CRM On Your BlackBerry

It’s that time of year again – our new mobile phones have arrived! This year we have opted for BlackBerrys and are now busy installing SalesLogix Mobile, an exciting new application that we have recently launched.

As specialists in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, one of our best selling products is Sage SalesLogix – a system that we currently use in-house. We have recently started selling a new application which allows SalesLogix to be accessed directly from a BlackBerry handset, meaning that staff can access account details and update customer notes etc direct from their mobile phone.

We have so far sold this product to several of our customers and the Bond staff are now looking to enjoy the same benefits.

This application is just one of a number of business programmes that are being released to BlackBerry users and we are constantly looking to source new applications that complement our products.

Being able to update your customer details easily and conveniently whilst on the go is of huge benefit to staff, as well as ensuring your CRM database is constantly up-to-date.

With this in mind, we have decided to upgrade the company phones to BlackBerrys to enable our staff to update SalesLogix in real time.

We will post full information on the BlackBerry application soon, however, if this is something you would be interested in utilising for your business, please call 0870 043 4303 or email sales@bond-solutions.com for further information.

TWITTER HELPS BUSINESS OWNERS MAKE A SPLASH

Our managing director Derek Curtis is participating in a swimathon on Friday with a team he met on social networking site Twitter. Our recent press release is below:

Five local business owners are participating in the world’s biggest swim after meeting through social networking site Twitter.

The team, which consists of Heather Baxter of GENI, Derek Curtis of Bond Solutions, Mark Easby of Better Brand Agency, Lisa Forster of Angelfysh and Marianne Whitfield of Cobweb, will be swimming 5,000 metres on April 16 to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The group, whose businesses are all based in the North East, met on Twitter and decided to take part in the Swimathon at Sunderland Aquatic Centre. The swim will take approximately three hours to complete and the team, aptly named the Twimmers, is hoping to raise over £1,000 for the charity.

Derek Curtis said: “We all use Twitter for business purposes and we had been talking for a while previous to agreeing to do the Swimathon. We were all discussing getting fit and when the idea of participating in the event was mentioned we all jumped at the chance.

“It just shows how social media is bringing businesses together and can provide a great platform for businesses to network with others in the region. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and of course raising money for this great cause.”

Twitter is now one of the UK’s leading social networking sites with over 58 million members. It is a microblogging site where users can interact and post ‘tweets’ of up to 140 characters.

Heather added: “It’s amazing how many contacts I have made since joining Twitter last year. Since agreeing to do the Swimathon I have met several members of the team to discuss potential business opportunities. Although the Swimathon will be a challenge, I am excited to take part and hope we will exceed our fundraising target.”

The team’s sponsorship page can be found at: http://my.artezglobal.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=33848&langPref=en-CA.

Evil Elf releases our Jerri #missmurtagh

Fantastic news just arrived from the evil grotto, Jerri is free and on her way back to us (well she is going to the pub actually, it has been a very traumatic week for her after all!). The evil elf left us with this note:

You have all foiled my evil plan by being so "nice". I have just released your girl and she has got her hair straighteners, designer goods and yes her pizza back in time for the weekend!

She has actually talked my little elf ears off and I will be glad to see the back of her! I will return and will not be so kind next time.

Video released by the Evil Elf #missmurtagh

This video has just been released by the Evil Elf, make sure you turn the sound up. It seems the naughty elf is allowing our Jerri to indulge her love of dancing - in fact she was throwing some similar shapes at the Bond Christmas bash only on Saturday night.

The Elf also sent the following update with the video.

As you have still not paid my ransom demand, I will continue to keep your Jerri in my evil grotto. However I am quite surprised at how many people are looking for your girl now and I may consider releasing her if that continues. So if you can encourage a Twitter wave of Christmas good wishes, it may just win me over! I stress "MAY", as I am a cold hearted evil elf!

If you have any news of sightings please let us know by adding #missmurtagh to any tweets you send. We would like to start the wave of good wishes by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010. Please help us to get Jerri back by continuing the wave! We may just melt his cold heart!!

Evil Elf Update #missmurtagh

The following picture has been released to all the News Agencies of Jerri. If anyone sees her please let us know. Remember the Evil Elf has taken away her pizza and her designer handbag so please help us find her before Christmas so the Evil Elf does not steal all the toys!

Evil Elf Kidnaps our Jerri #missmurtagh

Our popular Marketing Executive, Jerri Murtagh has been kidnapped by one of Santa's evil elves and we need your help to get her back. We have received the following ransom note from the rogue.

I have your girl and I am going to hold on to her until Christmas unless you give in to my demands. I am going to use her to steal all the childrens toys from under the Christmas trees. She will do this by disguising herself as the Christmas fairy and climbing down the tree in the middle of the night.

Whilst I have her in my secret grotto she will not be allowed to use her hair straighteners, her lip gloss will be removed, no designer handbags are permitted in my grotto and she will be forced to wear cheap shoes. Oh and no pizza!

The only way you can get her back is:

1. If you find her - although that is unlikely as I have her well hidden! or


2. You pay my ransom demand of 1,000,000 Curly Wurly's.

So, fellow Social Networkers, we need your help to look for her, we will be posting photographs and videos of Jerri soon and we would like you to retweet them so that as many people as possible will recognise her if they see her on their Christmas Tree. Also we are sure we will be able to find her on Twitter, Linked In or Facebook if we look hard enough so we want to offer a reward for her safe return. The first person to find her via one of the Social Networking sites will receive a very special gift! If there are any sightings of Jerri at all or if you can give us any information please use the hashtag #missmurtagh.



We would like to have her back safe and sound in time for Christmas, please help!

SAGE ACCOUNTS OFFERS FOR NOVEMBER

Following the news that Microsoft will no longer be distributing Office Accounting in the UK from today, we are offering several discounts on Sage Accounts software throughout the month of November.

If you are currently using Microsoft Office Accounting you will qualify for a trade-in discount of 30% off Sage Accounts. Those who are not using any accounts packages will receive 10% off for this month only.

Sage Accounts is suitable for SMEs of any size and can streamline your business processes and provide you with up-to-date customer information. It incorporates a range of essential processes and we have picked out our top features and how they can benefit your business.

Billing, Payments and Finance
· Invoice production allowing you to manage supplier and customer payments and streamline the full process.
· The creation and management of sales orders, quotations, invoices and purchase orders which can be posted or sent electronically to the customer.
· Credit control facilities, including debt management, which make you aware of exactly when you should be paid and where debts lie within your business. This enables you to ensure you are paid on time and manage your payments correctly.

Project Management
· Project management control which allows you to see the costs and resources associated with a project through accurate analysis and the production of reports.
· A fully integrated stock management system with a stocktake function that links to your sales and purchase orders to ensure you have an accurate view of where your business is at each moment.
· There is also a fixed asset module which will allows you to clearly record, value and manage the depreciation of assets within your business.

Reports
· There are a series of reports that can display information such as aged debtors and creditors, profit and loss and balance sheets and reporting on stock and project profitability. You are also able to customise these reports at any time to display the information that is key to your business and its performance.

Integration
Sage Accounts links with a range of add-on applications as well as other Sage products such as ACT! and Payroll.

It also integrates with Excel so you can create reports within the programme as well as exporting data directly to Excel.

There are a series of packages available depending on the size and function of your business. These packages begin with Sage 50 Accounts – aimed at companies with less than 2 users, and span up to Sage 50 Accounts Professional – aimed at companies who require up to 10 users’ access the accounts system.

In addition to the accounts product, we also offer training, installation and support to ensure that you get the most out of your accounts programme.

As mentioned, this is only a brief overview of what Sage Accounts can do for your business so please contact our sales team if you would like any further information. The discount is applicable until the end of November and please quote ‘bondblog’ when ordering to ensure you receive this.

E: info@bond-solutions.com T: 0870 043 4303