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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.”

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.”

Odyssey Systems would like to show their support and appreciation to the North East Ladies day which was held on September 23rd,such a fantastic event raising money for local charities.

Two of our employees were lucky enough to attend the event and escape the office for the day and were delighted to be part of such an event.

NELD is an annual event where local women meet together in friendship, with the event raising substantial funds to support local charities in the North East of England.
The event includes a luncheon, an opportunity to make some purchases , a fashion show and guest speaker.

The event is well supported, with over 600 ladies enjoying the day , last year they raised £23,000 for two local charities fingers crossed they can beat last year’s total.

A North East telecommunications expert is issuing a warning to business owners to review their procedures and data storage, ahead of a significant legislation change.

Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Stockton-based telecommunications firm Odyssey Systems, is urging businesses across Tees Valley and the region to embrace the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in order to avoid heavy fines.

GDPR will replace the existing Data Protection Act from 25th May 2018 and change the way that personal data is obtained, stored and secured. It applies to all businesses that collect EU citizens’ data, which identifies individuals, including information obtained through video conferencing and call recordings, and will give people greater rights and control over their personal data.

As a result of the legislation change, businesses may be required to employ a Data Protection Officer to oversee the implementation, and staff will need to be trained in order to understand what constitutes a GDPR breach.

Breaches, and a failure to report them, can result in a penalty of £7.9m or two percent of a company’s turnover. For larger incidents this could even bankrupt an organisation.

Mike Odysseas said: “The financial penalties of any GDPR breach have the potential to cripple a company, which could bankrupt or lead to the closure of a small firm, so people must be aware of and respect these key changes. Staff training is essential and in some cases a Data Protection Office may need to be employed to oversee the implementation, which demonstrates the importance of the new directive.

“Firms using video conferencing and those which record calls, whether for training purposes or to monitor performance, must also be clear and ensure consent is agreed if personal data changes hands.”

GDPR will provide data subjects with the right to request that their personal data is permanently deleted and uncomplicated ways for people to withdraw consent must be available. It also covers indirect identification of personal data, which includes separate pieces of information that could lead someone to be identified.

The directive will also change the way in which firms contact third parties for data collection purposes, meaning companies will have to change the way they capture data as consent cannot be inferred.

Mr Odysseas added: “The changes could heavily impact on the marketing of businesses, particularly through digital marketing and subsequent data capture through emails, telesales or even text messaging. Firms need to review their policies and procedures well in advance of the changes to avoid potential headaches and consequences come May 2018.”

Nowadays, we see a lot of polished advertising campaigns offering us bigger, better and cheaper services. We’re constantly bombarded with messages encouraging us to switch energy, phone and broadband providers. The barrage of sales calls at home and in the office, grinding us down to invest in upgrades and new products. But among the appealing headings and slogans, we should all beware of hyperbole and misnomer.

One of the great misrepresentations in the age of the World Wide Web, is the concept of “unlimited broadband”. Consumers and businesses alike fall victim to the mis-sold product. Prepare yourself for a shock – truly unlimited broadband, doesn’t actually exist.

Broadband services are always limited in one of three ways. If you think about it logically, it would be impossible for any company to offer unlimited broadband to everybody, because bandwidth simply isn’t infinite. If everybody decided they wanted to transfer large documents or download high definition videos at the same time, it would soon become clear just how limited broadband is.

So-called “traffic shaping” is the most common way for providers to manage broadband service. It involves monitoring the customer’s usage, and slowing down traffic for example, those who are downloading data most intensively. This enables them to service more users, offering priority speeds to those dependent on fast internet to deliver smooth operation, but effectively limiting the access of heavier users.

Companies who don’t operate on a policy of traffic shaping, leave their customers at risk of falling victim to considerable congestion. Although not direct and deliberate, this is still a form of limitation and prevents unhampered internet access. Some internet providers, rather than offering “unlimited” access, provide variable bills based on actual usage, especially during peak periods. But consumers and business customers often feel uneasy about variable bills, with many still opting for what they have been led to believe is the “unlimited” option.

So, what’s the solution? Well, in the first instance, it’s about being realistic about the fact that your broadband speed won’t necessarily always perform at exactly the same speed. But it’s also important to establish priorities – buying in the cheapest “unlimited” offer, might not necessarily be in your interests. Companies may be piling users onto overstretched broadband infrastructure, ultimately delivering weaker service. But in an increasingly e-dependent world, especially in business, maintaining strong connectivity has never been more vital. In such a world, service and coverage must surely be a priority.

While it’s necessary to follow the rules of phone etiquette to make and maintain a positive impression of your business in the minds of callers, it’s also critical that you have a system in place that can provide a positive calling experience when you’re not available to pick up the phone. Odyssey systems auto-attendant was designed for that very purpose.
We’ll record a professional greeting that will make the right impression on everyone who calls your establishment. Your auto-attendant can relay critical information that your clients simply can’t wait to get as well, such as your hours of operation or your current specials. To learn more about how an auto-attendant from Odyssey systems can help your business make a lasting, professional impression on your callers, contact us today.