Why the way we deliver service won’t change. 

It isn’t surprising that in a world of technology and automation, customer satisfaction levels are dropping. While for many companies, complete self-service and automating customer service works for the products and services they sell, if something is broken within the process it can completely dissatisfy the end-user. And in some cases, it can prevent a prospect from purchasing or result in a customer leaving completely.

Sometimes, you simply need to resolve a problem with a real person.

The telecommunications industry is competitive, there are some huge players in the game, so why are customer satisfaction levels so low within the industry?

• Fast turnaround of products. Some products purchased are ‘low value’ – but no matter what the purchase is, every customer is important.
• Complex product offering. Companies sell many products and services (us being one of them), are staff being invested in delivering the quality of service expected by the customer?
• Customer expectations. With mobile phones, the internet and other digital technologies being integrated into everyday life, customers have high expectations of telecommunication providers – and so they should.

So why do we have 97.8% customer satisfaction rate?

• Hiring a team that cares and treating them well. We know Customer Service is one of the hardest roles in a business. We hire good people, who listen and want to go the extra mile for our customers.
• Training the team to be product knowledgeable. Our team know their ‘stuff’ and that’s because we invest in their training and development, and they are the sort of team who are willing and excited to keep learning.
• Offering the customer contact options. Every customer is different. We’ve all had an experience with a business where we have been sent on a self-service frenzy. Only to get sent to an automated live chat and still not be provided with contact information to reach and speak with a ‘human’. We give our customers options, so no matter how the customer wants to contact us – they can do it on their terms.
• Always having a Customer Service Representative at the end of the phone. We will always have a real person at the end of the phone. We’re on a growth mission, but our service delivery will never change – we will always lead with technology and people – they will never be solo in our eyes.

Colin Beckley, dbfb’s Service Director, says:
“Our relentless focus on the customer has been the driving force behind our service team and the entire business. With the right people and training, we’ve set ourselves apart from the rest. We are proud to maintain the highest standards, and our commitment shows in the numbers with a 98.7% customer satisfaction rate. In an industry where mediocrity is accepted too quickly, we continually elevate our standards. By recruiting top talent and providing continual training, our customers consistently receive the highest level of service as standard.”

We spent some time with Brian, to find out the full story behind dbfb and how it all began, as well as understand the plans for future business growth.

Here’s what he had to say…

When asked why I started dbfb, my response was ‘to be a millionaire and be on a constant cruise’… isn’t that why everyone starts a business?

All jokes aside, I have always been entrepreneurial. From working in the entertainment industry, starting a mail order business to owning a dozen retail stores – the list goes on. 

But, in 1986, is when it really began. I was running a high-performance garage (Elite Motor Tune) and a lady came in with a BMW that needed a service and asked me to fit a ‘cellular’ phone. Even though they were in fashion at the time – “a what?” I replied.

From there, my passion started with supplying mobile phones. At Elite Motor Tune, we became the only provider in Northampton fitting mobile phones in cars and had to overcome the constant statement from prospective customers “What on earth do I want a mobile telephone in my vehicle for, it will never catch on.” I replied, “I don’t think it will be long before we are carrying these things in our pockets”. “Rubbish” they said.

I left the business for a while and went back to my entertainment roots. I had been a DJ from 1968 to 1982, setting up and running Glenvilles at Billing Garden Centre – a function suite which many of the more mature folk of Northampton may remember. After heart surgery in 1993 and wondering what to do with myself, a distributor of mobile phones suggested doing mobile mail order. Before long I was supplying over 150 phones a month all from my bedroom in Northampton.

Then, with my life-long friend Bill Oliver, we set up an office in Moulton Park, which became quickly successful, but due to recession we had to downsize to an area in the building under the stairs which I dubbed “the Harry Potter days”. Again, we grew and had the idea of creating a business database, to send text messages, so businesses could communicate and respond to customers quicker. This would save time and enable them to focus on other important areas of their business. There was a concern about this from employees – that this would take over jobs – a technology stigma!

In 1998, from our communications business, and the texting idea ‘database for business’ (dbfb) was born. This was during yet another mobile phone boom, and we evolved. While we sold technology, our customer-centric, people-led approach meant we would always go the extra mile. Out of hours – or even when I was on holiday, (2am in Spain, thanks Ray of RML), it didn’t matter – we resolved the issue. I was passionate about not letting our service slip! This mantra continues today, we hire good people – who care about the service we provide, that will always continue no matter how much we grow. It’s what differentiates us in the market.

That leads me on to Growth. Over the past 20 years we have grown significantly and much of this is down to hiring the right people. Individuals can’t be masters of all the services we provide, and we don’t expect them to be. Instead, we hire specialists in mobile, hosted telephony, connectivity, cyber security, and IT support – making us the experts to help your business achieve its technology goals.

The last 5 years, however, have supercharged our business! We have seen significant growth and that’s due to growing our leadership team. By hiring a leadership team who specialise in different areas including marketing, and commercials, we a have a strong, strategic business plan, to keep us ahead of the market.

Our portfolio has also grown now we’ve added VOIP, IT support, connectivity and more. Our partnership with CityFibre 5 years ago has only strengthened our connectivity position in both Northampton and Milton Keynes. We now have over 1,000 customers around the UK.

While I mention product, again, it’s our service that differentiates us. Our approach is about listening to your needs and creating the perfect solution for you. We ensure that service is delivered to a high standard by acting as your technology partner unifying communications. We give you what large network providers can’t – bespoke solutions, expert advice and a support team that resolves issues quickly.

Our business continues to grow within the UK. Our business plan forecasts that we will be turning over £15 million per year, within the next three years. While this is exciting, what’s really important to me is that we continue to lead with proper service, support our community and take care of people and customers. I know we can do it.

What is a Smart Office?

A cutting-edge, technology-enabled workplace that not only promotes flexibility and productivity, but cuts costs and attracts (and retains) talented employees. A workplace design that puts smart technology at the forefront and embraces revolutionary connectivity. That’s what.

After 20 years of flourishing technology, alongside the rapid growth of the internet, 2018 sees a new era. This era is smarter and faster; we now have everything at the swipe of a fingertip and at the tip of our tongues with smart speaker technology dominating 2018. We’ve all heard of the ‘smart home’ so shouldn’t the workplace be the same? According to a study by British Land, 90% of decision-makers already see a business reason to consider upgrading to a smart office.

The smart office brings together two main elements: advanced facilities management systems and the Internet of Things (IoT). Digital centralisation is the future. These two components create a round and functional workspace, where the benefits stack up against the traditional office.

These work spaces are undoubtedly the future, but, how will they function efficiently without the right connectivity to support them? This is where dbfb come in. We’re thinking of the future! Gigabit connectivity will be essential to smart office spaces, to allow them to run smoothly. Revolutionising the connectivity infrastructure will not only allow your smart office space to function, but will also underpin all other positive factors of making your office ‘smart’.

The biggest driver in making work spaces ‘smart’, is the Internet of Things (IOT), which is being described as the next big wave in smart technology. As we increase the number of gadgets around us, there is more need to connect them to each other. We talk about a future of cars that talk to each other, smart homes with communicating appliances and now – the ever interconnected smart office space. Though it is described as a machine-to-machine system, IoT is aimed at empowering office workers to save time, become more efficient and increase productivity.

Let’s take a look into the future – Your calendar is connected to your Amazon Alexa, which wakes you and when asked “what do I have in my calendar today” – lets you know your first meeting is at 10am in the conference room. When you get there, all the audio-visual equipment has set itself up in readiness. Even the smart coffee machine has brewed coffee without anyone pressing a button. During the meeting, you are tasked with meeting a prospective client at noon. Your smartphone automatically adds this to your calendar when you use voice controls. On route to your second meeting, you enter your car but you do not have to enter your destination into your navigation system – it already knows it from your calendar.

Scary or just SMART?

All of our gadgets are now able to communicate and anticipate our needs. In the process you save time and focus on what really matters. Right? A scary prospect- but undoubtedly the future. Smart offices will get even better as technology advances and we add even more gadgets, such as wearables and smart speaker technology.

Smart office technologies available today

With technology constantly evolving, and the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic still in play, the wave of smart offices is not slowing down. Major strides have been made over the past 18 months, and embracing a technology-enabled workplace will promote flexibility and productivity, cut costs, and help you retain talented employees. But remember, all of these exciting technologies NEED connectivity that can support them. Smart office spaces are the future, but also the here and now. Let’s embrace the digital revolution, or at least get prepared for take-off by upgrading out of date infrastructure to ultra-fast, so we’re ready.

Remote working capabilities are essential to business continuity.

In light of yesterday’s announcement by the Government, we are fully committed to providing uninterrupted service to our customers and providing a safe working environment for all employees.

As you would expect from a technology company, we have flexible working capabilities in place, as standard.  We fully understand the difficulties that will be experienced by companies, large and small.

Short Term Support

If anyone needs short term support with remote working, we have a wide range of solutions that can be put into place quickly to help you with your service provision and remote working over these tricky times.

If you are an existing dbfb cloud voice customer, we can provide the Collaborate UC Client free of charge for all of your users. This will allow you to work from any location, on any device and your ability to service your customers will not be affected.

Mobilising your workforce will be seamless, we will remotely configure and provide training – free of charge.

If you are not an existing dbfb cloud voice customers, we can still help you, although there will be a negligible license cost.

Need advice?

Whatever your circumstances, please get in touch. We are happy to provide advice on what to do next.

In 2016, dbfb proudly introduced CityFibre to Milton Keynes. At that time, it was the third worst connected city in the UK and in desperate need of investment. Now, just four years on, our partnership with one of the UK’s leading providers of wholesale connectivity has facilitated £80 million of inward investment into both Milton Keynes and neighbouring Northampton, connecting more than 170 businesses to date.

An ultra- fast, reliable and secure internet connection has become increasingly important to everyone’s day to day working lives, enabling us all to communicate effectively, promote business growth and provide a better service to customers. Working with CityFibre enables dbfb to offer businesses across the UK access to a world-class fibre network.

With an appreciation for how business-critical a full-fibre network is in today’s world, dbfb have been pioneering full-fibre ever since it took the decision to launch CityFibre in Northampton and Milton Keynes. A carefully designed 24/7 monitoring facility is also in place, to ensure the best possible service levels, with real-time data analysis, performance and service availability.

Pete Winkleman, Chairman of MK Dons, who was one of the first to reap the benefits of full-fibre connectivity in Milton Keynes explains: “A lot of businesses now have the chance to tap into ultra-fast and reliable connectivity, at an affordable price.

“The benefits of full-fibre to businesses is clear, enhancing the ways they operate day to day using their own systems and so that they can connect better with their customers. This is today’s technology and it is where Milton Keynes needed to be.”

Simon Pickering, Managing Director at dbfb Communications tells us, “We often get asked by businesses what is full fibre? Because my current provider tells us we’re on a fibre connection, but it’s not particularly fast or reliable! The term “fibre” is widely used and often misleads customers in terms of what they expect versus what is delivered. Many internet service providers describe their service as fibre but will be relying on the copper installation at a business premises for the final leg of the journey.

“CityFibre only invest in full-fibre, which means fibre at every point in the network. With no reliance on Victorian-age copper infrastructure, your business benefits from ultra-fast speeds of up to 1Gbps with optimum performance and reliability.”

Find out more about how dbfb can simplify your technology solutions, follow us @dbfb communications on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram or get in touch at discover@dbfb.co.uk

We understand that the COVID 19 outbreak, brings uncertain and challenging time for businesses, and without wishing to unduly panic anyone, we are seeking to reassure you of our COVID-19 Business Continuity Practice.

We are fully committed to providing uninterrupted service to our customers. As you would expect from a technology company, we have remote working capabilities in place, as standard. All employees are issued with, a laptop, mobile phone and secure internet connection. Our cloud-based telephony platform allows our staff to seamlessly take calls at home as if they were in the office.  To keep our employees fully up to date, we have sent out a link to a video on how to reduce the risk of the virus spreading and what to do if they are showing symptoms.

We understand why some customers are restricting access to their site, please rest assured that our staff will be available by phone or video-conferencing.

If anyone needs short term support, we have a range of solutions that can be put into place quickly to help you with your service provision and remote working over these tricky times. This could be in the form of monthly mobile SIM cards, mobile phones and configured laptops, or video conferencing facilities.

First and foremost, our priority remains the safety of our employees, customers and partners, and we will keep you informed if anything changes.

Should you have any further questions, or require any short term support from us, please contact us on either 01604 673320 or discover@dbfb.co.uk

The children are finally back at school, your furloughed colleagues are gradually returning to work, and the work-life balance that was lost to a worldwide pandemic is slowly, but surely returning to normal. However, for many it is a very new-normal, with at least some level of remote working playing a part in getting successfully back to business.

Working from home was a great short-term solution, but for most businesses, their workforce didn’t have a ‘ready-made home office’, a business approved mobile and internet connection and a cloud-based communications system.

If, like so many others, you’re taking this opportunity to sit back and review the future of your businesses’ digital technology you might find our Top 10 Tips helpful:

1. Research the requirements of your workforce – whether your business is catering for 10 or 10,000, it’s important to understand the needs of every employee. Run a survey, call an online meeting or simply have a chat to find out how your workforce is finding ‘working from home’ and ask for suggestions of anything they feel could make their working day easier/less stressful/more productive.

2. Review the responses and find suitable solutions – PC’s running slow, or even worse crashing, issues with viruses, waiting all day to download important files and employees frustrated with putting in the hours and not getting anywhere fast? If these were the sorts of responses you had, then it sounds like there’s plenty of scope for change!

3. Consider your businesses’ requirements for remote connectivity – Connectivity is a critical enabler for business and whilst a robust plan has probably been developed for office life, this might not yet have been translated to your employee network now working from home. Consider the benefits fibre connectivity can bring to your organisation and what can be done to unlock them?

4. Find new ways to man the phones from home – Being available to talk to your customers or colleagues on the phone is critical for any business. Did you know that calls to the office can be rerouted via cloud-based platforms, such as Microsoft Teams? Meaning all customer facing employees can manage the phones, quickly and simply, from home.

5. Discover the benefits of cloud communication – Increasingly, businesses are consuming many of their critical applications from the cloud, which is also where they’re storing their data. Doing so allows businesses to create efficiencies, reduce costs, and pioneer new products or ways of working that give them an edge over competitors.

6. Give employees the freedom to choose their preferred mobile network – There’s nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of an important call and loosing mobile signal. Make sure your employees have the freedom to connect to the mobile operator of their choice, so that wherever they’re based they always get the best coverage.

7. Remember the importance of digital security – Ensure all of your vital data is secure and saved in the cloud, so that should anything go wrong, you won’t lose important work. Mobile device management allows you to monitor, track, back-up and protect your company devices at a low monthly cost, irrespective of location.

8. Don’t let the bills rack up – One trusted communications provider equals one monthly bill, meaning you can now manage your business connectivity, landline, cloud, mobile and security in one simple place. What’s more, with bespoke billing reports you can save time, hassle and money.

9. Take the complication out of technology – You’ve worked hard to become the best in your industry, as we have in ours. We understand that every business is unique and has its own priorities and requirements, and we want to work together to provide the best possible solution for you.

10. Regularly review your solutions – We’re experiencing an interesting point in time, where no one quite knows what the future holds, but one thing is for sure, the businesses that have the resilience and flexibility to adapt will come out strongest. We recommend a regular review of your business, in partnership with employees, to ensure your communications solutions are continuing to work effectively for you.

Find out more about how dbfb can simplify your technology solutions, follow us @dbfb communications on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram or get in touch at discover@dbfb.co.uk

With growing environmental concerns like global warming and the surge in e-waste, managing old technology responsibly is more crucial than ever. The Global E-waste Monitor Report 2024 highlights that 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated in 2022, an 82% increase since 2010, with predictions of this rising to 82 million tonnes by 2030.While the UK recycled about 57% of its e-waste in 2019, the global average was just 17.4%, showing there’s still much progress to be made.

 

As technology remains central to modern business, it’s essential to dispose of devices responsibly. At dbfb, we partner with Pure Planet Recycling to offer Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling, helping you manage redundant devices in a sustainable and secure way. Recycling just one million mobile phones can recover 772 lbs of silver, 35,000 lbs of copper, 75 lbs of gold, and 33 lbs of palladium—showing the value of responsible recycling.

 

Why choose WEEE recycling?

Environmental impact: Recycling reduces the demand for raw materials like copper and plastic. Our partnership with Pure Planet Recycling ensures reusable materials are recovered, preventing them from reaching landfills.

Legal compliance: Recycling with dbfb ensures your business meets all relevant environmental regulations, with full documentation and certification provided.

Data security: We guarantee the secure destruction of sensitive data, offering data destruction certificates for peace of mind. After destruction, all materials are fully recycled.

 

How our WEEE recycling service works

Our WEEE recycling process is designed to be secure, simple, and hassle-free:

• Secure collection: We handle both hazardous and non-hazardous devices, collecting them directly from your offices.
• Recycling and repurposing: Devices are processed at Pure Planet Recycling’s licensed facility, where reusable materials are recovered.
• Compliance reporting: We provide comprehensive reports and data destruction certificates for your records.

 

Our services include:

• Data destruction with certification: We issue a certificate confirming all data has been securely destroyed and the media recycled.
• Recycling of IT and telecoms equipment: From monitors and printers to servers and hard drives, we handle all types of tech.
• WEEE recycling containers: Safe, tidy storage for your equipment prior to collection.
• Office clearances: We handle the removal of redundant devices from your premises.

Choosing dbfb for your WEEE recycling ensures compliance and supports a sustainable future by reducing e-waste and conserving valuable resources.

To learn more about how dbfb can help, contact us at discover@dbfb.co.uk

References:

The Global E-waste Monitor

The Roundup Org