Category: Business

Irish consumer sentiment improves but many still feeling the pinch of rising prices

Irish consumer sentiment is on the up, but inflation remains a key concern, a new Deloitte survey shows. More than three in four respondents are concerned that the prices of everyday purchases will increase – 2% down on last month – but the highest of 24 countries surveyed.

The Deloitte January Global State of the Consumer Tracker benchmarks the sentiment and beliefs driving consumer behaviours in Ireland and 24 other markets throughout the world. The Tracker team engages with 20,000 consumers to understand their perspectives on their financial wellbeing, where they spend their money and how they select and purchase their products.

The Irish survey found that six-in-ten Irish consumers have no extra money left at the end of the month and half of all Irish respondents feel their financial situation has worsened over the past year.  However, a quarter of respondents said they expect their situation to improve in the next 12 months.

Daniel Murray, Partner and Head of Consumer at Deloitte Ireland said today: “The results from the Deloitte Consumer tracker remind us of the importance of ongoing and consistent surveying of consumer attitudes. Once again, this month we see that Irish consumers are the most concerned about inflation, with 76% =concerned about the prices of everyday purchases. While this is the same percentage as Australia, it marks a consistently high level of concern about inflation in the minds of Irish consumers.

“Those countries that were least concerned were China (37%), Saudi Arabia (52%), Brazil and India (53%).  80% of Irish consumers expect prices to rise in restaurants (verses 72% average across the 24 countries) and 78% expect to see further rises in household utilities (verses 70% average across the 24 countries) The number who expect fuel to increase increased 4% to 68%.”

Murray continued: “We are also seeing some interesting demand increases which will require continued and careful contingency planning to avoid potential issues. 40% of Irish respondents said they planned to take an international flight in the next three months. This is an increase of 3% on this time last year. We also expect to see similar level of rail travel to this time last year with 34% of respondents expected to travel by train, rather than by rental car (13%). 51% of respondents expect to stay in a hotel in the next three months, which is the same level of demand to last year. Interestingly, just 25% would choose to book private accommodation, such as Airbnb.”

Murray concluded: “There are some interesting trends in several grocery categories. In the meat category, own brand and low cost have seen a quarter-on-quarter decline of -6% and -3% respectively, while purchasing premium meats has not declined at all. “This may suggest that Irish consumers are once again focusing on the food quality when selecting their meats in particular. Having said that, only 23% have bought several ‘nice to have’ items which shows caution remains when it comes to their purchases.”

Envisage wins Sage Irish Partner of the Year Award

Envisage, Ireland’s largest Sage partner, a division of the Noledge Group, today announces that it has been recognised as ‘Sage Partner of the Year for Ireland’, as revealed at Sage’s 2023 Partner Kickoff event.

Sage – the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses – awarded Envisage the accolade for its success in generating strong revenue and in boosting the industry standard for software implementation.

By implementing Sage accounting and ERP solutions for its customers, Envisage focuses on automating and streamlining processes, reducing time, and making it easier for them to do business. For more than twenty years, the team at Envisage has served customers such as Tour America and Mr. Price, while more recent customer additions include Jump Juice Bars and The Institute of Education.

Ray Ryan, CEO of Envisage, said, “Envisage has had a successful few years, so it’s wonderful to see Sage recognise the effort of our growing team and our dedication to offering the best accounting and ERP solutions and services to our customers. This accolade acknowledges our amazing team, so we are thrilled to receive this prestigious award.

 “From sales and marketing to project execution, development, customer support and accounts, we have a remarkable group of talented individuals. We pride ourselves in delivering quality projects and ongoing services to our customers to make their businesses more profitable.

“Supporting our clients in a friendly and helpful way is at the core of what we do. Our business model depends on establishing sincere, honest connections with our customers and demonstrating that we care. We greatly look forward to the year ahead and the opportunities it may bring.”

Photo – (L-R) Paul Struthers; EVP & Managing Director UK and Ireland, Sage; Steve Boyes, Customer Care Director, Envisage; Amy Hughes, Sales Manager, Envisage; Sinead Galligani, Marketing Director, Envisage; Roger Gribbin, Sales Director, Envisage; and Brian Habanna, Former South African Rugby Player. Envisage received the award at Sage’s 2023 Partner Kickoff event for its success in generating strong revenue and in boosting the industry standard for software implementation.

5 Perks Of Incorporating Experiential Learning Into Employee Development Programs

As a business owner or HR manager, you know the importance of investing in employee development programs. These programs are crucial for building a skilled and motivated workforce, leading to increased productivity and profitability.

One practical approach to employee development is experiential learning, which involves hands-on, real-life experiences that allow employees to apply their skills and knowledge in a realistic setting.

Here are four perks of incorporating experiential learning into employee development programs:

Improved retention and motivation

Employees allowed to learn and grow through experiential learning are more likely to feel invested in their work and motivated to stay with the company. In fact, research has shown that people retain up to 90% of the information they learn through experiential learning, compared to just 10% of information learned through lectures.

Experiential learning also helps to keep employees engaged and motivated by providing a sense of accomplishment and purpose. For example, run a marketing firm and offer experiential learning opportunities for your employees to work on real campaigns for local businesses. They will be able to see the direct impact of their work and feel a sense of pride in their contributions.

Enhanced problem-solving and critical-thinking skills

Experiential learning allows employees to practice and develop their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in a real-world setting. This is especially beneficial for employees who struggle with these skills in a traditional classroom setting.

For example, you are using a tool like Articulate 360 to provide online experiential learning programs, allowing employees to apply their knowledge to realistic scenarios. By navigating these simulations, they will develop the skills necessary to resolve conflict, manage projects, and think strategically. 

Though before you start using such tools, make sure you check out the Articulate 360 pricing and reviews to weigh the pros and cons.

Increased collaboration and teamwork

Experiential learning often involves working with others to complete tasks and projects, which helps to foster collaboration and teamwork skills. This is especially important in today’s increasingly collaborative workplace, where employees must work well with others to achieve success.

Suppose you run a consulting firm and offer experiential learning opportunities for your employees to work on group consulting projects. They will be able to practice working with others to complete tasks and achieve common goals. This helps build strong team bonds and improve teamwork skills.

Greater flexibility and adaptability

The learning method allows employees to experience new situations and challenges, which helps to build flexibility and adaptability skills. These skills are crucial in today’s fast-paced and constantly changing business environment, where employees must adapt and respond to new situations quickly and effectively.

For example, run a healthcare organization and offer experiential learning opportunities for your employees to work on simulated patient care scenarios. They will have the chance to practice adapting to new and unexpected situations. This can help them to be more flexible and adaptable in their everyday work.

Builds leadership skills

Leadership skills are crucial for any employee, regardless of position or level. These skills include inspiring and motivating others, making difficult decisions, delegating tasks effectively, and communicating clearly and effectively. 

Experiential learning is an excellent way to develop these skills because it provides opportunities for employees to practice and test their leadership abilities in a safe and supportive environment. 

This can be especially valuable for those who may not have had many opportunities to lead or may be hesitant to take on leadership roles. By participating in experiential learning activities, employees can gain confidence in their ability to lead and develop their leadership skills in a challenging and rewarding way.

Conclusion

Experiential learning can be an invaluable component of employee development programs. It allows employees to practice and develop their skills practically, leading to increased retention, motivation, problem-solving, collaboration, teamwork, adaptability, and leadership.

Investing in these activities can provide your business with a skilled and motivated workforce, leading to increased productivity and success.

Why to Use Managed WordPress Hosting Instead of Shared Hosting

Finding the right web hosting service for a WordPress site may not always be a straightforward process. There are endless choices of providers and a lot of big promises that will come at you from all directions.

Knowing which type of web hosting is most suitable for your website is the first step you should take before getting into more specific details.

The two types of hosting that the majority of WP sites use are shared web hosting, and managed WordPress hosting.

We’ll focus on the latter type in this article, and we’ll look at some of the main reasons why it can be a superior choice to regular shared hosting.

Higher Server Performance

Despite being a relatively simple content management system, WordPress does consume a sizable chunk of server resources, especially if it is a dynamic website like an e-commerce store.

Managed WP solutions usually offer higher quotas of server resources, which include RAM, CPU, IOPS (input/output operations per second), and database connections. The more of these your website has access to, the better and faster it’ll perform.

Another thing that often distinguishes managed WP hosting is the use of SSD or NVMe SSD storage devices. Since WordPress constantly transfers data from and to the database stored on the server’s disk, the high I/O speed of SSDs leads to faster loading of the site’s pages.

In addition to the increased hardware capabilities, the server’s software comes specifically optimized to work with the WordPress system seamlessly and efficiently.

Enhanced Server and Site Security

Having all the websites on the server use WordPress allows the hosting company to only install the software that is required to run this system and nothing else. This reduces the number of possible server software vulnerabilities and also enables the implementation of strict and customized security configurations.

In addition to that, a malware scanning and removal tool is a standard feature in managed WordPress hosting plans that are particularly aimed at small business WordPress websites. This is a very important security feature since WP websites are a big target for malware attacks.

Essential WP Tools

One of the main conveniences of managed WordPress hosting is that a lot of useful tools come preinstalled and preconfigured for instant use. This can save you the time and effort it takes to search for and install those tools on your own.

Here are a few examples of the most important tools you often get at no additional cost:

Automatic installer: This makes it super quick and easy to set up as many WordPress sites as you need without having to manually upload the files or go through the manual installation steps. An automatic installer will only require you to provide some basic details and check a few boxes, then it takes care of the rest and you’ll be able to log in to your new site within less than a minute or so.

Automatic updates: You won’t need to edit your site’s code in order to enable or disable automatic updates of the core, themes and plugins. You’ll be able to easily manage all automatic update settings from one page.

Staging: This is one of the common reasons many site owners choose managed WordPress hosting over shared hosting. A staging tool allows you to test changes and updates in an offline clone version of your website and then publish those changes to the live version once you are happy with the results.

Caching: A built-in server caching tool helps speed up the loading of the site’s content and can be more efficient than third-party cache plugins.

Automatic backups: Every WordPress site owner should keep daily backups of both the files and the database. Instead of searching for external plugins to do the job, managed WP plans normally include an automated backup tool with an instant restoration function.

Advanced Technical Support

Another key advantage that separates managed WordPress hosting from shared web hosting is that the former usually comes with a more skilled support team.

Many professional WP hosts that target small businesses have knowledgeable support agents who have a high proficiency with technical issues related to WordPress. British companies are often hiring a UK-based WordPress agency to help them enhance their online presence and ensure their sites run smoothly. With specialized expertise, these agencies can optimize site performance, implement custom designs, and provide ongoing support to meet the unique needs of each business.

Shared hosting services may only cover basic server-related support issues, but with a managed WordPress plan, you get more advanced technical support that may cover site-related issues and customization requests.

Some enterprise-grade WordPress hosting providers charge hundreds of dollars per month for an entry-level plan — not because their server equipment or software is more expensive, but because they hire real experts to monitor the services and resolve support requests in a comprehensive and prompt manner.

Managed WordPress vs. Shared Hosting: Summary

The following list sums up the main points we discussed above about the advantages of managed WP hosting over shared web hosting.

Managed WP provides more server resources than shared hosting.

Managed WP servers are optimized for maximum performance and security.

Managed WP comes with automatic installation and updates.

Managed WP includes a staging tool for development and testing purposes.

Managed WP servers are configured for optimal caching.

Managed WP comes with an automatic backup generating and restoring feature.

Managed WP support teams are usually more skilled and helpful compared to shared hosting support.

You should note that each provider may have a different definition of what “managed WordPress” hosting means. You’ll notice that the technical specifications and features vary from one company to another.

It is important that you don’t make any assumptions as to what’s included in the service and what’s not. You should carefully examine all the features of any plan you are interested in before you hit the checkout button.

Five women-founded companies selected for unique scale-up programme by Endeavor Ireland, in conjunction with Philip Lee LLP

Five women founded companies have been selected to take part in a new scale-up programme delivered by Endeavor Ireland, in conjunction with Philip Lee LLP.

The programme is the first of its kind in Ireland and will see each of the successful applicants receive 10 one-on-one mentorships over the next five months, tailored specifically to their individual needs.

Endeavor is a global not-for-profit organisation with a mission to support and accelerate high-impact entrepreneurs by connecting them with talent, capital and a worldwide peer and mentor network. It runs scale up programmes around the world and this is the first programme to be offered in Ireland, after the opening of its Irish office in 2019.

Following a call for applications last October, the following women-founded companies have been selected to take part: Chupi; Axonista; inclusio; Orphan Drug Consulting; and Riley.

The programme kicked off with a session in Dublin led by Anne Heraty, Endeavor Ireland Board member and Anna Hickey, Partner at Philip Lee.

Rory Guinan, Managing Director of Endeavor Ireland, said; “Endeavor is a not-for-profit organisation with a focus on supporting entrepreneurs with high-impact potential to scale up, and to ultimately provide a societal benefit for Ireland.  We’ve been very impressed with the entrepreneurs we’ve worked with since establishing in Ireland and eleven founders have now come through the rigorous selection process for our core entrepreneur programme.

We’re delighted to confirm that Katie and Philip McGlade of Thérapie Clinic came through the selection process last week. They have experienced phenomenal growth in their business in the last number of years, and we’re looking forward to working with them to build on that even further.  It’s great to have Katie on board in particular, because she is the first woman entrepreneur to make it through the selection process since we established in Ireland. We want to work with more ambitious women entrepreneurs and that was the  main motivation for establishing this new five-month scale-up programme for women entrepreneurs.

“We had a huge response to the call for applications and we’re excited to get started with the successful founders. When entrepreneurs are asked what had the biggest impact on them as they build their business, two of the most common responses are having access to quality mentors and a network of trust. That is what we will provide in this programme through our global network and our hope is that it will help the founders to build on the significant success that they’ve already achieved,” he said.

Anna Hickey, Partner at Philip Lee, said; “We’re delighted to partner with Endeavor Ireland on this Scale Up Programme. Over the next five months we are looking forward to working with the five successful applicants, to help them realise their ambitions to scale their businesses globally.”

Speaking at the inaugural session of the programme, which was held at the Philip Lee office in Dublin, the founders, which work in a diverse range of industries, made the following comments:

Claire McHugh, CEO at Axonista, pioneers in livestream video commerce solutions, said; “I’m very excited to be taking part in this programme. Endeavor’s purpose aligns with our own ambition to scale quickly and be at the forefront of building an emerging new ecosystem that is innovating interactive experiences and making video commerce accessible to brands across the globe.  I know Endeavor’s targeted support will help me realise my goal to make Axonista a world leader in interactive, live video commerce.

Chupi Sweetman, CEO at Chupi Fine Jewellery said; “I’ve been very impressed by what I’ve heard about Endeavor since it established in Ireland, so I’m excited to take part in this programme. The calibre of the people on the Endeavor Ireland Board is truly inspiring and having access to the Endeavor global network is a great opportunity that I know will be a huge support as we continue growing Chupi globally.”

Sandra Healy, CEO at the science-based diversity and inclusion platform inclusio, said; “I’m looking forward to building my network and learning from the experts in Philip Lee, and from the global Endeavor network. Getting advice from people like Anne Heraty is such a great opportunity, and I’m thrilled that the other founders are at different stages in their growth and working in a varied range of sectors– we’ll have a lot to learn from each other as well as through the 10 one-on-one mentorships that will be organised for us all.”

Evelyn Kelly, Chief Executive of Orphan Drug Consulting, said; “We have ambitious plans for growth – we aim to increase our sales three-fold in the next five years. To do that we are targeting new markets so it’s ideal timing for us to tap into the support of the Endeavor network and the mentorship offered through this programme.”

Fiona Parfrey, Aine Kilkenny and Lauren Duggan are co-founders of Riley, the sustainable period care company. Fiona Parfrey said; “We are ambitious for scaling Riley internationally, so this programme has come along at exactly the right time for us. The one-on-one support tailored to our specific needs, and access to the global Endeavor network, will be invaluable to us as we look to build market share in international markets.”

Aine Kilkenny said; “We’ve seen the calibre of the companies that have gone through the Endeavor selection process and they all speak so highly of it so we’re delighted Riley has been selected for its first Scale Up Programme in Ireland. We are less than two years old so the hands-on support will be really beneficial for us as we work on growing our business.”

What is the Best Custom Essay Writing Service? 4 Guarantees the Company Should Offer

A student who has never used a professional custom writing service to do my paper for me or proofread and edit their own writing may have some doubts. The first thing that comes to mind is how can I be sure of the quality and the speed of the work of the helpers. Luckily, the specialized custom websites provide students with all lots of guarantees. Of course, your fears are not unfounded. Devious websites can steal your money or expose your data to danger. However, everything is different with trustworthy websites. You can use the website with no fear if you see the following guarantees. The next guarantees show that your rights are protected.

1. Money-back Guarantee of the Best Customer Writing Service

100% money-back in the person you should pay attention to when choosing the best custom-writings.com service. Students can get all their money back in case they are not satisfied with the service if the website provides a money-back guarantee. There are a few cases when you can get your money back:

  • You decided to cancel your order: there may be different reasons for canceling the order. However, it is not the business of the company. You cancel the order through the live chat. Students get on their money back if the writer didn’t start working yet. Of course, you will get less money in case the helper is already working on custom writing papers. You can be ready to get ~70% of the full sum this way. Keep in mind that canceling an order if the paper is already accomplished is impossible.
  • Late delivery: although writers usually deliver the paper and time there still can appear some issues. You will get a 100% money-back guarantee and the deadline has already passed and you didn’t get your papers. You can also pay less money if you let the writer deliver the papers a little bit late.
  • Bad quality: you can also get a monetary refund if you are not completely satisfied with the quality of the custom writing. Helpers may make some mistakes or the content may be incorrect. There are also other options for you to choose from, for example, a free revision or a choice of another writer and getting the best custom essay writing services.

Thus you can be sure that you will get your funds back in case something go wrong. As you can see, all you need to do is contact customer support.

2. Plagiarism Free Custom Writing Online Guarantee

Specialized websites should claim that they provide unique papers. Trustworthy websites never copy information from any other sources on the web and don’t rewrite the original texts of other writers. Besides, they never sell the orders of other students.

Writers work due to the specific requirements of the customer. Specialists never use the papers of other writers as a base. Writers check the papers using effective plagiarism checkers to keep the content 100% original.

Advanced writers also pay attention to the correct formatting according to the writing style they need. Citations are formatted correctly due to the Chicago, MLA, or APA styles.

Besides, if you and your classmate will order the solution for a similar task you will still get different papers. Firstly, different risers have different writing styles and approaches to work. Secondly, writers never copy custom essay writing they have done before.

3. Free Revision of the Writing Service

Free revision gives the customer the possibility to ask for free revision papers as many times as they like for free. Some editing services are paid however you can use free revision in the following cases:

  • Non-Compliance with the Instructions: you can get a free revision if the writer missed one of your requirements and primary demands.
  • Grammar mistakes: students can ask for vision if they see grammar or punctuation mistakes.
  • Free custom writing review is usually available for 7-14 days after you have received it. You can continue to cooperate with your helper and ask for further changes if you need to make a deep edit. Students can ask for a paid revision in a few cases:
  • New demands: it is also possible to ask for changes if your teacher has given new demands to the papers. You can come back to your writer and ask him to add new information without looking for additional services somewhere else.
  • New writer: you can also change a new writer if you want to work with a new one for some reason for the additional fee. Your deadline will be a little bit extended but you will still work with a new professional.

That’s why you can do with your cheapest custom writing whatever you want. Besides, helpers are always ready to accept their mistakes and correct them for free.

4. Confidentiality of the Custom Writing Service

The safety of your data is as important as the safety of your money. That is why specialized websites provide you with full confidentiality. The companies never share the personal data asked at the start of cooperation. The personal data of the customer is usually not stored and is deleted after the custom paper is accomplished. You can also control your data personally and can decide what data will writers see. You should better read the privacy policy of the website before ordering custom writing services.

80% of Irish businesses have no back-up system in place in case of connectivity system failure

80% of businesses around Ireland are failing to acknowledge the criticality of connectivity by not having an appropriate back-up system in place according to new research released today by Magnet+, Ireland’s largest independent connectivity network.

With 270,000 SMES in Ireland currently, (269,708 according to the latest figures from Statista) , the research, which was conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes (B&A) on behalf of Magnet+, indicates that approx. 216,000 businesses are leaving their systems vulnerable to significant loss in the case of a connectivity malfunction or system failure. In response to these startling results, Magnet+ has developed a new service, Magnet Duo, the first of its kind in Ireland guaranteeing internet connection at all times.

Magnet Duo provides customers with two individual active links – instead of one, which is the current standard – powered by Fortinet technology to ensure a secure, seamless and optimised user experience. Each link operates independently which means if one link is interrupted for whatever reason, traffic automatically switches to the other until the first is operating again. Each link is also connected to a different data centre meaning again, if one connection is interrupted, traffic is automatically routed via the other centre. The use of this Fortinet technology is a key element of the Magnet Duo service and its ability to fully guarantee your server won’t ever lose broadband connection which is a guarantee no other provider in Ireland currently offers.

To further demonstrate the meaning of these results and the risk Irish businesses are taking by not engaging in the proper connectivity back-up, Magnet+ has calculated that an average business in the IT sector could lose up to €20,000 per working day due to connectivity failure and having no back-up in place. Recent CSO figures show that the IT sector has an average hourly labour cost of €48.39 meaning an IT related business with a team of 50 could lose productivity worth €2,419.50 per hour – working out at almost €20,000 per average working day (€18,146.25). Similarly, businesses outside of the IT sector with a team of 50 could also be impacted financially if they are without the appropriate connectivity back-up according to these CSO figures, for example:

  • Financial, Insurance and Real Estate – potential loss of €17,145 per day
  • Arts, Entertainment and Recreation – potential loss of almost €8,550 per day
  • Accommodation and Food Services – potential loss at almost €5,520 per day

These figures don’t include the revenue loss for a transactional online operation, as well as the knock-on impact of reputational damage.

John Delves, Managing Director of Magnet+, is calling for the immediate implementation of a new industry standard that requires all telecommunications companies to provide two lines of broadband at all times to guarantee 24/7 connectivity:

“If you don’t have connectivity, you can’t operate as a business – it’s as simple as that. That’s why I’m totally shocked by the figure that 80% of businesses don’t have a back-up system in place. Every day we’re seeing the real-life impact that connectivity failure has on businesses and it’s these failures and the alarming results of our research that led us to develop our new service Magnet Duo, Ireland’s first fully guaranteed internet connection. This means whatever happens – burst pipes, freak weather or broken cables – two lines will keep you connected and working. Guaranteed. It’s a direct, dedicated line to the internet – think of it like a private jet, exclusively owned by your business. So, if your power supply stays on, we guarantee your Magnet Duo connection will too – and you’ll keep working and trading smoothly and seamlessly.

At this stage, you would assume that businesses understand the criticality of connectivity to their business but the figures from our research show that they really don’t. I’d urge every business to do a trial – cut off their connectivity for just five minutes and assess the chaos that unfolds. That should be enough to encourage any business to review their connectivity options and ensure they are protected in the event of an outage

Paul Donegan, Country Manager with Fortinet said:

“Fortinet are delighted to work with Magnet+ on delivery of their intelligent networking and connectivity service Magnet Duo to Irish customers. With connectivity and technology being the key focus point of the engagement Magnet+ have designed a solution powered by Fortinet technology that provides two links routed to individual data centres connecting to the internet at all times in the most reliable way to guarantee 24/7 internet connection. By leveraging the FortiGate platform they can offer their customers a guaranteed connection alongside the assurance that customers can avail of world leading firewall features and other capabilities including IPS, application control, anti-virus, antimalware and web filtering all in a single consolidated platform.”

The research from Magnet+ also revealed the most common issues businesses have with their telecommunications provider as well as the key services that businesses are most interested in receiving. The biggest problem for the majority of businesses (35%) is being left on hold when trying to contact them, while one in five (23%) report the biggest issue with their telecommunications provider is not being able to physically get through to them.

Subsequently, the top two services businesses require from their provider include wanting their calls to always be answered by a person in real life (74%) as opposed to a bot and to always be able to get through via the phone (70%) when contacting their provider. The reoccurring theme from these results relays the message that no matter how far technology advances in the telecommunications sector, the human element is still the top priority for customers.

Other common issues evident from the research include:

  • Broadband being unstable or down is the biggest issue for 30% of businesses
  • Having to get the same problem resolved multiple times is the main issue for almost one third of Irish businesses (27%)
  • Not knowing when a problem will be resolved (27%) or who is in charge of the problem (25%) are main issues for a significant number of Irish businesses
  • Almost 20% of Irish businesses say not being updated on the current status of an issue via phone is the biggest problem they have with their provider

Other services businesses are interested in from their connectivity provider include:

  • Over half of businesses (56%) place significant importance on being able to have a live chat (i.e., instant messaging) with their provider
  • Almost 40% of businesses value being able to track the status of current issues live
  • Over one quarter (26%) would like a dedicated portal to review their account

Surprisingly, just 17% of businesses are interested in the ability to have a video chat with provider.

Commenting on these results, John Delves said:

“At Magnet+, we commit to putting a human touch on every aspect of our business and our customers journey, with a key focus on ‘People Powered Connectivity’. This means guaranteeing that when a customer contacts the company, they will be speaking to a real person and not a ‘bot’. The results from our research highlight the importance of the human element when it comes to customer service which is crucial to know as we manoeuvre through an increasingly more digitised world of work.”

The research is unveiled as part of an ambitious growth plan for Magnet+ to expand, transform and improve its offering to customers. With customers at the core of everything Magnet+ does, no other provider in Ireland is more capable, qualified or trusted to operate and protect any business connectivity network in the country.

Methodology:

The research was carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes (B&A). Fieldwork was conducted in Q4 2022 with a sample of 400 participants.

For more information and regular updates, check out www.magnetplus.ie

Ten Irish SMEs announced as winners of You’re the Business Digital’s Acceleration Initiative

Google, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices are today announcing the ten businesses that secured a truly unique, money-can’t-buy prize as part of the You’re The Business campaign launched last year. ‘You’re the Business’ is a programme that aims to accelerate Irish SME growth through digitalisation.

The successful businesses from across the country and a variety of sectors will receive a customised suite of digital supports from Google, expert sector and industry-specific mentoring across a range of technical areas that will help the ten SMEs to further develop their business. The selected businesses will also receive a €1,000 Google ads package each.

From family businesses to new businesses, from service to retail, the ten innovative and inspiring SMEs using digital to grow their businesses are:

  • Babogue (Kildare) – Certified Child Sleep Consultant, Erica Hargaden’s Babogue offers a suite of online video based sleep courses to help parents to manage the rollercoaster that is child sleep.
  • Camerino Bakery (Dublin) – Caryna Camerino runs the award-winning cafe and bakery and recently developed an online catering and cake ordering service.
  • Cullen Nurseries (Carlow) – Cullen Nurseries is a family owned business in Carlow, supplying top-quality native trees and hedging. Their award-winning site helps them offer an efficient online service with nationwide delivery.
  • DR Dogcare (Clare) – Animal lover Deirdre Ryan offers group or one-to-one training for dogs and their owners as well as a dog grooming service which can be booked through the website.
  • Prints of Ireland (Dublin) – Entrepreneurs, Heather and Peter’s online shop commemorates Irish landmarks with quality prints, totes and greeting cards.
  • Ryan Thomas Jewelers (Tipperary) – A family business selling luxury and hand-crafted jewellery in Clonmel for the last 43 years which can now also be purchased through the store’s website.
  • The Crafty Fox (Louth) – An award-winning fabric, crafts, and haberdashery supplies in Drogheda, supplying a large collection of top-quality products, as well as industry-leading workshops and classes which are available to book online.
  • The Cookie Co-op (Kilkenny) – A family business founded by Brian Walsh in 2020. Shoppers can order hand-crafted artisan cookies, muffins and bars online for next day delivery.
  • Velvet Cloud (Mayo) – Velvet Cloud is a range of handmade natural sheep’s milk yogurt and cheese, made on Flanagan’s family farm, and can be bought directly from their website.
  • Wonky Woolins (Galway) – Chloe Gardiner sells her wonky knitted toys from her well-designed website.

Speaking at the announcement of the winners, Caryna Camerino of Camerino Bakery said: “We launched our online shop in January 2020 just prior to Covid-19. Overnight, the website which had originally been designed to be our virtual shop window became our only shop window. Digitising our business meant that we were prepared for what came next and now the sales we make online are equal to the sales we make through the tills. We even grew the business through Covid. With Google’s help, we are now looking to reach new customers via online marketing, newsletters, and email campaigns”.

Research conducted by Google, developed in partnership with Amárach for the launch of You’re The Business last year found that almost half of SMEs believe they could more than double their turnover (40%) and profitability (45%) with an investment in digital skills. But, the research also showed that more than one in every ten SMEs based in Ireland (11%) are not yet using digital technology in their business – almost half (45%) of SMEs do not have their own website.

Alice Mansergh, Director for Small Business at Google, said: “Ireland is home to more than 250,000 small businesses, providing employment and services right across the country. Small businesses are at the heart of towns and communities across Ireland. With over 90% of Irish consumers now active online, businesses of all shapes and sizes stand to gain by ensuring they have their ‘online shop window’ – their website, their online profile – working well. At Google, we’ve been proud to partner with Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Offices to bring help and support nationwide through ‘You’re The Business’. The program offers free training for all available on the You’re The Business website. We had a tough time picking 10 lucky winners to receive an even more customised prize package, such was the high standard of entries. My huge congratulations to our lucky winners: we’re excited to support their business vision and next chapter of growth online.”

Richard Murphy, Enterprise Ireland said: The You’re the Business initiative has been a significant boost to SMEs across the country.  To be able to open up Google’s expertise in digital and online promotion to all businesses is a huge step forward in helping these companies to maximise their online presence.  Both Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices have been working closely with clients supporting their journey’s to get online and grow online and this will only help those companies further.  To the winners we wish continued success and we look forward to supporting them as they grow both here in Ireland and hopefully internationally in the years to come.”

Padraic McElwee, Local Enterprise Offices said: “The impact of digital for small businesses has never been so keenly felt than over the recent years.  Many companies have had to become more agile, more digitally adept to survive and thrive.  Having helped thousands to get online with our Trading Online Vouchers during the pandemic, this was an opportune time to help these businesses upskill utilising the expertise of Google alongside our partners Enterprise Ireland.  The response to the You’re The Business campaign has been phenomenal up and down the country and to be able to open up these online resources to our clients has had a huge impact this year and will do in years to come.  I want to congratulate all the winners and no doubt they will go from strength to strength on the back of this partnership.”

Launched last year, You’re the Business – a partnership between Google, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices – focuses on supporting Irish SMEs to upskill digitally and enhance their online capabilities. It continues to provide Irish SMEs with access to a series of live and on-demand training sessions, geared towards supporting companies at all stages of their digitalisation journey, including those at early stages right through to those more digitally-sophisticated businesses. The training consists of three modules that will help businesses.

For further information on the winners and the You’re The Business initiative, please visit: g.co/yourethebusiness

How to grow a health insurance business with software?

Without any doubt, digitization has revolutionised every sector of the economy and the insurance sector is no different. While surpassing the difficult time of covid pandemic we have faced several constraints for our overrated health expenses. Therefore encountering such misery, people now are more concerned about their health and monetary expenses. 

People who want to set up and grow their health insurance business has the best time to get a solid kickstart. Using the latest software you can easily grow your health insurance business in a very short period of time. We have compiled all the important points in order to expand your health insurance business with the help of software. Let’s check out them below. 

 

Top ways to grow health insurance with software 

1. Best quotes for larger customer acquisition

Softwares use sophisticated data analysis to cover a large range of customers. Using the huge data customer requirements and demands software provides the best possible quotes for health insurance plans. In other words, quotes are surfaced on the official website to provide attractive benefits for customers as well as business owners. For example software works like a magic wand for entrepreneurs who want to boost their health insurance business. Check the various business benefits and get a glimpse of health insurance quoting software. 

2. Use customization to get an extra edge 

Now people get a number of options while buying a health insurance plan. With more features and customizability you can easily attract and retain customers. There are software that uses precise details of the customers’ offers and accurate plan for them. In this way, customers get more satisfaction from the health insurance provider. As they fulfil their requirements by catering the best benefits in their health insurance policy. 

For example – if a customer wants health insurance but if he gets a customized plan including post-hospitalization expenses, then it will be a profitable deal for him. 

 

3. Health insurance for companies

In the health insurance business, companies have to deal with a huge number of policies and claim settlements. If you have not taken the help of software it would be an arduous task to maintain huge data and claim settlement. Hectic work such as documentation, verification and eligibility can consume a significant amount of time. While using software to do all your documentation, claim settlement, insurance policy verification, customer authentication, etc is possible with few clicks. Modern software uses artificial intelligence to automate most of the work and manages most of the workload very easily. Therefore it is always beneficial to use intelligent software to boost your productivity in the health insurance business. 

4. Use software to take in-depth customer info 

Using advanced data analytics takes the customer information to get an extra edge for your health insurance business rise. In other words, giving attractive such as discounts on medicines, tests, doctor consultation fees, etc compiles deep information from the customers. In other words, customer health history as well as physical details help the health insurance companies to project better plans to them. While adding brokers, medicare professionals, brands, etc help you to generate the maximum revenue in less period of time. 

5. Compliance regulation 

In most nations, health insurance companies and their policies are regulated by government regulatory bodies. Modern software helps insurance companies to meet small to larger requirements by the official regulatory bodies. As we have seen in several cases due to the failure of minor compliances insurance companies had to compensate a huge amount of money. There it is anytime beneficial for the entrepreneurs to buy software for easy compliance with rules set by the regulatory bodies. 

6. Customer support 

To build a long-term health insurance business one has to make a robust customer support system for their customers. In this digital age to keep the customers increasing and retaining a strong customer grievance redressal is required. Software having automated processing with a team of dedicated customer support helps in the rapid disposal of cases. Additionally, using automated chatbots for common queries and dedicated assistants for complicated issues collectively help to grow insurance firms. While digital customer support allows fast redressal of customer grievances in a short period of time. Therefore efficient software magnifies your health insurance business extensively for a longer period of time.