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.

The search for the next Bond Girl is over

Derek Curtis MD Bond pictured with Katie Dodds

The search for the next Bond Girl is over. 

Katie Dodds, 23, has beaten off stiff competition from other finalists in the Miss Sunderland beauty contest to be crowned Bond Solutions’ Bond Girl.

The Wearside business software solutions specialist picked Katie, from Cleadon Village, Sunderland, to represent its business after hearing Miss Sunderland had returned to the region after several years’ absence.  Seeing the call-out for local business support, Bond decided to back one of the girls through to the final, and hopefully all of the way to Miss England.

Katie, a teacher at Horndale Infant and Nursery School in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, has modelled in the past and thought it would be a great experience to get involved in the competition.  Katie said: “I am honoured to be picked as the ‘Bond Girl’ and I hope I can make the company proud at the final. My friend was recently diagnosed with Leukaemia and I am trying to arrange a fundraiser to raise awareness of the disease. The team at Bond has said they will help me with this, which is fantastic.

“I haven’t told the children in my class that I am through to the final yet, but when I do I know they will all be very excited.  “I’m sure that they will have lots of questions about the contest and I can’t wait to see their reaction when I tell them.”

The grand final takes place on May 22 at the Stadium of Light and the Bond team will be at the event cheering Katie on.

Bond Solutions’ managing director Derek Curtis said: “We were very keen to support a local girl and cheer her through the final stages of the competition.

“I thought Katie was a great choice and I’m sure all of her students and fellow teachers will be very proud of her.”

Tickets for the final are available now and company sponsorship is still available for some of the final 24 girls – find more information at www.misssunderland.co.uk.

 

Withdrawal of Support for ACT v7 and v8

Sage have recently issued a “Withdrawal of Sale/Support Policy for ACT! v7 and v8”.  This withdrawal statement basically outlines their declaration that Sage will no longer provide technical support or additional licences to any ACT! v7 and v8 users as of 31^st August 2009.

Sage are adopting this policy as ACT! v7 and v8 are now 3 and 4 years old respectively and are not maintained or tested on the latest operating systems.

Bond will continue to support our existing ACT! customers with our “In House” support contracts. This may however be limited without second line support from Sage, and as such, we strongly recommend a review of your present system to establish if an upgrade to a new version of ACT! would be beneficial to your company.

Please note that without an upgrade, you will be unable to purchase any additional licences for ACT! v7 and v8 as this facility is also to be withdrawn from Sage, with effect from 31^st August 2009. As a result, Sage are currently offering an extra 20% off the already discounted upgrade price to the latest version of ACT!  Please note that this offer from Sage is only available until 30^th April 2009.

Please contact us on 08700 434303 or sales@bond-solutions.com for further information.

My Working Week

Derek Curtis, pictured, is the managing director of Sunderland-based management software company Bond, which specialises in technology-based Customer Relationship Management. He lives in Co Durham with wife Julie and Dalmatian Cubby.

Monday
I return home after a weekend in Monaco with Sage. Bond recently won a Circle of Excellence Award and Sage took us away to congratulate us and catch up on work, of course. I head straight to the office to begin working through my emails and then head out for a new business meeting with an engineering firm.

Tuesday
After picking up a nice strong coffee, I check my emails before heading into our weekly internal product meeting. Most of the rest of the day is filled with meetings. The first is a Scottish-based printing company who are interested in one of our new products. I then head off to my final meeting of the day which is with an existing client. I like to keep in regular contact with clients and the meeting today is regarding customer service, which the client advises has been excellent. I then drop my staff an email before heading home to walk my Dalmatian Cubby.

Wednesday
I head straight to a new business meeting with an offshore oil supporting company and then head to the office. After checking my emails I embark on finding the next Bond Girl. Miss Sunderland 2009 has returned to the region after several years’ absence and I am going to be sponsoring a finalist this year so I fill in the sponsorship form and send it across to the event organisers. I then have a meeting with Sage, our key partner, where we discuss our sales pipeline and any customer issues which have recently arisen.

Thursday
Early morning I am in an internal meeting where we are discussing the development of new products, something which I am always keen to push. The meeting proves very helpful and I leave with lots of exciting ideas. I then head across to Newcastle for a meeting with my PR company to discuss marketing my new products and creative ways of finding my Bond Girl. I then head back to the office for a training session on leadership management with the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). Our key members of staff are all involved and they all seem to have enjoyed the session.

Friday
I host a meeting with the support team about any outstanding or recurring issues and we develop a way forward by discussing all possible resolutions. I then walk Cubby - we have a pact in the office about losing weight so I take him out on my lunch to give him - and I – some exercise. I then head back to the office and catch up on my accounts and other various tasks before heading home to relax.

Bond bucks the recruitment trend

Business solutions specialist Bond has bucked the recruitment trend by adding a new member to its growing workforce.

Contrary to recent reports of staff cuts and increasing unemployment in the region, the firm, which helps other organisations grow through implementing business management software, has just welcomed a new software consultant to its Sunderland-based office.

Nick Bevan, who joins the Sage-accredited software solutions company with a strong background in software consultancy and sales in the technology sector, has been working in the industry for over eight years.

Nick, who commutes from his home in Great Lumley, County Durham, said: “I wanted to work somewhere exciting and interesting, with a wide range of large clients and this led me to Bond.

“Even though my background is mainly in consultancy, over the past three years I’ve developed skills in software sales. Also, as I’ve got a wide knowledge of third-party products that work best alongside Sage, hopefully this combined experience will benefit our customers and Bond alike.

“It’s been great so far, and the team here are fantastic. I’ve even managed to work with some major clients already and hope this will continue to grow. When I looked into business solutions companies in the area, Bond always came out on top for not only client care, but staff wellbeing too."

Bond managing director Derek Curtis said: “Nick is an excellent addition to our growing team. With his extensive knowledge of our products, as well as an understanding of how to communicate with our customers, he adds huge value to our existing customers.”

LUCKY NUMBER THREE FOR BOND

Bond MD Derek Curtis and Paul Stobart, MD of Sage UK

Experts at North East business solutions specialist Bond are celebrating being honoured for the third time in four years at the Sage Circle of Excellence awards ceremony.

As well as being the only North East-based firm to be honoured, they even succeeded in being placed an overall second in the UK-wide awards.

Sage introduced the concept of a Circle of Excellence four years ago in order to recognise and reward the Business Partners who provide outstanding customer service and whose customers are the most likely to recommend them to friends and colleagues.

Since the first ceremony in 2005, Sunderland-based Bond has succeeded in receiving the accolade nearly every year, narrowly missing out on the 2007 awards, and managing director Derek Curtis is proud of his team North East business solutions expert Bond, specialises in technology based CRM and finance, as well as solutions and support services for SMEs.

Derek said: “It’s such a great achievement for Bond and I’m thrilled that we’ve been honoured again. To come second in the entire country is fantastic. It’s a testament to the great service our team give to our customers; this award is an important recognition of that hard work.

“We’re always intent on delivering high levels of customer service and given that we specialise in customer relations management it’s fantastic to be acknowledged for our effort. Of course, with three wins now, it’s really raised the bar for next year!”

On presenting the award to Bond, Paul Stobart, CEO of Sage (UK) Limited, said, “I’m delighted to present this award to Bond. Today’s competitive climate means that it is more important than ever for UK Businesses to stay close to their customers and deliver an outstanding service, so my congratulations go to all involved."

The award is based on independent research into the extent that customers would be prepared to recommend Bond and is judged using independent research conducted with a representative sample of Bond’s customers.

SOFTWARE FIRM URGES IT INDUSTRY TO GET A BYTE OF THE ACTION

Bond managing director Derek Curtis and owner of Fisherman’s Lodge, Jocelyn Maxfield, warm up during Byte Night

IT SPECIALISTS at some of the North East’s leading technology firms, including Alnwick-based Tagish, braved the elements at the weekend, all in aid of homeless young people and those at risk of becoming homeless.

Even sudden downpours at 4am and the promise of Halloween witches wandering through the sleeping area in the grounds of Fisherman’s Lodge were not enough to put a dampener on the charity event.

Sunderland-based software experts Bond organised North East Byte Night in aid of Action for Children (formerly NCH), the charity that supports vulnerable and excluded children and young people including those who have recently left care or are homeless.

Byte Night is the IT industry's annual sleep out in support of Action for Children. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from the technology and IT industries spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children’s work.

Derek Curtis, managing director at Bond, said: ”It was such a great night. We spent quite a bit of it huddled under umbrellas, and chatting into the early hours of the morning. A few people were drenched when the heavens opened at about four o’clock, but with the survival bags given to us by Action for Children, most of us stayed relatively dry!

“There were rumours going round the group that a coven of witches from Jesmond Dene might wander through our sleeping patch, but sadly it seems the rain put them off. Even the swamp rats appeared to avoid our rain-drenched area.

“We’ve managed to raise an impressive £4000 so far, but obviously if people would still like to donate, they can. Next year, I’m hoping we can double the amount of people who sleep out with us; I’d love to be able to reach the £8000 mark.”

Helping to host the event and even joining in herself was Jocelyn Maxfield, owner of Fisherman’s Lodge. She said: “When Derek approached me with the idea to hold the event in the grounds of the lodge, I jumped at the chance. This was a fabulous opportunity to raise some money, as well as awareness of homelessness, whilst also having a lot of fun.

”I view the homeless in a completely different way now. No one would sleep outside and open to all the elements out of choice. We had the luxury of being in a safe, secure area whilst in the grounds to the lodge, but the homeless don’t have that. I hope the money we raised manages to help change this.”

The event began ten years ago when 30 individuals from the IT industry slept out and raised £35,000. Since then the event has grown to extraordinary heights, attracting 270 sleepers and raising almost £400,000 in 2007 alone.

In October hundreds of individuals from the IT and technology sector were exposed to the elements as they spent a night under the stars to raise vital sponsorship and awareness of youth homelessness and the difficulties faced by young people leaving care.

Large scale events happened in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh in October so Derek encouraged 13 members of the North East digital industry to join him for his inaugural event on Friday 31st October, in the hope that a large scale Byte Night can be organised here by Action for Children in 2009.

North East community fundraiser for Action for Children, Linda McDonald, said: “This is the first time that we’ve had a Byte Night in the region, so all us ‘sleepers’ were the guinea pigs. As it was, it was a wonderful success, and I would absolutely do it again.

“I think I was the only one who managed to get any sleep; I didn’t even notice the rain! It was certainly an experience, but the fact we raised so much is a testament to all the people who joined in. Derek was a fantastic organiser, and without him and Bond, this wouldn’t have even happened. Roll on Byte Night 2009!”

For more information on how to donate, or how you can be involved in Byte Night 2009, contact Derek Curtis at derek.curtis@bond-solutions.com or visit http://nebytenight.blogspot.com.

BARKING MAD DAY AT BOND

Derek Curtis, Bond MD, gets some IT tips from Cubby the Dalmatian during Take Your Dog to Work Day

Leading software specialist Bond, has opened its doors to man’s best friend today, as employees bring in their pet pooches for Take Your Dog to Work Day.

The annual event, organised by The Blue Cross charity, encourages dog owners to spend more time with their pets by taking them into work for a day. As well as promoting responsible pet ownership, the event also raises funds for the charity, allowing it to continue its work for unwanted and sick pets.

Managing director of the Sunderland based firm, Derek Curtis, brought in his Dalmatian, Cubby, and has discovered there is now a new top dog in the building. Derek says: “I love spending time with Cubby, and bringing him into work is wonderful. However, he does take control here and loves to let people know he’s in charge.

“We’ve had a great turn-out today. For most people, a dog is a very close companion, so to be able to bring that friend into work creates a fantastic atmosphere in the office.”

‘Take your dog to work day’ raises £20,000 every year in aid of The Blue Cross charity, with many businesses who have participated in the event agreeing that taking their dogs to work has greatly improved office life.

Derek continues: “Considering everyone is having a terrific day, at the same time as raising money, it isn’t bad going at all. I’d love to let everyone here bring their dogs in on a permanent basis in the future, but I’m not sure I could handle Cubby’s demands at home and at work!”

BOND HELPS PHONE CLIENT PUT E-PEN TO PAPER

Paul Enguita of Cellular Solutions, demonstrates the new E-pen with Bond MD Derek Curtis

Experts at business solutions specialist Bond have been helping field sales staff at communications specialists Cellular Solutions make sure information collected on their sales calls at customer offices arrives back at the base before they do, with the help of new technology.

The Cellular Solutions sales force uses electronic pens and special paper forms to record customer data, which is then sent back to the office via a Blackberry or other handheld device.

The pens work by capturing handwriting and transforming it into pen strokes, using a wireless ink pen on paper embedded with a digital pattern. Graphical images of original documents and business forms can be collected along with data and delivered as XML files.

The interface software that the Bond team implemented now monitors the data traffic and automatically updates the central Sage Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system which sits on servers at Cellular Solutions’ offices in Sunderland.

The new system means staff have up to date information at their fingertips to help them foster customer relationships, with a system that provides an instant overview of business and an accurate management, reporting and marketing tool.

Bond managing director Derek Curtis said: “The new application improves efficiency through faster and more effective data handling and will bring significant benefits for Cellular Solutions.

“The ability to have information automatically integrated into the central CRM system before the field sales staff even get back to the office gives the team a powerful marketing tool that helps them get closer to their existing and potential customer base.

“Although this particular project involved installing the software interface with Sage CRM, it can be used with any major CRM platform. The result is an ideal framework for anyone with a mobile workforce, such as financial services or the home improvement sector, or any business looking for more efficient management of customer relationships.

“As a Sage Circle of Excellence winner ourselves we were pleased to be invited to work with Cellular Solutions, which has a similar approach to using best of breed technology to constantly improve levels of customer care.”

Mike Bowers, managing director of Cellular Solutions added: “With Bond’s help we have already seen the benefits of the new framework, which is giving us instant access to information that is up to date on a minute by minute basis, and providing us with an essential platform from which to forge closer client relationships that will keep us in front of a very competitive market.”