ViaPost – the impact of a letter, with the ease of an email

Today we’re evangelising about ViaPost, an awesome way to save money AND carbon when sending good old-fashioned snail mail.  From the site:

What is ViaPost?

ViaPost is an alternative mail service that allows you to send physical post direct from your PC. It is a secure, high-quality and confidential way of printing and posting that saves you both time and money.

Viapost allows you to send physical letters to any UK address simply by pressing print from within any Windows application. Rather than selecting your local laser or inkjet printer from the printer list, you select “Send It Viapost”.

We print it at a location close to where it needs to go, and we print it out ready-sorted and barcoded for the Royal Mail to take the final few miles. Because we bypass a lot of the mechanical sorting and a lot of the trucking, our service actually costs less than the price of a first class stamp. There is no need for printers, ink, envelopes, stamps or franking.

You can use ViaPost in the following ways:

ViaPost Driver
free software that installs on your Windows computer. Ideal for lower volume mailings (up to several thousand letters at a time). Acts just like a print driver, you select "Send it ViaPost" from your printer list instead of printing to your local inkjet or laser printer.

ViaPost Portal
allows bulk upload of a document and a list of addresses from any computer connected to the web, including Macs. Does not support mail merge functionality (yet), so you can only send the exact same document to each addressee. The driver does have full mail merge functionality. Enter here.

ViaPost API
The API integrates with your current IT systems and allows your current enterprise software (Sage, Oracle, SAP, etc.) to send documents direct into our system without any user intervention. This is intended for higher volume users for whom the print driver may not be the best route into our service.

 

ViaPost is rated 46 out of the top 100 startups in the UK, according to Startups.co.uk.  Give it a try!

MIKOGO – Free online meetings, web presentations & remote support

A short while back, we wrote about our friends at Yuuguu and some of the exciting stuff they have been up to with their screen-sharing and unified instant messaging application.
Recently, we came across a similar offering, Mikogo who offer a desktop application for meeting with up to 10 participants over the web, for FREE.  Here’s some more info:
What is Mikogo?
Mikogo is a free desktop sharing tool perfect for any online meeting, Web presentation or remote support situation. With Mikogo you can invite up to 10 participants to view your screen live
over the Web. Quick and easy to use, Mikogo provides a solution suitable for anyone looking to collaborate online.
Meet – Present – Support – Teach – Share
Mikogo eliminates the need to make on-site visits for tasks that can easily be achieved via screen sharing over the Internet. Provide online technical support for customers. Conduct product demos or make sales pitches to prospects. Use Mikogo to discuss and edit a current team project. Teach and train your pupils regardless of distance. Or simply share recent holiday photos with your friends and relatives.
Why Mikogo?
Free: Mikogo is a high performance free screen sharing solution for all to enjoy, business and private users included. There are no hidden catches, no credit card details required, no trial periods and no feature restrictions.
Anytime, Anywhere: You can host an unlimited number of meetings for as often and as long as you wish.
Save: With Mikogo you will instantly save yourself valuable travel time and money.
Easy-to-Use: Mikogo’s ease of use makes the software a breeze for any user, regardless of technical ability. The clean uncluttered user interface will keep your screen free, allowing you and your participants to focus on the presentation or meeting at hand.
How it Works
Mikogo is quick and easy. Just start a meeting with two mouse clicks from your desktop and receive the unique meeting ID. Using this ID, participants can then join from Mikogo.com without having to register nor install any software. Users can then enjoy free screen sharing with all Mikogo features included.  Thanks to globally distributed servers, Mikogo is available for everyone from anywhere at anytime, 24-7.

SIGN UP FOR MIKOGO HERE

October Newsletter

Technology You Can Trust.

October's news includes the announcement of a huge landmark for us and some great tips on social media marketing from the experts.  As ever, please give us your feedback and comments.

http://www.businessitonline.com/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to our sponsors:

Hewlett-Packard Store

Office customers - Buy direct from HP.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOT TOPICS THIS MONTH...

50,000 users and counting

In the last week, we have reached 50,000 users registered on Business IT Online. It's an exciting landmark of which we are very proud.  Read more.

 

10 Small business social media marketing tips

"Capacity - especially to plan and execute effective marketing strategies - is a big challenge for every small business. In this post, I’ll offer 10 suggestions for how small businesses can supercharge their marketing efforts by leveraging social media.", from Mashable.com.  Read more.

 

Quicker and easier than ever to find the office supplies you need

We have released a major improvement to our online office supplies store which makes it even easier for you to find the office stationery items you need. The enhancement is in two parts. The first is an improvement to our on site search facility and the second is an enhancement to the navigation structure.  Read more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPECIAL OFFERS!

Office paper (500 sheets)	Envelopes (500)	Lever arch files (10)
£2.79	£8.89	£10.87

Quicker & easier than ever to find the office supplies you need

Today we released a major improvement to our online office supplies store which makes it even easier for you to find the office stationery items you need.

The enhancement is in two parts.  The first is an improvement to our on site search facility and the second is an enhancement to the navigation structure.

On site search improvements

• Enter a search term and you will now be able to narrow results by category, brand and / or keyword from the search results page that loads
• If you narrow your search results by category first, then brand, and keyword last, you can use all three parameters to find the product you need.
• You can go straight to a search result by directly entering the following URL (where ‘copier paper’ is the search term) http://www.businessitonline.com/office-products-search.aspx?s=copier+paper
• You can go straight to a search result, refined by brand, by directly entering the following URL (where ‘copier paper’ is the term and ‘5 Star’ is the brand) http://www.businessitonline.com/office-products-search.aspx?s=copier+paper&b=5+Star
• You can go straight to a search result, refined by brand AND keyword, by directly entering the following URL (where ‘copier paper’ is the term, ‘5 Star’ is the brand AND ‘A4 White’ is the keyword) http://www.businessitonline.com/office-products-search.aspx?s=copier+paper&b=5+Star&kw=A4+White
• And if you’re a real direct URL fan, you can go straight to the above page, sorted by price too! (by adding ‘&sort=price’ on the end) Which would give you the page for the cheapest 5 Star A4 copier paper
• You can also undo narrowing parameters by clicking on the X beside each selection to help you go back if you make a mistake

Navigation improvements

• One way to find a product is from our master office supplies brand list by clicking on the brand you are looking for (they’re all sorted alphabetically)
• You can also go straight to a brand’s products list by directly entering the following URL (where ‘Compucessory’ is the brand) http://www.businessitonline.com/office-products-search.aspx?b=Compucessory
• From a brand page, you can narrow further by category, e.g. Compucessory headphones and speakers…
• …and / or by keyword, e.g. Compucessory headset
• Alternatively, you can find products by navigating through the category hierarchy on the left of the page.  When you get to the 3rd level category down, you will see a choice of ‘type’, ‘brand’ or ‘keyword’.  Use these to narrow your results until you find the product you need
• Click on a product name or image from a listing to load a detailed product page with specifications (e.g. Compucessory noise-cancelling foldable headset)
• On a product page, you can navigate back to the category listings by clicking on the nav trail at the top of the page
• Click ‘back’, or use the back button in your browser, to go back to a previous page
• Bookmark a product page by clicking on the service of your choice from the Bookmark link in the top right corner of the product page

That’s most of the changes for now.  There’s some more great stuff in the pipeline.

50,000 users and counting. Are you one of them?

In the last week, we have reached 50,000 users registered on Business IT Online.  It’s an exciting landmark of which we are very proud.

We have invested a huge amount of effort into making our online business software and office supplies service the best it can possibly be.  Continuous improvement (or ‘Kaizen’, as the Japanese call it) is an ongoing obsession of ours and your feedback continues to be the main driver of our development programme.

THANKS FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT

September Newsletter

Technology You Can Trust.

This month we are very excited to announce our affiliate programme and take a look at some of Europe's most exciting startups from Seedcamp.  As ever, please give us your feedback and comments.

http://www.businessitonline.com/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to our sponsors:

Hewlett-Packard Store

Office customers - Buy direct from HP.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW FEATURES

Become a Business IT Online affiliate

If you are a business that sells products and services to other businesses, this is a great opportunity to enhance your revenue-generating capabilities, by referring customers to us. We are launching with a fantastic 10% commission on all referred sales.  Read more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOT TOPICS THIS MONTH...

Seedcamp's six winners announced

Seedcamp, the European startups programme, has announced the winners of its year-long programme to find the best startups in Europe, finally judged over an intense week of mentoring by a long line of fellow European entrepreneurs (via Techcrunch UK).  Read more.

 

Successful pay per click advertising for small businesses

Bytestart reports that, used properly, digital advertising space can be likened to an all-singing, all-dancing virtual billboard, equal to the glitziest displays in London or New York. Unlike the billboard on Times Square or Piccadilly Circus, a pay per click marketing campaign can be precisely targeted according to dynamics such as age, gender, martial status, geographical location or time of day.  Read more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPECIAL OFFERS!

Office paper (500 sheets)	Envelopes (500)	Lever arch files (10)
£2.79	£8.89	£10.87

Become a Business IT Online affiliate today!

We are very excited to announce today’s launch of our office shop affiliate programme on Affiliate Window.
If you are a business that sells products and services to other businesses, this is a great opportunity to enhance your revenue-generating capabilities, by referring customers to us.  We are launching with a fantastic 10% commission on all referred sales by affiliates and a 60 day cookie.
The Business IT Online Office Shop sells a range of 20,000 office supplies including a wide variety of stationery products, office furniture and general office equipment in the UK. The online office supplies shop is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses as well as home offices that want to benefit from low prices and next business day delivery on everyday office items. Businessitonline.com offers free UK delivery on orders over £40.
Why join our affiliate programme?
- 20,000 everyday office products
- Great value low prices
- Next business day delivery
- Free delivery
- Average basket value of £90
- Quick and easy replenishment of consumables using ‘favourites’
Sign up now!
Click the link below to sign up today.
https://www.affiliatewindow.com/signup/index.php?merchant=2607

August Newsletter

Technology You Can Trust.

It's the quietest time of year for many of us with the bank holiday weekend approaching. Why not use this quieter time to lower your costs and improve your network? This month's newsletter will tell you how.  As ever, please give us your feedback and comments.

http://www.businessitonline.com/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to our sponsors:

Hewlett-Packard Store

Office customers - Buy direct from HP.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW FEATURES

Our price beater promise

Great business people are always looking for ways to achieve more with less. We all want to grow our business revenues at less cost. Isn't it handy when you stumble across a straightforward cost reduction for your business that offers an increased level of service and convenience for a lower price?  That time is now.  Read more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOT TOPICS THIS MONTH...

'Real' business networking as important as ever, despite social media boom

Despite the increasing popularity of social networking websites like Twitter and Linked-In amongst small businesses, face-to-face networking is more important than ever, according to a study conducted by a business networking site. Business Scene questioned 500 small businesses and found that two thirds (66%) of SMEs are now networking in person at least once a week, reports Bytestart.  Read more.

 

Largest ever UK small business survey kicks off

Entrepreneurs have been invited to give their take on the issues they are facing as a landmark small business survey gets underway. The 2009 Business Pulse will probe 10,000 small-business leaders on the challenges they are facing, their level of optimism and enterprise culture in the UK.  Read more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPECIAL OFFERS!

Office paper (500 sheets)	Envelopes (500)	Lever arch files (10)
£2.79	£8.89	£10.87

Our Price Beater Promise

Great business people are always looking for ways to achieve more with less.  We all want to grow our business revenues at less cost.   Isn’t it handy when you stumble across a straightforward cost reduction for your business that offers an increased level of service and convenience for a lower price?
That time is now.
We will sell the same* office supplies to you for less than you are currently paying, and that’s our PRICE BEATER PROMISE.
With next business day delivery on tens of thousands of everyday office products, you’ll be saving money and benefiting from outstanding service too!  What about that for a great offer?
Achieve more with less cost in your business today.  It only takes a few seconds to get lower prices.  Click here.

* in cases where we don’t stock an identical product, we will find an alternative.

ComplaintCommunity.com - Complaints made easy!

This is an interesting new free to use service that tries to break the mould where complaints are concerned. It offers the usual ability for consumers to post their complaints, and use the social network community therein facility to share experiences, advice and so on – but importantly goes much further to support them, and then the organisation involved, in actually fixing the problem.

It also has an interesting service called GroupComplaint™ which doesn’t exist anywhere else - it allows consumers to group together around a theme complaint and be dealt with by the organisation as a community - it’s a bit like a group action built for the organisation, but without all the legal baggage.

They offer the usual management information about your complaints (also free) and also have partnerships with experts on how to improve the underlying problems behind your complaints.

It works really well for small businesses who can’t afford expensive complaint management software but want to improve their customer service.

You can find more information here - http://www.complaintcommunity.com/index.php?wcId=29