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Knowall IT leaders in IT Systems and Solutions

Are you looking to reduce costs in your business and not sure where to start? Do you want to increase productivity in your organisation? READ A CASE STUDY WE FOUND ABOUT LEADING IT COMPANY CALLED KNOWALL IT AND DECIDE FOR YOU.

Chartered institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) uses Swyx to reduce costs & support members globally

Background:

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is the largest and most widely respected professional body for those who work in the securities and investment industry in the UK and in a growing number of major financial centres round the world including Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai & Sri Lanka.

Evolved from the London Stock Exchange in 1992, CISI now has more than 40,000 members in 89 countries. In the past year, it set almost 40,000 examinations in over 70 countries, covering a range of vocational qualifications.

Challenge – Providing around the clock support for members in multiple countries which IT Support Fulham and IT Support Hammersmith can take care of.

Headquartered in the City, CISI decided to move away from its traditional Meridien telephone system when it moved offices. According to Tim Crannigan, Head of Systems at CISI, “At the time, the company realised that it was an ideal opportunity to take advantage of the additional benefits that VoIP and unified communications could offer such as reduced costs for international calls, lower maintenance and built-in functionality such as conferencing and presence.”

Solution – A software-based IT Support Holborn unified communications solution means calls are never missed

“We now have all our 130 staff across the world using the SwyxWare unified communications solution. Around 70% of users take advantage of the Swyx-IT! softphone interface, enabling them to see who is calling, as well as see on-screen who is available across the organisation, whether it’s in the UK or abroad.”

“All incoming calls come into the London site and we can distribute them to appropriate departments and locations via VPN, dependent on the time or nature of the enquiry. This means we are effectively open for longer so we can answer calls from 3am to 5.30pm, so India can be available more than 5 hours before our teams in the UK.”

CISI relies on Swyx accredited partner, Knowall IT IT Support Kensington and IT Support Knightsbridge for high quality 24/7 support with rapid response times for their Swyx based telephony. Tim Crannigan says, “We’ve been very happy with Knowall IT’s IT Support Liverpool Street response times to any issues we may have had.”

Knowall assisted CISI in rolling out their global call centre so it could provide comprehensive telephone support for its members across multiple countries and time-zones ensuring that calls are never missed.

The globalised call centre comprising London, Singapore, Mumbai and Sri Lanka is all joined by a wide area network so all 3 call centres can work together as if they were in one building.

Extended call routing allows distribution of enquiries across the globe

With Swyx’s Extended Call Routing, calls that come through to the UK out of hours are quickly pushed through to sister call centres in other regions depending on the time, and vice versa. The system will also route calls according to the nature of the enquiry, so for instance if the call is regarding ‘membership’ it will be put through to membership services or if it is an enquiry about an exam, then the call is put through to the client services team.
Features and Benefits:

Key benefits so far have included:

  • Almost 24/7 service for members IT Support Hounslow
  • Free telephone calls between sites
  • Automatic re-routing of calls dependent on time of call
  • Calls are never missed as they are re-routed to an available resource, regardless of location
  • Support for remote working – senior managers have SwyxMobile, so they have complete office-based telephony features such as ‘presence’ on their mobile phones
  • Built-in audio conferencing for meetings between colleagues and business partners
  • Reduced maintenance – Moves & Changes such as adding new users can be done internally by the IT team, not need for expensive third party support contracts
  • Rationalisation of phone lines – Less phone lines required leading to cost-savings in line rental
  • Secure Instant Messaging for internal office use
  • Future – More integration and support for Androids/iPhones

Tim Crannigan comments, “In the future we may consider integrating Swyx with our internal CRM system, so the membership details will automatically pop up on screen. We will also be exploring how our mobile users can upgrade to take advantage of the new Swyx apps for Android and iPhone smartphones”

Knowall IT leaders in IT Support Bayswater and IT Support London

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Unique gifts a plenty from The Travelling Souk

Are you going to a wedding and looking for unique gifts ? Something that won’t break the bank?  Looks sophisticated, stylish and perfect for a couple who have everything already.

The Travelling Souk have hundreds of different options, their easy to navigate, user friendly site allows you to shop in style the press of a button, whilst putting your feet up and enjoying a cup of coffee you can do all your shopping without leaving your chair.

Doesn’t that sound appealing? What’s even more appealing is the affordability of gifts, excellent quality vendors who are carefully selected and keeping with The Travelling Souk brand and quality assurance.

You can have peace of mind when shopping with The Travelling Souk for gift ideas and unusual gifts.

Have a look at some fabulous products we have found:

Keepsakes  Keepsakes  Kitchen & Dining  Kitchen & Dining

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Come rain or shine DIY Marquees won’t let you down

Expert advice from DIY Marquees your number one specialists in DIY marquees for sale

Should I remove the sides of my marquee in strong winds?

No, a marquee is far more wind resistant with the sides on rather than off. For some reason there are many people who believe that leaving the sides off a marquee ‘lets the wind pass through’. I will try to explain below why this is not true and why leaving the sides off of a marquee actually makes it far more susceptible to the wind than leaving the sides on.

The diagram above shows how the wind passes over a marquee and how any wind going in to the marquee gathers and lifts the roof up.  The best way to avoid this is simply to have the sides on the marquee facing the wind and have the marquee well anchored down.

Please note that this article is dealing with marquees in strong winds but not extreme weather. Marquees should not be left erected in extreme weather conditions.

The people who advocate taking the sides off in strong winds believe that the above scenario is best solved by removing the remaining side panels, thus allowing the wind to pass harmlessly through the other side of the marquee. It doesn’t. There are two factors in play if the sides are off.

i. Wind building up under the marquee roof – this still happens even if that other side is taken off. Don’t believe me? Try walking across a field in windy conditions with an umbrella – by taking the sides off your marquee you’re turning it in to one very large umbrella.

ii. Lift being created by the wind that DOES pass through the marquee:

This shows the wind passing over or through the roof only marquee. The wind passing over the top of the marquee has much further to travel so has to go faster to keep up. This may ring some bells for those who stayed awake during Physics lessons:

The reason a wing attains lift is by the air passing over the top at a greater speed than underneath and so the differing pressures caused creates lift.

A marquee roof isn’t as aerodynamic as a wing but a lifting force will still be created, not only that but the steeper the roof the more force there will be – another reason for having a20degree roof/3m apex on 6m marquees as discussed last week.

This post isn’t intended as scare-mongering, it is purely aimed at dispelling a myth. At DIY Marquees we try to encourage all of the marquee hire companies we help to follow best practices:

  • Ensure the marquees are well anchored down, that means tie down kits as a minimum.
  • Leave the walls on any side likely to face strong winds (have the entrance on a different side)
  • Never take all of the sides off a marquee in strong winds
  • Know your marquees limitations -if Michael Fish states there definitely won’t be a hurricane then resign yourself that the marquee has to come down (this is rare, it happened once in the 10+ years I ran a hire business).

Thanks for reading, diymarquees.co.uk appreciate your feedback which is gratefully received.

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In the heart of the countryside is a real treat waiting for you

Do you need a break from the hustle and bustle of city life; are you tired of fighting with traffic every day?  Do you dream of surrounding yourself with calm and tranquillity? We have found the ideal place for people like you who need a break, nestled in the beautiful countryside is bed and breakfast Surrey best kept secret.

Wonderful I can hear you say to yourself we don’t have to travel too far and which means we get to spend more time relaxing.

Relax next to the fire on cold nights sipping a glass of sherry or unwind in the comfort of your spacious bedroom. By day enjoy cycling or exploring the beautiful rolling hills and woody areas. All of this at an affordable rate that you will want to return time and time again.

The food is home cooked and delicious so there is no need to even leave the confines of this beautiful farm for the entire stay. Come visit us at bed and breakfast West Sussex.

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Planning the perfect wedding? speak to the experts

Winter is a time to let your hair down and have a party. Don’t let the cold winter weather put a dampener on an occasion you want to celebrate be it a wedding or special birthday party Marquee Hire Bagshot and marquee hire Ashtead have a large range of fabulous marquees you can hire with under floor heating, waterproof so there won’t be an excuse not to celebrate. In fact it the most wonderful time of the year to have a party as it gets dark earlier so you can choose some fabulous lights to decorate your marquee. How about having a winter wonderland theme?

Read what some of Marquee Hire Addlestone and Marquee Hire Ashford has to say about their recent experiences with Marquee Hire.

December; English Heritage, large marquee for 200 guests in London

“I just wanted to drop you a note to say a massive thank you for helping make English Heritage’s Kenwood Dinner such a success. Please do pass on my thanks to all those involved”

Small Drinks Party, London

“I must say all your contractors who put up the marquee and fitted out the heating and electrics were first class”.

Evening Soiree, London

“We were so delighted with the little marquee and all that Stephen and James and your great did for us in November”

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Have you visited the Globe Theatre in London?

Globe Theatre

At the very mention of Globe Theatre, Shakespeare is the first resonance that arrives; strong to this day, that the reconstruction in 1997 renamed the Globe Theatre as ‘Shakespeare’s Globe’. The original theatre was destroyed in 1613 during a fire and the exact location of the building is not known but remnants were found beneath the rear car park of the Anchor Terrace in Park Street. The new theatre built in 1997 is 230 meters away from the original site of the theatre.

The first Globe Theatre was built in 1599 using timber and during the performance of Henry III it went up in flames set by a theatrical canon, there were no casualties, dramatic as its location there was only a man who had his breeches in fire which was put out using a bottle of ale. The theatre was rebuilt and later closed by the Puritans in 1642 like all the other theatres. When the new theatre opened in 1997 as Shakespeare’s Globe it opened with the production of Henry V.

The old theatre had a roof above the two columns of the stage called the ‘heavens’ as it was painted with clouds and sky. The theatre’s supposedly motto is Totus mundus agit histrionem – ‘because the entire world plays the actor’. The link between the supposed mottos was outlined by one of the early industrious biographers of Shakespeare who claimed he had access to one of the personal manuscripts.

On your visit to London the foundation stone of the first Globe Theatre can be seen at the rear of Anchor Terrace. The Shakespeare’s Globe is open all year round with tours in different languages. The tour takes you back in time, reliving the Globe Theatre as it was in 1599.

London is an amazing place to view historical drama. A Shakespeare fan has quite a lot on his plate to accomplish. Holiday Lets London is an ideal Holiday Lets London short term to rent a flat in London when hunting for a London holiday studio, as the Holiday Lets London staff will be able to direct you to other theatrical parts of London.

There is ample transportation and a visit circuit for your stay can be easily formulated with the help our Holiday Lets London staff.  Visit our Holiday Lets London short stay website to have a prior understanding of what other iconic London attractions you could visit during your stay to make the best of your time.

Our self catering accommodation are closely located to many of London’s attraction sites, hence clients travelling from different parts of the world prefer to stay at Holiday Lets London, some of these  clients return out of mere satisfaction. Our repeat client state Holiday Lets London has amicable staffs that are accessible throughout for inquiries, assistance and direction. The functionality of Holiday Lets London around the clock is advantageous as a booking can be made around the clock and be it if keys have to collected at the wee hours.

 

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Make your own chilli recipe

Chilli con carneWarm the soul with this family favourite Beef Chilli Recipe for those chilly winter nights in the UK. Beef with this beautiful hot homemade chilli sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 level tbsp if you only have mild)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 500g lean minced beef
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp dried marjoram
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 410g can red kidney beans
  • plain boiled long grain rice, to serve
  • soured cream, to serve

Method

  1. Prepare your vegetables. Chop 1 large onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice. Cut 1 red pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
  2. Start cooking. Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob). Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft, squidgy and slightly translucent. Tip in the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder or 1 level tbsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Brown the 500g lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
  4. Making the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. Open 1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g can) and add these as well. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram and 1 tsp sugar, if using (see tip at the bottom), and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
  5. Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
  6. Bring on the beans. Drain and rinse 1 can of red kidney beans (410g can) in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.
  7. Serve with soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice.

Click here for other super recipes and interesting articles on household DIY projects, reviews on products and services

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Making a decision is hard about a memorial, let Lodge Brothers assist you

District Manager Bill Wilde covers quite a few miles at this time of year playing Santa when not looking after clients. Gifts on behalf of the Directors and staff at lodgebros.co.uk are delivered out to nursing and residential homes for staff and residents to enjoy.

Bill said, “The planning starts as early as September which is when I start getting the presents ready and distributed out to each of the branches in my District. As soon as December arrives, every opportunity I get, I am out on the road delivering until the task is complete. Covering a large area, which includes Esher, Addlestone, Weybridge, Walton and Windsor, needs some planning.

But it is worth it especially when I see the enjoyment it brings. My job looking after families is very important, but this is something that I really enjoy at this time of year”.

Lodge Brothers understand how difficult decisions can be especially when its children, they have a large selection of Childrens Memorials and will help you make the right choice.

crem_mem_i11  crem_mem_i10  crem_mem_i7

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Do you need a partner for the weekend?

rent a friend can seem like a difficult thing to do especially if you are shy or not very confident or if you have had a bad experience before. I came across this amazing service last year when I needed a date for my work year end function. I felt like I was the only person in the world who didn’t have a date for their work party.

A friend encouraged me to hop onto their Rent a Friend service user friendly site and have a peek at some of the many male escort dates I could choose from. I was encouraged as it’s such a professional service and you can select the date you would like even down to how much your budget is.

Rent a friend is there for you when you need a friend most so you never have to feel alone in a crowd again. Dance the night away with Dukes of Daisy Rent a Friend UK service.

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Make a difference this festive season…

Our Work

Dblo Associates commercial architects London have a heart for the community and in true spirit of Christmas have decided to support a worthy charity called CRASH. Every little helps, read their seasons greeting:

Seasons Greeting and a prosperous New Year from all dblo associates residential architects London

Again, this year instead of sending cards, we have made a donation to CRASH, the construction and property industry’s charity for the homeless.

We hope you have a great break and look forward to working with you in 2014.

CRASH is the construction and property industry’s charity for homeless people.

We are a practical charity that focuses on improving the buildings used by homeless people. We do this in three ways;

Providing pro-bono professional expertise
Supplying free building materials
Awarding cash grants

CRASH is a UK registered charity (no. 1054107) and operates throughout the UK.