After the year that we’ve just had someone might be forgiven for thinking that the only businesses thriving would be those who are involved in delivering Covid solutions. And it is true that a number of businesses and business sectors have been hit badly by the lockdowns. On the other hand, businesses have also shown how adaptable they can be; bringing in covid safe operations, enabling their people to work from home, and opening up business telephone and internet solutions for their customers.

In a digital world we’d like to think that we were able to spot scam or phishing attempts. But the fact that the police and others regularly need to issue warnings indicates that sadly some fake calls are still getting through. Not that that’s really surprising. The scammers are getting ever more sophisticated in their methods, choosing subjects which we may encounter in our daily lives and using psychology to trick us into complying.

In an age of instant communication, when the internet with all of its social media and other sites are just a click away, how do you use your phone? Is telephony still a key element of a robust business communication plan, or is it merely seen as a sideline to a website-based world?

You’ve been working from home. And let’s be honest at times it has been hard work; juggling business and family needs. But it has had its own rewards. So much so that 56% of employees say working from home has resulted in an increase in their levels of happiness.

The Government’s decision to phase in implementation of post-Brexit regulations for imports and exports was designed to give companies time to adapt to the new requirements. With the second and third phases due to be phased in in April and June, the Government has now further helped in that adaption by launching a Brexit support fund for SMEs.

The fund provides a grant of up to £2,000 which SMEs can use to access training and professional advice in respect of exporting to and importing from the EU and Northern Ireland. It is intended, the Government say, to cover areas such as:

It’s often been said that cashflow is the lifeblood of business. Without prompt payments the supply chain can grind to a halt; leaving firms at all levels without funds, stock, and ultimately customers. And yet, whilst the importance of timely payments is widely acknowledged, according to the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) some fifty thousand businesses are forced to close every year simply due to late payment practices.

“When you dial into 2021 make sure it is with systems which meet your needs rather than the other way around.” That was the closing comment in our most recent article “Dialling in to 2021.” Now Ofcom research has highlighted just a few of the communication system changes which may well be heading our way.

How are your New Year business resolutions for 2021 coming along? Whatever sector you are in it is a fair bet that your business plans may have to take into account the ongoing Covid pandemic and the signing of the post Brexit agreement between the UK and EU. And given all that has happened in the last year it is understandable if the planning process is not quite as straightforward as usual.