Five Signs Your IT Support Company is Letting You Down

Technology

Sam Allcock

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3 December 2021

Five Signs Your IT Support Company is Letting You Down

Contrary to popular belief, the relationship between a business and its tech support is hugely important. If you’re considering outsourcing the management of your IT to a professional company, then it’s crucial you do your due diligence and ensure they align with your goals and values before you sign anything. The work of an IT support company is fundamental in minimising disruptions in your day-to-day operations and cementing business continuity. As they play such a crucial role in your business operations, it is imperative that you find a service provider that aligns with your values as a business and understands your goals.

If it’s been a few months since you signed the contract, you might be wondering if the company you chose is right for you. There are many reasons why your managed service provider may fall short of the mark. Before deciding to switch or stay with your tech support, be sure to ask yourself the following questions to make absolutely sure you’re making the right decision.

Are they listening?

Understanding your business goals and aspirations, acknowledging your frustrations and otherwise building a relationship with you and your staff should be of the utmost importance to your tech support. If your IT support goes on about themselves and talks at you, then you may have come across a company that is all about pushing their agenda. It is of paramount importance that your tech support not only listens to your concerns and aspirations but actively takes it all on board and plans accordingly.

Are they delivering proactive solutions?

A professional IT company will offer a variety of different levels, services and solutions for your business. If you are paying for a fully managed IT service, then your chosen company should be actively monitoring and managing your tech. This is known as a proactive service, the idea being your tech support will find and resolve any potential issues before they escalate. Proactive solutions are rooted in management and planning. This kind of support should eventuate in a long-term strategy that future proofs your system and maintains your digital infrastructure and assets.

If your contract stipulates a fully managed service but you’re encountering a number of problems that have been interrupting your day-to-day operations, then your IT support company may not be monitoring your system as they promised.

Unplanned outages can cause major disruptions and severe migraines for businesses and their teams alike. If it’s within your budget, it always pays to avoid a reactive service, also known as break-fix solutions, where your tech support will resolve issues as they happen. Although it may be cheaper upfront, in the long run, a reactive service can end up costing your business more in unnecessary downtime, data losses and unexpected crashes.

Do you have a dedicated account manager?

There’s nothing worse than having to repeatedly explain a fault or issue to multiple different people every time you call – or even worse, being put in touch with a call centre representative who has no idea who you are, what your business does or perhaps most pertinent, how to fix the issue you are experiencing.

It’s important to watch out for a business that will pass you from person to person. A professional IT service provider will provide you with a dedicated accounts manager. This dedicated manager will build a relationship with you and your team, get to know your company through and through and build a strategy that nurtures growth within your business.

Are you receiving reasonable response times?

Are issues with your tech common? Do you have a growing pile of unresolved support tickets clogging up your desk and email?

Slow response times and a “there’s nothing we can do” mindset are immediate red flags when it comes to IT support. If you and your team are attempting to contact your tech support for help and receiving slow response times and lingering resolutions, then it may be time to switch your IT company. A slow response time is especially pertinent if your IT support is responding with disdain or even slap-dash repairs that only work momentarily. If you aren’t receiving a proactive, relatively fast response to disruptions, it may be time to switch to a provider who will.

Is your team picking up the slack?

If members of your team are diverting their time and fixing issues your IT support should be resolving, then it is definitely time to switch providers. Your staff should not have to resolve tech issues themselves in order to mitigate the effects of a poorly performing IT support service.

Although it can be difficult for you to pick up on this problem, the best way to avoid it is to regularly seek feedback from your staff about the performance of your tech support. Ensuring your IT support is doing their job will ease tension within your own team, boost productivity and in the long-term, cement your business continuity.

Finding the right IT support provider for you

A quick search on any online search engine will reveal hundreds if not thousands of IT support services local to your business all promising the very best in remote and in-house tech support. However, while it’s easy to find tech support, it’s a lot more difficult to find the right support for you and your business.

Your chosen company should align to the same values as your own organisation, as well as take your goals and aspirations into account. Nurturing business growth and evolving with your company should be their primary concern. A professional IT support service will also proactively manage your tech and resolve issues before they escalate, ensuring you experience minimal disruptions to your day-to-day operations in the event of downtime or a crash.

To start off with, try searching a few different keywords with your location. You might try ‘IT Support Bristol’ or ‘IT Management Margate’. From there, it should be easy enough to narrow down your choices until you find a company that vibes with your business. Just don’t sign with the first company you find!

SPAIN BUCKET LIST: THINGS YOU MUST DO WHEN VISITING SPAIN

Travel

Sam Allcock

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3 December 2021

0

SPAIN BUCKET LIST: THINGS YOU MUST DO WHEN VISITING SPAIN

Spain is a safe bet for a peaceful vacation, with beautiful Mediterranean weather, world-class food, and a nationwide mandate to snooze the afternoon away. But, in between being sunburned on the beach, eating fresh seafood, and alternating between siesta and fiesta, there’s a plethora of culture to discover and a bucket list to complete in Spain.

Everyone will have a somewhat different bucket list to reflect their own unique sense of pleasure. The great news is that Spain truly provides something for everyone, regardless of your hobbies. Do you enjoy architecture? Spain is home to several of the world’s most stunning structures and monuments. Are you more into amusement parks? Or how about museums? Or perhaps natural scenery? You’re guaranteed to have a great time in Spain. This is the ultimate Spain bucket list, including everything from world-famous mountain scenery to weird Surrealist museums.

See a flamenco show.

One of the essential things you should do in Spain catches a flamenco show in Seville. It is a rich cultural experience that you will never forget. Flamenco is a traditional style of Spanish folk music that dates back to 50 years, including dancing, guitar playing and hand clapping. In cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada and many more, you can catch a flamenco show every night. Don’t miss out on this chance of screaming “ole!” with the locals in Spain’s Streets.

2. Eat Paella

One thing that you shouldn’t miss when visiting Spain is eating Paella. It is a Valencian Rice dish that is extremely popular. It is also sometimes even mistaken as the national dish of Spain. Although it is not. There are different types of Paella, but the traditional one is made with grain rice, green beans and different meats like chicken, rabbit or duck. This dish will always have its taste lingering on your tongue. Be sure to ask around the locals for the best paella place because no one knows their Paella better than the Valencian locals.

3. Experience La Tomatina:

Spain is famous for its crazy festivals. If you visit Spain, be sure to experience the infamous la Tomatina. It is a food fight festival that is held every year in the Valencian town of Sunol. The participants in this festival throw tomatoes at each other. Trucks of tomatoes are dumped over the people waiting. This festival dates back to 1944 and is the primary source of attraction for people around the world. The Spanish People go all out to have fun. The masses party the whole night in the street, awaiting the tomato fights the following day. You surely will never forget this one in a kind experience ever in your life.

4. Eat at the world’s oldest restaurant:

When in Spain, make sure that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to eat in the world’s oldest restaurant Sobrino de Botín. It is located in Madrid’s centre and dates back to 1725. Famous people like Mozart and Clint Eastwood used to eat here. It is said that the flame in the oven of this restaurant has been burning since the time they opened. If you ever eat here, make sure to try their signature dish, whole aromatics stuffed suckling pig doused with white wine and crisped in a wood-burning oven.

5. Visit Museo del Prado

Another place you must visit in Spain is the national art museum, The Prado Museum (or Museo Nacional del Prado located in central Madrid. The museum has a lot of fantastic art pieces that reflect the history of Spain. Some of the amazing pieces that you must see upon your visit to the museum are Goya’s 14 Black Paintings, Caravaggio’s David with Head of Goliath, and Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights.

6. Go Skydiving in Empuriabrava

Spain is the land for adventure junkies. It has so many beautiful experiences to offer.

Another exciting thing you can do in Spain is skydiving. Although Seville is the place that offers the best weather for sports in Europe, if you want to head for the experience of real thrill, then Empuriabrava is your place.

Final thoughts:

Spain is a land filled with exciting places and experiences. This list is just a start; upon your visit, you’d find much more stuff to do in this rich and diverse country. Life is all about having unique and joyful experiences, so if you plan to go on a vacation and don’t know where to head then, this list should answer your question. Contact your agent and ask them how to apply for ETIAS Spain, get your visa, catch the plane and have the most adventurous trip of your life.

Is a telephone answering service really worth the investment?

ABC Staff

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3 December 2021

0

Is a telephone answering service really worth the investment?

The relationship between customers and businesses is quite different today than it has been in the past.

For many years customer decisions were based on who could provide the best product at the best (cheapest) price.

The customer service they got during the purchase was almost incidental.

Today the opposite is true.

Customers still care about the product and price.

But they’ve got so much choice over what to buy, they’re more likely to choose the company or brand that offers the best experience when buying.

If it’s an ongoing service, the level of support they’ll receive plays a much bigger part in who they’ll buy from.

Nearly three quarters (74%) of consumers now say they want a better experience.

In fact, 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience, and the more expensive the item, the more they’re willing to pay.

Businesses know this too.

That’s why 46% say improving the customer experience will be the top priority for them in the next five years, compared to 20% who say pricing is more important and 34% putting more into their products.

An easy way to improve customer service is to answer the phone when it rings.

The most effective way to do this is to invest in a telephone answering company to deal with all your incoming calls.

This gives you the benefits of guaranteed call answering and better customer service, but without the costs of hiring a full-time member of staff.

Like any investment in your business, you’ll want to know that a telephone answering service will be worth the investment.

Here’s how to find out if it’s worth the investment or not.

How many calls are being handled for you?

When you’re running a small business – especially a solo business – you can’t always be available to answer the phone.

Your time is precious and you need to be completing work to get paid or focussing on sales and marketing to get more customers.

But not answering the phone can cost you.

Whether it’s missing a new business call and losing out on a sale.

Or sending a paying customer to voicemail and risking the relationship if they start to think you’re not reliable.

When reviewing your telephone answering service, you should be looking at how many calls are being dealt with during the day that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to handle.

If you’re winning business off the back of those calls, what’s the value of the transaction compared to the costs of your call answering service?

If the value is more than the investment, you’re making a good ROI.

It might be the case that you can handle more calls yourself during busier times.

At which point, simply scale your call answering back and use it just to deal with any overflow – rather than all your calls.

How many meetings are being booked for you?

Booking meetings and all the admin that goes along with it can take a lot of time from your day.

Especially when you’re dealing with multiple people with competing time constraints, or balancing customers and other third party suppliers at the same time.

By using a telephone answering service you can have diary management taken care of for you.

Your call answering team can book your meetings and help organise your calendar, as well as provide any relevant information you need prior to the meeting.

Think about how much you charge per hour for your services.

Then think how much time you spend trying to book meetings or spend on the phone.

This is all time you’re not making money.

If you’re call answering service can save you hours in your week, that’s more time you can spend on paying tasks and growing your business.

What’s your customer service scores telling you?

We’ve already talked about how customers today are willing to spend more when they think they’ll be getting better customer service.

And that they’ll spend even more when it comes to getting great customer service for big ticket items.

On the other hand, frustrated customers will not only take their business elsewhere, they’ll actively encourage other people to avoid you too.

About 30% of customers who’ve had a bad experience with a company say they have or would share it on social media or leave a negative review online.

Making it hard to get in touch with you is a sure way to erode any positive customer experiences.

If you’re thinking of investing in call answering, survey some of your customers to get an understanding of what they think about your current levels of service and support.

You should be able to come up with a Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a base.

Then once you’ve had your call answering in place for a few months, rerun your NPS survey and see if the perception of your support and service has increased.

Connect calls from your telephone answering service to your CRM

If you’re running a business you definitely need a customer relationship management (CRM) system.

This is your Bible when it comes to all the interactions you’ve had with customers (both existing, past and lost) and should include details of how they came to you, how they converted, and how they’ve grown their business with you over time.

If you’ve got a good CRM, you can easily connect your telephone answering service to it.

What this will do for you, is track those customers coming into your business via your telephone answering service that you would have otherwise lost because you’d have missed the call.

Telephone answering vs full-time receptionist

If you need help dealing with call answering for your business, you have two options.

Hire a full-time receptionist.

Invest in telephone answering.

You might like the idea of having a single member of staff to deal with calls. But it’s not as simple as that.

For one, a receptionist with no experience can cost close to £18,000 a year in salary.

Plus taxes, plus pension contributions, plus holiday pay, plus sick pay, plus insurance.

And that’s before all the admin.

You also have to factor in that a single member of staff can only deal with one customer call at a time.

If they’re on the phone, they can’t deal with another call.

And you’ll lose your call answering when they go on a lunch break, or leave to get a drink.

But you’re still paying them.

With a call answering service, you only pay for what you use.

It could be the volume of calls dealt with.

Or the amount of time spent on the phone to customers.

You can also scale your telephone answering based on need.

Get more when you’re busy. And less in the quieter periods.

With a member of staff you’re paying their wage regardless of how much work they’re doing.

Using telephone answering as a growth tool

With so much technology available to you it can be easy to overlook the value of call answering as a primary source of customer service.

But given 60% of customers prefer to call a business on the phone when they need help, it would be a mistake.

Remember, while technology is a great tool, it should be used to adapt your business around what your customers prefer.

It’s not about forcing customers to use communication channels you’d prefer them to use.

A telephone answering service can be a cost effective means of ensuring your calls are answered professionally everytime.

That way, you can focus on growing your business and not worry about losing sales and customers when you’re too busy to get to the phone.

How secure is your business phone’s wifi hotspot?

ABC Staff

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3 December 2021

0

How secure is your business phone’s wifi hotspot?

Creating a Wifi hotspot using your business phone can be an easy way to create mobile internet for your laptop so you can work remotely.

It’s more secure than using public WiFi because it creates a personal internet connection for you.

Unlike public WiFi connections, which can easily be duplicated by hackers to con people into entering their sensitive information into a fake website, you know your personal WiFi hotspot is a legitimate connection.

Plus, it’s password protected.

But using your business phone to create a mobile hotspot doesn’t come without its own risks and potential problems.

Here, we run through the main things to think about if you’re going to tether a mobile device to your phone’s personal hotspot.

What is a mobile hotspot and how does it work?

A mobile hotspot is a wireless internet access point that allows you to connect your laptop or tablet to the internet through your phone when you’re on the go.

The majority of modern smartphones come with your own personal hotspot already built in, you just need to enable it.

They work by tapping into 3G, 4G or more recently, 5G cellular networks, just like your smartphone does.

As long as your employees have a stable connection on their business phone, they’ll be able to connect to the internet anywhere they want – ideal if they’re working remotely.

How to turn your business phone into a WiFi hotspot

The way you turn your phone into a WiFi hotspot will vary slightly from phone to phone, but it isn’t complicated at all and will only take you a few seconds to get it up and running.

iOS devices

Go to your phone’s settings then, depending on the model you have, go either straight to ‘Personal Hotspot’ or ‘General’ and then ‘Network’ and slide the switch on.

Android devices

Go to your settings and find ‘Wireless and Networks’.

From here go to ‘Tethering and Portable Hotspot’ and tick the box for ‘Portable Hotspot’.

Again, this will probably vary from model to model, so it’s best to check with a quick Google search or flick through your phone’s manual if you can’t find the right settings.

Security considerations

Using your business phone as a personal WiFi hotspot has clear benefits, but you still need to be cautious and smart about how you use it and keep yourself protected.

Switching on your phone’s hotspot makes your network discoverable to anyone nearby, including the likes of hackers and data thieves.

Hotspots on Android devices are “open access”, which means no secure password is created when setting up the hotspot and anyone will be able to access your network – as well as get their hands on your sensitive company data.

But you can create a password for your network.

Apple iPhones, though, automatically generate a secure password for your hotspot.

If your employee is the only one who should be using the network, then they should make sure they create their own secure password – something that’s longer and harder for people to guess.

This way they can prevent unwanted people from joining their network and using their data allowance, or potentially getting hold of private business information.

The best option is to use the hotspot settings to prevent other people from joining the network or to stop it being discoverable by other people.

This ensures it remains safe from hackers as they won’t be able to find the network in the first place.

Cost considerations

Hotspot data usage is directly related to what you’re doing on your other devices.

One of the biggest things to consider for your employees using their business phones as a hotspot is that it does run down their mobile data.

It can run it down considerably in a short time if they’re performing a lot of data intensive tasks.

Take Zoom for example, we’ve all had to use it at some point in the last 18 months.

Research from Whistle Out shows that spending one hour on Zoom uses up to 810MB of your data per hour while web browsing uses 60MB per hour.

If your employees are on meeting after meeting, this will add up quickly and it could mean they’re having to exceed their data limits to be able to continue working efficiently.

Before you’re allowing your employees to tether mobile devices to the business phone, make sure you have a data plan first that’s able to support them.

An effective remote working tool, that needs careful management

Creating a WiFi hotspot using a business phone can be a more effective and secure way of enabling employees to connect to their work systems.

It needs to be carefully managed though, from a security and awareness standpoint as well as from a cost perspective.

Make sure you have a business mobile phone plan that can support the use of mobile hotspot and data.

There’s a wide range of plans available with a number of reputable providers for you to choose from, so you’re bound to find something perfect for you and your employees.

Creating a Wifi hotspot using your business phone can be an easy way to create mobile internet for your laptop so you can work remotely.

It’s more secure than using public WiFi because it creates a personal internet connection for you.

Unlike public WiFi connections, which can easily be duplicated by hackers to con people into entering their sensitive information into a fake website, you know your personal WiFi hotspot is a legitimate connection.

Plus, it’s password protected.

But using your business phone to create a mobile hotspot doesn’t come without its own risks and potential problems.

Here, we run through the main things to think about if you’re going to tether a mobile device to your phone’s personal hotspot.

What is a mobile hotspot and how does it work?

A mobile hotspot is a wireless internet access point that allows you to connect your laptop or tablet to the internet through your phone when you’re on the go.

The majority of modern smartphones come with your own personal hotspot already built in, you just need to enable it.

They work by tapping into 3G, 4G or more recently, 5G cellular networks, just like your smartphone does.

As long as your employees have a stable connection on their business phone, they’ll be able to connect to the internet anywhere they want – ideal if they’re working remotely.

How to turn your business phone into a WiFi hotspot

The way you turn your phone into a WiFi hotspot will vary slightly from phone to phone, but it isn’t complicated at all and will only take you a few seconds to get it up and running.

iOS devices

Go to your phone’s settings then, depending on the model you have, go either straight to ‘Personal Hotspot’ or ‘General’ and then ‘Network’ and slide the switch on.

Android devices

Go to your settings and find ‘Wireless and Networks’.

From here go to ‘Tethering and Portable Hotspot’ and tick the box for ‘Portable Hotspot’.

Again, this will probably vary from model to model, so it’s best to check with a quick Google search or flick through your phone’s manual if you can’t find the right settings.

Security considerations

Using your business phone as a personal WiFi hotspot has clear benefits, but you still need to be cautious and smart about how you use it and keep yourself protected.

Switching on your phone’s hotspot makes your network discoverable to anyone nearby, including the likes of hackers and data thieves.

Hotspots on Android devices are “open access”, which means no secure password is created when setting up the hotspot and anyone will be able to access your network – as well as get their hands on your sensitive company data.

But you can create a password for your network.

Apple iPhones, though, automatically generate a secure password for your hotspot.

If your employee is the only one who should be using the network, then they should make sure they create their own secure password – something that’s longer and harder for people to guess.

This way they can prevent unwanted people from joining their network and using their data allowance, or potentially getting hold of private business information.

The best option is to use the hotspot settings to prevent other people from joining the network or to stop it being discoverable by other people.

This ensures it remains safe from hackers as they won’t be able to find the network in the first place.

Cost considerations

Hotspot data usage is directly related to what you’re doing on your other devices.

One of the biggest things to consider for your employees using their business phones as a hotspot is that it does run down their mobile data.

It can run it down considerably in a short time if they’re performing a lot of data intensive tasks.

Take Zoom for example, we’ve all had to use it at some point in the last 18 months.

Research from Whistle Out shows that spending one hour on Zoom uses up to 810MB of your data per hour while web browsing uses 60MB per hour.

If your employees are on meeting after meeting, this will add up quickly and it could mean they’re having to exceed their data limits to be able to continue working efficiently.

Before you’re allowing your employees to tether mobile devices to the business phone, make sure you have a data plan first that’s able to support them.

An effective remote working tool, that needs careful management

Creating a WiFi hotspot using a business phone can be a more effective and secure way of enabling employees to connect to their work systems.

It needs to be carefully managed though, from a security and awareness standpoint as well as from a cost perspective.

Make sure you have a business mobile phone plan that can support the use of mobile hotspot and data.

There’s a wide range of plans available with a number of reputable providers for you to choose from, so you’re bound to find something perfect for you and your employees.

Andrew Lazarus Sees Real Estate Success Along Central Coast

Property

Sam Allcock

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3 December 2021

0

Andrew Lazarus Sees Real Estate Success Along Central Coast

Within the Sydney real estate industry, philanthropist and hotelier Andrew Lazarus is a well-known name. His work has included flipping hotels and major properties to improve parts of Sydney. This preservation has brought back to life modern and historical buildings alike.

His high-profile projects have garnered a lot of attention—and not all of it favorable. It’s taken some hard knocks to learn what changes are right for a specific venue in a given location, says Andrew Lazarus. Like any great professional, he’s taken the learning curve head-on and has spent more than 30 years gaining the necessary experience for highly successful ventures. Adapting to the industry has allowed him to flourish in the Australian hospitality industry.

Among his top contributions to his community is his charity work. His goal has been to give back to help make the Sydney and Newcastle areas stronger than ever before. In addition, he often uses his hotel ventures to participate in community activities that support the Australian locals. His goal is to get his hospitality projects to a place where he can do more of the charity work with a hands-on approach.

Andrew Lazarus: Major Real Estate Projects

After three decades of work, it’s not surprising that he has participated in several notable deals. With many major projects currently under his belt, some of his most recent major real estate acquisitions include:

Vaucluse Home

In 2018, the sale of the $8 million Vaucluse Home made notable news. Prior to the sale, the Lazarus family owned the home for two decades. Ready to move on, Andrew Lazarus sold the property off-market to Jordana and Roby Sharon-Zipser. Roby Sharon-Zipser is the Hi-Pages co-founder and CEO. This purchase was a big step up from the couple’s previous North Bondi semi that sold for $2.85 million in 2016.

This house included a cabana, swimming pool, outdoor entertainment area and more, seated on an 845 sq m property. The residential dwelling includes five bedrooms and four baths.

Macquarie Hotel

The $25 million Macquarie Hotel in Liverpool was already undergoing renovations when purchased by Lazarus. His goal was to jump in the development boom of Sydney in the outer west with the property purchase. The building is located on a 1,000 sq m block and was owned by JDA Hotels group for the past three decades before being purchased by Lazarus’s group.

Shoal Bay Country Club

Located along the water, the Shoal Bay Country Club offers a high-class, family-friendly space. Purchased for an estimated $18 million, Lazarus saw Shoal Bay Country Club as something that could appeal to visitors of all ages. By 2018, Lazarus had completed a $6 million renovation that gave the iconic venue a nostalgic design nod to the past and a family-friendly atmosphere. The location offers a pub, beautiful views, outdoor seating, seafood, bistro foods and live music.

Beach Hotel in Merewether

Purchased by Eastern Hotels Group in 2019, this hotel was in desperate need of an upgrade. Originally the Newcastle hotel—but known locally as The Beaches—this iconic hotel is located on Merewether Beach and operates as Newcastle’s only beachside pub. As a two-story beachfront hotel, the views are fabulous.

Andrew Lazarus says he doesn’t want to change the nature of The Beaches. Instead, he wants to renovate the building for improved structural integrity, estimating his project will run around $3 million. The Beaches was previously owned by the Bale and Twohill families for the past 45 years. In 2016, it underwent a renovation.

Lazarus believes the hotel’s legacy should live on, staying true to what it has offered the Newcastle area. Before making any changes, he spent 2020 learning how the hotel functions within the area and what the clientele finds most important about the spot.

Future Plans for Andrew Lazarus

Andrew Lazarus continues to look for real estate deals that will produce assets for his company. However, he says his sights are shifting north of Sydney more often than not. “The market in Sydney is just very expensive and very competitive,” Lazarus explains. “And now that we have the three hotels in relative vicinity up here in Newcastle and the Central Coast, this is a region I’m more focused on.”

Areas of the UK that would take the longest time to save up for an average UK wedding

Finance

Sam Allcock

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3 December 2021

0

Areas of the UK that would take the longest time to save up for an average UK wedding

It’s no secret that planning a wedding can be extremely expensive. When you add up the cost of venue hire, registrar fees, invitations, flowers, catering, a wedding cake, music and entertainment, transport, photographer fees, hairdressing and makeup artistry, bridesmaids’ dresses and accessories – not to mention the wedding dress (which alone averages around £1,200) – you can be faced with an eye-watering figure.

The UK Wedding Report (2020) found that the average cost of a UK wedding is £16,005 – and that doesn’t even include the engagement ring or honeymoon. The venue and catering together represent more than half (52%) of all wedding costs, with catering spend per guest averaging £45.

So how long does it take to save up this kind of money? Research suggests it all depends on where you live.

A study by beauty experts Cosmetify analysed ONS (2021) data on the median pay for residents in 181 regions of the UK, to see how long it would take the average person to save up this amount if they put away 5% or 10% of their monthly wage after tax.

Areas of the UK that would take the longest time to save up for an average UK wedding

According to a recent study, people living in Leicester need the longest time to save for the average UK wedding, with residents of northeast areas such as South Teesside and Kingston upon Hull also needing to save for longer.

In contrast, those based in London will need the least amount of time to save for their weddings, followed by people in the Home Counties of Surrey, Berkshire and Hertfordshire.

Read on to find out how long you can expect to save for a wedding, based on where in the country you live.

Which areas take the longest time to save for a wedding?

Leicester

Situated in the East Midlands region of England, Leicester is the area of the UK where residents have to save the longest to afford the average cost of a wedding.

With a yearly take-home salary of £17,166.96, it’s got the lowest median wage in Britain.

This means if one person in a typical couple puts aside 5% of their wage they would only be able to save £858.35 each year, so it would take nearly 19 years to reach the £16,005 that’s needed to pay for the average wedding.

Even if both people in a Leicester couple save 5% of the median wage, it would still take them more than nine years to cover the cost of their big day.

Torbay

This borough of Devon may be fondly referred to as ‘The English Riviera’, attracting tourists to its delightful towns of Torquay, Brixham and Paignton, but if you live in Torbay it’ll take a good few years to save enough money to pay for your wedding.

The southwest region ranks second on the list of places that take the longest to save for the UK’s average wedding.

This is due to the fact that the median annual wage for the area is just £17,199.60. If one person in a couple saves 5% of their salary, they can only set aside £859.98 a year, meaning it would take more than 18 and a half years to reach the full amount.

Isle of Wight

Just off the south coast of England lies the country’s largest island – the Isle of Wight.

With an average net salary of £17,281.20, residents here can also expect to wait 18 and a half years before they have enough money to pay for their wedding day.

That’s based on one person in a couple saving 5% of their wages, meaning they’ll be able to put aside £864.06 each year. However, if both people in the average couple save for their wedding, they can save twice as quickly and cut their wait-time in half.

Nine years is still a long time to wait to get married, though.

City of Kingston upon Hull

Further down the list is the Yorkshire city of Kingston upon Hull.

It comes after places like Blackpool, Cornwall, Bradford, Nottingham and South West Wales, all of which take residents around 18 years to save for their wedding, based on one person in a couple saving 5% of their salary.

If you live in Hull and get paid around £17,876.80 (which is the median salary for the area), it’ll take you and your partner almost nine years to save enough money to cover the cost of the average UK wedding. Or just under 18 years if only one of you is saving up, as you’ll only be able to put away £893.84 per year.

South Teesside

Another part of Yorkshire makes the list of places in the UK that take the longest time to save for a wedding.

Located on the south bank of the River Tees, South Teesside’s residents get paid an annual average net salary of £17,958.40.

Five per cent of that comes to just £897.92, meaning it will take a couple living here almost 18 years to pay for the cost of the average UK wedding.

Which areas take the shortest time to save for a wedding?

Wandsworth

Out of the top 20 areas that take the shortest amount of time to cover the cost of the average UK wedding, 70% are London boroughs.

Right at the very top of the list is the southwest London borough of Wandsworth. It has the highest median annual income, with the average person being paid £28,623.60 after tax.

Even if just one person in the average couple saved 5% of their wages, they would have £1,431.18 after a year, meaning they could cover the total cost of their wedding in just over 11 years – that’s a full seven years quicker than someone living in Leicester would take.

Westminster

You’d be forgiven for assuming that London’s central district would be first for having the highest median salary in the UK, but actually, it comes in second place.

There’s not much in it, though, with the average person earning £28,378.80 per year.

For couples wishing to save for a wedding, it’ll only take 11 and a half years if one person saves 5% of their income (that’s £1,418.94) each year and a mere five and a half years if both partners set aside money to pay for their big day.

Camden and City of London

This is also the case for residents who live in the Camden and City of London areas.

The annual salary for people living in these London districts is £27,799.40, which means a couple can save enough money to cover the cost of the average British wedding in just over five and a half years.

That’s 11 years and six months if only one partner is able to save £1,389.97 every year.

Surrey

It’s not just those living in London who can afford to pay for their wedding within a reasonable time frame.

Outside of the capital, East Surrey’s median wage of £23,531.76 enables one person saving 5% of their income to reach the £16,005 target within 13 years and seven months.

People living in West Surrey take a similar amount of time to save for the average UK wedding, as the median annual salary after tax is only slightly less, at £23,303.28.

Berkshire

Another of the counties surrounding London makes the list for being one of the best places to live in when you’re saving up for a wedding.

The annual median salary here is £22,568.80, so if couples can save £1,128.44 each per year, they’ll have enough to cover the cost of their wedding in just over seven years – or twice as long if only one of them is saving.

Those living in the heart of Essex, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire are also able to save enough to pay for an average UK wedding in around 14 years, providing one person in the partnership puts away 5% of their salary (about £1,100) each year.

Considering the wedding industry is worth a massive £14.7 billion to the British economy, it’s no wonder the average cost of a UK wedding is so high.

“A wedding is one of the biggest days of anyone’s life, and the costs can mount up quickly,” said a spokesperson for Cosmetify. “Traditionally, the father of the bride is expected to cover the costs but that’s not an option for everyone, so it’s sobering to see just how long it can take to save for the UK’s average wedding cost.”

Here Is How Much SMEs Could Save On Ink Cartridges

Business

Sam Allcock

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2 December 2021

0

Here Is How Much SMEs Could Save On Ink Cartridges

Unmanaged printing costs might account for 1-3 % of an organization’s overall income. According to Keypoint Intelligence, 90% of businesses do not keep track of their printing expenses. As a result, many businesses are missing out on potential cost savings and environmental management opportunities. Ink costs an average of $50 per ounce, according to Consumer Reports, making it one of the most expensive liquids on the planet.

The most prevalent printer complaint seems to be the expensive cost of ink or toner cartridges. Yes, ink is expensive – especially for those who print in large quantities – but there are ways to cut your printing expenditures over time. We’ve put together a list of printing ideas that will help you save money. The majority of them are tried and true, but some have disadvantages or upfront expenditures to consider before applying them. It’s also a good idea to have a rough estimate of how much you print each month or even per year (either individually or for your business), as using influences which suggestions will work best for you.

Below we will discuss various ways SMEs can save on printing costs:

Purchase ink cartridges that are compatible with your printer.

When buying toners or ink cartridges online, don’t necessarily go for the most costly OEM brand. Instead, you might want to look into other options outside the branded ones. They are compatible with your printers and perform the same function for a considerably lower price. When compared to the OEMs, we provide high-quality printer ink online at costs that save you up to 30%. It is critical to evaluate the company’s customer service standards when choosing compatible cartridge options for your printer. One should do research on what ink your printer needs. For example, HP ColorSphere toner, which is normally available in black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, is used in color LaserJet printers and is compatible with HP toner cartridges.

Ink cartridges can be refilled.

Most consumers are unaware that instead of purchasing branded products, they can replace their used ink cartridges at several local printing establishments. This appears to be a more sustainable and cost-effective solution. If your cartridges are still relatively new, you should be able to refill them at least five to six times before needing to replace them. One thing to keep in mind is that some stores only provide ink that is compatible with specific printer models, so double-check before getting your cartridge refilled.

Purchase printer cartridges with a high capacity.

There are various types of printer cartridges and toners. To greatly lower your printing costs per page, utilize those with high-capacity printing options (usually referred to as XL or HC). However, you should think about your printing habits before making a purchase. If you print frequently, XL cartridges are ideal. However, if you do not print frequently, purchasing an XL cartridge will be ineffective, and huge ink cartridges will dry out, increasing your costs.

Invest in value bundles.

You may purchase cartridges and toners in various value packs or multi packs to save money. These bundles are available for both original and non-original products. When you buy in sets rather than individual packs, you can save up to 30%.

Select a low-cost paper.

A little-known fact is that inexpensive paper absorbs more ink than expensive paper, resulting in higher printing costs. Very thick premium paper, such as that used to make brochures or cards, on the other hand, can be quite expensive. A thickness of 80 grams per square meter is a good choice for everyday use, while significant business paperwork can be printed on paper with a thickness of 100 grams per square meter. Printing images requires a unique type of photo paper whether you work for a graphic design business or a photo book publisher. Printing using recycled paper for internal use is a cost-effective solution unless it’s the final copy.

Final Thought

It doesn’t have to be expensive to print documents, and you don’t have to spend a fortune on ink every month. You can stop wasting so much money on printer ink every month and free up more money in your budget by applying the recommendations mentioned in this post.

Exploring The Top Trends In The Printing Industry

Business

Sam Allcock

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2 December 2021

0

Exploring The Top Trends In The Printing Industry

Globalization and digitization are two developments that will continue to have an impact on the global economy. This has allowed firms to tap into markets that would otherwise be impossible to access without making a physical journey, but it has also created new challenges. The printing business is one sector of the economy that is continually changing.

The only constant is change. The intriguing point is that technology innovation has accelerated the rate of change, transforming the printing business significantly. Beginning with woodblock printing, the path has progressed to digital printing, 3D printing, and beyond.

Despite this, the printing industry provides services to a diverse range of enterprises all around the world. As a result, changes in this business might have a significant impact on others. As a result, companies must keep an eye on emerging trends in order to better survive in this fast changing world. The printing industry has undergone a significant transition in the last decade or two. The printing process has been entirely overhauled, making the entire experience more easier for users. One of the main worries of printer owners all over the world is the availability of low-cost printers that can produce high-quality printouts.

Below we will discuss the top trends currently being seen in the printing industry:

The importance of sustainability

Companies have learnt over time that technical advancement without consideration for the environment is harmful to their survival. This is due to the fact that rapid technological advancements have resulted in increased carbon footprints. As a result, eco-friendly ideas and practices are increasingly in demand. The growing importance of printing technologies in a wide range of industries has prompted scientists to develop decreased solvent liquids and inks, UV curable processing, and effective waste management to lessen printing’s negative environmental impact.

Printing innovation thrives.

Printing companies have been competing to be the best since the beginning of the year. Consumers may anticipate greater innovation in printing monitoring, tools and techniques. Clearly, the sector is looking for methods to become more profitable, and innovation is the key output that everyone will witness in the near future as a result of this search. One aspect that is constantly evolving is the various selection of cartridges. Visit this site for more information on current cartridge trends.

Inkjet is making a comeback.

Inkjet printing has made a comeback, just when everyone thought it was obsolete technology. Because of their cost-effectiveness, inkjet printing systems have remained popular in specific industries for many years. However, technological advancements and innovation have spawned a new generation of inkjet printers that boast faster processing and output speeds as well as higher quality.

Printing in the Cloud

It is not an exaggeration to suggest that cloud printing has the potential to revolutionize the printing industry as a whole. This is due to the fact that many industry players, as well as others, have made it possible for customers to print straight from their cloud solutions. Furthermore, the ability to send print commands remotely and have the result sent to the location of your choice is a unique feature for users. As a result, customers can enjoy the convenience of printing from anywhere at any time. Cloud computing’s main advantages are its dependability and convenience.

Industrial printers’ expansion

Digital printing applications for industrial businesses are predicted to grow exponentially in the next few years. Construction companies, for example, use 3D printers to ‘create’ buildings. As digital printing has permitted quick utilization in textiles, labeling, packaging, and many other industries with essential design needs, the possibilities are unlimited. As a result, in a wide range of businesses, the imagination of personalization has no bounds.

Advanced printing security

This is one of the most common requirements of every printing company. No business or organization can function without a strong security system. A lot of stern and drastic adjustments have been made in this regard. Due to the rising number of threats, it has become critical to take some difficult steps in order to improve security. Some of the most recent advancements in security printing include advanced substrates, 2D bar coding, biometrics, and unique linkages.

Final Thought

Several businesses are taking advantage of this printing industry development. However, it is still not fully utilized. This new technology will be adopted by an increasing number of individuals because it allows them to print using their tablet computers and smart phones. Most companies now provide cloud printing services, which allow your printers to connect to cloud servers, as indicated above. Cloud printing is a more cost-effective option than purchasing pricey servers and resources.

Financial App Development: Fresh Ideas and Best Practices

Finance

Sam Allcock

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2 December 2021

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Financial App Development: Fresh Ideas and Best Practices

Fintech app development can be a daunting task. A good product must be functional, easy to adopt, and have a snazzy feature that sets it apart from hundreds of other apps. Before your dive head-first into creating a new piece of software, check out your competition, and don’t forget about the customer needs analysis. If you are interested in financial app development, this website can provide a list of solutions for building anything money-related. Whether your goal is a simple calculator or the whole smorgasbord of features from cashback to investing, you should give it a look.

The Most Popular Categories of Fintech Software

Financial institutions were the first to use the full potential of emerging digital technologies to create new solutions for their customers. Once mobile Internet access became more available, banks, lending providers, brokerages, and startups flooded the market with apps. However, most of them are niche products, devoted to specific end-user goals.

Types of Fintech apps:

personal finances and budgeting;
bookkeeping for businesses and individuals;
online banking platforms;
tax management;
P2P lending software;
e-commerce payment gateways;
credit score calculators;
cashback and rewards;
cryptocurrency exchanges;
brokerages;
pension and insurance;
crowdfunding solutions.

Experts estimate the market size for financial app development to be more than $300 billion. It is projected to rapidly grow in the next decade, as more people around the world switch to digital for all their financial needs.

Choosing a profitable niche for your Fintech project is the first step to building a successful app. Let’s examine some of the most popular categories and list the best cases for each.

Personal finances and budgeting

Individual wealth management is one of the fastest-growing areas of Fintech app development. Users connect these mobile apps to their bank accounts to monitor expenses, set aside some funds and plan their monthly and yearly budgets.

One of the most popular apps of this type is Mint. It comes with a basic free version and paid features like personal investment advising. It tracks your goals and can provide a general overview of your financial health. Being praised for its easy-to-navigate UI, it has the largest user base to date.

Features to include in your app:

integration with multiple bank accounts;
support for international currencies;
dashboard to track earnings and spendings;
estimates and budgeting forecasts;
ability to set recurrent payments and create schedules.

Bookkeeping for businesses and individuals

Businesses from small to large and solopreneurs depend on accounting software. While corporations often prefer sophisticated custom-built solutions, “the smaller fish” uses convenient and streamlined mobile products of financial app development.

This market niche continues to grow at an almost 10% annual rate. QuickBooks is probably the most downloaded app of this type. Directed at mom-and-pop shops, other smaller businesses, independent online stores, it provides users with basic accounting features, invoicing, and payroll. It automates many time-consuming tasks allowing entrepreneurs to concentrate on sales or product development.

Features to include in your app:

managing all accounts payable and receivable;
directing cash flow;
managing depreciation of business assets like equipment or real estate;
international currency conversion;
integration with a bank account and merchant accounts on platforms like PayPal;
expense tracking and forecasting;
budget allocation.

P2P lending software

Crowdlending is one of the largest financial market segments that has shown incredible growth in app development. Pandemic has positively impacted P2P lending, with more people looking for alternative ways to borrow money or earn a small profit by lending it. Experts the niche to expand at a rate of almost 30% during the next decade.

Digital wallets like Venmo present their users with a range of options, in addition to allowing them to pay and get paid. Lending is a natural feature to include in any peer-to-peer transactional app. Unlike banks, crowd lenders on the platform don’t require borrowers to provide background checks or credit scores. While it is a high-risk activity, P2P lending can be a lifesaver in some situations. The revenue model for app development usually includes charging users a small fee for every transaction.

Features to include in your app:

calculators for loans;
creditworthiness score;
pre-qualification for borrowers;
user matching to find the best lender-borrower pair, using such measures as interest rate or loan amount;
investment algorithm that helps lenders diversify their loan portfolios to mitigate risks.

Cryptocurrency exchanges and other blockchain apps

App development for blockchain and cryptocurrency shares many of the characteristics found in other financial software. What makes it innovative is the ability to trade and receive crypto funds while remaining completely anonymous, and their decentralization. Blockchain apps are not limited to trading. This technology can be applied anywhere from logistics to compliance checks.

Binance, one of the more widely used platforms, has a mobile app that allows its users to trade more than 500 tokens, store them in a digital wallet, and even lend and borrow cryptocurrency.

Features to include in your exchange app:

anti-fraud measures that include user authentication and verification;
an engine for trading assets;
analytics and forecasts;
hot and cold wallets for storing tokens;
alerts and notifications for traders;
private and public APIs
protection from DDoS attacks and other security features.

App development for payment gateways

Payment gateways are a necessary part of all digital products developed for online payments. Bundled, or stand-alone, these apps allow their users to securely transfer funds, pay for products and services and manage their e-commerce stores. While the market is divided between a few large companies, like Stripe or PayPal, there’s always a place for a new startup that can offer breakthrough niche solutions.

Features to include in your app:

full compliance with international card processing security standards;
anti-fraud detection;
secure user data storage to remove the need to manually enter payment info;
international currency support.

Conclusion

Financial app development remains a hot spot for global growth. Despite the ever-increasing competition, the market continues to expand at an astonishing rate offering possibilities for Fintech players big or small. Experts advise digital entrepreneurs to focus on a smaller niche or audience instead of creating a “swiss-army-knife” solution. Active mergers and acquisitions performed by larger corporations provide newcomers with an option to build and sell their niche-focused or technology-driven companies for a sizable profit.

Benefits of hiring a private taxi when travelling for business

Sam Allcock

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1 December 2021

0

Benefits of hiring a private taxi when travelling for business

As the world is starting to open up its borders once again more of us are starting to travel especially if it’s for vital business trips. If you have taken a business trip then you will know that getting from one place to another isn’t as easy as it seems.

In larger cities, you often have to catch tubes, busses, trains and on top of that, you have to walk to your final destination too. Some business people also travel via taxi but waiting around the taxi rank is often a waste of time too.

In this article, we will take a look at the benefits of hiring a private taxi and how it can cut down on stress and make your business travel more enjoyable.

Benefits of hiring a private taxi

For a long time, a private taxi was thought of as just a more expensive version of a taxi and while sometimes this may be the case, it isn’t always. Companies such as Airport Transfers run and compare all of the latest taxi fares from your pickup to destination and provide the cheapest fairs back to you. The price on this is often the same price as a normal taxi with all of the added benefits.

Travelling via taxi is all about convenience. A private taxi is often more convenient as there isn’t any downtime and often the taxi driver is the one waiting for you.

Traditional taxis can also pick others up on the way if they are doing a busy run in places like London. Not only is this inconvenient to you but with Covid being around it also isn’t the safest option. Covid restrictions have cut down on taxi sharing but it still happens.

Private taxis are also comfier and if you have a long journey to the airport or hotel then hiring an executive type car such as a Mercedes, BMW or Audi will make your journey that more enjoyable. These cars are more equipped for business usage too and if you have to work while you travel at least you will have more room to do so in an executive type car rather than a minicab.

Private taxis are also available at all times of the day, for example, let’s say you travel to London for business and want to get to the city centre, in the middle of the day it’s easy enough to do so via the tube stations, however when these stop it can make your business travels more difficult. If you are travelling late at night you may also want to think about your safety.

Travelling during the later hours will make you more susceptible to being robbed. Especially in bigger cities such as London. Using a private taxi you are going to be safer as you can walk straight from the arrivals terminal to your driver who will be waiting outside for you. Getting in normal taxis or Uber taxis can be dangerous too as you never know who’s driving you. Hiring a private taxi firm on the other hand you are a little bit safer as if you hire a company that has good feedback then the drivers will have been vetted for your safety.

Private taxi drivers are often trained in hospitality and offer a better service overall. They often know better routes and hidden gems that you should visit too. The main advantage of a private taxi is that they aren’t trying to rush you like other drivers because their business model is different so even though they will get you to your location on time, they won’t be rushing and driving unprofessionally to do so.

Should you hire a private taxi when travelling for business?

Private taxis are more affordable than you may think, however, if you compare it to public transport it’s not as cheap. Public transport is cheaper but lacks the convenience of a private taxi. With that in mind, it will help you to make your decision.

When travelling for business, if you know you have a long meeting or long journey ahead it may make sense to use a private taxi. However, if you are travelling and you don’t have a meeting on the same day and you arrive in the day then it may make sense to get public transport.

One of the biggest reasons you would use one method over the other would be dependant on your budget. If you have a budget for a private taxi then chances are you are going to choose this method every time.

Private taxis for business travel conclusion

We hope you now have a better understanding of why you would use a private taxi rather than public transport. As you can see the main benefits of hiring a private taxi is comfort and convenience. If you would like to book a private taxi for a business trip you are taking be sure to do your research beforehand. Some companies have better prices than others while having better reviews too.

2. Eat Paella

3. Experience La Tomatina:

4. Eat at the world’s oldest restaurant:

5. Visit Museo del Prado

6. Go Skydiving in Empuriabrava

Andrew Lazarus: Major Real Estate Projects

Vaucluse Home

Macquarie Hotel

Shoal Bay Country Club

Beach Hotel in Merewether

Future Plans for Andrew Lazarus

Areas of the UK that would take the longest time to save up for an average UK wedding

Which areas take the longest time to save for a wedding?

Leicester

Torbay

Isle of Wight

City of Kingston upon Hull

South Teesside

Which areas take the shortest time to save for a wedding?

Wandsworth

Westminster

Camden and City of London

Surrey

Berkshire

Purchase ink cartridges that are compatible with your printer.

Ink cartridges can be refilled.

Purchase printer cartridges with a high capacity.

Invest in value bundles.

Select a low-cost paper.

Final Thought

The importance of sustainability

Printing innovation thrives.

Inkjet is making a comeback.

Printing in the Cloud

Industrial printers’ expansion

Advanced printing security

Final Thought

The Most Popular Categories of Fintech Software

Personal finances and budgeting

Bookkeeping for businesses and individuals

P2P lending software

Cryptocurrency exchanges and other blockchain apps

App development for payment gateways

Conclusion

Benefits of hiring a private taxi

Should you hire a private taxi when travelling for business?

Private taxis for business travel conclusion

ABC Money 2025 - 1st Edition

Magazine - 2025 Edition