Technology Reseller - v28

TECH TRENDS technologyreseller.co.uk 09 with younger companies at risk due to their flexibility and pragmatism and older companies vulnerable due to bloat and lack of oversight. For example, almost one third of SMEs that have been trading for more than 16 years do not know what cloud services are used by their company (31%) or what public file sharing applications employees use to share information externally. In companies that have been trading for 1-5 years, these figures are 13% and 9% respectively. Conversely, 59% of the youngest firms allow all employees to connect personal devices to the corporate network, with 44% allowing all contractors and third parties to connect to their network. In businesses that have been operating for 16 years or more, the respective figures are 33% and 6%. Coronavirus guidance Workplace expert Acas has produced guidance in response to the coronavirus outbreak. This includes tips on what employers should do if the virus spreads widely in the UK or if a business needs to shut down temporarily, as well as advice on sick pay and handling employees who have been quarantined or don’t want to come into work for fear of catching the virus. www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus Emergency cover Avoira has reported a 17% rise in videoconferencing sales enquiries since the first coronavirus case in Europe was identified on January 24. Adam Feakins, Avoira Head of AV and VC Sales and Operations, said: “Videoconferencing is an obvious solution. It recognises no borders, enabling continuation and expansion of meeting schedules, circumventing travel troubles and supporting international effort to contain viral spread.” He adds that the recent Storms Ciara and Dennis highlighted other reasons to embrace videoconferencing, notably reductions in carbon emissions and the time and cost of travel, especially during periods of disruption. Billing key to new end of contract rules Aurora is advising resellers to improve their management of customer contracts following the introduction of new End- of-Contract Notification and Best Tariff Information rules and Ofcom’s warning that it intends to carry out ‘randomised control trials’ if customer research suggests providers are not compliant within nine months of the regulation’s February 15 start date. The legislation, designed to give end users more transparency and fairness when buying their communications, requires broadband, mobile, home phone and pay TV companies to notify residential and business customers when their minimum contract is coming to an end and on a regular basis thereafter. As well as informing customers of general end of contract information, including notice periods, providers must notify residential customers about the best tariffs available to them when their contract runs out. To help comply with the new rules, Michelle Turner, Aurora Head of Service Relationship Management, recommends a billing system that allows resellers to manage customer contract end dates in one central place. She said: “Aurora customers are in a good position already, as Affinity Billing Enterprise has a range of modules that allow resellers to proactively manage their customers’ contracts and implement the processes which Ofcom are keen to see established. “Our Affinity Billing Enterprise modules include Contract Management and Customer Communications Manager and, together with Affinity’s Billing Enterprise View Management, they give the reseller the ability to quickly implement an ‘end of contract and best tariff’ business process and effectively manage their customer contracts. Functionality such as customising data, displaying chronological start and end dates and contacting customers via SMS, email and print are all available within our suite of modules.” www.aurora.io Michelle Turner, Head of Service Relationship Management, Aurora Experientialism is future of brand engagement, says Epson Experientialism is the new consumerism. So says Epson in a new report highlighting the need for businesses to provide customers with experiences that trigger emotions and create a powerful connection with brands. The Experiential Future highlights a growing appetite for new and exciting immersive experiences delivered through large-scale projections, interactive displays, holograms, virtual reality and augmented reality, with 60% of consumers surveyed saying that experientialism will become the future of events, hospitality and leisure. This belief is shared by all age-groups, including Millennials (68%), Generation Z (58%), Generation X (57%) and Baby Boomers (54%), although older consumers are less willing to pay more for tickets with an experiential element – 17% of Baby Boomers, compared to 57% of Millennials. Neil Colquhoun, Vice President CISMEA and Professional Displays, Epson Europe B.V., said: “New technologies are drastically changing the way that brands engage, entertain and communicate with their audiences. Our research creates a strong call to action for businesses and attractions to focus on including experiential elements for consumers.” Caption: Interactive, immersive and playful experiences are a key feature of a new exhibition that surveys the creative and scientific developments within artificial intelligence (AI) being held at World Museum, Liverpool from July 10 to November 1, 2020. Shown for the first time outside London and featuring work from leading scientists, researchers and artists, AI: More than Human explores the relationship between humans and technology and examines what it means to be human in an era of AI, algorithms and machines. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/ PoemPortraits by Es Devlin. Photo credit: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images