Services

While businesses should obviously look to all available avenues to cut costs and boost revenues, energy packages are often overlooked…..

Not because there are no savings to be had – energy, like other services, has cost-effective providers and contracts, and those that charge more (for effectively the same deal), are taking advantage of businesses’ reluctance to shop around or lack of time to do so.

So why don’t businesses shop around, when they could be missing out on significant savings?

One key reason is that business contracts operate slightly differently to those covering housing, and the T&Cs are often far more onerous.

The small print of commercial contracts has a wealth of detail, much of it daunting to those not used to the processes and procedures.

Often, for example, if a business contract expires and is not renewed, the T&Cs will specify that you are placed on a new rate at the end of the fixed period, without you realising or being given advance notice.

This can be, in the worst case scenario, up to 100 per cent more than you were paying, and as businesses are not covered by consumer protection legislation, you will be expected to pay it. And non-payment for whatever reason will result in disconnection, with hefty fees to reconnect. All disastrous and expensive options for businesses, particularly smaller ones.

So what can you do?

One clever solution is to let us, who are experts in this field, take all the hard work off your hands by negotiating a new contract on your behalf.

Even if you are in contract at the moment, we can negotiate your next and future contracts, meaning you can be assured at getting what you need at the best price, saving yourself both time and money and eliminating the stress of researching and comparing deals yourself.

Our role as a one-stop shop also gives us strong purchasing power with leading UK energy suppliers, which often results in better deals for our clients. And if we arrange your new contract while market prices are low, it is guaranteed to be future-proof against any rises during the duration of the contract, resulting in a double win.

As your energy purchasers, we will of course ensure you are renewed or switched on time to avoid any out-of-contract charges.

Why not take advantage of our new offer, where we will give you a £20 credit on your telephone bill if you send us your energy bill to investigate?

Get in touch with us now – you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

While there remain plenty of ways to pay for goods and services, including cash, direct debit and payment services such as PayPal, being able to pay by card is now a key expectation of consumers in all industries.

Partly through convenience and partly through the relative security of not having to hand over sensitive information such as bank account details, paying by popping a credit or debit card into a PIN-protected machine is now the default in many shops, as well as the preferred payment method of many shoppers.

This can mean that those not offering this service – even if they offer a range of other ways to pay – can run the risk of seeming backward and awkward. This impression can transfer to the would-be purchaser’s view of products and services, however unfair this assumption may be.

What is clear, is that NOT offering card payments is fast becoming a niche activity and one to be avoided if possible! That’s the case whether your business is face-to-face or online.

As well as convenience for the customer, card payments also offer a range of benefits to the company or individual taking the payment and are generally quick and easy to set up.

Apart from giving customers who are able to pay by card their payment method of choice, particular benefits include:

1. Payment immediately, rather than having to wait to bank a cheque and then for it to clear

2. Less cash on the premises, which has savings in both security needs and time needed to take it to a bank to pay in

3. Customers who wish to purchase an item but don’t have enough cash on them are still able to go ahead

4. It is harder for a customer to claim fraudulent use of their card if they have had to enter their own pin for the sale to go through

Of course, there are some costs involved, although these vary according to the package you negotiate, typically based on the volume and amount of transactions involved. But it is unquestionable that on balance, the benefits to your business of offering card payments far outweigh the relatively small costs involved.

Here at Boxx we offer a card processing solution that is real alternative to the traditional high street banks. Our rates are competitively priced and you can even hire a payment terminal too.

If you want to find out more about card processing or any of our other services, contact us here.

British businesses have paid out more than £878,000 over the last three years due to hackers successfully accessing cardholder data.

The figures from UK payment processor Worldpay, based on a survey of their customers between 2011 and 2013, show that small businesses are by far the worst casualties, making up 61 per cent of reported cases.

They also show that some industries suffered the effects of data hacking far more than others.

According to the Worldpay research, businesses in the electrical, hardware, and automotive industries have had more card data security breaches than any other, followed by pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and clothing retailers.

The payouts, which go to the third parties who forensically investigate the fraud and make any repairs, is symptomatic of a wider fraud problem facing both businesses and consumers.

World pay’s data shows that the number of credit and debit cards at risk from security breaches in the UK has grown by a staggering 1518 per cent since 2012, from under 200,000 cards to more than three million in 2013. The company believes that at least 6.57 million cards have been put at risk over the past three years.

World pay’s managing director Dave Hobday said: “Card payments and online purchases are becoming the norm as we move towards a cashless society, but with this comes an increasing degree of risk.”

While most large companies are strengthening their safety measures, there’s been only a marginal improvement amongst small businesses. There can be no guarantees that any system is hack-proof, Worldpay offers four best practice tips:

1) Make sure that you meet the industry for keeping card data secure

2) Take security seriously and learn how you store and sent card data this is critical for your business

3) If you’re not an expert in online payments, consider hiring one to advise you

4) Reduce your risk by not storing any data you don’t need to

Mr Hobday added: “Fraudsters go after low-hanging fruit. Small businesses are easy prey, so it’s a real worry so many small businesses still don’t see the value in compliance. If we want to see genuine change, it’s important we support small business owners.”

A data breach can be financially crippling just the investigation alone can cost thousands of pounds, not to mention fines and loss of reputation. Knowing the risks and practising good security will protect you and your customers in the long term and that has to be a good thing.