Mobile Working Seminar

Our Mobile Working Seminar was a great success. It enabled a range of UK-based SME businesses to come together and learn a little bit more about mobile working.

To give you an idea of what went on, we thought we’d ask our very own master of ceremonies, David Hyett - Excalibur’s Group Marketing Director, a few questions about the event.

So, tell me a little bit more about this Mobile Working Seminar?
“Well, it was a half day event that took place on the 8th of May at the Marsh Farm Hotel in Swindon. All of the guest speakers were experts in their field and it was just a great opportunity to get everyone in the same room and share the benefits of their expertise with new and existing clients. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of mobile working technology and demonstrate how SME businesses can successfully adapt to meet the demand for more mobile working options.”

Where did the idea for a Mobile Working Seminar come from?
“A number of our employees work from home. Mobile working has really benefited us. I believe that if it wasn’t for our ability to offer flexible working options, we would have lost a number of valuable employees.

Obviously, with the industry we work in, we’re well aware of the benefits of mobile working but I think a lot of SME businesses are apprehensive about the cost involved, despite that fact that mobile working solutions can actually reduce overheads.

I think part of the problem is that people don’t really know the extent of what’s on offer. Mobile working solutions have come a long way since the advent of products that enable people to access company emails while in transit. There are loads of great products out there now, like asset and workforce tracking programmes and mobile time and expenses management software. We decided it was about time people knew what they were missing, so we invited a few of our business associates to come and give a talk on the future of mobile working.”

What aspects of mobile working were covered in the event?
“James Phipps, Excalibur’s Sales Director for the South West, kicked things off by outlining the benefits of mobile working and introducing the range of mobile working solutions on the market. He then passed things over to a BlackBerry representative called Owen Keenan-Lindsey who gave us an overview of the future of mobile working, highlighting new additions to the smartphone offering. After that, it was Ed Cawthorne’s turn. Ed is Head of Product Management at Star – the UK’s leading business only internet service provider. Ed’s presentation focused on the processes you would need to put in place to facilitate remote access. Last but not least, Mark Sunner, Chief Security Analyst at MessageLabs, was kind enough to update us on all of the latest advancements in computer viruses. Mark’s presentation gave us an insight into the way viruses are spread, the impact they can have on a company’s finances and what we can do to protect ourselves against them.”

What do you think people took from the day?
“Well, hopefully we’ve expelled some of the myths surrounding mobile working and the people that attended have a greater understanding of what mobile working can do for their business. As we look to the future, it’s something that we should all consider. Think of all those cars on the road on the way to work in the morning. Increasing the congestion charge isn’t going to do much for the environment, but getting some of those cars off the road will. I really do believe that mobile working will play an important part in the future of business.”

So how much did it cost attendees to benefit from your wealth of experience?
“Nothing. It was totally free. It didn’t cost them a thing. It was just a great way for us to increase awareness of our product offering and open people’s eyes to advancements in the working world.”