Telcare

We are very pleased to be reporting to you from the right side of winter.  Hope spring is looking good with you?  Our office has been buzzing and not just because of the coffee we drink. We have been busy working on how we can benefit you more by building on our product portfolio as well as improving our service.  Talking of service we really do have to thank you for your feedback, the recent Customer Satisfaction Survey we participated in earned us a Diamond Award for 100% satisfaction.  We are thrilled with this news and most grateful.

We love sharing news about our business and spreading the Telcare word.  If you enjoy flying the flag for your company have you considered entering for an award?  We recently attended the launch of the Medway Business Awards which is now in it’s 29^th year.  Things have changed a great deal since the awards were originally launched. The aim then was to install confidence in an ailing business environment after the closure of the naval dockyard.  Fast forward to 2013 and the MBA are still supporting local companies.  Businesses are buzzing with innovative ways of competing in this very connected world of ours.  The awards are an opportunity to get your business showcased locally, to let customers know how fabulous your service or product really is. The gala evening is not only a fun night out but it’s a chance to meet with like-minded people and extend your business network.  Who knows you might even win!

Check out www.mbawards.co.uk  the closing date for entries is 31^st July 2013.

Whilst we are on the subject of connecting with more customers, have you considered visiting the South East Business Show?  The event covers a wide range of businesses and is a great way to raise your company profile.  We have exhibited at this event many times now and have found it to be a rewarding experience.  The show will be on the 17^th May 2013 10.00am to 3.00pm at the Millennium Conference Centre, Copthorne Hotel, Effingham, Gatwick.  See www.b2bsoutheast.com

In the meantime should you have any telecom related queries please do email us at helpdesk@telcare.co.uk or call us on 0800 376 8484 we’ll be happy to help.

The Mercure Maidstone, known to most of us as the Great Danes Hotel, was the venue for the inaugural launch of the Kent Women in Business Awards last Thursday.

The red carpeted walkway led us to a champagne welcome, where a little time was put aside for some excited networking, before taking our seats for the gala dinner and awards.

We had a particular reason for being amongst the ever so glamorous and that was to support our nominee Talita Wigg of Kent Detox & Wellbeing. Talita has been known to us for sometime now and we have watched with awe as her new business went from strength to strength. Talita’s passion is evident in everything she does, so when we heard about the awards we immediately thought of her.

After a scrumptious dinner the awards got under way, there was a mixture of excitement and nervous energy in the room. Given the height of some of the heels, one of the main concerns must have been, will they make it to the stage without falling over?

At last, the moment came for the Health & Beauty section to be announced. With fingers crossed under the table, we held our breath and waited. No surprise really when Talita’s name was read out and no surprise to the applause that erupted from the audience. It was quite a proud moment! Our congratulations go to Talita, great recognition for all the hard work she’s put in since starting her business. Well done.

Talita Wigg winner of Kent Women in Business Award 2013 in the Health & Beauty Category

The evening proved to be a very enjoyable event; we met some really interesting people and received a copy of the very first Kent Women in Business magazine.
For more information please go to
http://www.kentdetox.co.uk or http://kwibawards.co.uk/kwib-magazine

By participating in many work related schemes, we get to witness the extraordinary talents of young people on a regular basis. Last Wednesday was a prime example. I was invited to judge the Young Enterprise Company Finals at Bethany School and what a pleasure it was.
We were presented with six companies, formed by students from various schools, who had come together to compete in the finals. Business plans had been formed, share capital raised and taxes paid. The students take on the responsibility of running the company for a year, getting practical experience with finance, marketing, selling, product development and company administration. Along the way they encountered problem solving and the importance of teamwork and communication.
The Young Enterprise programme, now in it’s 50th year, has seen thousands of students develop key skills that will enhance their employability and enterprise capabilities. Many alumni of the Company Programme have gone on to outstanding careers as entrepreneurs, corporate executives and public figures. Employers tend to look favourably on students who have taken part in the programme. The academic world also recognises the value of the scheme. An A level 3 OCR qualification is available to all students taking part in Company Programme. This is worth up to 40 UCAS points that count towards entry into university.
The finals were made up of three sections, firstly judging the business plans, secondly judging the trade stand and interviewing the students and finally judging the presentations. Each company demonstrated a sound business understanding and had excelled in at least one area of the judges criteria. The enthusiasm was not only impressive but totally infectious
Prizes were awarded for the best business plan, the best trade stand and the best presentation. The overall award went to a group of very determined young people, going by the name of The Pink Ninjas. The Pink Ninjas offered seasonal services, taking advantage of Christmas, Valentines Day and Easter as well as producing a school mug that could be sold throughout the year. Their brand awareness was tremendous and their constant monitoring aided the company’s further development. Communication and teamwork were probably the key factors leading to the Pink Ninjas overall success.
Huge congratulations go to them and the very best of luck for the rest of the year.

It was all about being ridiculous last Friday and David certainly entered into the spirit of the day.

What started out to be a fairly low key, last minute fund raising effort in the office, turned out to be a well supported Red Nose Day Raffle. With the help of our neighbours in Beaufort House, the ladies at Medway ‘LadiesWhoLatte’ group and our family members, we managed to raise £77. Telcare then matched that figure bringing us to a respectable £154 to pass on to the Red Nose Day charity.

After a spot of red nose wearing and hilarity in the office, we folded up the tickets and asked Matt to draw the winner.

The prize of our Thornton’s Chocolate Hamper went to ticket number 11 purchased by Alan Wiltcher. Congratulations to you, we hope that the copious amounts of chocolate will limber you up nicely for Easter.

A huge thank you to everyone for participating, your generosity is most appreciated.

Some of the Telcare team are currently taking NVQs in Customer Service. I recently had to meet with our Assessor to give examples of how individual staff members contribute to providing our customers with a high level of service.

One of the questions he asked me was “Can you give an example of when this particular staff member went that extra mile for their customer in order to maintain a positive relationship with them?”

It was at this point when I realised how lucky we are to have such fabulous staff. I could actually come up with lots of examples.

I recalled when Bekki had made sure a customer would receive an urgent order, despite it being late in the day and the courier had already collected from us. She went out of her way to drive over to the courier’s depot on her way home from work. It resulted in the parcel arriving with the customer the very next morning.

I also remembered when Jamie was particularly foxed when a customer’s system was suffering a very unusual intermittent fault. After doing everything he could remotely, Jamie knew the next stage would be an engineer’s visit to replace equipment. As the customer was local, instead of passing to the next available engineer, Jamie jumped in his car and visited the customer site during his lunch break. He was so keen to get this fault fixed once and for all, which of course he did. I’m not sure who was the most delighted him or the customer.

During a very busy period recently, Victoria received a call from a former customer who no longer had their system covered for maintenance. They were desperate as they had no phones at all. Our priority is of course to systems that are covered for maintenance so we could only send an engineer when all maintained jobs had been completed. A bit of a problem given that our engineers had full workloads. Victoria noticed that this particular customer’s premises was in fact on one of the engineer’s route and so she arranged for that engineer to start earlier the next day in order to help out.

Having systems and procedures are extremely valuable to us, they help us to get the job done in a professional and efficient way. Our team have always been encouraged to demonstrate goodwill. However, naturally going that extra mile is often above and beyond a procedure, it reflects the individual’s positive attitude and their genuine desire to help. It is a privilege to have such people in our team and I’m grateful to our NVQ Assessor for reminding me just how wonderful they are.

We recently met with a company who have a Siemens phone system, just like the ones we install and maintain. I asked how much they paid for maintenance, they weren’t sure but it prompted them to look into it. It turned out that the person who organised the install of the system and its ongoing maintenance no longer worked at the company. I knew for a system of their size (they had approx 15 phones) we would charge in the region of £500 per annum, obviously subject to a survey.

A few days later I received an email with some shocking figures. Their maintenance costs were more than doubled compared to ours but here is the worrying part; they were locked in to a very lengthy 7 year agreement!

At Telcare we do things differently. Our maintenance agreements are for 12 months, and cancellation, should you wish to leave us, is easy. All you have to do is notify us 60 days prior to the expiry date.

Maintenance costs are determined by the amount of equipment you have, for example a main control unit and handsets.

There are different levels of service too, for some a standard agreement providing cover for the 9 – 5 working day is quite sufficient, however, there are businesses that work around the clock and need 24 hr assistance.

We realise that not every customer has the same requirements so we always try to come up with a flexible plan to suit your business needs.

Here’s the best part, when you call the Telcare helpdesk you get to speak to a real person, and it’s very likely that you will get to speak to the same person the next time you call. We are proud to say that we have formed great relationships with our customers over the years by offering an honest, practical and friendly service.

Moral of this story, don’t get locked in, do a little research, the good guys are out there!

A very happy New Year to you all, 2013 is ready and waiting so let’s go……

2012 was Telcare’s 15^th year in business so a significant time to make some changes.  Looking back now at our blogs and diary we can see just how much has changed.  The beginning of the year saw a major shift in focus, after receiving advice on identifying our ideal customers. This trained us to concentrate on value, not only how we provide it but how to also acknowledge the clients that really benefit from our service.  We also learnt why saying “NO” to a non ideal client is key to a successful relationship.  Justifying prices, proving value and believing in your business model enhances customer relationships in the long term.

We brought in new members of staff and added different expertise to our helpdesk. We also made preparations for a new billing service that got underway in December.  Continuity has always been important at Telcare so our commitment to spreading the Telcare word never faltered, we continued to attend networking events and B2B exhibitions throughout the year.  Our mission to support local students stepped up a gear, when we included mentoring to our list of volunteering efforts.

Our year ended with a very enjoyable trip to the stunning Ashdown Park Hotel, where the team were able to relax and let their hair down during an evening of dinner, dance and a few bottles, I mean glasses, of wine.

Looking back and realising our achievements of 2012 certainly helps to set the sails for the year ahead.  Hope 2012 was a great year for you and that you are ready for the 2013 adventure.

Work experience is an excellent way to introduce students into the world of work. It helps them to know what will be expected of them when they go to work. It also gives them an idea of what they may or may not like to do as a career.  Having a good set of employability skills will give students an advantage when searching for a job and a work experience placement is the perfect time to discover and develop these skills.  The latest student to join us was Daniel Atkinson.  Daniel adapted to the Telcare environment very quickly, his willingness to learn was impressive, it didn’t take him long to became part of the team.  Below is Daniel’s report on his experience.

This week I have had my work experience at Telcare Ltd, which was organised through my school and the MEBP (Medway Education Business Partnerships). My first day was scary as I was entering a new environment and I didn’t know what was going to happen. However fortunately for me, everyone at Telcare Ltd was really friendly and helped me to adapt to my new surroundings.

Throughout the week I was shown the different aspects of the business and I even had a go at some of them. I especially enjoyed the accounting software ‘Sage’. At the beginning of the week I was allowed to enter some financial transactions with the account manager, however by the end of the week I was able to do this on my own. Another aspect of the business that I enjoyed was when I took apart some broken telephones and replaced the screens. I found the creative aspect of that very interesting as well as looking at all the different parts inside the phone. I also learnt about the importance of brand identity and the various ways to get the message across to the customer. Telcare use different ways to be seen such as advertising, sponsorship, exhibiting, social media and blogging.

On Friday I was writing a practise covering letter to go with the CV that I had also created, when my supervisor told me that she had spoken to their accountants inquiring if they could take a work experience student on in the summer holidays for a week. I was extremely happy and thankful to my supervisor for this, as she knew that I wanted to go into finance when I am older.

Other tasks included creating a twitter schedule. This made me feel proud because my supervisor had trusted me and given me the responsibility to do it. I researched various topics that would make interesting reading. I also managed to overcome an uncomfortable moment when I had to make a call to a client. It was my first day so I felt really nervous and not at all confident however by the end of the week I could answer the phone with more confidence having gained a little experienced.

I learnt many important skills that will help me in the future; Team working, Problem solving, Self managing, Perseverance and Communication. These skills are essential for getting a job in the future and I am extremely grateful to Telcare for giving me this opportunity. Without a doubt, I would recommend any student looking to do their work experience to work at Telcare Ltd and if needed I would definitely come back to help for another week.

Thank you Daniel, it was great experience for us too. Keep working hard on the things you do well.  We wish you all the best for a successful future.

Last Friday the team ended their week with a flu jab and a curry. You’ll be pleased to hear that it wasn’t at the same time though! It just so happened that our annual health check coincided with the staff curry night.

The wonderful folk at All Health Matters arrived early on Friday morning armed with sharp boxes, needles and a blood pressure machine. Once we got over the problem of who was going first, the checks got underway. Each member of staff had about 20mins with the nurse, where they had a basic health check together with a flu jab for those that wanted. We were then presented with a comprehensive health report as a result.

Not only do we consider the health of our team to be very important, we also realise the value of taking time out and relaxing. So when the day was done and the telephones put to bed, we headed off to the local Indian Restaurant for a well earned beer, a chicken madras and a good giggle.