Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Start-ups

It is often quoted that 50% of new businesses will fail within five years. To quote Steve Jobs, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” So while there are a few must-have ingredients such as customer demand, products that work as they should and good customer service, there are also a few general strategies to ease you through those difficult early months and years. 

Jola Partners rarely spend money on traditional marketing, prefering to communicate with customers and prospects directly online. We have identified three of their best habits used to win with customers online - both prospective and existing.

1. The truth will out

You have to be honest about what you are doing. If you are selling don't pretend you are having a conversation, as people will always smell a rat. Great marketing is built on truth and the truth will always out. Customers will make up their own minds. You have to listen to the online conversation and often endure it. It is nice when customers give you a glowing reference but sometimes you need to see and hear the negative and address it.

2015 was a surprisingly good year for small businesses. What opportunities will 2016 bring?

In 2015

The economy was one of the strongest in the G7
Despite the headwinds of fiscal austerity and collapsing commodity prices, Britain remains one of the fastest growing large economies in the world. The latest OECD forecasts put Britain level-pegging with the USA at 2.4 per cent real annual GDP growth, creating a robust environment for business growth.

Having a below-average connection speed can affect productivity. If you are tired of taking an unnecessary amount of time out of your day in order to load web pages or you just want to pre-emptively avoid having slow connections, then here are some tips to speed up your internet connection.

It is Christmas week. Many of us are packing up our suitcases and getting ready for a well-earned Christmas break. Those running their own businesses will pack their laptop and keep an eye on their emails often with the odd complaint from a family member.

Here are a few pointers to help you get started.

How much do you want to spend on a new smart phone?

The cost of flagship phones seems to increase year on year however if you don’t need the latest model you may find you can purchase a good smartphone for around £150. If you do have a big budget you could consider top of the range show-stoppers like the iPhone 6S or LG G4 however there are some great models like the 4G-enabled Motorola Moto E (2015) available at the fraction of the cost.

The capabilities of wireless IP phones have advanced since the first DECT standards were introduced by ETSI in 1992. IP DECT phones enable you to take advantage of VoIP technology with the added ability to roam from a single location. They are ideal for those constantly on the move from their desk such as warehouse operatives. We review the Yealink W52P DECT phone solution below.

Summary
The VVX310 and VVX410 Polycom VoiP phones are easy to use and solid workhorses for employees in any kind of business. The VVX500 model is a higher-end phone in the line-up and represents the latest in VoIP phone technology. These phones are sharp looking, high-tech and are reflective of Polycom's leadership in the marketplace. This series of Polycom phones will serve businesses well and take advantage of everything business VoIP has to offer.

If you are looking for the best Premium Broadsoft bundles in the marketplace you may want to consider Jola. Jola has recently launched three new bundles which include a Premium licence and a leading Polycom handset.

Sometimes a phone call just isn't enough when it comes to communicating with colleagues and customers. If you want to share information without meeting face to face, conferencing technology can facilitate. Please find below a review of some leading conferencing apps on the market.

Fuze Meeting Pro

For $69/ month workers can participate in meetings from every popular platform. It works particularly well for international businesses or businesses where a key members of staff travel. Fuze offers a basic but useful set of sharing tools. You can add content to the cloud at any point during the meeting to share on the screen or via a link. This virtual-meeting service can handle up to 12 video streams at once and has a visual chat feature for one-on-one side conversations. The video tool can display a variety of video file types, including HD video.