, usage and price of broadband services across EU member states. It showed that, among major European nations, the UK has the best coverage and take-up of superfast broadband, the highest coverage of fast mobile services, and some of the lowest prices – so excellent news!

Mobile broadband was also examined in the report, which found that 4G mobile now reaches seven in ten of us, with 73% of premises able to receive a 4G signal from three of the four networks as operators continue to roll out faster mobile broadband. Four in ten (46%) have 4G coverage from all four major operators, and Ofcom expects that 98% of premises will be able to receive a 4G signal indoors by 2017.

However, the report shows there is more work to do on mobile coverage and quality of service.

While 99% of premises can receive a 2G signal, the proportion of the entire UK landmass able to receive a signal from all four operators has remained at 55% since last year. However, this is expected to increase quickly following an agreement between the Government and four major operators for them to achieve 90% geographic coverage of voice services by 2017.

Meanwhile, the Government has moved to put fast broadband on a similar footing as other basic services like water and electricity, giving every home and business a legal right to request a 10 Mbps connection by the end of this Parliament.

Designed to help cement Britain’s position as the most digitised major economy in Europe, work is now starting on introducing a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO). The obligation will provide a ‘safety net’ to make sure that households and businesses can get the broadband speeds needed to do business online, access key services or stream live TV. It is due to go out for consultation imminently.

If you would like more information about broadband or more advanced internet solutions, please get in touch.

Selfies: MasterCard trial for purchase authentication

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Selfies: MasterCard trial for purchase authentication

Selfies have become annoyingly commonplace across all social media platforms, but now it turns out there might be a real use for them…..!

According to reports, MasterCard is experimenting with a smartphone app that allows people to use facial scans and fingerprints to authenticate purchases they make online.

Easier to remember than a password and designed to cut down on instances of fraud, users will be asked to look into the phone during checkout and blink once, to cut out the chances of a photograph being used. They can also choose to authenticate their purchase by fingerprint.

Ajay Bhalla, security expert at the American financial services company MasterCard, told CNN Money:

“The new generation, which is into selfies…I think they’ll find it cool. They’ll embrace it.”

MasterCard users can currently set up something called SecureCode, which asks for a PIN for online purchases at checkout. It was used in over three billion transactions last year and stops card numbers that have been stolen from being able to be used online. But the thinking is that PINs and passwords, are more susceptible to being forgotten, stolen or hacked than body parts.

So MasterCard is following in the steps of Apple, whose Apple Pay showed that customers are happy to use biometrics to confirm purchases.

The use of facial scans (which would use the phone’s camera function) and fingerprints is reportedly going to be launched as a small trial involving 500 people later this year. MasterCard said it has partnered with every smartphone maker to make this method of verification possible, and that a pop-up will ask for authentication after a purchase.

Crucially for data retention purposes, MasterCard does not actually transmit a picture of the user’s finger or face. Finger print scans will create a code that stays on the device, while facial recognition software will map the face but convert it to an algorithm to send over the internet.

But even this isn’t the full extent of MasterCard’s experimentation – they are also experimenting with voice recognition as well as working to develop technology that will approve transactions by recognising a person’s unique heartbeat.

Exciting and innovative times in the fight against fraud!

Mobile phone coverage checker launched by Ofcom

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Mobile phone coverage checker launched by Ofcom

Consumers and businesses can now check how good their mobile phone coverage will be in any given area, thanks to a simple and powerful online tool launched by Ofcom.

The mobile phone coverage checker provides a one-stop answer for consumers and businesses across the UK who want to know how networks perform where they live or work, or even where they intend to move.

Users can either zoom in on the UK map, which is powered by data supplied by Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three, or enter a specific postcode to check. As well as showing the state of 3G and 4G data in the area chosen, it also classifies mobile signal, needed for voice calls and texts, and data coverage into three colour-coded categories: green; amber or red.

Green means that good coverage for calls and texts is likely, amber means that you may experience some problems and red suggests you are unlikely to receive a reliable signal. Each location shows data for coverage of 100 square meters and there is also an option to choose whether you want to know mobile coverage for inside buildings or outside.

The new map will be a great resource for people trying to source the most reliable mobile service for where they need to use it and takes advantage of new Ofcom research into the signal strength needed to provide a good consumer experience. The map also takes account of the increasing shift from handsets with external aerials to smartphones with internal aerials, which can sometimes be less effective at picking a signal.

Additionally, it also shows topographical information allowing users to identify areas where there are natural obstructions to coverage, such as valleys and hills.
Helping to improve mobile coverage and quality of service are key priority services for Ofcom. As well as supporting consumers and businesses in choosing the operator and service that most meets their needs, it will also boost competition between the four main providers, which in turn will be good for consumers.

Ofcom is inviting users to check their coverage experience and leave feedback to help refine the accuracy of the new map even more for a new version due out in the autumn.

In related work, Ofcom is seeking to improve the process for switching between different mobile providers and is actively working on ways to do this.

If you would like to know about our Mobile SIM Only offers, get in touch and we’ll be happy to talk you through it.

SIM Only Mobile Contracts – The benefits explained

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SIM Only Mobile Contracts - The benefits explained

These days a mobile phone is arguably as vital as a landline phone for businesses of all shapes and sizes – but that doesn’t mean you need to pay over the odds to have one…..

We find that many people and businesses are missing a trick and paying more than they need to for their mobile services, because they are not aware of SIM only contracts.

Despite their relatively low profile, SIM only mobile contracts have been around for a while and are actually very straightforward – you pay for just your SIM and the services you use, not a handset. It really does do exactly what is says on the tin! You can either use your existing handset, or buy a new one outright – but whichever option you take, the chances are that you will save ££££s a month!

While some people like the simplicity of a handset included contract, in reality you’re paying a heavy price for the convenience. A hefty part of each monthly contract payment goes straight to the handset supplier for giving you the phone in the first place. Take the handset out of the equation and you’ll be surprised how much data and minutes you get for little investment each month.

It is also worth considering that mobile contracts are increasingly for 18-24 months, effectively tying you to a higher monthly payment for longer – During which time at least one newer version of the phone that was ‘so cutting edge’ at the start of the contract, is likely to be released!

That’s not even mentioning how frustrating it is when you forget when your contract finishes and you realise that you could have upgraded or switched provider months ago but didn’t, throwing ££££s down the drain in the process. You may feel cheated as a consumer, but suppliers hope this will happen and are happy with the increased profits when it does – so why not choose an option that works best for you for a change…..?

Another beauty of the SIM only contract is that there is no tie-in period – you can simply give 30 days’ notice at any point and you’re free to go and take your number with you. It really is that simple. This flexible choice gives consumers the guarantee that if they see a better offer elsewhere they can simply leave, while at the same time incentivising suppliers to keep their prices as cheap as possible.

If you are happy to use your existing handset, or even if you are a gadget geek that ‘has to have’ the latest model as soon as it comes out so prefers to buy when they are released, you could switch to a SIM only deal where there is no long contract AND still pay much less each month.

If you need to get your mobile unlocked in order to switch to a new SIM, our recent blog will tell you how to do this, and don’t forget you can keep your existing number too.

Really, the only question that matters is what is stopping you switching right now….?

If you want to find out more, take a look at our website, or if you have any questions feel free to give us a call on 01908 350750 or contact us.

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