Basingstoke: Outsourced business services provider Solid8 has launched a low-cost call handling
service to help UK companies weather the challenge of trading during the coronavirus crisis.
While business has plummeted for many firms, others are being swamped by sales, customer service
and support calls without having the staff or remote telephony systems to cope.
“As a business owner myself, I know how difficult it is right now to keep your company running and
to support staff,” said Emma Brumpton, managing director, Solid8. “For organisations struggling to
operate with office closures and remote working, we can help by fielding phone calls for them, while
their own staff focus on other important work and taking care of their families. We have the skills
and remote phone systems in place, and wanted to offer an affordable way to handle incoming
calls.”
Solid8 has set up the service as a low-cost initiative to help firms deal with these new challenges.
“We are not looking to make money from this, just to keep our business turning over so that we can
support our staff and help other companies do the same,” said Brumpton. “We have waived set-up
fees and there is no contract tie-in, so people can get started quickly with no upfront costs or
financial risk, and use our services flexibly, as much or as little as they need while they work through
this crisis. We are committed to this for as long as it takes.”
Recognising the financial pressure businesses are under, Solid8 is offering easy in/out terms with a
range of flexible payment options, including a low-cost retainer, pre-pay service or pay-as-you-go.
Businesses can be set-up in a matter of hours and will be allocated a unique phone line to divert to,
which can display their usual number. The new web-based platform Solid8 uses provides unlimited
lines and can handle a very high volume of calls simultaneously.
“Staff health is of paramount importance, so like most businesses we have closed our head office,”
said Brumpton. “But by using our remote technology, our call handlers can work safely from home
while providing customers the same high levels of service.”
The team can fully handle incoming enquiries, simply filter calls or take messages and route them to
the right person by email or text, explained Brumpton.
“We’re good at quickly learning people’s businesses and can hit the ground running. Any training
required can be done remotely by Skype, and to keep track of performance we provide full call
recording, analytics and reporting services.”
Some businesses have faced difficulties with their phone systems being overloaded or going down,
and some mobile networks are struggling. “We are unaffected because our platform is web-based,
and we can scale our bandwidth to meet demand,” said Brumpton. “For any company, the wellbeing
of your people and your business is top priority. We can act as an extension of your team and by
taking the weight off your own systems and staff, you can focus on core skills, taking care of
customers, and generating new business.”
These are worrying times for organisations of all sizes and staying afloat is a challenge for the entire
business community. “We want to ensure our company keeps running to protect our staff, help
them feed their families and pay their bills. By offering our services on a low cost basis, we can we
help other companies do the same,” said Brumpton.
Solid8 Ltd primarily serves SMEs but can work with businesses of any size and also operates Solid8
Micro, which provides many of the same services tailored to smaller, non-VAT registered businesses
and sole traders. Outsourced services include sales, customer services, product management,
administration and phone answering. Solid8 also specialises in professional consultancy services,
including business process review, policy writing and marketing.
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About Solid8
Solid8 helps companies focus on their core skills by providing outsourced business services, enabling
them to streamline internal resources and focus on front-end operations, while support functions
are handled by skilled and dedicated teams that immerse themselves in the business. As an
integrated extension of the business, Solid8 works hand-in-hand with internal teams to lighten the
load, while maintaining the exceptional service standards that clients’ customers expect.
Scalable support enables companies to optimise the resources they need, either by outsourcing
entire functions to Solid8 or by using it as an overflow, with the ability to flex up / flex down during
periods of growth, or to bolster in-house teams facing high demand. Solid8 can also help build
resilience into organisations, by providing continuity cover and failover in the event of business
interruptions or system downtime.
For more information about Solid8 please visit www.solid8.co.uk or contact Emma Brumpton,
managing director, tel 01256 597 888 mobile 07852 337 351 or email emma@solid8.co.uk.
