Author: master

9th October 2019

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Tees Valley-based Odyssey Systems is helping to boost the productivity at PD Ports, one of the UK’s major port groups, with the completion of the final phase of a major telephony infrastructure project.

Odyssey was tasked with streamlining PD Ports’ system to provide an end-to-end solution and improve connectivity across its multiple sites throughout the country.

PD Ports previously worked with several suppliers to deliver its telephony requirements and the partnership with Odyssey allows it to be managed by one, locally-based supplier that has helped to reduce costs through measures implemented by the telecommunications firm.

The complete overhaul of the service, which was completed over a two year period, given the complexity of the project with multiple providers previously involved, included the installation of a Mitel MiVoice business system, utilising PD Ports’ existing land connectivity and routers, so no further investment was required.

The new system also provides a number of desktop and mobile-based apps to enhance employees’ internal and external communications, as well as allow them to see the presence of everyone on the network.

Encrypted call recording is another feature that has been installed to provide additional security measures and to ensure PD Ports meets current regulatory requirements.

Odyssey’s team of technicians also provided comprehensive staff training upon completion of the project, having worked closely with PD Ports’ entire IT team to implement the efficient measures.

Jan-Willem Rikkerink, IT Director at PD Ports, said: “Working with Odyssey Systems, we’re now on a telephone system that fits our business requirements and will support our future growth.

“Communication is a key element of our business and bringing all of our employees together on one system will ensure we can continue to provide the best service for our customers. Now that the systems are in place, Odyssey continues to provide great ongoing support and the projected cost savings are now being realised.

Matthew Park, Sales Manager at Odyssey Systems, said: “Our work with PD Ports demonstrates our ability to deliver effective solutions on behalf of clients, regardless of size or complexity. We have worked tirelessly and effectively to deliver a system fit for one of the region’s leading businesses that will boost connectivity between its extensive workforce and sites across the country.

“We are looking forward to building on this partnership with PD Ports and providing them with the technological tools to be able to service its customer more efficiently that will boost its productivity.”

Established in 1987, Odyssey Systems is an award-winning company and leading supplier of hosted telephony, cloud services and high-speed connectivity solutions to more than 2,500 customers in the UK.
A long-established manufacturer of hair and beauty care products is eyeing up expansion with the upgrade of its telecommunications system.

Newton Aycliffe-based Tricogen Laboratories has invested in the new system to support its staff and connectivity between its site in the town and expansion into Sweden.

Odyssey, a Tees Valley-based telecommunications and technology company, has worked with Tricogen for more than 10 years and installed the hosted telephony system. The upgrade has also supported staff’s flexible working as the sales team are able to access the system remotely using an app-based platform.

The installation will also support Tricogen’s future expansion as it aims to launch further sites and the hosted system will amalgamate and connect all current and new locations’ telecommunications and networks together.

Established in 1946, Tricogen manufactures an extensive range of hair and beauty care products for customers operating internationally, including salon groups, celebrity hairdressers, specialist animal grooming suppliers and wholesalers to the professional hair and beauty trade. The company is headquartered at its 1.5-acre site on Aycliffe Business Park.

Neil Bagnall, Operations Director of Tricogen Laboratories, said: “We are committed to continued investment in our infrastructure and processes, which will support our long-term growth. We have worked with Odyssey for more than a decade, which has advised on and delivered effective solutions as technology has advanced to meet our bespoke requirements.

“There is scope for future expansions with new locations and this latest enhancement to our system provides us with the connectivity and technology to support our ambitious aims.”

Christine Gilbert, Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “We’ve enjoyed a longstanding partnership with Tricogen, supporting its technological needs as it continues to grow and develop as a global brand. The new system supports flexible working and dealing with customers remotely, while future-proofing the business in the event of expansion and strengthening the connectivity between Tricogen’s locations.”

Established in 1987, Odyssey Systems is an award-winning company and leading supplier of hosted telephony, cloud services and high-speed connectivity solutions to more than 2,500 customers in the UK.
Odyssey Systems has supported the expansion of a Tees Valley-based veterinary practice as it extends its offering to pet owners across the region.

Jacqui Paterson’s Veterinary Surgery has doubled the size of its Nunthorpe practice after leasing larger premises on The Avenue, in the village.

It previously operated out of a smaller satellite practice on The Avenue and required a larger one to cope with increased demand as well as to be able to deliver further veterinary services.

Telecommunications firm Odyssey, which has worked with Jacqui Paterson for more than five years, supported the expansion and move with the installation of a future-proofed system to connect each of its sites.

The company has installed new hosted-telephony technology from Mitel, which enables seamless connection between the practice locations for both internal and external calls.

Established in 1996, Jacqui Paterson Veterinary Surgery has grown to become the largest independent veterinary practice in Teesside, employing more than 20 staff. due to its 3 locations Jenny Walker, Practice Manager at Jacqui Paterson Veterinary Surgery, said: “The practice has gone from strength to strength in recent years and this latest expansion demonstrates our commitment to our customers. We are now able to deliver even more services at our larger premises, which is driving growth as we are now able to meet our continued increased demand. “

To be able to deliver for our customer base, we require a robust system in place to be able to manage our team’s schedules and deal with enquiries and bookings, and Odyssey has supported our endeavours for many years. This latest system installation has future-proofed the business further and ensures we are able to look after our clients and their pets in an efficient manner, while contributing to our future success.”

Preston Farm-based Odyssey Systems is an award-winning company and leading supplier of hosted telephony, cloud services and high-speed connectivity solutions to more than 2,500 customers in the UK.

Christine Gilbert, Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “We have worked alongside Jacqui Paterson’s for many years now to support its telecommunications across the practice’s multiple sites. It was great to be involved in this latest expansion and we were able to provide a modern solution that fits the practice perfectly and enhances Jacqui Paterson’s connectivity.”
As well as keeping businesses talking, we do like to get out and about in the business community.

We are delighted to be attending the Northern Business Exhibition today and tomorrow in Manchester, which is a fantastic event that brings together so many professionals from across the North.

It has grown to become the largest business show in the North of England, and we are proud to be a part of it.

If you happen to be visiting over the next few days, feel free to drop by our stand and our team of professionals will be able to tell you all about Odyssey Systems and how we can support your business.
Today (8^th March 2019) marked International Women’s Day (IWD) and we were delighted to host a special event to commemorate the occasion.

IWD is a United Nations initiative which celebrates the various political, social and economic achievements of women across the globe.

We welcomed a host of local female business leaders, including many of our customers, to our HQ for one of our Ladies’ Breakfast events for a discussion on the initiative and why it is important to celebrate such events and champion women in business. You can learn more about our event by watching a short video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMamExER0BA
We were delighted to visit the North East Expo, which hosted nearly 200 exhibitors at the Newcastle Falcons’ stadium, Kingston Park.

Approximately 100 keen business people who were excited to engage with Odyssey about our new superfast internet solutions visited us, to see what we had to offer.

We saw the Expo as a great opportunity to take a working model of the solutions we can provide, setting up touch screen phones, tablets, mobiles and computers on 4G to give potential customers a real-time demo of our software.

Normally at these events, we don’t take full working demonstrations, but this time we decided to go big! We wanted to show even the smallest business that this sort of kit isn’t just for the giant corporations, it’s available, and affordable, for everyone. It went down a treat, so we’re going to do this again at events in the future.

Luke and Freya, who manned our stand, took lots of details, and we’re delighted to say that within 24 hours, we’d followed up with everyone who asked to hear from us.

As we know, it won’t be long before all internet is fibre, and at Odyssey, we want to help our clients stay ahead of the game. If businesses are scaling up or making improvements, they need to start considering the value of investing in initiatives including Superfast Gigabit Internet, the use of Leased Lines, or the quicker and cheaper alternative, Microwave Technology.

We explained to our visitors that, not only does it look impressive, it also works faster than your standard DSL lines, so you’ll see money saved in the long run through employee productivity.

We hope that many of these potential customers, and some that unfortunately we didn’t get to meet on the day, will pop along to the office for a bite and a brew, and to see what we can do.

Roll on the next Expo!
Stockton South MP Dr Paul Williams has further strengthened his ties with the small business community after visiting Odyssey Systems.

Dr Williams MP visited the Preston Farm-based technology firm after initially meeting members of the Odyssey team at the Tees Valley Business Summit in the summer.

During his visit to Odyssey’s head office Dr Williams was given a tour of the facilities, which includes a conference suite and technology demonstration area. The company’s internet services capabilities to clients were detailed to Dr Williams; due to the head office building’s height, it is able to increase the reach of Odyssey’s long-range high speed microwave links.

Established in 1987, Odyssey Systems is an award-winning company with a workforce of more than 30, who support in excess of 2,500 customers with their technology needs.

Elected as the MP for Stockton South at last year’s General Election, Dr Williams is keen to build relationships with the small business community – one of his pledges was to protect local jobs and support the regional economy.

Dr Paul Williams MP said: “Small and medium sized businesses across Stockton South underpin our economy and supply the majority of local jobs. I am so proud when I visit businesses such as Odyssey who are representing our area and through innovation are not only supporting other local businesses but really making a mark on their industry and collaborating with and helping other local companies. Teesside really benefits when businesses in our area work together and keep their spending local.

“Meeting the Staff at Odyssey was a pleasure and I could see first-hand the passion they have for their work and the professionalism which has seen Odyssey win numerous awards.

“I look forward to visiting more businesses in the area to learn more about them and what they need to succeed.”

Christine Gilbert, Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “It was good to meet with Dr Williams after a positive, initial conversation at the Tees Valley Business Summit. We were keen to show him how we provide customer delight and supporting business of all sizes across Stockton and the tees valley with their technology needs.

“Technology provides companies with the ability to make their workforce more flexible and increase productivity. Freeing people from the constraints of an office environment is the great revolution of our time. We provide systems to make this possible, yet keep the personal service that is so rare in these times of artificial intelligence and faceless corporations. Though business is becoming more global, local service is key to keeping it effective.”

Christine added: “We are fully behind Dr Williams’ pledge of supporting local businesses operating within our area, and look forward to meeting with him again in the future.”
The Government’s Small Business Commissioner has outlined his plans to tackle late payments to small firms after meeting with several Tees Valley business owners at an event hosted by telecommunications firm Odyssey Systems.

Paul Uppal highlighted how he is addressing the late payment issue for small businesses, which, collectively, costs £2.5bn each year at the event. It was attended by a range of businesses from different sectors, including Coles Solicitors, Erimus Insurance, Work Matters and Armstrong Richardson.

Mr Uppal visited Odyssey’s Stockton head office as part of a wider visit to the region, where he met with business owners from across the North East.

According to official figures, a third of payments to small businesses are late with the average value of each payment at £6,142. This has led to 20 percent of small businesses running into cash flow problems due to late payments.

The office of the Small Business Commissioner was launched in December 2017 to ensure fair payment practices for Britain’s 5.7 million small businesses, support them in resolving their payment disputes with larger companies and bring about a change in payment practices between businesses and across sectors.

Paul Uppal, Small Business Commissioner, said: “The issue of late payment is crucial as we estimate that over 50,000 small businesses go bust each year because of it. It is a huge impediment on business growth, and we have already had real, quality conversations with business owners from a range of sectors to help tackle the late payment issue.”

Christine Gilbert, Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “As a major service provider to many small businesses, late payments can have a crippling impact on firms as cash flow issues can affect people’s jobs. It was good to learn more about the Commissioner’s role and commitment to addressing this problem, and I’m sure it was equally useful for him and his office after hearing from the small business community in Tees Valley and from across the North East.”
Odyssey systems are delighted that we have managed to raise a significant amount of money in support of our new customer, Age UK Teesside!

Louise Etherington, our business development executive, braved a sky dive last Saturday at Peterlee airfield, which brought in £500 of donations.

On a glorious, sunny day, Louise, with the support of her instructor, Dick (who is 70 years young!), took on the challenge en-route to raising the funds for this deserving charity.

We recently installed a new telephone system at Age UK’s Teesside offices and Louise’s efforts are a prime example that we are much more than a telecommunications company.

Our team regularly engage with our customer base and build lasting relationships through the excellent service we provide, as well as by getting involved in customers’ enterprises and CSR initiatives.

Louise well and truly flew the Odyssey flag at the weekend!

Speaking about her charity sky dive, Louise said: “It was a terrifying experience, but one that I am so proud to have accomplished! Age UK is a fantastic charity that helps many people and I was keen to do something to support its work.

“Dick was amazing and got me through it and I am over the moon to have raised £500. Many thanks to everyone who donated!”

Well done Louise, fantastic effort!
Odyssey Systems is progressing with its investment plans as it reaffirms its commitment to clean energy.

The Stockton-based telecommunications specialist is preparing the next phase of its head office development, which will see a large scale extension of its car park to accommodate electric vehicle charge points in preparation for a further investment in its fleet.

Odyssey will also be expanding its fleet of vehicles for its technicians when it purchases new, 2019 Nissan Leaf electrical vehicles, once available, as part of the long-term investment.

The company has embarked on its strategy to help future-proof the business and support its clients operating throughout the North East and beyond with effective transport solutions.

Odyssey has also installed solar reflective film on the windows of its head office building as an energy saving measure, which reduces the reliance on air-conditioning by its workforce.

In 2016, Odyssey invested in its new premises at Preston Farm, with an extensive fit-out and refurbishment, while also creating a further 20,000 sq.ft of space at the site to create fully-fitted offices for business tenants. The business park has several companies operating from it.

Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “Once fully-operational, the results of our long-term strategy will further enhance the delivery of services to clients that will improve productivity. It is a significant investment that builds on our move to a new, fully-functional head office, while demonstrating our ongoing commitment to clean energy and minimising our carbon footprint.

“This marks another exciting period in our company’s history as the site development and further investment in our transport fleet and new technologies will future-proof our operation.”
The team enjoyed a successful day of networking at the 7^th annual Tees Valley Business Summit, at Teesside University.

Odyssey was one of the 100+ exhibitors involved in the event, which we have continued to support over the years and has proven to be a great way to engage with fellow Tees Valley-based businesses and organisations.

It was nice to catch up with many of our existing clients, who were also exhibiting on the day, and refreshing to meet some new faces and potential customers from some of Tees Valley’s thriving companies.

Phoebe, Luke, Louise and Freya, our team on the ground at the Summit, also had the pleasure of meeting some of the region’s VIPs! We were delighted to welcome Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen to the Odyssey stand to give him an insight into our business and how we’re’ Keeping Business Talking’ across Tees Valley.

The Mayor has done a fantastic job so far in post and his vision for Tees Valley aligns with our own. His speech at the event captured perfectly that the area is open for business with unemployment in the North East at its lowest and investment in the region at its highest, which is supporting local businesses.

Here at Odyssey, we continue to follow this philosophy as we invest in new technologies and are always looking to create new jobs.

Stockton South MP, Dr Paul Williams MP, was another dignitary who paid the team a visit and it was another good opportunity to discuss Odyssey with a key figure in the area.

We always enjoy the Tees Valley Business Summit and we’re looking forward to supporting it again in the future, as well as other events in the region that help shout about the many successful companies operating in the North East.
Odyssey Systems is helping to support the expansion plans of Sam Turner & Sons after carrying out a major infrastructure project for the family-run agricultural merchant.

The long established, family-run business required a robust solution for its telecommunications infrastructure that would link its centralised head office operation to each of its sites, including Sam Turner & Sons’ newest site in Leyburn which launched in February.

Sam Turner & Sons currently operates out of four locations in the North East and North Yorkshire and the subsequent improvements to its telephony infrastructure will support its ongoing plans to launch further stores and add to its 180-strong workforce.

Odyssey, which has a longstanding affiliation with Sam Turner & Sons since 2005, carried out a full scale review of the business’ previous system as well as a site survey.

A full re-cabling was required to accommodate the installation of an upgraded, modern system by Odyssey’s team of engineers, which allowed Sam Turner & Sons’ employees to achieve full visibility, control and range across its locations. The maintenance and upgrade also provided a more economically viable solution as it reduced costs.

Established in 1931, Sam Turner & Sons provides services for both the farming community and the general public.

Charlie Turner, Director of Sam Turner & Sons, said: “The advantage of having an all-round system in place is paramount to the future growth and success of the company, as it is already helping to boost productivity gains and connectivity among our workforce across the North East and North Yorkshire. We do hope to expand with further stores, in line with the growth of our online side of the business.

“Customer service is key to our business and the improvements made by Odyssey have allowed us to monitor calls more effectively and communicate with people better. We have continued to enjoy a positive relationship with Odyssey and will be counting on its support again as we expand in the future.”

Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “We have enjoyed a longstanding working relationship with Charlie and Sam Turner & Sons for more than a decade, and our team have once again provided an effective solution to support its back office operation.

“The business has diversified over the years and is much more than an agriculture merchant, so Sam Turner & Sons’ telecommunications needs have changed considerably, culminating in this latest upgrade. It was a large scale installation, with plenty of maintenance works, and is another demonstration of our vast capabilities.”
We were delighted to welcome the Bank of England’s North East Agent Mauricio Armenllini to Odyssey this week to be our key speaker at a special business breakfast.

A group of Odyssey customers, including Armstrong Richardson & Co, Better Brand Agency, Charles Clinkards, Coles Solicitors, Jackson Law, Maguires Carpets, Sam Turners and Recognition PR came together to discuss the issue of productivity and how it is affecting their businesses and the wider economy.

Mauricio gave an overview of the economy, the Bank of England’s monetary policy, inflation and the recent rise in interest rates, which opened up a discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing businesses.
Productivity has been a key issue for the economy in recent years and guests discussed how the use of technology and improved processes are addressing productivity challenges in their business.

Guests also shared the consensus of opinion that the region is well-placed to tackle the challenges and embrace the opportunities the economy is currently presenting as they have done in the past, to build resilient, growing businesses.
Our Managing Director Mike Odysseas said: “We were delighted Mauricio could join us for our productivity breakfast. His level of knowledge is outstanding and he provided a real insight into what is happening in the economy, but he was also very keen to hear from the businesses around the table about what is happening on the front line of enterprise.

“Inflation also proved to be a lively topic of conversation with businesses around the table keen on a sustained period of no inflation to enable us all to give our customers the best deals and control our prices. Raising interest rates is a way of controlling inflation, but the recent rise has made little impact so it will be interesting to see what the Bank of England does next.
“However, while issues like inflation and, of course, Brexit concerning to businesses, improving productivity is a vital way in which businesses can counter some of those challenges. We are helping businesses through the use of new telecoms and internet technologies, which can enhance operations and it was interesting to hear from guests other efforts they are making to be more productive.”
Odyssey Systems offers a wide range of products to its customers, including call reporting.
Call reporting allows for full transparency of your telephone system, with the use of automatic call distribution, consolidated agent and queue management, historical and real time reporting and advanced call routing options.
Reports can be generated automatically with extensive information on incoming calls, average ring time, talk time, abandoned calls, total calls, busiest periods, etc.
Incoming calls can be directed to the correct department using number recognition and queues can be managed in real time and displayed using real time wall boards.
Our proposed telephone solution has the ability to be upgraded to integrate with your current CRM system, if the system is compatible. Customer records can also be programmed to appear on the operator’s screens, which are identified by incoming telephone numbers, providing operators with the ability to dial from the screen.
We would be happy to discuss the possibility of you joining Odyssey Systems. If you would like to arrange an appointment, please get in touch on 01642 661888.
As our data becomes our most valuable asset, keeping it safe is paramount.
In an effort to reduce risk, companies are moving their information “into the cloud”. Though the cloud sounds global and almost magical, it is simply a rack in a highly-secure data center somewhere.
Odyssey owns and operates our infrastructure, which allows us to provide a reliable, scalable and flexible range of cloud services to customers.
Below is range of products we can offer your business.
Domain Names
Register your domain name with Odyssey Systems.
We are a Nominet accredited registrar and can register over 1,000 different top level domains for your business.
Web Hosting
A hosting solution to suit all business requirements.
Talk to Odyssey about our shared, virtual and dedicated servers.
Email Hosting
We have provided customers with a fully managed email hosting service since 2006.
You can trust our infrastructure and team to keep your business communicating.
Web/Email Filtering
Take back total control of your network.
Eliminate spam and unwanted traffic from your business.
If you would like any further information on the products or on joining Odyssey Systems. please get in touch on 01642 661888.
Leading North East telecommunications company Odyssey Systems has helped boost productivity at Dunhouse Quarry and support its latest expansion with the installation of a ‘rock solid’ telephony solution.

Dunhouse Quarry needed to update its communications technology to increase efficiency in sales and administration, and create a platform from which to exploit current and future technological advances.

Odyssey, as longstanding supplier to Dunhouse Quarry, was engaged to provide a new resilient system to sustain increased demand and volumes of internal and external calls. Odyssey’s engineers conducted an entire overhaul of the quarry’s telephony infrastructure and a full scale re-cabling of telephone extensions at its site in Cleatlam, County Durham.

In addition, Odyssey’s engineers installed a modern hosted Mitel system to accommodate the increased extensions, while also upgrading the lines from ISDN to SIP. The state-of-the-art phone system has the ability to dial contacts at the touch of a button on a contact’s name, similar to a smartphone, saving time on dialling the digits of existing contacts.

Dunhouse’s existing CRM system was also integrated to support the upgraded software.

Dunhouse Quarry is a long-established family owned group of companies, which specialise in the stone masonry industry. Its production facilities are based in Staindrop, County Durham, and the company is able to carry out all aspects of the trade, including quarrying and fixing, mainly in sandstone and limestone.

Paul Allison, Director at Dunhouse Quarry, said: “Efficiency is key to success and communication is central. Our system was very old and was hampering our output at times and customer service, which is why we called on Odyssey Systems’s support.

“We have worked with Odyssey for more than 20 years and its team have provided us with a modern solution that is already paying dividends.”

Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Odyssey Systems, added: “Productivity is a major issue among firms up and down the country, and we are able to utilise the latest technology to support businesses meet their targets and provide solutions to improve efficiency amongst their workforces.”