Member Blog

Here at Pure, we really value the importance of recruiting people who will be a great cultural fit for an organisation but we also recognise the need to balance this with ensuring that unconscious bias does not mean a business unintentionally discriminates or misses out on employing fantastic talent.   

Everyone has unconscious bias, it isn’t intended, it is based on social backgrounds and life experiences which can shape our views and influence our decisions without us even realising. However, this can impact on recruitment and people management decisions as people unintentionally categorise, stereotype or favour people they feel an affinity with. As well as the potential to miss out on hiring a great candidate and impacting on the ability to build and maintain an inclusive workforce, it can also affect an organisation’s overall talent pipeline. People are more likely to leave if they are unconsciously overlooked for career progression and development. This can lead to a less diverse senior team and as McKinsey’s ‘Delivering Through Diversity’ report showed, there is a statistically significant correlation between a more diverse leadership team and financial outperformance.

So while gut feelings, shared values and cultural fit are still important, there also needs to be an awareness of minimising and preventing the influence of unconscious bias. Here are just some of the things organisations can consider.

STAFF TRAINING

The best tool to begin tackling unconscious bias is to make more people conscious of it in the first place. Raising awareness of what unconscious bias is and the impact it can unintentionally have on recruitment, workplace culture and business success will engage more people to look for ways to counter it. There are a wide range of training courses available, both on and offline, which can help people to identify their own bias, find out more about the potential legal implications and work together to challenge and reduce bias in recruitment and across the business as a whole. 

INCLUSIVE JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Recent studies, including by software company Textio, have shown that many words commonly used in job descriptions are unconsciously seen as more masculine, such as competitive, dynamic and driven, while terms such as supportive and collaborative are more associated with women. Excessive jargon and acronyms can alienate people from outside of the industry, even if they have the skills and experience required, and not everyone would comfortably align themselves with being an ‘expert’ even if they have the desired level of experience. LinkedIn studies and an internal benchmark report by Hewlett Packard have also shown that an extensive list of essential requirements can impact on the diversity of applicants. This is because women only tend to apply for jobs if they feel they meet every requirement, whereas men will apply even if they only meet some. Before advertising a job description, read it again with unconscious bias in mind, ensure there are a mix of both masculine and feminine associated words, and only include what really is essential criteria, making it clear what is desirable but not vital.

NAME BLIND RECRUITMENT

Removing certain information from candidate applications can help to prevent unconscious bias at the shortlisting stage. As well as identifying factors such as age and gender, even someone’s name can influence our thoughts by conjuring up perceptions or an association with someone we like or dislike. Other factors such as the name of the university someone went to or their personal interests can also spark unconscious bias. What pieces of information can be excluded depends on the type of role and what you are looking for in candidates, but it is worth exploring what can be removed at this stage to help the team evaluate applications just on skills and experience.

DIVERSE HIRING COMMITTEE

Because unconscious bias can involve unintentionally being drawn to hiring people like ourselves, making recruitment a team effort can help to prevent this. Ideally an interview panel will comprise a diverse team of people for a balance of different perspectives, but even having two people rather than just one can make a difference. It can also be really helpful to include people who are not so invested in the appointment, for example from another part of the business. However, even when it is a group effort, it is important to be aware of the potential for conformity bias. This is where people unconsciously follow suit and conform to the views of the majority of the team if they think they are favouring a particular candidate.

INTERVIEW TEMPLATES AND CRITERIA

Having a structured interview process which is the same for all candidates will help to ensure the process is as fair as possible. Agree some set questions in advance and create a clear, objective scoring system for everyone in the recruitment process to follow. Including competency-based interview questions, as used by Pure’s expert recruitment consultants, will help to keep the focus on establishing whether candidates have the relevant experience needed by asking for examples of when they have demonstrated particular behaviours or skills. However, there does need to be a balance between structure and providing a good candidate experience. Candidates still need to have the chance to shine, to ask their own questions and if the interview is too rigid and formulaic it may not reflect the overall culture of the business.

OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVES

Helping to prevent unconscious bias during the recruitment process is another area where working with an external recruitment agency can really add value. Our expert consultants can help by advising employers throughout the process and handling initial applications to create the interview shortlist. They can also sit in on interviews to provide a more diverse recruitment panel and an external perspective. 

Since completing our Women’s Leadership Programme, Rebecca has been promoted from HR Manager to Head of Human Resources and Legal. Read how the programme supported her progression to becoming a senior leader at Lintbells.

ABOUT

Lintbells has been making premium quality, natural supplements since 2006, when John Davies and John Howie discovered a shared passion; the difference great nutrition can make to pets’ lives. The fast-growing organisation has become a multi-channel business which sells in over 20 countries. It is based near Hitchin in Hertfordshire and the majority of its products are still manufactured in the UK. The business, which has been built on a strong people-focused culture, currently employs nearly 70 members of staff and has been recognised in The Sunday Times Fast Track list in 2017 and 2018.  

CHALLENGE

Rebecca Davies started her career with Lintbells as a Customer Service Assistant in 2014. When she was promoted to HR Manager in 2016 it was the first time the growing business had invested in an in-house professional dedicated to everything human resources. Having successfully spent time building and implementing a portfolio of HR-related policies and procedures, covering everything from recruitment and inductions through to employee engagement, Rebecca had reached a point where she was keen to further develop her strategic thinking.

Rebecca explained: “I have always been ambitious and I wanted to channel that determination to support the organisation’s continued growth and development as well as my own. I was looking to build my confidence in pushing the status quo to help me lead in introducing further HR plans to benefit the business and its people.”

SOLUTION

Having explored potential training options, Rebecca chose the Women’s Leadership Programme to help develop her skills and support her progression to becoming a senior leader.

She added: “The course really helped me to challenge our Executive team and to expand their thinking on people management and all things employee-related. Having more confidence resulted in the Executive team also being more confident in myself and my role. The increased trust in my position and the business benefits of the policies and procedures I wanted to lead on has given the Executive team more time to focus on the commercial development side of the business.”

BENEFIT

Since completing the Women’s Leadership Programme, Rebecca has been promoted from HR Manager to Head of Human Resources and Legal, a promotion she believes has been strongly supported by her participation in the course.

Rebecca explained: “The Women’s Leadership Programme made a massive difference in helping me to start operating at a higher level. Being with like-minded women in senior leadership roles definitely stood out as one of the highlights and I liked how the programme was run and the intimacy of the course. It enables you to develop a level of trust and a bond with the other delegates. This encourages you to open up and get more out of the programme. I learnt a lot about myself and the way I work, and also a lot about how other people think, which has given me a great insight into how to get the best out of people.”

Lintbells has since sponsored two more delegates to participate in the Women’s Leadership Programme.

Rebecca added: “My experience and the way in which the organisation benefitted from my self-development showed the real value of this course. I still use many of the tools I learnt on the programme and they have become invaluable to how I now work. I have also kept in touch with some of the other delegates, which has given me a great ongoing support network.”

For more information about the Women’s Leadership Programme or to register contact Lucy Plumb on 01223 666455 or [email protected]. Or visit PURE HUB

The internet has given entrepreneurs access to a global network of consumers. Despite the many benefits of online accessibility, there are also many dangers. From hacks by organized crime organizations, to foreign interference in national businesses, no company is entirely safe from the threats caused by the use of digital technology. Whether your company has an online presence purely for marketing purposes or you have invested entirely in digital data storage, there are vulnerabilities that you are exposed to. If you’re not sure of the extent of those threats, then here are some of the key areas that you need to be aware of.

Viruses and Malware

These are constant threats to businesses of all sizes. Computer viruses, worms, spyware, and other types of malicious software are all too easy to find online. These are the reason why you need to keep your security software updated as regularly as possible. Whether you use in-house servers or cloud platforms, having the right endpoint protection from established security providers like www.mcafee.com can ensure that your business is as safe from malicious intent as possible.

Social Media Threats

Due to their popularity and high rates of use, many people assume that social media companies are not at risk of hacks and data breaches. However, platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn have already been exposed to security failures. This means ensuring that your social accounts are fully optimized for the right level of privacy, and that segmented access to these accounts is prioritized. Remember that social media platforms gather data continuously, and that data flow needs to be more carefully managed by you.

Law Firm Access

One of the growing trends for cybercriminals is the gaining of access to external systems via a law firm. Smaller legal teams that have less than secure online management can leave your business far more exposed to malice. When you consider the information and data that your law firm has on their files, having your business exposed to a breach through this route can be very dangerous, and difficult to prevent against. This is why it’s vital that you only use those external companies that have a clear security protocol. Before you align yourself with any kind of company, especially law firms, make sure that they not only have a focus on cybersecurity, but that they also have a data breach action plan in place as well.

Mobile Threats

If you share company data via a smartphone, then you are open to threats. Not only is this aconcern from a digital standpoint, but the practical realities of lost or stolen phones should not be underestimated. While tougher security procedures and guidelines can help to prevent this, the most important factor to consider is staff training in safer online behavior. When even a simple hack can damage the credibility and reputation of your brand, then it’s essential that your use of smartphones for work is controlled, managed, and kept as secure as possible.

The right software and the right security mentality can go a long way in boosting the safety of your business. Make sure that you keep up to date with the latest cybercrime trends and that your team is as aware of these threats just as you are.

With more people working from home than ever before, the home office is becoming a vital must-have. Whether you’re a remote worker for a large firm or you’re an entrepreneur who’s working from home to reduce startup costs, your home office needs to be as professional as possible. While comfort is a prime concern, if you’re inviting clients or investors into your workspace, then you want it to look as on-brand as you can make it. When you want to convey your professional credentials in person or even via a videoconference, here are some of the best ways to add a touch of vital professionalism to your home office.

Natural Light

Design your home office so that it makes as much use of natural light as possible. Not only does this look more professional, but it’s also great for productivity and mental health. There are plenty of ways to give your natural light a boost, but you should certainly make sure that your desk is not automatically relegated to the gloomiest and darkest corner in the room. Get your desk close to the window and invest in some blinds or shutters. These give you a lot more control over your natural light levels, and with the sheer range of potential options from sites like Shuttercraft.co.uk, you get to match your window decoration to the rest of your stylish and professional home office.

Creative Storage Options

Clutter is not very professional and needs to be limited as much as possible. One of the biggest clutter issues in a home office is paper, so make sure that you have a filing cabinet that matches your paper volume. You might also look at an in/out tray so that you don’t have paperwork constantly spread out all over your desk. If yours is the type of home office that has books on show, a bookcase is going to be essential. Make sure that you invest in a bookcase that is the right size for your number of books. An overstuffed bookshelf is untidy and chaotic, while an overly empty bookcase takes up unnecessary space. Bookcases look great placed behind your desk, especially if you’re doing a lot of videoconferences.

Getting Some Greenery

Having some plant life in an office has been proven to make people happier and more productive. Plants also improve air quality, so it’s always a good idea to have some greenery in your home. For a home office, they can be transformative. The best thing about plants is that there are so many varieties, meaning that you can pick the size, shape, and qualities to match your needs. You can even choose the indoor plants that need the least amount of looking after so that you can spend more time on your workload and less time on horticultural distractions.

Show Off Your Credentials

If you have potential clients or investors visiting your home office, then you can demonstrate your skill sets immediately by displaying your credentials. Some people are wary of doing this as they feel it can be a little too forward, but your expertise should be nothing to be ashamed of. If you have academic qualifications or practical courses that you have achieved good marks on, get them framed and get them on the wall. Make sure that your frames match the rest of the decor and colour schemes in your home workspace and you will only enhance their impact.

The Statement Desk

This isn’t an option that will suit everyone, but it’s certainly something to consider if you have the space and the budget. A statement desk (also known as an ‘executive desk’) is one that is larger and more ornate than the standard fare that you’d find in Ikea. They can make a real impact and can have a dramatic effect on your professional impression. The high quality of the materials and the range of unique features that they come with can be both indulgent and practical. Of course, not all home offices will suit a statement desk, but if you do decide to invest in one, then make sure that you also pay serious consideration to both productivity and comfort. Check the height of the desk, the storage capabilities, and that you can get an ergonomic chair that won’t clash with the desk.

Overstock on Supplies

While you want them to be hidden out of view, you never want to run out of office essentials when you have an investor with you. Even if you don’t intend to have visitors to your office, you will still want to minimise workflow interruptions because you’ve run out of paper for the printer or you just misplaced your last pen. From pens and scissors to staplers and stamps, keep all of your useful stationery and office supplies stocked up as much as possible. When you see that something is getting low, then order it as soon as possible before it skips your mind.

Snacks and Drinks

This is something that will come down to your way of working. Many people with a more stylish home office will race to make sure that they have a coffee machine installed as soon as possible. This is very convenient and is great if you do have potential clients visit and you don’t want to leave the room to prepare drinks. However, it’s also essential to factor in the reality that you can’t work full-time in your home office without taking breaks. Working too long means that you lose focus, and that affects productivity. Make sure that you have everything that you need in your office, but that you still have a reason to take a break, stretch your legs, and refresh your mind.

Home offices can have a massive effect on productivity, and getting a professional look is easier than ever. Look at your home office setup and make sure that it’s not somewhere that you’d be embarrassed to bring a fresh new investor. If your office isn’t up to the expected level of professionalism, then it’s time to start making some changes.

Tudor Lodge Consultants is happy to reveal we are working with a new loans broker in the industry, My Financial Broker (https://www.myfinancialbroker.co.uk/). The company helps customers find the best loan product available to them through their affiliate lending network. The service is completely free for potential borrowers to use, and instead, lending partners receive a commission. If a loan application is successful, it is possible for funds to be transferred within just an hour.

Our SEO team has been called on to help improve the firm’s online presence through our tried and tested methods, knowing that we have a strong reputation for achieving excellent SEO results. Here is what we have achieved so far.

What we are doing for My Financial Broker

Writing new landing pages – one of the best ways of building an online presence and establishing an excellent reputation is through producing concise, relevant landing pages. This indicates to users that the loan broker has a strong level of expertise and knowledge of its industry making it trustworthy. Strong, in-depth landing pages are also important SEO wise: by ensuring that these pages are structured correctly to meet SEO requirements. For example, our team has done this by choosing relevant content topic titles, as well as using the right H titles, such as h2 headings and internal links which are detected by Google algorithms.

Site clean-up – Our SEO team understands that making sure My Financial Broker’s website is fully optimised is vital for its Google ranking success. As a result, we have carried out a thorough clean up of the website to improve its SEO rating. For example, we have ensured that all titles, descriptions, internal links, response codes and image-alt text have all been optimised and fixed, helping to facilitate the indexing of the website by Google.

Acquiring links – another way we have been helping the loan broker has been through acquiring links to promote trust and authority of the website. We have made sure only reputable websites are now linking to My Financial Broker, which also makes it easier for Google to crawl the site and consequently improving the sites ranking.

Compliance means conforming to a rule, standard, requirement, or law. It is the engine that ensures projects are executed within the objectives of a company. The compliance management structure is made of procedures and processes that must be followed. This is the framework that enables stakeholders to understand their responsibilities. A compliance management structure includes the scope of a project, time management, and budget control. Ideally, compliance management enforces good governance. It minimizes risks and problematic issues that could otherwise be encountered within the course of a project.

Understanding Compliance Management Software

With the changing government regulations at a global scale, legal, geopolitical, and compliance risks continue to present challenges to the business sector. Today, enterprises are faced with increased expectations from stakeholders and changes in law and regulations, causing them to be more vulnerable to compliance risks.

Compliance management uses varying technological advancements requiring high knowledge levels. Every organization is faced with legal frameworks, policies, health, and environmental standards. All of these are structured to boost operational excellence, capture the best practices, and uphold human and social integrity.

However, every software development project presents with some uncertainties, also known as risks. The amount of risk determines success. It is not enough to identify the risks. The project managers need to assess, identify, and manage all these threats.

Because risk can be unpredictable, a company needs to have a better approach to handling them. Compliance management software is a system responsible for automating and centralizing work processes linked to the administration of processes, risk management, and the deployment of the workflow.

This software allows an organisation to capacitate employees with the right skills and knowledge. With this software, a company does not have to deal with hefty operational costs. Because cost is on the line, every organization needs to strive to meet compliance requirements. Compliance management software makes it easy for you to meet these regulations.

Why You Need A Compliance Management System

The success of your organization largely depends on efficient management. A compliance management system enables you to manage your corporate structure. Compliance is the social, legal, and financial standards used to protect the accountability and the integrity of a business.

Cloud-based compliance management applications can be incorporated to automate the tedious process of collecting data and tracking changes. The applications also strike a balance between compliance and risk management giving you access to a more efficient operation.

Cloud-based applications offer the needed tools for creating an effective management system internally. Information about internal standards, controls, and regulations is centralized. Here is why compliance management software is crucial:

Risk Management

Every business is expected to follow specific financial, legal, government, social, and corporate policies to avoid lawsuits and penalties. Integrating a compliance software ensures that the requirements are met in all processes, and no risky gaps are left.

Compliance software allows for the optimization of risk assessment and mitigation. Because the software tracks changes, it can help in flagging threats early. For instance, it can help in identifying penalties for non-compliance.

Improved Processes

For any company to succeed, the team has to strive for innovation and repeated achievement. That could include annual audits and evaluation reports. Compliance management software is not just designed to focus on negativities, such as the amount of risk involved with revising a process.

It can also help a business to boost its processes by reporting improvement points. Data mined by this software can be communicated across teams to help a company in determining how the changes affect profits and productivity.

Resilience And Decision Making

This software can be used to monitor the practices and processes of a business’s operations across all sectors. Data can be integrated to find new ways of improving efficiency and decreasing risk. With this software, it also becomes easy to make decisions where the integrity of the company is at stake.

How Can You Guarantee Compliance In Your Processes?

Defining policies and procedures calls for the right collaboration, distinctive mediums, and regulations. Once these are automated using a software solution, efficiency is increased. Here is how you can ensure compliance:

1. Involve divisional leaders:  Usually, policies are drafted by someone without a comprehensive understanding of the happenings of each department within an organization. Involving a member of each department ensures that policies are not misunderstood, the right terminologies are used, and they make sense.

2. Draft the best format of policies: Each department has a unique personality and experiences. For each to comply, policies should be applied through the right and most comfortable vessels.

3. Set deadlines for the policy to be acknowledged: Meet with divisional managers to ensure they have formulated a plan of ensuring employees understand the policies.

Company leaders and employees are at the forefront of meeting compliance requirements and dealing with risks. As such, every organization needs a simplified and centralised means of communication to ensure issues are quickly captured and implemented. Compliance management software is diverse and can present a seamless way of dealing with company risks.

ReceiptBank proves a big hit in terms of time savings and efficiency for both accountant and clients alike

West Yorkshire based Dave Forrester’s early adoption and enthusiastic use of ReceiptBank has led to him gaining ‘Diamond Partner Status’ after reaching over 500 hours of saved time in July 2019.

ReceiptBank enables clients to digitally submit receipts and expenses helping them ensure they claim for everything they’re entitled to and saves them from stockpiling receipts to deliver to their accountant in one go. The software can also automatically retrieve bills from utility and other services to save the client from having to log in, download and email bills through to their accountant.

Dave said: “We use ReceiptBank wherever we can and it is the first thing we show prospective clients, which is why the adoption is so high at 92%.

“In our practice we have 12,000-16,000 receipts being scanned per month, and 500 clients registered to use the software, who scan or upload 5,000-8,000 receipts a month themselves. This includes 20 or so heavy users who are our bigger clients and over 150 other clients who are the usual mix of self-employed and smaller businesses. The rest will typically come from internal work as we do not tap anything up into Excel (it’s a rule!).

“The time savings are significant at over 500-man hours a month which is a mixture of processing time and the time saved retrieving, storing and disposing of paper. This frees up our time to provide superb support to our clients whilst scaling our client numbers in a manageable way.

“The other impact we see from ReceiptBank is the often quite outspoken advocacy for the product from our clients. This has, along with cloud products like Xero and QuickBooks, enhanced our local reputation and generated new business as a result. We couldn’t be happier with the way this software has enhanced our practice.”

Sarah Robertson, Group Operations Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “It is fantastic that Receipt Bank has made life so much easier and more efficient for both Dave and his clients.

“Receipt Bank forms a part of an integrated suite of complementary products used by our franchisees, which also includes Practice Ignition, QuickBooks and Virtual Cabinet. The adoption of these products followed a year-long process of reviewing suppliers to help digitise the client experience and streamline the service offered to the 74,000 TaxAssist Accountants clients in the UK and they all provide options for the client so that they can access their data in the way that best suits them, while also preparing clients for Making Tax Digital.

“The scale of the TaxAssist network has meant we have been able to secure significant discounts for franchisees on a software estate that would cost well over £1.25m if the franchisees contracted the suppliers directly.”

August 2019 

Public Relations, more commonly known as just PR’ is how most businesses gain, capture and acquire additional followers, customers and interest in their business offering. Traditionally, this has been achieved through advertising on the traditional channels of print, television and radio. However, with the advent and explosion of interest in newer, more engaging digital channels in recent years like online video, social media and even to a degree search engine optimisation (SEO), PR has been changing massively.

How Does Digital Promotion Work?

Digital PR in a nutshell entails getting the business or brand’ online entity, usually their website or simply their branding placed across relevant channels online (source: Brandnation). In practice this will require adverts and ‘sponsored content’ placed on third party websites in the form of banners and content.

The general aim of such campaigns though is to get the brand in question placed on relevant and impactful platforms. For example, a clothing brand looking to undertake digital PR may well look at websites which talk about and even sell relevant items. Alternatively, a clothing brand launching anew may decide to publish numerous press releases and pieces of written content on both national publications and industry websites and publications.

Channels Used for Digital PR

When it comes to promoting brands online, there are some widely accepted channels with regards to being effective and their returns on investment for the business undertaking the campaign in the first place. Popular channels to be used online for PR include:

Search Engines – Utilising search engine optimisation (SEO), a brand can work to get their website higher up the search results on Google and other search engines for both brand terms and their brand name as well as ‘generic’ searches; this includes terms like ‘men’s clothing’ for example in the case of a clothing business.

Pay-Per-Click – Also known as PPC, this channel can do very much what SEO does. However, the fundamental difference here is that the positions and placements on search engines are explicitly paid for and users know this. The benefit here is that PPC, done properly can be very impactful and get you in front of your audience almost immediately.

Remarketing – This entails literally retargeting people who have previously visited your website. Remarketing works by capturing a ‘cookie’ from each user’s browser when they come to your site. Then, they are remarketed your brand on other sites that have signed up to a ‘display network,’ a network of websites that display remarketing campaigns.

Take a look around the internet and you’ll find endless sites and blogs advising you on how to make your own website more Google-friendly. There’s no denying that search engine optimisation is very important if you want your site to be found by your potential customers when they do a web search, however, SEO is only half the battle. It is very easy to get so caught up in making your site attractive to the search engines, that you forget who the site is actually for in the first place – your customers. It is no use getting hundreds and thousands of visitors to your website via search engines, if they are not interested and engaged by the content they find when they get there.

Look for the Bounce Rate

Visitor numbers are just one statistic you should be looking at when you are analysing the performance of your website. To be sure that your site is achieving everything you want it to, you should also be looking at how long those visitors stay on the site and how many pages they choose to visit. If you have a high hit rate but also a high bounce rate, then clearly something is not right with your site layout, its copy and its approach. So how can you put these things right and what changes can you make to not only keep the interest of all those customers you have worked so hard to attract, but also make them act how you want them to? This refers to buying your product, subscribing to your blog, or booking your services.

Make Things Clear

One of the biggest turn-offs for a web page is a lack of clarity. If your site data tells you that people are bouncing away fast, then you are obviously not making the right first impression and you are not being clear. People have a very short attention span and they don’t like to have to work hard to find out what you are saying or selling. Visitors need to be able to get the information they require quickly and easily, within the first few seconds, without digging around and without wading through huge blocks of text. If you have a lot to say, you can always make this optional, with short intro paragraphs that finish with the option to read more, but it is vital to keep the initial information short and to the point.

Speak Their Language

Once you have got your visitors to stop long enough to read what you have to say, then you have to make sure you’re speaking their language. Don’t write for the search engines, packing your prose with keywords until it loses all meaning. And don’t try to impress people with technical babble or clever wordplay. Talk to them as people, just like you would if you met them at a party or a networking event. Even if your site is a business to business site and you are communicating at the highest levels, you are still just one person talking to another and your customers will appreciate you speaking to them in this approachable way.

Talk About Benefits Not Features

This is one of the golden rules of copywriting, but it is also one you should consider breaking in the right circumstances. In most cases, people are much more interested in the benefits of your product or service than the features. Features are about you; benefits are about them. However much you love your business, you have to remember that people don’t care about you, they are really only interested in what’s in it for them. For example, if you are promoting a free slots site like Oddschecker, people want to know what they can win, rather than what fancy features you have to get those wins. Similarly, if you offer next day delivery, such as Amazon Prime, then you should talk about the fact that your customers can have their item tomorrow, rather than waffling on about the logistics of how it will get to them.

That said, if you are selling a specialist product range to a knowledgeable audience, then they will be looking for certain features and already be aware of the benefits they bring. For example, if you are selling a top of the range camera, your potential buyers don’t want to wade through lots of fluff about the benefits, they simply want to check that the camera has the features that they are looking for and is the right price for them. In this case, stating the features, perhaps in bullet point form for easy reference, is the way to go.

Talk About Them Not You

In a similar way, your website should always talk about your customers, not about your company. Far too many websites have sentence after sentence that starts with the word ‘we’. We are this, we do that, we offer the other. Visitors will be far more engaged if you talk about them. You can get, you’ll find, you can trust us to… Your website should be the answer to their search question, not a trumpet blowing exercise for your company, so put yourself in their shoes and think about what you would want to hear from a company like yours.

Make it Easy to Act

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you need to make sure that your customers know what you want them to do and that it is crystal clear how to do it. If you don’t have a clear call to action, then you can’t expect your visitors to act. Tell them what you want them to do and make it easy for them to do that, and they will do it. You can have the most amazing shop-window site that showcases your products or services, but if you don’t tell people to buy and give them a clear pathway to do so, or you don’t tell them to contact you and give them a number, email link or contact form, then your response rates will be poor.

Find the Balance

At the end of the day, you need to find a balance between attracting and engaging your visitors. Spend too much time on one or the other and you’ll either get lots of visitors who don’t stay, or very few visitors at all. Investing in expert help can make all the difference, with SEO experts and professional copywriters working together to deliver, and keep, the audience you’re aiming for.

Reasons for using a Chartered Town Planning & Multi-disciplinary Consultancy:

So – what benefits can a dedicated town planning consultancy add to your forthcoming development, design or building project? 

Afterall – we don’t design buildings like an architect, nor are we engineers adding value to a project.  Surely Town Planning Consultants just add another layer of expense?

Here’s where the services of a Town Planning and Multi-disciplinary consultancy like Parker Planning Services can really add value to a project – however large or small:

• Our planning applications carefully consider and cite recent planning law updates and policy guidelines.  We use ground-breaking Case Studies to push the margins and create the best possible chances to secure sometimes innovative and novel projects.  We challenge local councils and planning officers to push the boundaries to accept innovative planning applications and developments.  These often integrate highly sustainable options to create and enhance vibrant communities and places. 

• At Parker Planning Services – we have extremely high success rates in securing planning applications.  This is due to applying our knowledge of applicable policies and referencing recent case law updates, to create justified and innovative planning application solutions.

• We’re also extremely successful at the Appeals Stage in overturning projects that were originally declined – to successfully secure a positive outcome for our clients.  When considering the merits of an Appeal Case we’ll review and assess the original application – prior to carrying out our initial free assessment.  We’ll then present our honest feedback on the likelihood of a successful Appeal application or make suggestions on how the scheme could perhaps be amended to present an application that’s more likely to be validated. 

• Our one-stop multi-disciplinary service enables us to manage the planning process in-house from start to finish – because we provide a range of specialist services and expert consultants in-house.  These include ecology, heritage, topography, archaeological, flood risk and drainage, and highways and transport services.  This helps keep the various aspects of your planning application together under one roof – so that we can project management the application process and add further gravitas to your application.  We’re rare in delivering such a comprehensive range of specialist services in-house.  This enables us to secure a smooth turnaround on reports – for example ecologists are regularly fully booked during key seasonal times – and we can ensure that assessments and reports are in hand, to project manage the whole application process on our client’s behalf.

• Many of Parker Planning Services previously worked for a range of local authorities as Planning Officers themselves – both in Norfolk and further afield for planning departments across East Anglia. So – they are best placed to understand how a local authority deals with applications and bring expertise and local knowledge and insight – to ensure we create the best application to aim to ensure the best outcome for our clients.  Positive outcomes that we know changes lives and communities for the better.  

• Likewise our portfolio covers a wide range of sectors – these include agricultural and rural projects – large and small, wide-ranging urban and housing development, heritage and environmental projects, and the education, leisure and tourism sectors.  Our Consultants offer a wealth of commercial and private sector knowledge to clients. 

• As a company we work with a wide range of professionals which include architectural firms, developers, consultants and associated businesses – to provide clients with a continuous service.  For example; we work with a range of trusted architects and firms to deliver associated plans in preparation for the planning submission.

• So, if you’re considering submitting a planning application, do give us a call early-on, to chat through your plans and concerns.  We offer a short free initial desktop research prior to sending you our thoughts and associated costs for managing the planning process on your behalf. If it’s a small-scale proposal you may not need us. However, if any problematic issues arise, it could prove worthwhile to use a planning consultancy early on in the process, to help address and resolve them, which could save time and money in the long-term. 

• Planning decisions have an element of subjectivity and each case is assessed individually, so we can’t guarantee a successful outcome but where we consider that there is a justified case to present, we’ll work hard and carefully consider your project to aim to achieve a successful outcome on your behalf.

We look forward to hearing from you.  [email protected]

01603 516319  www.parkerplanningservices.co.uk

We are delighted to announce the addition of two brand new, fully liveried blood bikes to our existing fleet, donated very generously to us by Great Yarmouth and Waveney HeartCare.

Last year, we attended one of the local HeartCare charity meetings to give a presentation to members about the vital transport service we provide to the NHS. Feeling inspired following the talk, the committee – who had been looking for a cause to commit a legacy donation to – decided to donate two new blood bikes to us and we were more than happy to accept!

The cost of the two bikes, which came fully liveried to go straight into service, was around £24,000. Aptly named to incorporate the word ‘heart’, and chosen by HeartCare’s members, our new BMW F800 GT is called ‘Heartie’, and the second bike, A Yamaha FJR1300, is called ‘Braveheart’.

Mary Stamp, Chairman and Social Secretary at Great Yarmouth and Waveney HeartCare, said: “We were very inspired by Norfolk Blood Bikes’ presentation, particularly as we hadn’t even heard of Blood Bikes until then. As a committee we felt that the charity was a very worthy cause and convened during our tea break to decide what we could give them as a donation. The decision was made there and then to see if they would like a new blood bike – needless to say, the answer was a resounding yes please!”

HeartCare are a charity established to support people and the families of those who have suffered from heart conditions. They meet on the second Tuesday of every month at The Hotel Victoria in Lowestoft at 7.30pm.

Bill Farrow, who volunteers with Norfolk Blood Bikes as both a rider, part of the corporate team and speaker, said on receiving the new blood bikes: “The new additions to our fleet are truly invaluable as the demand for our life-saving service is only growing. It’s wonderful that local charities can work together, and we are so humbled by the generosity of the committee at HeartCare’s Great Yarmouth and Waveney group. Its feels like the Norfolk Blood Bikes family just got a little bigger!”

We would like to thank Great Yarmouth and Waveney HeartCare for their generous donation, enabling us to continue delivering lifesaving medical items to hospitals in and around Norfolk.

If you would like to organise a presentation with our amazing volunteers please get in touch via our contact page.

To donate or help towards fundraising for this amazing cause, click here.

Norwich-based charity St Martins gives homeless people housing, support and development to enable them to fulfil their potential. Phillip Rowe, who co-ordinates the charity’s learning and development centre believes local businesses have a role to play in equipping homeless people with the skills they need to achieve an independent life.

Homelessness is a growing problem, both nationally and here in Norfolk. Although the government have committed to end homelessness, there are still many underlying issues that need addressing before that can become a reality.

St Martins was established in 1972 to specifically deal with rough sleeping in Norwich, initially as a night shelter. Over the past 47 years it has evolved into an organisation serving those who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, in all sorts of creative ways.  But, St Martins’ motto being: ‘More than a home for the homeless’, that’s not where our provision ends. This is where Under 1 Roof comes in.

Under 1 Roof is St Martins’ Learning and Development Centre. The aim of the centre is to facilitate positive change, through improved wellbeing and personal development. Our members (we do not refer to them as ‘service users’) come from a wide variety of circumstances. Some have substance misuse histories, others suffer from mental health problems. Some are rough sleepers, others are at risk of homelessness (such as those in prison or temporary housing).

Over the last year we have seen 433 people take part in over 5000 sessions here, including practical activities such as I.T. skills, Job Club and our pre-tenancy qualification, and more soft skill ones like art, creative writing and various fitness classes. We also offer support, advice and help with anything that we can. All this serves to build confidence, social skills and a sense of ‘future’. In addition to this, we have created six volunteer roles, for people to learn skills and gain experience. Many of our volunteers go on to work for St Martins too.

As a former homeless service user who is now working full-time as the Centre Co-ordinator at Under 1 Roof, I can personally attest to the effectiveness of what St Martins, and this centre, can achieve.

We are already building links with local organisations and businesses with a view to providing opportunities for our members. But we want to do more. Much more. And that’s where we hope the good members of the Norfolk Chamber will come in.

Over to You!

Homelessness is hard, it can knock you back and take years of your life. But it can also take years to recover. There is a stigma attached to homelessness, and it can mean long-term unemployment, a falling behind in necessary skills and often a lack of access to new practices and technology. These are all potential barriers to entering the job market, and create an ever-widening gap between the person and opportunity. In many cases this can lead to lower self-esteem, lack of motivation and hope.

We want to do something bold to address this. We want to partner with the Norfolk Chamber and its members to provide opportunities for these people. Maybe you have a work experience position, an internship or training/apprenticeship scheme. Perhaps you can come in and talk to our members, offer workshops or advice clinics. Or maybe you can direct us to opportunities or potential partners we aren’t aware of. Whatever, we would love to hear from you. People love to talk about problems. We prefer to talk about solutions. Let’s start a conversation!

Contact [email protected] Tel: 01603 699150