Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Partnering with the voice and data channel means we get to work with a lot of entrepreneurs. They are usually straight-talking, candid individuals that have a passion for their company, customers and staff. Jola Partners are unapologetic about calling me up on evenings and weekends and the conversations we have are often as much about our businesses as they are about customers and products. Working everyday with entrepreneurs is inspiring and I always encourage people thinking about starting up on their own to consider the business communications sector (and to partner with Jola).

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. 

1. Know your true value

What are your strengths and your real competitive advantage? Do you have a product that is not only unique but for which there is also a demand? Are you the lowest cost provider or do you add value through the expertise of your sales and pre-sales support. So many suppliers to the channel kid themselves they can charge a premium because of their service wrap and the quality of their salespeople. In actual fact the resellers they serve would outsell any of the ‘experts’ their suppliers put up as their ‘value-add’ and few would put them in front of their customers. If you are offering leads to your channel Partners then don’t over-promise and if you also operate a direct channel then know that this will raise concerns and address them head-on. 

There are over 5000 scaffolding companies registered in the UK employing over 30,000 people according to IBISWorld’s Scaffolding Services market research report, conducted in December last year. The report suggests market revenues of over £3bn with no companies having a dominent market share. Why are so many switching to hosted voice?

Local IT Support

Many local IT support companies supply cabling and PC support to local SMEs. Typically with several hundred customers, they operate within a couple of hours drive of the office but will go farther afield if required and for the right size job. A lot of their income comes from one-off projects however they have a reasonable base of customers that pay monthly to support their office IT.  Monthly recurring revenues help to grow the business and cover costs between projects.