Hot off the press in February!

Why waiting for someone else to define hybrid working could be catastrophic for IT

With the Government’s ‘Plan B’ restrictions reaching an end and compulsory self-isolation rules also due to be lifted imminently, Covid is in the process of being recategorized as an endemic that we lived alongside. However, hybrid working patterns are not going anywhere. The mass approval for this new employment landscape will perhaps remain indefinitely, with employers and employees alike acknowledging the multiple benefits of this flexible approach.

Tim Mercer, CEO of disruptive cloud technology specialist Vapour, discusses the future of hybrid working post-Covid.

The year of going green

Green ambitions fell by the wayside during Covid, for many sectors, including care. Amid a sea of additional single use plastics, plans to meaningfully lower carbon emissions suddenly seemed pretty unimportant, at least in the short term.

While 2020 and 2021 were consumed by Covid, 2022 will see the return of low carbon ambitions – with care providers taking these more seriously than ever, says Paul Hamilton, technical director of Regenex, a company that works with laundries to prolong the lifespan of healthcare linen.

How Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts boosted customer engagement

Designed for young families who have children that are aged between 2-13-years-old, Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts provide memorable family days out as well as a range of themed accommodation options for short breaks and sleepovers.

With a 183,000-plus customer database to communicate its latest, exciting news – about the recent addition alongside ongoing engagement dialogue – its existing email service only enabled the brand to talk to consumers in a static way.

Following a colleague’s recommendation of Force24’s GDPR-compliant marketing automation platform, the organisation explored how the martech tool could help to build seasonal, relevant comms campaigns for customers.

The importance of design effectiveness in SMEs — why brand isn’t just for the big boys

While a growing number of organisations now acknowledge that brand is about far more than just a logo, there’s still a long way to go to convince SMEs that brand can play as critical a part to their success, as it does for giant enterprises. But this is where design effectiveness comes in, believes Lesley Gulliver, managing director of strategic brand consultancy, The Engine Room.

Is your accounting software holding you hostage?

Digital transformation is often at the heart of streamlining operations, saving time and money, boosting growth, and maximising resources – and technology investments have rocketed in recent years to help companies thrive and expand.

But what role does accounting software play in this puzzle, and could legacy systems be holding firms back from truly achieving their goals – adding to poor performance, a lack of productivity, and competitors stealing the edge? Paul Sparkes, commercial director at iplicit, shares his thoughts on the topic.

A closer look at sustainability in FM

From building maintenance and regulation compliance to site security and waste management services, today’s facilities management professionals have a lot of duties and responsibilities to carry out to make sure businesses are maximising the efficiency of their built environment. And against the backdrop of uncertainty and turbulent supply chains in recent years, this has undoubtedly given FM teams lots of challenges to face and overcome. Peter Vernon, managing director of ESE World UK, recently shared his thoughts on the topic.

4 tips to nail marketing automation

According to recent statistics, the majority of companies throughout the globe now use marketing automation to empower their customer communications, drive conversion-rich opportunities and help marketers to send the right message to the right person, at the right time.

If you’ve either plugged in marketing automation or you’re relatively new to this intuitive technology, there are many ways in which you can make even more of your savvy tool. Sam Duggan, head of marketing at Force24 recently shared his top tips.

Synthetic testing: the ultimate eCommerce mystery shopper

The infamous mystery shopper was once a staple of the high-street – visiting bricks and mortar stores to assess customer experience. But, with such notable shift to online purchasing in recent years, why isn’t the concept considered a priority for internet retailers, too?

A digital ‘mystery shopper’ can provide crucial detail on website availability, performance data and security risks that would otherwise jeopardise revenue or reputation if not dealt with quickly – and this is where synthetic monitoring comes in.

Gav Winter, CEO of next-generation website testing company RapidSpike, delves into the detail around why this piece of insight could ultimately transform a business’s bottom line…

SDC Issues Urgent Low Carbon Call For Textile Coloration While Highlighting Global Best Practice

The Society of Dyers and Colourists is urging the textile coloration industry to harness developments in processes and create a new era of reduced environmental impact in 2022 and beyond.

The voice of the sector has published a free downloadable white paper, Destination low carbon: Global technology and innovation reducing the environmental footprint of textile coloration to summarize exemplary practice, and to inspire the wider sector.

Wayleave issues threaten to widen the digital divide, says Trenches Law co-founder Terry Daniell

The UK’s digital divide will only widen if work is not done to bridge the gap between landowners and operators, says Trenches Law co-founder Terry Daniell.

He tells Fibre Provider that the wayleave issues plaguing progressive altnets will put rural communities and high-rise premises at risk of being left behind by the ‘march to a gig.’

Why Does ‘Gardening’ Matter to a Business Prioritizing Organizational Health?

It’s the beginning of the year. Many businesses – and the individuals within them – start to think about how the upcoming months could pan out. They reflect on recent events, causes for celebration, and key learnings, and they strategize to plan for what’s to come. Goals are set, changes are sometimes implemented, and there’s often a refreshed sense of energy – not least because the festive recharge does people a lot of good.

Some are hoping this will now be the year of their recovery, while others have thrived despite the pressure and need to regain a degree of balance before the perils of burnout bed in. A ‘healthy’ 2022 will look and feel very different from one company to the next.

But whatever the focus, if brands are thinking about how to improve organizational health this year, where’s the right place to start? Darren Evans, founder and design director of The Engine Room shares his thoughts.

Five things keeping procurement directors up at night

Procurement directors across the globe are tired of being told how they’re continuing to navigate unprecedented waters, that the world of work has changed for good, and that business leaders must innovate to turn a challenge into an opportunity – they know all too well the day-to-day struggles their teams are now facing.

Dave Emsley, head of public sector tail spend services at OT Group, takes a look at how business leaders can develop strategic plans in five key areas to improve procurement processes.

12 ways to maximise your B2B PR strategy

B2B PR doesn’t often grab the headlines, especially when it is compared to what is seen (incorrectly) as more creative consumer communications. But the benefits of good PR for business to business activities are plentiful, and clear to everyone working in this industry both in-house and in agency.

Our founder, Katie Mallinson, recently shared her thoughts on the topic: ‘It all begins with your objectives – tell us what they are, and we’ll deliver a holistic strategy which is measurable. That’s because we may love words, but we’re big fans of data too. Every decision we make and piece of content we write, all loops back to those long-term ambitions.’

So, there goes February! See you again next month!