Posted by Cloud Net on Thu, Sep 02, 2010 @ 04:10 AM
31 August 2010. Following a national downturn in spending last year, with reports suggesting that business communications had deteriorated , many companies cut their budgets in a bid to outlast the recent economic downturn. However, thanks to telecoms providers like Cloud Net, more companies are experiencing the benefits and low costs of hosted VoIP.
While some 52% of businesses(1) stated that their customer communications had suffered over the last 12 months, savvy companies such as independent security coding company Identidot have been enjoying upgraded communications for less by using Cloud Net's cost effective business phone systems coupled with Cloud Net broadband.
Having used the same communications system since its launch in 1998, Identidot decided last year that it was time for an upgrade. After speaking to Cloud Net about her business' needs, Identidot director Caroline Whittock was so impressed by the internet switchboard and free handsets available that she immediately transferred her business' telephone and fax systems to the IT and communications provider.
Caroline explains: “While we wanted to maintain our excellent customer service, we also felt it was time to seek an upgrade as we'd been using the same system for the past 12 years. Concerned about conserving costs, I contacted a few suppliers and was really impressed by how reasonable Cloud Net is in comparison to other brands, even after installing an upgraded communications system.”
Cloud Net was initially installed on three handsets, allowing Identidot to take advantage of the Voice Over IP (VoIP) solution that the provider uses. Caroline continues: “Cloud Net's VoIP solution has proven a real success as it instantly offered us additional business telephone features and halved our monthly telephone bills. When we transferred to Cloud Net, dedicated VoIP replaced our traditional small business telephone system without us having to pay out on PBX hardware or handsets.”
In addition to VoIP's cost efficiency, Cloud Net is the UK's only VoIP provider to guarantee call quality by owning and managing its own network. This means the company's customers receive direct support and are guaranteed a consistently high standard of service.
As an independent security coding company, Identidot provides security coding and online asset registration for valued possessions through cutting edge, synthetic DNA technology. While its unique individual security coding acts as a strong deterrent to thieves, those unlucky enough to have their valuables stolen can rely on Identidot's fast action. Cloud Net supports them by getting calls through wherever they are, so that the company can immediately upload photographs and full details of any stolen items onto its register, to be displayed worldwide.
“We've been using Cloud Net for the last nine months,” says Caroline. “As our service is an internet-based system combining shared resources, software and information, we can access work anywhere. Whether we're at home or out and about, we are fully-integrated with the office. Cloud Net's communications system is easy-to-use and flexible, providing fast broadband that allows us to utilise services quickly and reliably. This means no matter where we are in the UK, we can always access our work and get back to customers as soon as possible, which is important to those who have had valuables stolen.
“If we run into problems, Cloud Net's team of consultants are just a phone call away, to answer questions and give us solutions that work. Time is money, and a company's bottom line is important when considering upgrades and technology, so we haven't looked back since transferring. I would definitely recommend Cloud Net to anyone seeking a customer-friendly, cost effective communications solution for their business.”
Astute businesses want to take the time to align their communications systems with their precise needs and this is exactly what Cloud Net does for each of its customers. VoIP can be sensitive to delay and packet loss due to limited bandwidth (with many communications solutions operating on the same system), so there are some companies delaying installing it. But, with Cloud Net's unrivalled customer care and the success of its efficient VoIP system, why wait? Cloud Net guarantees the quality of all its communications solutions, ensuring that certain types of traffic can travel from source to destination within a given time and, at the same time, enabling your business' network to prioritise traffic depending on its importance and your needs. While other providers are unable to provide complete end-to-end quality of service, meaning their connections may not be optimised for VoIP, Cloud Net offers ADSL and SDSL high capacity broadband services. These provide customers with an effective, end-to-end quality of service and, overall, a better, more enjoyable VoIP experience with crystal clear call quality every time.
For further information on Cloud Net and its VoIP communications solutions, log on to www.cloudnetuk.com or call 01922 213 333. For Identidot, visit www.identidot.com or call 01922 862 806.
(1)Computer Weekly (23/02/10) by Rebecca Thomson: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/02/23/240392/recession-has-hit-communications-say-businesses.htm
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About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems and services to SMEs and start-ups. Its Cloud Net Connect system offers the advantages of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated voice over IP (VoIP) network providing free calls within its network and cheap rate calls outside of the Cloud Net network. The company also offers CLASS, a live answering service and a mobile PBX solution. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Contact for media information
For more information, to review Cloud Net services or for case studies, please contact Ranbir Sahota of Vitis IT PR agency, on 0121 242 8048, ranbir@vitispr.com
Posted by Cloud Net on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 @ 03:19 AM
Walsall, 4th August 2010, your internet carries many different types of traffic including web
pages, email, voice and documents. The problem is that these different types of traffic share the same connection without levels of priority. This is fine for most types of traffic but voice is very sensitive to delay and packet loss - each word in a conversation needs to be delivered on time and in the correct order.
Cloud Net provides Quality of Service (QoS) broadband which is 
designed to suit voice data, making it ideal to go with VoIP phone solutions.
Until the 30th September 2010 Cloud Net would like to offer a FREE broadband migration saving you £50 off the set-up fee.
Cloud Net provides small office broadband which supports up to 4 phones which is priced at £22.00 per month.
We also provide large office broadband which supports up to 20 phones at £35.00 per month.
(please note migration will not include router, you will have to purchase one separately)
Benefits
- Cloud Net's market leading broadband is on an un-congested business grade network.
- No Costs to switching.
- Excellent VoIP quality benefits, with no effect on your internet speed.
- Large broadband offers Up to 8Mbps depending download speeds (depending on exchange)
- Highly competitive contention ratios on our broadband, low ratio’s as oppose to the highly contented home/consumer broadband.
- Having the ability to cope with peak internet use times without determent to voice quality.
For more information on our broadband
click here or call us on 01922 21 33 33 alternatively email us at
admin@cloudnetuk.com
Posted by Charles Chance on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 @ 05:06 AM
Walsall, 26th July 2010. Cloud Net, the business phone systems company, today announces that it has been awarded the Accredit UK certification and has become the first business/telecoms/VoIP company to achieve the recognition.
The Accredit UK quality standard has been developed to prove a supplier’s level of proficiency in their specialist field – giving confidence to purchasers and opening new doors to suppliers.
To gain the certification, Cloud Net has undergone a rigorous assessment that covers everything from how the company manages its employees through to the processes that are in place to ensure consistent high quality performance.
Cloud Net plans to use the newly gained Accredit UK standard to continue to grow its business; which is currently at a rate of around 40 new customers per week. The company is proud of its reputation for quality and customer service, with much of its business generated by referrals.
In the last year, Cloud Net has successfully launched its Cloud Net Connect Hosted VoIP service for SMEs. Cloud Net is the UK’s only VoIP provider that guarantees call quality by owning and managing its own network and also providing its own Internet Protocol telephone handsets (for free).
David Hill, Chairman of Cloud Net, commented on the company’s decision to participate in the Accredit UK quality certification: “The telecoms market is dominated by big players, but they don’t always understand the needs of the smaller business. We understand that above all VoIP-users want simplicity and clear pricing, matched with a high level of customer support.”
Hill continues: “We believe that having an independent assessment of our company and gaining the prestigious Accredit UK quality mark will further demonstrate that we provide a high quality service.”
The Accredit UK Assessor who managed the certification process said of Cloud Net: “Cloud Net demonstrated they have the business processes and organisational capabilities to deliver their simple and flexible telephony services to large numbers of customers in line with their growth plans.”
Vaughan Shayler, Managing Director for Accredit UK said "By using the Accredit UK standard, Cloud Net is helping to make it easier for purchasers to feel confident to buy services from technology companies. 94% of people that we surveyed think that the Accredit UK standard is a good idea. That is because it solves their burning need - they can now get what they want without fear.”
The Cloud Net service has been piloted in the West Midlands since October 2009, and is already being successfully used by small businesses as diverse as start ups, private detectives, charities, sole traders and small consultancies. See what users are saying here: http://www.cloudnetuk.com/case-studies
For pricing, please see http://www.cloudnetuk.com/standard-pricing/
For handset information, please see http://www.cloudnetuk.com/ip-telephone-handsets/
Cloud Net offers a 30 day trial. For further information, please visit, www.cloudnetuk.com, call 01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com.
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About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated small business VoIP network providing free calls within the network. The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Contact for media information
For more information, to review Cloud Net services or for case studies, please contact Ranbir Sahota or Sara Pennant of Vitis Tech PR agency, on 0121 242 8048, ranbir@vitispr.com or sara@vitispr.com
About Accredit UK
Accredit UK helps businesses use and trust IT solutions. It is a quality mark that promotes trust in IT and helps suppliers prove their excellence. It proves to potential IT purchasers that companies holding the mark operate with appropriately skilled people and clearly defined processes, and that they have a track record of meeting customers’ expectations.
CONTACT DETAILS: For more information please consult the Accredit UK website at: www.accredituk.com or contact: Gavin Gardner, Accredit UK T: 02476 496 217 E: gavin.gardner@accredituk.com
Posted by Cloud Net on Mon, Jul 19, 2010 @ 02:56 AM
Breathing Space teams up with Cloud Net to get businesses connected
16 July 2010 - Walsall charity Breathing Space, which helps local people into self-employment, has teamed up with Walsall business phone systems company Cloud Net, to provide a service which will allow local start up and small businesses to make telephone calls within Walsall for free.
As part of the initiative, Walsall-based start-up companies and small businesses will get a free handset, free installation, free calls to other Cloud Net users and free calls to Walsall numbers. From the second month of use, a monthly charge of £8.50 covers a full internet switchboard, which includes voicemail to email, call divert and call recording. Cloud Net users just pay for calls outside the Walsall area.
Breathing Space, established in 1989 aims to help people into business and work, particularly those who are disadvantaged, by encouraging them to succeed. The charity’s provision includes training and one-to-one support in business skills, job search skills, reading and writing skills for business, coaching and mentoring for business and personal development. Most of its services are free to people who register with them.
Glennys Davis, General Manager of Breathing Space, commented, “Small business set up costs can be quite daunting and we hope that our clients and indeed other Walsall small businesses will take up Cloud Net’s offer. We believe that the provision of free calls in Walsall will help to ensure that more businesses use their local suppliers.”
Any calls outside the Walsall area cost 0.9p per minute to landlines and 9.0p per minute* to mobiles and also benefit from low cost international calls. All Cloud Net calls are rounded to the nearest second rather than the nearest minute making the call as low cost as possible.
“We’re pleased to partner with Breathing Space to offer its clients invaluable access to low cost communications and free calls to other Walsall numbers. We believe that it will be a welcome boost to local businesses networking and regeneration plans for the area,” concluded Cloud Net’s Chairman David Hill.
To find out more about how Cloud Net is making calls within Walsall free, please visit http://www.cloudnetuk.com/walsall-offer/
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*Cloud Net's VoIP packages can be run over the public internet through a customer's existing broadband provider, however, Cloud Net can only guarantee call quality, if users purchase Cloud Net's broadband, which is competitively priced at Small Office ADSL2+ - £19 per month or Enterprise ADSL2+ - £30 per month.
About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies telephone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated voice over IP (VoIP) network providing free calls within the network. The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Contact for media information
For more information, to review Cloud Net services or for case studies, please contact Ranbir Sahota, Vitis PR, on 0121 242 8048, ranbir@vitispr.com
Posted by Cloud Net on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 @ 07:00 AM
You never get a second chance to make a first impression – so Cloud Net’s mystery shopper service checks first impressions when a caller rings your business
Walsall, 12 July 2010. Cloud Net, the business phone systems company, today launched www.phonegrader.co.uk, a free service that helps small businesses evaluate the way their phones are answered by their employees.
In a recent survey of small businesses, Cloud Net discovered that while more than half[1] of the businesses surveyed did answer test calls professionally, giving their company name and a greeting, nearly a third[2] failed to do so.
Following the survey, Cloud Net launched www.phonegrader.co.ukhttp://www.phonegrader.co.uk to help managers and business owners understand whether their company phones are answered rapidly, pleasantly, informatively and professionally.
Phonegrader.co.uk ranks companies with a grade from 1 to 14 depending on how well the mystery shopper calls are handled. To score 1 companies need to answer rapidly and professionally. Whereas other grades include: a voicemail set up without the ability to leave a message, permanently engaged lines without being diverted to another employee or a voicemail, or phones being picked up with a simple hello and no indication of company name.
Now is the time when responsiveness to enquiries becomes a key differentiator to increasing sales or customers and to customer retention. Handling calls professionally is something every business should be doing: www.phonegrader.co.uk is a simple, free and objective way of assessing that,says David Hill Chairman of Cloud Net.
Phonegrader.co.uk does not record the calls, nor is any named or identifiable information shared with anyone else. It is genuinely free.
[1] 54% of companies surveyed
[2] 29% of companies surveyed
For further information, please visit www.phonegrader.co.uk.For further information on Cloud Net, please visit www.cloudnetuk.com, call
01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com
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About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated voice over IP (VoIP) network providing free calls within the network The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Contact for media information
For more information, to review Cloud Net services or for case studies, please contact Ranbir Sahota of Vitis PR, on 0121 242 8048, ranbir@vitispr.com
Posted by Cloud Net on Mon, Jun 28, 2010 @ 09:53 AM
Now every tradesperson can have a landline number wherever they are28 June 2010 - Business phone systems company Cloud Net, today has launched its Virtual Number Service to ensure that important business calls are always picked up and answered by an appropriate person. The service diverts calls from a UK geographic number, selected by the end-user to a mobile or a landline of choice.
Cloud Net's Virtual Number Service is aimed at businesses on the go, such as plumbers, electricians and engineers, who are not office-based and often advertise either a mobile or a landline number. The tradesperson's customers can ring a lower rate landline but the call can be received on a mobile or on a landline depending on where the tradesperson is.
A tradesperson can also set up geographic multiple numbers which all divert to one number, so that they can get enquiries from potential customers outside their immediate area.
The new service is also an ideal intermediate step for those that are not yet suited to the Cloud Net's Connect Service, such as those setting up a new business but have not yet secured premised and want to reserve a phone number, include it on stationery and receive calls on it. Reserved numbers do not even have to be in a particular area code - this is ideal for when a consumer campaign is targeted to an area other than yours.
"We wanted a virtual number as we work in the United States the majority of the time, so having a UK number was fundamental as it allows my customers to reach me at any time without having to pay overseas rates. Cloud Net Virtual number was ideal for us as it is cost effective at £2 per month, it was set up instantly and most of all, we never miss a call. Customers can contact us any time whether we are in the UK or overseas. The client care Cloud Net provides is excellent, there is always someone available to help with my enquiries and the virtual switchboard allows me to make changes easily if I need to divert it to another number," said Jon Willis, Managing Director, SPS International.
"Research shows that consumers opt for services that are local to them in the first instance. For companies based in one area targeting another, the Virtual Number Service is ideal. You can select as many numbers as you like for £2/number and they will all be diverted to a location of your choice. You can also change your number whenever you like and set up different locations for call diverting at different time intervals. For instance, within office hours calls can be routed to a mobile and after hours, to a landline," commented Charles Chance, Cloud Net's MD.
Cloud Net's Virtual Number Service be used as a standalone feature or can be coupled with its CLASS service, a live telephone answering service which will allow incoming calls to be diverted, free of charge, to CLASS.
For further information, please visit, www.cloudnetuk.com, call 01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com
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About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated small business VoIP network providing free calls within the network. The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Posted by Cloud Net on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 @ 03:59 AM
www.phonegrader.co.uk launched to help companies check how their staff pick up the phone
24 June 2010. A telephone survey conducted in May 2010, by business phone systems company, Cloud Net found that almost a third of small businesses are not picking up the phone.
The survey has prompted Cloud Net to launch www.phonegrader.co.uk, a free website which helps companies to understand how their phones are answered. Once a company has entered their phone number, it is called during office hours and given a grading.
Cloud Net's survey consisted of calling 200 randomly selected businesses (with fewer than 250 employees).
Commenting, David Hill, Chairman, Cloud Net said, "The 2009 recession proved to be a devastating year for many small businesses with many it seems left without sufficient resources to man telephone lines to potential customers and business opportunities.
While 2010 is showing signs of economic promise, it is hard to believe that our telephone survey of 200 small businesses showed that 29% of businesses had no professional way of answering a business phone call. Now is the time when responsiveness to enquiries becomes a key differentiator to increasing sales or customers and to customer retention."
"In some cases, phones kept ringing without being forwarded to a voicemail system, in other cases, 5% of calls were greeted by a simple hello, without any indication of the company name. Companies cannot afford to let this business area slip", he continued.
Other results from the survey showed that 54% of companies did pick up the phone with a professional person, company name and greeting. The average number of rings was 2.39 seconds. 15% of SMEs also used a professional voicemail.
Presteen, a private investigation and legal support firm, is a company that wants to capture every call. Mark Gill, MD of Presteen, commented, "With such a competitive telecoms market currently, business should have no problems finding a professional business phone system. We use Cloud Net's business VoIP service and are considering its CLASS live telephone answering service as a back up when we are really busy and want someone to answer the phone on our behalf.
Cloud Net's tips on smarter ways of answering the phone, include:
• Agree on company policy on picking up the phone - such as a simple, "Good morning, company name, how can I help?"
• Ensure that there is a professional voicemail
• Set up a call divert system
• Have an answering service, with a professional message
• Answer within three rings
For further information, please visit, www.cloudnetuk.com, www.phonegrader.co.uk, call 01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com
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About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated small business VoIP network providing free calls within the network. The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Posted by Cloud Net on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 @ 03:11 AM
Cloud Net offering back up VoIP package for businesses using BT21 June 2010. Cloud Net has today announced a business phone package aimed to ensure that small businesses have working phone systems if a BT strike goes ahead. In the case of a strike, business owners whose lines develop a fault could be left with no telephone lines or broadband.
Cloud Net is offering a back up phone system which can be activated in case of a fault developing on a BT line.
Cloud Net is offering BT subscribers a special package at £47.50 per handset + VAT set up cost, including a free phone, and set up to any telephone number, a powerful internet based switchboard, and the ability to cancel the contract immediately with no termination fees. Cloud Net will only bill rental charges (£8.50 per month) and call costs from the date a BT user starts to use the system.
This means if BT strikes small companies will have a complete back up plan in a box waiting to go, preconfigured, for a low cost with no commitment.
Cloud Net can either transfer existing BT numbers to Cloud Net or the user can set up a divert from BT and when the strike is over, switch back to BT should they wish to.
David Hill, Chairman of Cloud Net explains, "Industry accepted estimates demonstrate that on average a customer experiences a serious fault every 18 months which means that the network will degrade at the rate of about 8% a month. That is after month one 92% will still function and 84% after two if no fixes are implemented. We believe that small businesses should be thinking of contingency plans to ensure that they have a back up phone system if the strike does take place. If they leave it too late, they made end up scrambling around for a phone system which is not reliant on BT."
BT employees have until 5 July to decide whether they will go on strike for the first time in 23 years. The strike which can start as early as 12 July may have catastrophic results for BT users, whether consumers or businesses.
Unless a consumer or small business uses companies like Cloud Net, Virgin or Cable and Wireless, they could face being without phone or broadband during a strike.
Small businesses
BT provides phone services to many small businesses and most other providers use their lines for the final connections. Hardly any small businesses use Virgin and Cable and Wireless will only supply large companies so the total network for consumers and small businesses not using Virgin or Cable and Wireless could be affected.
No engineers will come out to fix broadband or phone lines in the case of a strike, so BT customers could be left without a service as long as the strike continues. The thought of no phone or internet is unthinkable for many households and could be the ruin of many businesses.
Can the internet break BT's monopoly?
Unlike companies that resell BT services, the Cloud Net network is not reliant on BT engineers to fix it. Their network is based on Voice over IP which uses the internet to make phone calls.
As long as there is a broadband connection, Cloud Net phones still work. If one connection goes down, then users can take their phones and plug them into an alternative broadband line, for example an additional line in their office. Alternatively users can take the phones home and plug it into their home broadband service and work there for the day. This means that users will still have use of their usual office phone numbers and all the switchboard features they are used to, including the ability to transfer calls within the business."
BT pensions in the balance could further anger unions
July 12 is a critical day for BT. BT will have its day in court over the government's position with regard to BT's pension fund. Which ever way the judgement goes it will inflame the union's attitude
In addition, BT's discussions with contractors such as Carillion to take over engineering work and BT's intended use of middle management to carry out repairs will hardly pacify the union.
Cloud Net
David Hill, Chairman of Cloud Net says that his company can offer a robust alternative to BT so that companies can avoid being reliant on the telecoms giant and its thousands of unhappy workers.
Cloud Net can provide a greater degree of resilience than telecoms giants as its telephone systems are based on the internet.
If users want to benefit from Cloud Net, then there is no guarantee that BT will allow the porting of numbers away during the strike - so now is the time to act.
Cloud Net will still be able to configure systems in the period of a strike but may not be able to transfer numbers - so new users would have to use new telephone numbers which would not be ideal.
There are other options from Cloud Net as well to help small businesses survive the BT strike. Cloud Net will divert any call to any phone, anywhere with no divert fee and also provides a live answering service to field any incoming calls.
"The great thing is that you can keep all of this flexibility and resilience comes at very little cost. If you want a standby power supply in case the mains cuts out, it costs a fortune. If you want a standby phone system in case of strikes, there is no capital cost from Cloud Net and a very low monthly subscription," says Charles Chance, MD of Cloud Net.
For further information, please visit, www.cloudnetuk.com, call 01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com
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About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated small business VoIP network providing free calls within the network. The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Cloud Net call charges
Landline UK
Tariff (up to 4 phones) 1.2p per minute
Standard Tariff (Between 5-20 phones) 1.0p per minute
Standard Tariff (Over 21+ phones) 0.9p per minute
Mobile UK
Tariff (up to 4 phones) 9.5p per minute
Standard Tariff (Between 5-20 phones) 9.2p per minute
Standard Tariff (Over 21+ phones) 9.0p per minute
Contact for media information
For more information, to review Cloud Net services or for case studies, please contact Ranbir Sahota of Vitis PR, on 0121 242 8048, ranbir@vitispr.com
Posted by Cloud Net on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 @ 03:24 AM
With Ian Livingstone BT chief executive of awarding himself a massive bonus whilst asking BT engineers to take a lower than inflation pay deal it is looking even more likely that the result of the strike ballot called by the Communications Workers Union will be in favour of downing tools in August. BT has a monopoly in the "last mile" of telephone lines and so a strike will leave all "normal" users of the telephone network including the internet at risk whether they subscribe via BT or not.
Any industrial action would mean that reported faults on phone lines and broadband services would take a lot longer to fix, and could leave small businesses and households without phone and internet services for a long period.
Customers of BT get a serious fault on average every 18 months. This means that there is an 8% chance in the first month of the strike that customers will have a fault which may not be fixed. BT is planning to deploy middle management to help solve any problems. It is unlikely that middle management will take on the commitment of the engineer featured in the latest edition of the BT magazine pictured below.
David Hill, Chairman of Cloud Net says that his company can offer small businesses a robust alternative to BT so that companies can avoid being reliant on the telecoms giant and its thousands of unhappy workers.
"We all know how important telephone systems are to a business. When there is a fault or a problem then you need a solution and fast. Now that engineers are preparing to strike you may not get a repair service as fast as you'd like (if at all)!"
"Add to the equation, that mobile networks are maintained by a single company - Ericsson - whose engineers are distinctly disgruntled at the proposed redundancies and suddenly "traditional" communications companies don't seem the most reliable."
So what are the small business owners' choices? Cloud Net can provide a greater degree of resilience than telecoms giants as its telephone systems are based on the internet.
The essence of the internet is its robustness. Initially it was designed to withstand a nuclear blast by having multiple routing options so if one part goes down, others pick up the load.
Consider what could happen if there is a fault on a BT ISDN line, which many small businesses use, all company phones die and there are few options to reconnect quickly if no engineers are available.
Cloud Net's phone system uses the internet and allows users to make and take calls anywhere there is a broadband connection. If one connection goes down, then users can take their phones and plug them into an alternative broadband line, for example an additional line in their office. Alternatively users can take the phones home and plug it into their home broadband service and work there for the day. This means that users will still have use their usual office phone numbers and all the switchboard features they are used to, including the ability to transfer calls within the business.
If users want to benefit from Cloud Net, then there is no guarantee that BT will allow the porting of numbers away during the strike - so now is the time to act.
Cloud Net will still be able to configure systems in the period of a strike but may not be able to transfer numbers - so new users would have to use new telephone numbers which would not be ideal.
There are other options from Cloud Net as well to help small businesses survive the BT strike. Cloud Net will divert any call to any phone anywhere with no divert fee and also provides a live answering service to field any incoming calls.
"The great thing is that you can keep all of this flexibility and resilience comes at very little cost. If you want a standby power supply in case the mains cuts out, it costs a fortune. If you want a standby phone system in case of strikes, there is no capital cost from Cloud Net and a very low monthly subscription," says Charles Chance, MD of Cloud Net.
For further information, please visit, www.cloudnetuk.com, call 01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com
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About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated small business VoIP network providing free calls within the network. The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Cloud Net call charges
Landline UK
Tariff (up to 4 phones) 1.2p per minute
Standard Tariff (Between 5-20 phones) 1.0p per minute
Standard Tariff (Over 21+ phones) 0.9p per minute
Mobile UK
Tariff (up to 4 phones) 9.5p per minute
Standard Tariff (Between 5-20 phones) 9.2p per minute
Standard Tariff (Over 21+ phones) 9.0p per minute
Contact for media information
For more information, to review Cloud Net services or for case studies, please contact Ranbir Sahota or Sara Pennant of Vitis Tech PR agency, on 0121 242 8048, ranbir@vitispr.com or sara@vitispr.com
Posted by Cloud Net on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 @ 03:07 AM
8 June 2010. With BT looking even more likely to have its first strike in over quarter of a century following a dispute over pay increases, thousands of businesses and homes could be left without phones or internet during the strike which could take place in August 2010.
Any industrial action would mean that reported faults on phone lines and broadband services would take a lot longer to fix, and could leave small businesses and households without phone and internet services for a longer period than would normally be expected.
Communications Worker members are "angry" after huge pay-outs to executives including £1.2million for group chief Ian Livingston.
David Hill, Chairman of Cloud Net believes that his company can offer small businesses a robust alternative to BT so that companies can avoid being reliant on the telecoms giant and its thousands of unhappy workers.
"We all know how important telephone systems are to a business. When there is a fault or a problem then you need a solution and fast. Now that engineers are preparing to strike you may not get a repair service as fast as you'd like (if at all)!"
"Add to the equation, that mobile networks are maintained by a single company - Ericsson - whose engineers are distinctly disgruntled at the proposed redundancies and suddenly "traditional" communications companies don't seem the most reliable."
So what are the small business owners' choices? Cloud Net believes that it can provide a greater degree of resilience than telecoms giants as its telephone systems are based on the internet.
The essence of the internet is its robustness. Initially it was designed to withstand a nuclear blast by having multiple routing options so if one part goes down, others pick up the load.
Consider what could happen if there is a fault on a BT ISDN line, which many small businesses use, all company phones die and there are few options to reconnect quickly if no engineers are available.
Cloud Net's phone system uses the internet and allows users to make and take calls anywhere there is a broadband connection. If one connection goes down, then users can take their phones and plug them into an alternative broadband line, for example an additional line in their office. Alternatively users can take the phones home and plug it into their home broadband service and work there for the day. This means that users will still have use their usual office phone numbers and all the switchboard features they are used to, including the ability to transfer calls within the business.
If users want to benefit from Cloud Net, then there is no guarantee that BT will allow the porting of numbers away during the strike - so now is the time to act.
Cloud Net will still be able to configure systems in the period of a strike but may not be able to transfer numbers - so new users would have to use new telephone numbers which would not be ideal.
There are other options from Cloud Net as well to help small businesses survive the BT strike. Cloud Net will divert any call to any phone anywhere with no divert fee and also provides a live answering service to field any incoming calls.
"The great thing is that you can keep all of this flexibility and resilience comes at very little cost. If you want a standby power supply in case the mains cuts out, it costs a fortune. If you want a standby phone system in case of strikes, there is no capital cost from Cloud Net and a very low monthly subscription," says Charles Chance, MD of Cloud Net.
For further information, please visit, www.cloudnetuk.com, call 01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com
-ENDS-
About Cloud Net
Cloud Net supplies business phone systems to SMEs and start ups with the advantage of no capital expenditure necessary to run a professional PBX and dramatically lower running costs. Cloud Net has developed a dedicated small business VoIP network providing free calls within the network. The company has a happy and growing customer base. Cloud Net is privately financed and started trading in March 2009.
Cloud Net call charges
Landline UK
Tariff (up to 4 phones) 1.2p per minute
Standard Tariff (Between 5-20 phones) 1.0p per minute
Standard Tariff (Over 21+ phones) 0.9p per minute
Mobile UK
Tariff (up to 4 phones) 9.5p per minute
Standard Tariff (Between 5-20 phones) 9.2p per minute
Standard Tariff (Over 21+ phones) 9.0p per minute
Contact for media information
For more information, to review Cloud Net services or for case studies, please contact Ranbir Sahota or Sara Pennant of Vitis Tech PR agency, on 0121 242 8048, ranbir@vitispr.com or sara@vitispr.com