Peaking at 5.1 million in January 2021, there are still millions of staff across the UK that find themselves on the Government’s Furlough scheme. Currently being phased out, the system is set to come to an end in September 2021, at which point millions of workers will have to pick up where they left off. Office spaces are likely to…

Whether you call it flexible, remote, or hybrid working, there’s no denying that before 2020, it just wasn’t a realistic option for so many office staff across the UK.  Not due to an absence of technology – the infrastructure for home working isn’t new – rather a workplace culture that didn’t believe teams were able to communicate effectively over distance,…

Having navigated an entire year of home schooling, zoom classes and self-isolation, it’s safe to say that schools are by now becoming well versed in dealing with change. However, as we approach the end of the summer holidays and schools from across the country prepare to welcome pupils back to classrooms once more, the ever-changing nature of a global pandemic…

Trying to compare the cost of your home telephone system or mobile phone deal is a minefield all on its own.  Throw in the complexities of a business communications system and the extended playing field of providers at commercial level and it can be almost impossible to ascertain whether you’re paying too much for your business calls. In most cases,…

With the full easing of COVID-19 restrictions on 19th July came an official end to the governments’ ‘work from home’ directive.  With a vast swathe of office staff working predominantly from home since the start of the first lockdown in March 2020, many businesses have seen the benefits of flexibility first-hand: happier, more engaged staff, healthier work life balances and…

Pretty much all businesses take their telephone communications systems for granted.  Sometimes seen as a necessary evil, the office phone system doesn’t have the same sex appeal as the constantly evolving tech bubble of mobile phones, other devices and shiny new computers. Consequently, upgrading a phone system at regular intervals or even properly evaluating the current set up tends to…

If we’ve learnt anything from the challenges faces by surgeries throughout the Coronavirus pandemic it’s that having a robust, versatile, modern communications system is more than just a luxury.  It’s an absolute necessity in maintaining the very best patient care as well as taking care of heavily burdened staff during a national emergency.  We found that those surgeries who had…

The past 12 months have been hectic; there’s been highs, many lows and a lot of change. Things have often been done or carried out as an emergency response to events happening around us. However, with the vaccine rollout in full swing and the roadmap out of lockdown hitting its targets thus far, now may be the time to access…

If you go back just a few short years, many businesses would have been resistant to the idea of employees working predominantly from home. Fears that employees would feel disconnected from the company’s values, separated from colleagues and be less productive were understandable in a world where the majority of us commuted to work and carried it out in the…

Over the last 12 months, schools have really had to roll with the punches when it comes to adapting their working practices. This has meant embracing huge changes in the way they communicate with colleagues, parents and pupils, often using new technology to continue to teach and meet parental demands. Many schools may have already introduced a VoIP system to…

As we humans have battled with the changes the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown at us, so have pets across the world.  Over the past year a surge in pet ownership, combined with spending more time at home with our furry loved ones has meant that veterinary surgeries throughout the UK are dealing with more and more calls from concerned owners,…

2020 was the year the country proved it could work remotely. With so many businesses big and small realising the benefits and the not insignificant cost savings of working more flexibly, it’s looking like 2021 will be the year thousands of companies further evolve and perfect their home working practices and processes to embrace this new normal. A key part…

With many schools across England looking set to join our neighbours in Wales and Scotland by starting to reopen in March, is your school ready?  With two weeks to go, it’s likely that you’ll start to see a surge in calls from parents trying to get to grips with yet another new normal. The increase in call volume is likely…

Whether trying to manage staff absence through sickness or self-isolation, staying on top of the rollout of free school meals to children and young people in the community, monitoring pupil levels in school on a daily basis or communicating effectively with parents and pupils trying to learn and educate at home, there is no doubt that the Coronavirus pandemic is…

Even without the unique challenges of 2020’s global pandemic, call volumes to GP surgeries inevitably ramp during the winter months with the onset of a large number of seasonal illnesses. Of course, this year that volume is reaching unprecedented levels with heightened sickness in the community as well as increased staff absence due to Covid infection, self-isolation or shielding.  So…

As 2020 progressed and the Coronavirus pandemic deepened, more and more staff were required to work from home regardless of industry, sector, geographical location or size.  Throughout the year businesses demonstrated that by modernising working practices and embracing modern technology to its fullest extent, they were able to quickly and easily move to a flexible working arrangement without loss of…

In an unprecedented year, businesses have faced innumerable challenges to adapt how they work, sometimes simply to survive.  One thing that has become clear is that early adopters of new technology and working practices have been able to weather the Coronavirus pandemic better than those who’ve had to play catch up. The key to communication success when it comes to…

Whenever they’re getting started, small businesses need all the help they can get to survive. As many as eight out of ten small businesses fail within the first 18 months. In 2020, a year where global economies have been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, it’s an even tougher environment out there for most small businesses. While there are government schemes…

During a normal winter, staffing levels are always erratic in the winter months, with the usual winter bugs like flu and colds going around. 2020 looks to be even worse, with people showing coronavirus symptoms potentially having to self-isolate for days while waiting for their test results to come back. December is also a popular time for staff to use…

Businesses of all sizes face communication issues from time to time. The challenge facing small and medium companies are often greater as they just don’t have the resources necessary to completely tackle the problem. Not having the right resources in place has only aggravated the risk from potential communication problems. These issues can range from customers being unable to easily…

Businesses of all sizes face communication issues from time to time. The challenge facing small and medium companies are often greater as they just don’t have the resources necessary to completely tackle the problem. Not having the right resources in place has only aggravated the risk from potential communication problems. These issues can range from customers being unable to easily…

The Covid-19 global pandemic has made us reassess a huge number of things both in our personal lives and across society. One thing it has definitely highlighted is how feasible it is for many of us to work from home more often, if not permanently. With the second lockdown and a potentially difficult winter ahead, working from home looks like…