07-Sep-2010 17:49

Credit and debit card problems?

Monthly, our SimplyFone accounts department automatically debit 10,000’s of bank accounts via direct debit mandates & client credit and debit cards for customer payments.

This month a few credit/debit card payments were declined by the relevant issuing providers.

We retried manually and again received a ‘declined’ notice.

Read on >>>

05-Sep-2010 13:16

So come on, own up… Be honest… Are you?

So come on, own up… Be honest… Are you or are you not…?

… a workaholic?

Summer holidays are, for most, almost over now.

So pray tell us: are you or are you not a workaholic?

Whilst you were tanning on the beach, touring, enjoying a cool beer in the sun, sailing on a boat, enjoying a great meal or simply taking time off at home… did you miss your work, your office, the camaraderie & did you worry about work?

Read on >>

03-Sep-2010 16:02

Is your VoiP or indeed mobile or NGN number safe?

In May this year Tesco announced that because its VoIP supplier Freshtel UK has gone belly-up, it is ceasing its entire VoIP (Tesco Internet Phone and Talk Wi-Fi) service..

It gave its clients just 30 days to source an alternative to its Tesco Internet Phone and Talk Wi-Fi services & Tesco VoIP customers are now unable top-up their pre-paid accounts.

Importantly, users of Tesco's dead VoIP service are being told they've lost their personal numbers.

Read on >>

02-Sep-2010 17:38

Move to VoIP or stay with traditional solutions?

To move to VoIP services & Hosted Systems or stay with traditional voice solutions?

Increasingly, companies are looking at VoIP services, including call routing, and these areas are showing fine growth with a few high-profile company successes.

However, for many/most companies - both SMEs and larger organisations (and indeed small businesses and individuals) there are important factors to bear in mind.

If you are looking at VoIP services you must ensure that your bandwidth is of sufficient scale & required quality.
If incorrect bandwidth is deployed, problems will occur.

Read on >>>

31-Aug-2010 17:18

I'm the last guy to offer sales advice, but…

...this week I was requested by some of my agents & re-sellers to give a pep-talk to a group who felt that sales were stagnating and new enquiries slowing down.

Actually, sales volumes have not slowed at all - quite the reverse - but the fresh orders & Application Forms were increasingly sent in by several active agents and re-sellers rather than across the board.

My remit was to give them a buzz, shake 'em up, try to invigorate the guys, and get the old sales juices flowing once more…

Read on >>>

30-Aug-2010 16:13

Are you an entrepreneur?

Could it be that 'fear' would appear to be the principle reason holding back many from becoming self-employed, bosses & entrepreneurs… (& are they all one and the same?)

Read on >>>

22-Aug-2010 07:57

Are women better at financial planning?

When Mike found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a wife with which to share his fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Read on (if you dare) >>>

20-Aug-2010 09:40

Can you get out of your landline phone contract?

Many landline providers like BT, TalkTalk, Sky, Orange et al also tie you into nasty time-related contracts and woe betide you if you decide to leave before the end of contract or don't 'give notice' before a roll-over continuation of the contract or don't provide the requisite notice period in writing, fax, email and by pigeon post!

Outrageous!

But there is a solution...

Read on >>>

19-Aug-2010 15:46

Should I or shouldn’t I?

This morning amongst the pile of letters kindly delivered by our long-suffering and ever-complaining postie was a package with seven 2nd class stamps haphazardly attached..

Nothing out of the ordinary you may ask?

Well, the seven 2nd class stamps had been missed (by about two inches) by the computerised franking system & were thus still 'mint'.

My quandary: do/may I re-use them or not?

Read on >>>

19-Aug-2010 11:50

Is there hope for the NHS?

Following Prime Minister David Cameron's new health care proposals for the NHS, The British Medical Association's various departments have finally offered their views.

Not for the faint-hearted ;-) Read on >>>

17-Aug-2010 17:19

Has online blogging liberated you?

As the volume of tweets, posts and blogging increases & social media and online interaction thrives, it may be pertinent to ask the question whether fresh-faced virgin bloggers actually feel more liberated online.

It cannot be disputed that blogging or delivering pithy online posts is far more uncomplicated and perhaps more comfortable than establishing real-life relationships.

Read on >>>>

09-Aug-2010 15:28

Conference Calling made easy.......

Do you or your company spend valuable time, effort and money travelling, both in the UK & overseas, meeting clients and partners?

There are simpler and certainly more cost-effective ways of doing business these days...

Read on >>>

05-Aug-2010 13:19

Google Wave Goodbye

Google have announced that they are stopping Google Wave completely..

In a live b**l-sh***ting session to reporters, Eric Schmidt tried to show the failure of Wave as proof that Google was willing to try new products out & to live dangerously.

Why are most bosses of major corporations so full of it?

Is there a degree course or specialist training for these type of 'gloss over failure speeches'?

Read the full blog >>>

04-Aug-2010 13:51

If your day ain't going so smoothly.....

A mate just emailed this fantastic clip of a ventriloquist called Paul Zerdin

I watched the clip and my laughter brought several guys running to my 4’ x 2’ padded cell…

Read on >>>

02-Aug-2010 16:13

Holidays! What holidays……?

For the past couple of years, with the kids now a little matured and tending to prefer spending Summer holidays with friends rather with their parents, my wife & I have taken our breaks towards the end of the Summer…

There are many benefits and one of them was the ability to enjoy a quieter, lazier, traffic-free and less frenetic London.

Read on >>>

29-Jul-2010 22:20

This got me chuckling....

The Bathtub Test

During a visit to the mental hospital, I asked the director, "How do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalised??"

Read on >>>>

29-Jul-2010 17:00

Facebook or Users - Who is more irresponsible?

Noticed an article on mnsbc.com that a chap Ron Bowes, an online security consultant, has posted the personal details of 100 million Facebook users online (Pirate Bay 'site) in a downloadable file....

Apparently, Facebook has downplayed the issue, saying that no private data had been compromised.

OK - my question is: who is more irresponsible or responsible?
Facebook, this chap Ron Bowes or the Facebook Users who randomly supply details - private or otherwise - to the entire world…?

Read on >>>

29-Jul-2010 14:39

Does your website attract hits?

The finest website with the most spectacular design and the prettiest baners will not attract visitors or create new business if people are unaware your website exists.

Companies which specialise in web optimisation, SEO & Google rankings can advise you how to benefit from your ‘site to make potential visitors aware of your products and services.

Read more >>>

29-Jul-2010 11:13

0800 Freephone numbers for your business..

0800 Numbers, 0845 Numbers, 0844 Numbers are our specialty.

If you are after a professional non-geographic number for your business, you're looking in the right place.

SimplyFone provide 1000's of UK companies with a complete range of Non-Geographical Numbers.

All our 0800, 0845, 0844, 0870 & 09xx Numbers are free, so if you're after a free non geographical number just send us an email to: ngn@simplyfone.com or complete an online form...

Read on....

28-Jul-2010 17:31

Twitter - would you pay for it?

Twitter has its uses as do many other sites, applications and services..

As a social network and microblogging service it is probably currently amongst the easiest, simplest and best way to inform share & discover what's happening now.

Read on >>>

28-Jul-2010 13:11

Can Ofcom help?

As most of us know from personal experience, we rarely receive the ‘advertised’ or promised broadband speeds.

Ofcom analysis shows that over 95% of consumers – both business and home users do not get advertised speeds.

More worryingly, analysis also seems to show increasing discrepancies between ISP claims & actual b/band speeds.

Read on >>>>>

27-Jul-2010 23:34

Sales Tips..

Advice on how to successfully 'close sales' provided by a sales mentor some years ago...

The advice remains current, valid and helpful.

Read on >>>>

25-Jul-2010 21:42

Financial Planning - Are women better than men?

Women appear to be far better at financial planning than men.

When Mike found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a wife with which to share his fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Read on...

25-Jul-2010 12:06

Do you own a personal or office digital copier?

Many offices & homes have digital copy machines..

However, advanced technology has opened a dangerous hole in data security.

Be very careful how you dispose of your digital information and your copiers

This is actually rather worrying sad

Read on & be as surprised as I was >>>>>

25-Jul-2010 12:03

Can Grammar be sexist?

An English professor wrote the words: "A woman without her man is nothing" on the chalkboard and asked his students to punctuate it correctly.

All of the males in the class wrote: "A woman, without her man, is nothing."

All the females in the class wrote: "A woman: without her, man is nothing."

So is syntax sexist? Your shout guys...

22-Jul-2010 11:38

BT hikes call charges...

BT has announced a 10 % rise in daytime call rates.

From the beginning of October the cost of connecting a call via BT will rise from 9.9p to 10.9p with charges for each subsequent minute rising from 5.9p to 6.4p!

At the same time residential line rental will be increased by 50p per month to £13.29 per month (£12.04 if clients are on email billing)

Now compare BTs charges to our SimplyFone rates…

Read full blog…

22-Jul-2010 11:17

Memorable Commercial Slogans

What do you consider to be memorable commercial slogans?

Here's a few to whet your appetite:

Intel Inside - Intel

Think outside the box - Apple

Hello Moto - Motorola

I am what I am - Reebok

Read full blog...

22-Jul-2010 11:12

Mobile Phone Security Tips from SimplyFone

Mobile Phone Security.

A lady had her handbag containing her mobile phone, credit card, wallet etc stolen.

Twenty minutes later when she called her husband telling him what had happened, her husband replied, 'I already received your text asking about our PIN number and I replied a little while ago.'

When they rushed down to the bank, the staff told them that all their money had sadly been withdrawn.

Read full blog...

22-Jul-2010 11:07

Too little to late....?

As ever too little to late....

Landline telephone contract fees are to be cut.

The three big landline telephone firms - BT, TalkTalk and Virgin - have agreed to make big cuts to the cost of ending their deals early.

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has told them to cut their "early termination" charges by up to 85%.

Read full blog...