Ayo Telecom – Ayo Telecom

Net Zero & the Smart Revolution

SME's November 17, 2023

The Smart route to Net Zero

Given that almost 39% of global carbon emissions are generated as a result of buildings – heating, lighting, running them, bridging this gap seems like a pretty simple solution to the problem? This can be broken down as 28% in building operations, and 11% in their construction and the materials used.

As temperatures soar throughout the UK this month, especially in the South of England, usage of Air Conditioning will be at an all-time high. With these numbers in mind, the refurbishment and deployment of Smart Technologies in existing buildings, as opposed to building new pre-fab buildings.

As more of our customer’s focus turns to ensuring their businesses are directed toward green credentials, we’re finding a lot are surprised at the overlaps and alignment of the Smart Systems we’re installing have in reaching such credentials, as we’ll go on to discuss. In this blog we’re not attempting to summarise what will be a revolution in the construction and developments industry, but explain the benefits of the technology in question, and how these can be deployed in existing buildings in feasible & real-terms.

What’s powering the Smart Building Net Zero Evolution?

As is the common setup in most Smart Technology deployments today, where feasible, everything is hosted from a central ‘hub’, typically referred to as a ‘Comms Room’ or similar. As discussed in previous blog posts, the advancements in technology (hardware utilising PoE technology), backbone infrastructure (cable credentials), means these central hubs are becoming far more achievable. In situations where cable lengths are running on their capacity boundary (55m Cat 6, 100m Cat 6a), second ‘points’ for smaller satellite/service cabinets would be included in the deployment plans. In the interactive graphic below, you’ll see a central network cabinet full of ports and cables – this is where the internet connection enters, and is ultimately distributed from….the majority of said cables are also ‘powered’ by the hardware in this cabinet – up to 150W.

Juniper Research (2022) have outlined that as it stands, there are circa. 45 million Smart Buildings globally (or buildings making use of Smart systems). Taking into account the current rate and predicted rate of growth in this space, there will be over 115 million Smart Buildings globally by the year 2026. This is as a result of the drive of energy efficiency from organisations (and residents in private sites), as the cost of energy continues to rise so severely. This study defines a ‘Smart Building’ as one that utilises connectivity and technology to ensure an efficient use of resources, whilst allowing for a safe and comfortable environment for the occupiers/inhabitants. Further to this, the study found that over 90% of expenditure on Smart Buildings ’till 2026 will be for commercial/business premises.

Given that almost 39% of global carbon emissions are generated as a result of buildings – heating, lighting & general operations, bridging this gap seems like a pretty simple solution to the problem? This can be broken down as 28% in building operations, and 11% in their construction and the materials used.

Smart buildings save energy by automating controls and optimising systems. Whereas an upgrade to a single component or isolated system can result in energy savings of 5–15%, a smart building with integrated systems can realise 30–50% savings in existing buildings that are otherwise inefficient. (ACEE, 2019).

In stages, how will we contribute to ‘Net Zero’ in this industry?

Refurb & Retro-Fit

In order to reduce emissions to acceptable levels, over 90% of existing buildings will require digital retro-fitting from the ground-up, with new & innovative Smart Technology (Schneider, 2022). Micro-Monitoring (specific devices), and evaluation of the metrics & analytics from this, such as intelligent heating, lighting and water controls, are all proven measures of bridging the gap with green targets – not to mention vastly reduced costs of operation.

Micro-Measuring, Metrics & Automation

1/5th of British & Irish organisations were found by Schneider Electric to have only recently started measuring and quantifying their energy consumption, thus aren’t exactly aware of what’s being wasted. From this study, 43% of organisations outlined they’d increased use of automation within buildings, however less than 1/5th had deployed a Building Management System. As an example, traditional ‘Smart Meters’ measure ‘total usage’, which is an un-constructive metric when attempting to ‘taper down’ usage throughout a building. On average 30% of building power usage goes to waste – this shows a concerning lack of insight into what’s being used, when, & how to optimise this.

Responsible Construction

Of course, this section isn’t within our expertise, however we’ll make some points from some trusted sources to build the full picture. As discussed above, 39% of global emissions are generated as a result of the Buildings/Construction industry, the split being 28% in their Operations (electricity, energy) and 11% in their construction (materials, land disruption etc). Of course banning the construction of new buildings will never be a feasible nor sensible option, but the reduction of new developments over the next few decades as predicted by sources mentioned above, combined with responsible construction methods will help to drive this down. World GBC has outlined in it’s 2021 report that by 2030, all new developments and refurbishments will have over 40% less embodied carbon, with vast immediate carbon reduction, and that all new developments are strictly net zero operationally (in terms of carbon).

Please reach out if you’re interested in discussing the Smart Building ‘Net Zero Revolution’ for your business, or have a vested interest yourself and/or wish to collaborate & we’ll get straight back to you.

Business Phones for GP Practices

GP Practices, Healthcare, Telecoms June 30, 2021

Ensure your patients get to who they need to, when they need to.

Having an inefficient and ineffective communications offering within a GP Practice can cause frustration for patients, suppliers and sta犀利士 ff – ultimately affecting their perception of the practice as a whole….not to mention, expensive, with minimal or zero ROI.

So, what’s the benefits of an Ayo Telecom phone system for my practice?

Ayo Telecom offers full EMIS integration, to your existing system. All data from your existing system can be integrated and utilised with your new system – impress patients by knowing their name and information before you even pick up the phone! You can also dial directly from your EMIS system, without having to touch the desk-phone.

Inbound Calls

• When patients call you, the Ayo Telecom System automatically presents staff with the name and number of the patient calling. Previously, they would have to ask who the caller was, and manually search EMIS to check their identity. Now, all that information is one place, saving time in processing the call.

• Not only is their name & number presented on the desk phone and computer, the patient’s records pop-up on the computer screen, allowing the call operator to see all required details on appointments instantaneously.

• All calls are recorded, and stored for future reference & training. Have you ever had details of a phone-call called into question, or member of staff’s handling of the call complained about? All calls are available on the system for up to 90 days, in a GDPR-compliant manner.

Outbound Calls

• Features such as click-to-dial allow you to click any number on the screen of your computer, and instantly call the contact from your desk phone.

Call Recording

Ensure all calls to your GP Practice are pleasant, and satisfying for the patient. Do you save important eMails? Why not save phone-calls too!? Monitor and improve how your staff communicate with your patients

Auto Attendant

Deliver a message or information to your patients, before you even pick up the phone! Such as; ‘If you wish to make an appointment, please press 1, OR if you have an emergency, please dial 999 immediately’. This feature allows you to filter and organise your call traffic, and ensure patients know they are getting through to the right person.

Call Waiting

Instead of unappealing, frustrating ‘engaged tones’, when your operators are occupied, your patients will be automatically greeted, and then played an audio of your choice. This may be information about your practice, announcements or music.

If you find your GP practice lacking any of the above, and wish to discuss further, please leave your details below and we’ll call you back.

COVID-19 and Working from Home

Our Services January 25, 2021

Phone systems fit for home working

COVID-19 hitting the United Kingdom, and across the world in 2020 was an immeasurable and distressing shock for everyone, including business owners. It has taught us some key lessons, and cemented the fact that office-working in the UK will likely never be the same again. The beauty of Unified Communications, and products such as Hosted Phone systems, is that the transition between home-working and the office has never been easier.

During the pandemic, current customers and prospective customers approached us in a hurry, seeking to ensure their communications could remain active and as normal despite the serious problems sweeping the country.

Flexible and unified communications have always been of great importance in business, highlighted never more than ever by COVID-19. Some of our telephony products allow full flexibility for employees between the office and at home, allowing them their own phone number that can ultimately be used anywhere, on any device, provided an internet connection is available. Even desk phones can be simply lifted and brought home, with ‘plug-and-play’ functionality, the transition is pretty seamless, allowing day-to-day business communications to carry on as normal. A key point to note, is that unlike ISDN/Analogue-based phone systems, our internet-based and hybrid systems have allowed customers to simply lift the small amount of equipment from the office, bring it home, and be connected immediately.

Ayo Home Working

Imagine being in an office, and at the drop of a hat, expected to move all staff into home-working mode, and perform as they would in the office, at home. Could your infrastructure handle this with ease, or would you need to start considering upgrades? Our systems, in Telecoms, WiFi and Managed IT, have full capability of this, meaning staff can switch between working in the office and at home seamlessly, at the click of a button.

Phone Systems

Provided you already have, or have opted for one of our cloud-based and hosted phone system solutions, and have an internet connection at home, the desk phones themselves can be seamlessly lifted from your office desk, taken home, plugged-in, and perform at their full functionality – as if you’d never even left the office. Our 24/7 support team can make adjustments or amendments for extension numbers and the like on your behalf, or you can do this on our online portal. All staff members will be able to place and receive calls from the same number, transfer calls within the organisation (to other staff members at home), as well as continue to benefit from the vast range of features on offer, including; Call Recording, Click-to-dial, Call Management and more.

Managed IT

Believe it or not, there was actually a shortage of laptop computers at the beginning of the pandemic – the shortage not being the serious problem. In not having a more versatile* IT infrastructure in place, many organisations rushed to buy-in laptops for home-working employees, which then had to be configured correctly to meet their organisational and security requirements….this can take a lot of time, and isn’t ideal in the event of staff having to immediately transition to a home-working environment. In having fully-configured & secure laptops and IT equipment in place for employees, along with our phone system offering mentioned above, Ayo can ensure your transition to-and-from home-working is as seamless as possible.

WiFi/Internet Connection

Another concern raised during the pandemic was internet connections at employee’s homes, largely down to the speed and bandwidth available. Generally a speed of anything above 30/40mbps download, and 10mbps+ upload would be appropriate for employee’s to work from home without issue. However, many discovered employee’s either didn’t have a live broadband connection at all, or the one in place wasn’t meeting the speed and bandwidth required to carry out their day-to-day work. Zoom calls, Microsoft Team’s meetings and video-calls, Conference calls and Voice/VOIP traffic left many disconnected, or repeatedly interrupted throughout their work day. This is a problem, as it can seriously affect employee’s productivity, and efficiency, not to mention morale. In the event of problems occurring, we were able to lay out a plan to ensure all employees had an appropriate and active internet connection at home – for those who didn’t have an internet connection, but had appropriate coverage of 4G/5G in the area, we were able to implement one of our simple though versatile routers to solve this problem (configuring network settings on each to cater to the requirements of the employee’s workload.)

If you feel your business isn’t quite there yet in terms of technology for home working, let us know below and we’ll call you back

What’s the BT ISDN Switch-Off?

SME's, Technical Issues, Telecoms June 6, 2020

ISDN is essentially the network that’s in place to carry telephone calls when you talk, and data for using the internet. The infrastructure behind this is, in essence, the same as what it was when first introduced in the 1800’s! Long due a change then, eh? The problem with such an antiquated network still operating today, is that it’s very costly to maintain, and these costs are always rising, thus it makes sense to switch onto something new. This is where the switch-off comes in.

BT, who runs the network across the UK, is switching their network to be IP-Based. You may recognise this acronym, having seen the likes of VOIP, or SIP before. Rather than having an old connection that carries both voice and data, it’ll be a fast data connection, which also carries voice calling.

The change will allow businesses a lot of additional options when it comes to voice calling, but nothing too major needs to be done. The phones are all relatively similar, and of course work in the same way. However, you may wish to look at upgrading your system for future-proofing, and to unlock a variety of very useful features IP-based phone systems come with to help your business.

Dental Practice Telecoms

Dental Practices, Telecoms May 31, 2020

Improve customer service, efficiency and success of your dental practice.

‘Rinse out’ the costs of communications with Ayo Telecom.

Having an inefficient and ineffective communications system within a Dental Practice can cause frustration for patients, suppliers and staff – ultimately affecting their perception of the practice as a whole….not to mention, expensive, with minimal or zero ROI.

For any dentist, your phone system is critical to winning and retaining patients. Most patients’ encounters with dental offices start with a phone call. You don’t want your patients’ first experience to be a busy signal or a voicemail box.

Communications are worth future-proofing.

Similar to our own personal phones, dental practice phones are now smart. Like, really smart — as in, you can have all of a patient’s information at your fingertips before even answering! But, like with all things tech related, with more features come more terminology. And, unfortunately, it’s not always easy to see how such things help your practice. Sure, phones still have call waiting, hold music, and multiple lines. When researching new phones, these are the things you likely already know and/or use.

But how about auto-attendants, dial plan editors, and custom greetings? These features can all make life easier for your team, give a more enjoyable experience to patients, and even help you schedule more treatment. This, despite sounding like little more than techie jargon.

Here’s an example of our Practice SMS system, where text messages (or WhatsApp), are automatically distributed to patients, in the form of reminders, updates, or other important information you’d like to make them aware of.

Imagine knowing who’s calling, and have all their information in front of you, before you even pick up the call……well, that’s exactly what we can do! Our systems link directly with your existing Practice Management Software. Know who’s calling, and add that extra degree of customer service by answering customers by their name.

Our systems are fully-compatible with most software in Dental practices, including the following:

If you find your practice lacking any of the above, and wish to discuss further, please leave your details below and we’ll call you back.

Full WiFi Coverage for your Care Home

Care Homes, WiFi May 31, 2020

The older generation are becoming more ‘tech-savvy’ than ever before, and this comes with an increasing need for a reliable internet connection. Keeping up-to-date with the news and current affairs, speaking to distant family over the likes of Skype or FaceTime, and just generally feeling more connected with the outside world.

Offering WiFi in care homes is an increasingly important deciding factor for many families looking for care for their loved ones, and surprisingly, only 1 in 5 care homes in the UK actually offer all residents a reliable WiFi connection! Gain a massive competitive advantage, and Unique Selling Point for your business, and transform the service you can offer your residents.

Common problems we come across in Care Homes across the UK, include coverage, speed and expenditure on Telecoms & Internet. These are the three things we aim for, and regularly vastly improve on when dealing with Care Home operators. The chances are, if you’ve not yet switched over to an Internet-Based phone system, you are over-paying – we streamline, reduce and simplify existing infrastructure, and perhaps most importantly, bills!

Free Site Survey of your Care Home, to ensure Maximum Connectivity & Efficiency throughout your building(s).

Site surveys are highly important when reviewing a Care Home for WiFi infrastructure. There are multiple factors that must be taken into account, as to ensure the final installed infrastructure excels in its requirements.

The number of residents, size of the building, any coverage-reducing features such as thick, stone walls and other such factors must all be taken into consideration. We offer a a full site-survey for Care Homes, in order to ensure you receive the tailor-made service and seamless installation and operation that you deserve.

Ensure all residents and staff have access to a reliable and strong internet connection, throughout your building. Our systems ensure that any of our systems installed, will work to its maximum efficiency throughout your building(s), and that all intended users can utilise its benefits. As displayed above, we can offer custom networks for Staff, Residents and Visitors, allowing you to ensure everyone get’s to benefit from full WiFi in your Care Home.

So, what is ‘Full WiFi Coverage’?

The graphic below displays the typical WiFi coverage we come across in Care Homes or Assisted Living facilities, whereby the only WiFi offering in the building is a network-issued router. These can work well, but only if it’s connection is required in the office, or a small area.

Below displays full WiFi coverage, with each blue circle representing an Access Point. As opposed to the network-issued WiFi router, the Access Points are strategicall-placed throughout the building to ensure maximum connectivity throughout, allowing Staff, Residents and Visitors full connectivity wherever they may be in the building.

Introducing software doesn’t need to be a headache!

Have you considered implementing Care Planning & Management software in your Care Home? We hear a lot of Care Home managers and owners floating the idea of introducing such software into their business, but most are concerned with cost, and other factors that need to be considered – such as a full-building WiFi solution as so the software can operate at its full potential. However, it doesn’t need to be a costly experience – in fact, many of our customers have managed to implement software, commercial-grade devices to operate, and full-building WiFi for either not much more, or less than what they were paying before (for Telecom & Broadband). Our systems are fully-compatible with the main software providers in the UK, listed below, ranging from commercial-grade mobile-devices, tablet computers to laptops. For more details on introducing software to your Care Home, please click here.

So to summarise, what are the main benefits of full WiFi coverage in a Care Home?

If you’re interested in a Free Site Survey, to see how can help you implement Full WiFi coverage at your Care Home, simply leave some details below and we’ll get right back to you.

Why would your business needs Call Recording?

Care Homes, Child Care, Dental Practices, GP Practices, Hair Salons, Healthcare, Hospitality, Hotels, Our Services, SME's, Telecoms May 31, 2020

Of course, there is no harm with businesses adopting major changes to their operations as they seek to take advantage of new technological advancements, but business owners often overlook the smallest of ideas. Call recording, a simple addition to your business phone system, might not seem like a major ground sweeping change, but you cannot underestimate its utility. The benefits of call recording are endless. In this blog we aim to take you through the benefits of call recording and explain why it is paramount for your business.

Save important calls…You would save important emails, so there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t do the same with your calls. Recording all of your calls allows staff to listen back to them as many times as they please, ensuring all important customer details are correctly noted down which could have otherwise been forgotten or lost in translation without call recording. Furthermore, call recording will allow your staff to make notes after the call has finished, allowing them to give their undivided attention to your customer, improving your customers overall experience. Read our blog here to see why call recording is specifically important for care homes.

Protect your business against disputes…Fraud against businesses is almost inevitable in this day and age. With Call Recording you can limit your liability and protect your business against any unwanted costly lawsuits. Call recording gives you a full record of every telephone conversation your business encounters, providing concrete evidence which can be produced in the event of any customer disputes, ultimately protecting your brand and business. Moreover, call recording can be a useful deterrent, protecting your staff from abuse.

For Staff Training and Customer Service – Call recording provides a fantastic opportunity to monitor and train your staff.

As a business owner, you will be able to monitor conversations between staff and your customers, allowing you to offer advice on how staff can improve their communication skills, whether that be tips on how to sell your products more effectively, or how to deal with customers more compassionately. Aside from being an effective method of training new and existing staff to boost sales, call recording will also improve the quality of your customer service. If staff are aware that all their calls are recorded, with the possibility they could be audited by a manager at a later date, staff will inevitably be more inclined to work to a higher standard.

Customer satisfaction – by maintaining a large selection of call recordings over a large time period, managers and owners are able to monitor customer satisfaction ratings over time. As everyone knows, high customer satisfaction levels are an integral part of customer retention. Call recording offers the perfect platform to measure key performance indicators and assess if targets are being met.

Legality – as long as your customers are aware that their calls could be getting recorded, call recording is completely legal. All of our business phone systems come with professional welcoming messages for your business as standard. In this message you can notify them their calls are being recorded, ensuring you meet all government guidelines and criteria. All of our systems are fully compliant with: MiFID II, Dodd Frank, and PCI.

Regardless of the industry you’re in, call recording should be used in each part of your business. Whether you wish to increase sales, boost revenue or enhance customer experience – call recording is one simple feature that can facilitate all of those. The benefits of call recording are endless.

Take your business into the new methods of commun犀利士 ication, and boost success! If you require more information, or would like a free consultation, let us know your details below and we’ll call you back.

WiFi for Hotels

Hospitality, WiFi October 6, 2019

Demand for WiFi is ever-increasing with hotel guests, of all ages. Outdated systems & networks for WiFi in hotels has led to a drop in their reliability, and ultimately guest experience. But it’s actually a surprisingly simple process of reviewing & upgrading this – even more surprisingly it can be cost-effective with Ayo Streamline.

Furthermore, Guest’s uses of WiFi has changed significantly, even over the past decade. At one point their requirements used to be simply downloading emails, and general light browsing of the internet – now most want to be able to stream videos or movies, on the likes of Netflix, or even Live Sports. In considering a new WiFi system for your hotel, the kit itself is not just the most important, but how the devices in your building are structured, and planned-out can have just as much influence on variables such as speed & bandwidth than a good, solid network. This is where our Free Site Survey comes in.

What are the benefits of having full WiFi coverage in your hotel?

What are the common problems of WiFi in hotels?

As you can see above, the router issued by a broadband provider in the UK is only reaching a small area of the hotel (around the office). This is clearly insufficient in providing fully-fledged WiFi access for guests.

If you’d like to discuss achieving full WiFi coverage in your hotel, leave your details below and we’ll call you back

Business Phones for GP Practices

GP Practices July 6, 2019

Ensure your patients get through to who they need to, when they need to.

Having an inefficient and ineffective communications offering within a GP Practice can cause frustration for patients, suppliers and staff – ultimately affecting their perception of the practice as a whole….not to mention, expensive, with minimal or zero ROI.

? When did you last review your telephone system?

? Can you measure the performance of your telephone system?

? Would you like to be able to record conversations?

? Have you recently expanded your practice, but your telecoms system hasn’t?

威而鋼 r”>? How does your telecoms system perform in patient surveys

THE BENEFITS AN AYO TELECOM SYSTEM CAN BRING TO YOUR GP PRACTICE.

Ayo Telecom offers full EMIS integration, to your existing system. All data from your existing system can be integrated and utilised with your new system – impress patients by knowing their name and information before you even pick up the phone! You can also dial directly from your EMIS system, without having to touch the desk-phone.

When people call your surgery, Ayo Telecom automatically presents patient-facing staff with the patient record associated with the phone number as a pop up on their screen. Previously, they would have to ask who the caller was, and manually search EMIS to check their identity. Now, all that information is one place, saving time in processing the call.