EOFY shock… Seesawing costs? Alarming figures? Help! My I.T. Costs are out of control!

With the end of the financial year on the horizon you could be faced with the daunting realisation that your I.T. expenses have been seesawing erratically from month to month – not to mention the alarm at seeing your bottom line!

Post EOFY when you’re ready to start your budgeting and forecasting for the next financial year – you may be scratching your head and wondering how you’ll be able to do this. Perhaps you will work on an annual average to achieve this, with the hope that there won’t be any big issues to blow your budget out of the water....

Does this sound like your I.T. support finance strategy?

If you answered yes then it’s probable that you would have
(a) thought about the productivity loss to your business due to downtime,
(b) you or a staff member are trying to fix it yourself before you call your I.T guy because he charges by the hour to fix the issue and who knows how long that will take to fix (and let’s hope he’s not busy because you need it fixed NOW!)

Would you dare to actually calculate the productivity loss as a figure that impacts your business’ bottom line....? How would you do this? CPS has a calculator that can actually do this if you dare....!

Or how does a ‘quick fix’ to eliminate all of the above sound?

Too good to be true...? 

Well actually it’s not. Ask us how a fixed fee with unlimited support to everyone in your company can be your ‘quick fix’ for your I.T. pain.

Not only do we help you forget the budgeting and forecasting guess work, we provide you with a detailed report every month to justify your I.T. operating expense!

To find out more ask us. We can give you a full I.T. audit and testimonials from our customers who have rid themselves of their EOFY I.T. pain.

EVOLUTION is the revolution; it’s a WIN, WIN I.T. support arrangement because our goal is the same as yours… 


                                                       ZERO issues with 100% uptime!

Management and Staff at CPS Technology Group would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued custom and support throughout 2011 and wish you all a very safe and Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year… We look forward to working with you in 2012!!

From the Director Another year has passed, and CPSTG has again produced a memorable year, winning a large number of major projects. Our Technology is being recognised as best of breed and our ability to integrate into difficult environments has been proven many times over. Our numbers have grown in both sales and technical resources and several new positions will be filled early in the new year. We have continued our expansion into the Asian market and have had several major wins in the Telco segment. The company continues to grow and build a sustainable future. We are a very different company from where we started in 1989. Many of our previous competitors have not made it through the technological change barrier, and a large number of our former strategic partners are no longer in existence. Yet we have been successful in rebuilding and reinventing ourselves through these rapidly changing times. The road ahead is exciting. Technology and markets are continually changing and we need to be ahead of the trends. This involves research, planning and commitment to drive change. The management of this company is dedicated to ensuring that we are always moving forward and delivering our customers the best technology at the most affordable price. We are an Australian company with great ambitions, growing our Australian business, expanding into Asian markets and investing in our own technological IP. We have new world-class solutions ready for you next year. We look forward to bringing you a full suite of business solutions, which will solve a wide range of your business technology needs. On behalf of all the staff at CPS, I would like to you wish you a Happy and Safe Christmas. Happy Holidays. Holiday Hours CPS Technology Group’s offices in Balwyn and Wollongong will be open during the Christmas period (excluding public holidays) and offering 24x7 support to customers.

Telephony etiquette... customer service begins here...

High quality customer service is an important element to the success of any company. You need to rely on all parts of the business to provide high levels of service excellence to your customers.  To be market leaders, you need your customers to rate you more highly than your competitors, in each and every dealing you have with them.

You know you have the products, services, infrastructure and solutions that your customers are looking for, but that’s not enough!  You shouldn’t be content that customers are simply happy with you.  You want them to be absolutely delighted with you.

Is answering the phone part of providing customer service?

                                                                       YES!

It’s about creating ‘Service Excellence’.

Our view of excellence is multi-faceted. One facet of excellence, perhaps the most important aspect is communication and the universal tool for communication is the telephone. In today’s work world the phone dominates as a tool for selling, buying, researching, providing services and making lasting impressions. It can also be a source of great frustration, puzzlement and agitation.

The difference between a positive and negative experience with a phone call is you. The human factor in all communications makes the difference. Customers need to feel taken care of, well informed and motivated. When you answer the phone, it’s that 'human moment' when customers can actually experience what it would be like working with you and your people.

How does this apply to answering the phone?

1.   Clear your mind

Be present with your caller.

Being present requires focus. Your centre of interest should be on the caller and their conversation. Allowing distractions can result in important information being overlooked or worse, the caller identifies you as a poor provider of customer service and tells others.

Hints:

• Turn away from your computer and desk when you answer the phone
• Put down your reading material.
• Focus your attention on the caller
• Take the gum out of your mouth
• No drinking or eating during the conversation

2.   Prepare your voice

Did you know, when you smile while you are talking it comes across in your voice? Let your personality shine through on the phone.

Hints:

• Take a deep breath before you pick up the phone
• Smile before you speak
• Assume your speaking voice, controlling speed, tone and volume
• Speak clearly

3.  Be prepared before you respond

Be prepared to answer the phone. It’s not an interruption, it’s your job. Have pencil and paper ready; prepare mentally to be present with the caller. Write down the caller’s name immediately. If the caller doesn’t identify him or herself – ask for a name… “May I say whose calling?” “Could I have your name please?” “With whom am I speaking?” All are polite, appropriate ways to get the caller’s name. Use their name frequently throughout the conversation. Use all of your listening skills, focus your attention on the caller, speak calmly and choose your words. Be careful to avoid jargon or acronyms not universally familiar.

Hints:

• Listen not only to what the speaker is saying but to their unspoken thoughts as well. What is it this person isn’t saying that is important to the conversation?
• Be sure to get clarification. “If I understand you correctly…”, “So you are saying that…” “This is what I understand you are telling me…”

4.  Treat the caller with respect
 
     Respect means: being efficient, effective, empathetic and responsive.


5 Forbidden Phrases

    “I Don’t Know”
    “I/We Can’t Do That”
    “You Have To”
    “Just a Second”
    “No”



Ralph Nichols:
“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”

Going to work doesn’t have to be a pain in the neck.

Twenty years ago, when I began my first job as a typist and data entry operator, telephone headsets were only used for Dictaphone typing.  However my boss used to like using the telephone for dictating his ideas, and I can remember many occasions where I had the phone cradled under my ear like a baby while typing out his missives.  By the time I’d get home of an evening, I’d have a heat pack on my sore neck and wouldn’t be able to turn my head properly for days.  Little did we know back then of the long term implications of cradling our phones between our ear and shoulders.

These days, I’m surprised when I visit other offices and find staff STILL doing this.  Even with the cheap, readily available options of headsets, people are still craning their necks in unnatural ways and probably paying the price at the chiropractors!

Carolyn Johnson, from our Wollongong office trains telephone operators.  Many of her clients say that using the headset and lifter allows them to be a lot more efficient. They are not constantly running or leaning for the phone when they are trying to fax or photocopy. They can answer the call at the photocopier and then walk back to the desk to transfer the call if required.

Carolyn says “Sure they may not be going through as many pairs of shoes or getting the same level of exercise but the blood pressure is down and so is the stress level in the workplace”

There’s even a study which shows that headsets reduce neck pain, upper back pain and shoulder tension by as much as 41 percent.  And in an additional study, they concluded that adding hands-free headsets to office telephones improved productivity by as much as 43 percent!   This makes sense if you think about the freedom a headset can give you to multitask.  You are no longer chained to the desk for the duration of a call. You can retrieve faxes or make photocopies, mouth silent reminders to colleagues or even start preparing your lunch!    From a company’s point of view, they should factor in the sick leave, doctor’s appointments and in some cases worker’s compensation claims centred on neck and shoulder pain.  

So if your pain in the neck is something we can help with (we can help with some, but not all!) click here to view the specials on headsets we are running between now and June 30th. 

CPS gets worded up on Cisco

With the purchase of Accent Business Technology, CPS Technology Group are now able to offer a host of Cisco products and solutions to our customers.

Three of our Victorian business development team members, Dean Mather, Paul McKersey and John McIver are currently undergoing sales certifications with Cisco, the focus of which is on Unified Communications.  This is required to increase their own product knowledge, as well as further enhance CPS's relationship with Cisco.  Through this process, CPS are increasing our understanding of Cisco IP telephony solutions for the enterprise, which incorporate voice, video, and collaboration. 

We can offer customers solutions that take into account everything from networking and security for remote users and portable devices, to remotely controlled video surveillance of retail environments.

We're currently looking to provide Cisco products and services to our own customer base, and working on external opportunities with other partners as well.

Click here to find out about the joint Breakfast Session we are running with Cisco on Unified Communication and Collaboration: http://www.cpstg.com/index.php/cisco-breakfast

Customer saves 20% off their bottom line with fixed cost managed services.

It’s nice to get a pat on the back from a customer, and better yet, direct acknowledgement that the services you provide are saving them real money.

Illana Gear, Managing Director, at Axiom Finance has been a Managed Services customer for the past 3 years. Illana had previously used us for break-fix I.T support for 5 years prior to Managed Services and took a bit of convincing to move to a fixed cost arrangement.  Over the past 3 years we have provided managed services on their servers and workstations.

Recently we received an email from Illana, telling us that she’d run the P&L statements for the last couple of years and made some comparisons.  She noted, since running with our Managed Services offering, Axiom Finance had not only “reduced business interruption”, but saved 20% off her I.T. costs  in the process. “pat on the back for you” she added.

These days, many businesses are finding it more and more difficult to keep up with I.T. demands.  The person in charge of I.T. infrastructure in 2011 not only has to keep up with increasing demands for new services and initiatives such as virtualisation and cloud computing - they have to maintain current infrastructure, ensure business continuity whilst dealing with user disruptions, unauthorised applications and learn more and more complex software solutions.  The managed services solution we offer provides proactive management of I.T. infrastructure for a fixed price.

And it makes us very happy when we are able to provide our customers with a pro-active service that ensures business continuity and a real saving off their bottom line. 

Working from home is very easy with the right tools

When my husband told me he’d landed a job in rural Victoria, I thought that I’d have to say goodbye to my job.  However, when my employer suggested  “you can work from home can’t you?”,   I was very excited.   I was going to be able to work from home.  Yippee.  No more commuting.  As my boss put it, “we are in the business of communications after all”.

The key to the success of working remotely has been Interactive Intelligence.  We are a reseller of their IP Business Communications solutions, and use their systems in-house. 

We have the I3 (as it’s termed) client installed within Outlook, which means I3 is loaded whenever I open Outlook.  Our technical gurus set me up as a Remote Agent, which means my home phone line becomes my connection to the office.

Outgoing calls 

 I can click to call anyone in my office or externally.  I either click their name on the office phonebook, or simply enter a number, and press Call.  I3 then takes the request and calls my home phone.  Once I have activated it with a “hello”, it then dials the external number. 

Incoming calls

Staff or outside callers can easily contact me too.  When they call my Melbourne office number, Interactive Intelligence routes the call to my PC, causing it to “Ring, ring” just like a real phone.  When I click Pickup, Interactive Intelligence calls my home phone line and routes the call through. 

Recording calls

I have always taken the minutes for our weekly meetings.  So when I made the move, I was still able to continue my weekly obligation.  If I am going to be away for some reason, I can set I3 to record the meeting, and take the minutes afterward.  I do this every week, regardless, as it’s useful to have a record of the entire proceedings for playback and editing. 

Remote offices

Since the move, our company has acquired Accent Business Technology.  With this exciting move, we now have regular communications meetings which I also minute.  We use I3 to connect to our weekly combined meetings too.

Call forwarding

I can set call forwarding in place very simply.  I3 has a record of my mobile number, so that if I have to duck out on an errand, I simply click “Available, Forward” within Outlook, and all calls are routed to my mobile. 

I’ve been working from home for a year this week.  And I’m amazed how smoothly everything all works.  Contacts don’t even seem to notice that I am not in a regular office.  The only negative I can think of is that it’s hard to avoid the way you left the house in the morning, and so far there is no module available to do the dishes!