Q.
My business recently sold some of our products in the US and we have had approaches from others across the Atlantic since then. However, we are still learning how to sell outside the UK effectively. I am thinking about web conferencing as doing sales presentations this way could work. What are the key things to get right in a web conference?
Q.
After 10 years of business I feel my logistics company’s office technology needs an overhaul. In particular, I’m looking to upgrade our customer relationship management (CRM) software. We have all types of contact from our customers and want to bring it all together. What would you suggest our approach to this should be to really improve the business?
Q.
I run an outsourced call centre operation for clients including charities and blue chip businesses. My business has grown quickly, but keeping standards high is a priority. This is harder to do now as I have more than 40 staff and can no longer oversee all of them. I want to continue to supply a service which is effi cient and that answers callers’ needs. Also, I want to demonstrate to clients how valuable I am to them. Any ideas?
Q.
At my wholesale building supplies company we’ve always struggled with the management of various documents. At the moment all departments keep and maintain their own documents on desktops, inevitably resulting in accounts constantly chasing sales, sales chasing the warehouses, and I am not able to get a clear view of numbers when I need them. The options, with intranets and online systems, are confusing. What should I do?
Q.
I run a marketing company with 30 employees. We’re growing rapidly and I know we’ll need to upgrade our phone system soon, but it’s also been suggested I consider outsourcing to a different provider. Could this save me money and what do I need to consider?
Q.
I run a growing marketing and design company and will be opening a satellite office next month. We’ll have 40 people working there in addition to the 70 in our head office and want both bases to be fully networked and integrated –and for staff to be able to work from home. What will this involve and how much will it cost?
Q.
We’re a marketing company that has expanded from 30 to 70 staff via acquisition and currently operate from two sites. Could an intranet make us more efficient, and what are the costs involved?
Q.
I hear a lot about ‘the mobile office’ and am sure I could be operating smarter and more efficiently, but don’t know where to start. Can you give me an idea of the main offerings and what the clear business benefits are? What should my business be looking at? For instance, what are the benefits of WiFi, 3G cards, PDAs, etc?
Q.
Our company is 40-strong, and at the moment our sales, accounts, factory, marketing and management teams all work off spreadsheets. I’d like to get this information synchronised onto one easy-to-use system. What should I be paying, how do I ensure the system does what I want and how should I manage the crossover?
Q.
The IT manager I’ve employed since day one of my three-year-old business has just announced he’s leaving. He says he’ll help me recruit a suitable replacement but I’m very concerned about losing someone who has set up our entire system. What can I do to ensure the change goes smoothly?
Q.
My only technology guy is working from home three or four days a week. I find it difficult to assess if it’s possible for him to manage our servers and look after the office in this way. I’ve also noticed some IT-related projects are behind schedule. Is he really working or watching too much daytime TV?
Q.
We currently ban staff from accessing external email accounts such as Hotmail and Yahoo for security reasons and fear of virus attacks. Staff would like this ban lifted and I don’t object if it’s safe and in their own time. Is it still a threat or can I safely grant them another privilege?
Q.
I’m thinking of introducing hotdesking, how do I overcome the problem of staff not having their own phone but still being able to receive voicemail?
Q.
I’m interested in videoconferencing and would like to be able to communicate to a number of clients at the same time. Is this possible without investing thousands in technology?
Q.
My IT director says that we should implement a system where our employees are using Voice over IP. What are the advantages of such a system for a growing company?
Q.
Email spam is disrupting my 50-person marketing agency. Staff are getting tons of unwanted and unsolicited emails. I’m tempted to introduce a policy similar to that of John Caudwell of Phones 4u who banned email for internal use, but realise this would not prevent it from happening. So how can I fix it effectively and how much should I expect to pay?
Q.
We are a 400-strong nationwide courier company with a turnover of £75m. I am considering streamlining our IT department and outsourcing the job to an Applications Service Provider (ASP) in order to save money and concentrate on our core business. The main areas that need looking at are the remote hosting of our network and handing over security, backup and maintenance. We have done some preliminary research and it looks like a big jump, so we would appreciate any guidance you can give us about choosing an ASP, the costs involved, managing the relationship and what to look out for in any contract.
Q.
We are a 100-strong company with a sales force of 40. I want our office network to be available to all of these remote workers, while they are out on the road. What’s holding me back is the security aspect and the prospect of overpaying for something which is too sophisticated for my needs. How would you recommend I go forward with this?
