Dealer Support December 2022

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Merry Christmas to all!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…and boy am I happy about it! This year has been another tough one for the industry; just as we were starting to move forward, post-COVID, the cost-of-living crisis, political turmoil and what seemed to be an endless bad-news cycle have ensured that we haven’t rested on our laurels yet. The Christmas lights popping up in our towns and houses are bringing a much-needed sparkle, and although this Christmas may be tougher, with costs rising, I hope you get to enjoy some quality time with family, friends or whoever you choose to spend the festive period with.

Our December issue is once again filled with expert insight and advice, and to honour the season many of our articles come with a festive feeling and a look to the new year. To kick off our final issue of the year, in our BIG ASK we speak to David Martin, sales director, One Office Supplies, and Lawrence Savage, marketing manager, Exaclair, who tell us about their hopes for the industry for 2023.

Christmas is a time for celebration and we look at the different ways you can celebrate your staff this festive season. The good Father is also celebrating, and brings some festive cheer with his final thoughts of the year, and James Day, sales and marketing director at Durable provides us with our FINAL WORD which sees him reflecting on 2022 and discussing his team’s planned festivities for this month.

Moving away from all the merriment, we explore what really drives employee retention and the many benefits of retaining your staff. As workers return to the office the phenomenon of video conferencing stays, so we look at the solution of office pods and why dealers should be selling them. Online marketing is on the rise, but it’s important not to forget tried-and-tested methods too. We discuss why the traditional form of direct mailing should still form a part of your advertising strategy. Finally, Martin Fairman of Kyocera offers some important expert insights into how you can keep your business information secure across multiple sites. As always, don’t forget to chat to us on Twitter and let us know your thoughts and opinions: @dealersupport - and from all of us here at Dealer Support, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! See you in 2023!

Ellie Potter

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THE MONTH THAT WAS

Exertis launches electric bike brand

The Peddle range provides accessible, easy-touse, electric bikes that come with a selection of ‘in the box’ extras to get customers riding quickly and safely. Peddle electric bikes can enhance a huge range of leisure activities as well as supporting physical and mental health, while also helping the planet by embracing sustainable travel.

Building on Exertis’ charity partnership with

Nick Wilkinson joins Nemo Office Club

Dealer group Nemo Office Club has appointed Nick Wilkinson as senior business development manager. “We are absolutely delighted that Nick has chosen to join Nemo Office Club,” commented group MD Tim Beaumont. “Mark Allan has been a fantastic servant to the business, and was always going to be difficult to replace but, in recruiting Nick, we have someone with industry-leading knowledge, experience and skills to drive our business - and, more importantly, the business of our members - forward over the months and years ahead.

“Nick brings with him a wealth of knowledge in identifying opportunities, carrying out business reviews and developing strategies that will work for your business. He is experienced in the wholesale market with Spicers and Vow, with an understanding of vendors from his time at Snopake and time spent consulting with dealers at The Business Performance Group and Highlands; we do not believe we could have found a better person to give you the right support your business needs.”

Mental Health UK, the distributor has pledged to donate £10 to the mental health charity for each bike sold, until summer 2023.

Peddle is designed for anyone whose lifestyle can be improved or enhanced by an electric bike, whether getting back into fitness, riding for mindfulness, embracing a more climate-friendly commute, or simply connecting with friends and family and riding for pleasure.

Woodbank awarded Robinsons Brewery print and document management contract

Woodbank Office Solutions has been chosen to supply printers and provide document management services to Robinsons Brewery. Simon Fuller, IT infrastructure service manager at Robinsons explains their criteria. “As a family-run business, we wanted to partner with someone with the same values and ethos. We wanted to speak to the owner, not just deal with a company who only want numbers and figures. At Woodbank we spoke to Janet Bowden from the very start. We liked that.

“The process was very easy and straight forward - operationally no issues, and integration was great. Woodbank technical guys are very experienced and they knew what they were doing. We just left them to it. They do all the liaison and the training. Very efficient, very smooth.”

Acquisition for BOSS Member Pukka Pads

Pukka Pads 2000 Ltd signed the agreement to purchase Party Centric, the Yorkshire-based party supplies business, on November 2 2022. The acquisition adds another brand to Pukka Pads’ growing portfolio, which already includes Concord Filing and Carpe Diem Planners.

Chris Stott, CEO at Pukka Pads, said the company was “over the moon” to acquire the Party Centric business, adding it would “benefit from the strength of the Pukka Pad brand and operational excellence”.

The Pukka Pad Group is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of high quality branded and own label paper pads and notebooks, filing and divider items, post and packaging and art and activity products. Stott founded Pukka Pad back in 1999 and, since then, the popular manufacturer has continued to create and produce innovative, stylish and high-quality stationery products for the world’s stationery industry.

Office supplies business ACS Office has won a tender worth £1.8m over three years with Portman Dental Care Headquartered in Cheltenham, Portman Dental Care currently has in excess of 200 dental practices across the UK, Isle of Man and Ireland, caring for more than 800,000 patients.

Formed in 2002 by sales director Nigel Gass, and finance director Paul Macfarlane, SDS initially used another provider’s products but rapidly moved solely to Konica Minolta. Gass commented, “We soon decided that Konica Minolta’s products are the best on the market and perfect for our customers. We also share the same business ethics of trust and a customer service-led approach which has proven to be the perfect approach over the last two decades. The business community in the south west is largely driven by word-of-mouth and personal recommendations, and we have always striven to deliver the best possible service, and to work with the best strategic partners to grow our market share.”

With an elite team of nine, SDS is focused on delivering exceptional customer service (and has been recognised for this by three Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards) and the best business solutions for its customers. “Working exclusively with Konica Minolta gives us a highly reliable and effective route to market,” Gass explained. “This means we can focus our product stocks, and technical training, to deliver the best sales and support service to our customers.”

ACS Office is supplying the company’s practices with office supplies, electronic office supplies, janitorial and catering supplies and furniture. ACS Office is delivering its services via full, end-to-end, PunchOut integration with Portman’s inhouse procurement system, PortPal. “We appointed ACS Office following a highly competitive tender process comprising a detailed written submission and an e-auction,” said Portman Dental Care’s head of procurement, Andrew Jones. “From the start, when they became our supplier of choice, we have been highly impressed with the adaptable, responsive and forward-thinking way the ACS Office team operates.

“They have built strong relationships with our procurement team and we are enjoying further developing our highly productive working partnership with them.”

ACS Office wins £1.8m Portman Dental Care contract

SDS celebrates 20 years of success in partnership with Konica Minolta

From all of us here at Dealer Support we would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! It has been another tough year for the industry, but, once again, you have all shown resilience, innovation and tenacity in the face of challenging circumstances. As we enter a new year it is hard to predict what 2023 may bring (if it’s anything like the last three years we’ll certainly have to take a deep breath!) but I look forward to seeing how the industry will continue to thrive. We will have a bumper issue in January to ring in the new year, full of the latest industry news, views and opinion and I look forward to speaking to you all again then. Finally, I would like to say a massive thank you to all of our readers for your loyalty, our contributors for your invaluable insights and to our partners and advertisers for your continued support this past year. Now, let’s enjoy some festivities!

We would like to thank all our customers for your continued support during 2022. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at Dams Furniture

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our superb staff, customers, partners and suppliers. Wishing you all a fantastic holiday and a joyful successful new year!

We wish all our members and suppliers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2023. Thank you for your support #KeepItLocal

Our advent calendar and prizes are back to wish our partners a very Merry Christmas. Why not visit www.brotherzone.co.uk and see if you’re a winner.

Thanks to all of our customers for their continued support in 2022. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our partners, customers and friends from the EvolutionX and FusionPlus Data teamssee you on t’other side!

Thank you to all our members and key partners for your support over the last 25 Years. We look forward to working with you in 2023. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the team at Integra

NEWS EXTRA

BOSS and GfK release panel market summary for September 2022

The BOSS and GfK Panel market summary covers measures sales data up to and including September 2022

fK track and audit 36 product categories in the office and stationery sectors and produces time-comparable data for sales value, sales units, packs and sales pieces, as well as calculating an average pack price and sales price.

The data is now split across two retail channels and one B2B channel (Systemhouses) - these combine to provide the overall panel market total, and the retail channels encompass around 90% of the panel market total. GfK estimate that the overall total for the 36 selected products, as reported in the panel market, cover around 75% of the estimated UK market total for the 36 selected products.

TOTAL DATA (PANEL MARKET)

The available data covers up to, and including, September 2022. Sales in September 2022 were just under £148m, which is 2.7% up from August, and 2.2% above September 2021.

In 2021 strong sales in January were followed by weaker sales in February and March. Sales in April, May and June were all stronger than in 2020, but worse in comparison with previous years. Sales

picked-up in July, but fell short of the equivalent data for each of the last three years. There was a decline through to September, then growth in October before a strong decline in November and December.

A lifting of restrictions in 2022, in England, helped the total in January 2022 recover - but February declined in line with previous years. March saw sales stabilise but, as expected, April experienced a further downturn. Despite this, there was stronger growth than in recent years during May.

Sales in June held above 2021 and 2020 levels, whilst July recovered to split the levels recorded in 2020 and 2021. A further downturn in August was followed by a slight recovery in September, which

has seen sales keeping very close to 2020 and 2021 levels.

Looking ahead to the end of the year, the traditional seasonal pattern suggests that there may be stronger growth in October before a tail-off at the end of the year. The average piece price was £2.04 in September 2022, which is 6.8% up on the £1.91 recorded in September 2021, and sales in the 12 months leading up to September 2022 were just under £1.75bn. This is 3.1% below the 12 months to September 2021.

This year, sales so far are down by 1.3% in comparison with January to September 2021, and the average price in the 12 months to September 2022 was £2.14 - 3.6% up on the 12 months to September 2021.

Integra celebrates 25 years with ‘Strength Through Unity’ conference

Integra celebrated 25 years of business at The Hilton, St Georges Park, in November, hosting members and key partners at their ‘Strength Through Unity’ conference

The conference had a variety of sessions that shed light on leading industry topics and pointed to the trends we can expect to see in 2023. To close the conference, football legend Kevin Keegan gave a keynote address at the home of English football.

Aidan McDonough, CEO of Integra, opened the event with an industry overview. Aidan spoke about being agile, the benefits of a diversified services portfolio, additional incremental revenue, the opportunities around sustainability and the importance improving gross profit. To close, Aidan looked forward to 2023 where, across the industry, “the future will include consolidation, and diversification will be imperative for growth.”

Dealer development director at VOW Wholesale, Darren Wrenshaw, told delegates that business used be so much easier! There was a clear sales channel, low threat from online vendors, a low cost-to-serve and greater profitability. Nevertheless, after a tough few years which have initiated difficult, but necessary, cost increases, Darren declared that there are still plenty of reasons for optimism. “There is a lot of resilience in our industry; proven sales opportunities around sustainability, freight capacity is improving and costs are reducing - plus, we’re committed to getting deliveries to you before nine am,” he said.

The journey to net zero was the topic explored by Steve Malkin, CEO of Planet Mark. He explained the net zero business case and gave critical guidance for businesses on where to start. “Net zero is now a standard, and the 2030

target is to reduce emissions by 50%.” To do this, businesses can follow three steps; measure, engage and communicate. Measuring and reporting, aligning reporting with financial year end, engaging people in the process and communicating that process to your customers online are some of the great pieces of advice that Mark shared.

Kevin Riley, a business growth specialist, outlined four steps to help grow your business; think, plan, act and learn.

He also spoke about the importance of leading with optimism to secure a high-performance business.

Darren Washbourne, CCO of Beeswift, spoke about the rise of PPE over the last three years. Darren, who has 35 years of experience in the sector, shared Beeswift’s views on how they can serve the industry. “Beeswift is a manufacturer and wholesaler. We have over 8,500 SKUs. We put a lot of time and effort into training and we’re here to help you make a sale,” he said.

To finish the conference Kevin Keegan, one of the most recognisable faces in British football, shared stories from his career highlights in a truly fitting venue, before attending the Integra Gala Dinner and awards ceremony.

Net zero is now a standard and the 2030 target is to reduce emissions by 50%

What are your hopes for the industry for 2023?

After two years of pandemic-dominated challenges, it seemed that things could only get better as we moved into a post-pandemic world. However, rising energy costs, supply-chain issues and political turmoil ensured that 2022 would make for another difficult year. We spoke to...

Lawrence Savage, marketing manager, Exaclair

“With renewed emphasis upon sustainability, and developing a cultural attitude change to waste management operations across several industry sectors, many manufacturers and resellers are becoming more proactive at creating fresh recycling projects to reduce general waste consumption, particularly with a view to challenging recycling methods.

“The protection of the environment has been an

integral part of the Exacompta Clairefontaine group’s corporate strategy for over 40 years and last year 77% of the group’s total expenditure was invested in energy-saving initiatives. With our modern production facilities helping to negotiate the cost of developing more sustainable manufacturing techniques, we are continuing to see the augmentation of ecological products and packaging materials across the business.

“By utilising a collaborative approach alongside our suppliers and dealers we’ve been able to make positive steps towards many challenges, including taking action to tackle the supply shortage of pallets, the minimisation of production waste materials, and the reimaging of resources for the benefit of the wider community.

“As we move into 2023 and beyond it’s important to continue to also work in collaboration with other external industry organisations, and governmental bodies, to develop projects that celebrate sustainability and will, ultimately, benefit us all.”

The industry has faced a number of challenges in 2022, from rising energy prices to supply chain disruptions and a cost-of-living crisis

David Martin, sales director, One Office Supplies

“My main hope for the industry in 2023 would be for the stocks to settle. Of course, we must adapt to change but, as the past few years have been unsettling for everyone, it would be great to have more reliable stocks, a bit more trustworthy carriages, and prices that stay the same for longer periods of time! Hopefully, we’ll see a good level of consistency and more control right across the office supply chain.

“It would also be great to see more people back in company offices. This is a big debate, opinions are constantly changing, and there are certainly advantages on both sides of the argument but, from an office supply point of view, it makes sense.”

Neale, director, Graphtec GB Ltd

“It has been a challenging year for the industry, but we have come out the other side more resilient than ever. I’m sure that 2023 will present more hurdles we need to jump, but the resilience we have built upon since 2020 means that we are ready to hopefully overcome whatever may be thrown our way. The industry will have to continue to be agile to adapt to changing landscapes but, as we saw this year, if we change our mindset, we can view changes as opportunities to learn, grow and improve.

So, as Christmas approaches, let’s celebrate all of the hard work we have all put in this year and let’s head into 2023 ready to tackle challenges head on and cease new opportunities for growth and innovation.”

Phil

It would be great to have more reliable stocks, a bit more trustworthy carriages, and prices that stay the same for longer periods of time

Christmas crackers: how to celebrate your staff this festive season

At this time of year it’s important to celebrate your business and staff achievements; how can you bring some Christmas cheer to your people both in the office and as they work from home?

Christmas is a time for celebration. The festive season is filled with delicious food and precious time spent with family and friends, and it can provide a much-needed boost to the office as well

Celebrating Christmas in the office is a great way to boost employee morale, strengthen team relationships and build your company culture – and it’s also the perfect

opportunity the boss to let staff know how much they appreciate their efforts. There are many ways to bring Christmas cheer to your workplace this month – here are a few ideas to get you started, most of which lend themselves to hybrid approaches so that staff working from home can also get involved.

CHRISTMAS PARTY

A Christmas party is a great way to celebrate the festive season with your staff. You can

host a Christmas lunch or dinner with drinks, music and games, such as karaoke or bingo, to reward their hard work over the year.

Hosting a party away from the office is especially important as it gives staff the chance to relax and enjoy Christmas away from their usual working environment. It can also encourage communication between colleagues who don’t normally have the chance to interact during the working day,

creating new opportunities for inter-team collaboration on their return to the office. Apparently, 17.5% of businesses cancelled their Christmas parties in 2021, making it more important than ever to hold a party for your staff this festive season.

AWARDS CEREMONY

Another fun way to celebrate your employees’ hard work throughout the year is to host an awards night. This can be combined with your Christmas party, or held separately to celebrate the standout employees and projects of the year. This is a great way to show appreciation for your staff, as well as motivating them in the run-up to Christmas and the new year.

TIME OFF

According to a poll by Employee Benefits, more than half of UK businesses gave their staff extra days off in the Christmas period as a reward in 2021 meaning employees were able to spend more time with their loved ones over the Christmas period. Why not consider offering your staff some extra days to take with their families and friends over the festive period to boost team morale and increase productivity.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Gifts are a perfect way to celebrate Christmas - but they can be difficult to organise. One way to give gifts in the office is by turning to the old favourite - Secret Santa. It may have been around a long time, but it is still a great way to encourage communication across the office, create new friendships and celebrate Christmas on a budget - especially important in our current cost of living crisis. You can impose an affordable cost-cap to prevent too much expense.

THEMED DAYS

Organising themed days over the festive period can be a fun way help your staff to celebrate Christmas – for example:

● Christmas jumper day: wear your best (or your ugliest) Christmas jumper into the office.

● Festive bake sale: hold a festive bake sale where employees bring in their home-baked treats to be shared around the office.

● Christmas decoration day: bring your favourite decorations to work and transform the office into a festive wonderland.

CHARITY WORK AND VOLUNTEERING

Christmas can be a time of joy for some, and a time of stress and sadness for others. You and your employees can hold charity events and fundraisers – maybe by donating the proceeds from your themed days, such as the Festive Bake Sale, or holding a silent auction.

HOW TO CELEBRATE IN YOUR OFFICE

Just as festive traditions differ between families, countries and cultures, they will also differ between businesses and it’s important that you celebrate in a way that meets the needs of your particular business and employees.

SMALL BUSINESS CELEBRATIONS

For Steve Carter, MD at Advantia Business Solutions, this year’s Christmas celebrations will be more reserved. “At Advantia we have a relatively small, and extremely close-knit, team. We are now home-based - mainly because we

The Christmas get together is the one that everyone looks forward to

live in different areas of the country - and what this has allowed us to do is take a flexible approach to working hours, which helps the team. Although we all speak daily, we get together for a working lunch on a quarterly basis and will have another of these just before Christmas.”

Industry events like the BOSS Awards, which were celebrated in Manchester this year on November 24, are a great way to celebrate both the festive season and a year of hardworking with your team. “We decided to make the BOSS Awards night a team event,” Steve explains. “We can all enjoy it, and catch up with friends and acquaintances, old and new.” And he hasn’t ruled old the possibility of one final surprise. “As for any other little extras at Christmas…well, who knows what Santa might bring?”

INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATIONS

Mike Barron, MD of Synaxon says that their Christmas will look a little different this year. “Although we are a UK business, we have a lot of resource based in our

German HQ. Each year the UK team fly over to celebrate with our colleagues, visiting HQ and experiencing the local Christmas Market. As we work remotely in the UK, we are spread across the whole of the country and this year we are meeting up at Molineux, Wolverhampton just before Christmas for a catch-up and some general merriment.”

To make the most of the trip, Mike has made sure his team will experience the best of local goods. “Each member of staff receives a hamper - this year made up from

Hybrid working can be a challenge, especially when teams are working with international colleagues, and travelling to celebrate Christmas offers the opportunity to reflect on the years’ work together. “We have regular meetings in various locations in the UK, but the Christmas get together is the one that everyone looks forward to. It’s a chance to reflect on the year just gone, and think about how we can serve the channel better in the coming year.”

So, as we reach the end of 2022, there are a number of great ways you can celebrate your staff this festive season. Whether you decide on a party, award ceremony or Christmas jumper day, the important thing is to make sure your chosen celebrations are well-suited to your employees and demonstrate how much you appreciate their hard work.

After a year of challenges - rising energy prices, supply chain disruption and the costof-living crisis - everyone deserves some festive fun. Time to get planning!!

It’s a chance to reflect on the year just gone and think about how we can serve the channel better in the coming year

Halfpenny Green vineyard and packed full of local Black Country produce.”

2023

JOIN US NEXT YEAR

Dealer Support LIVE returns April 27th 2023 to the Coventry Building Society Arena, and plans are well underway to make it everything the dealer community has asked for – and more!

Following on from the success of the last few years, Dealer Support

LIVE seeks to create an interactive experience that brings the magazine to life. It’s an event specifically designed for dealers, aiming to provide clarity and practical, simple-to-apply, and relevant advice for all delegates.

This year boasts even more opportunities to learn, a broader spectrum of exhibitors, and an opportunity to network with peersalong with the ever-popular Q&A session for dealers to get involved in. We’ll be running a selection of seminars – chosen by you, our readers – the details of which are being steadily updated at https://dealersupport. co.uk/dealer-support-live/ as speakers and content is confirmed.

WHY JOIN US?

NAVIGATING A DIFFICULT CLIMATE

Our live event aims to give dealers a balanced view of the current marketplace in order to future-proof their operations, preparing them for whatever the next year might bring with expert advice and solutions.

Our goal is to identify the obstacles and show how to overcome them by offering applicable solutions for improving sales, discovering new verticals and making diversification in practice a doddle.

OPEN Q&A

Back by popular demand, the panel, made up of key figures from a cross-section of the industry, is your opportunity to ask any burning questions on the hot topics currently affecting the office products sector.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS GROWTH

This year we boast a number of sessions that really focus on how to drive and grow business in a tight market; we want you to leave with tangible ideas you can put into practice immediately.

EXHIBITION

An integral part of Dealer Support LIVE is always the exhibition; it offers dealers an opportunity to chat to, and learn from, a broad range of supplier partners, while having the chance to see what’s new in their sector.

INFORMATION TO GO

Dealer Support LIVE offers marketplace insights and business solutions that will help dealers make informed decisions about the direction of their businesses. There will be the quick and easy wins that can be applied to your business straight away – from marketing to sales – as well as more in-depth business modifications that may be thought and time-intensive.

NETWORKING

No-one knows the challenges and benefits of running a reseller business better than those who do it. Dealer Support LIVE is a fantastic opportunity to network with other business leaders in the sector, sharing experiences and solutions and forging long-lasting, professional, relationships to benefit you and your business.

In addition to networking opportunities throughout the event, we’ll be hosting a drinks reception at the end of the day for dealers, exhibitors, speakers and suppliers to enjoy.

TICKET INFORMATION

So, what are you waiting for? To book your place today head to https://www.eventbrite. co.uk/e/dealer-support-live2023-tickets-225288262257?aff =ebdssbdestsearch

Our goal is to identify the obstacles and show how to overcome them by offering applicable solutions

What really drives employee

mployee retention offers a number of benefits for your business; it can help boost employee morale, increase productivity and attract new talent to your workforce, whilst also benefiting your bottom line because retaining employees reduces the amount of money your business spends on recruitment campaigns and processes which, according to The Undercover Recruiter, can cost up to £3,000.

As approximately 442,000 quit their jobs in the second quarter of 2022, as stated by Statista, this growing number indicates

that employee retention is becoming more important than ever – the question is, where to start?

FLEXIBLE AND HYBRID WORKING CAN’T BE IGNORED

Post-COVID a lot of businesses are now offering flexible and hybrid working - which is a great way to retain employee talent in your business. The Office for National Statistics found that the proportion of hybrid workers grew from 13% to 24% between February and May this year, and the percentage of workers planning to spend most of their working hours at home is still rising.

Hybrid and flexible working give employees the freedom to decide when they will work at the office and when they will work from home. It can encourage productivity, and engagement, as well offering a work life balance that helps them manage their professional and personal lives - particularly attractive and beneficial to those with young families or caring responsibilities.

BUILDING-IN PROGRESSION AND SUPPORT RETAINS STAFF

Clear progression routes are another great way to retain staff. According to a McKinsey report, 40% of workers are leaving their jobs because

they are unhappy with career advancement opportunities. Enabling staff to learn new skills and advance their careers means they are far more likely to stay with you. Providing the relevant support for your staff is also important because positive employee experiences help build a positive reputation which will attract young talent entering the job market. It is also key to celebrate your staff as they progressrewarding hard work motivates employees to stay with your company and progress even further up the ladder you have carefully constructed for them.

THINK ABOUT A BENEFITS PROGRAMME

Offering your employees a benefits programme can play a huge role in employee retention. Could you offer:

● Life insurance.

● Medical support - dental, optical, wellness.

● Gym memberships/discounts.

● Food vouchers.

● Energy vouchers.

● Support for transport costs and energy bills.

● Social events.

● Sports activities.

● Clubs.

● Volunteering opportunities. Benefit programmes are particularly important this winter; as the UK faces rising energy prices and a cost-of-living crisis, employees will be very grateful for, and receptive to, benefits that support them in their everyday lives. Food vouchers, support for transport costs and help with their energy bills are excellent examples of how to support your employees through this challenging time.

CREATE A COMMUNITY

Employee retention can also be improved by providing benefits that create a sense of community in your workplace - programmes steered towards social engagement, such as work events sports clubs and volunteering opportunities, are a fantastic way to make your employees feel part of a larger community, boost team morale and encourage productivity.

CHANGE WITH YOUR WORKFORCE

The workforce is changing. According to Perkbox, the Gen Z generation now makes up almost a quarter of UK employees. If you don’t regularly update your business to keep up with, and appeal to, the young people you’re hoping to hire, you won’t be able to attract, let alone retain, new talent.

Nearly nine-in-10 (87%) Gen Z’s say it’s important that benefits are tailored to them as individuals; you need to create options

that enable each employee to follow their preferences - making sure you offer a wide range of options is a good way to meet as many of your employees’ needs as possible.

SUPPORTING YOUR STAFF

Promoting wellbeing is an increasingly important priority in the workplace, and especially important for Gen Z workforce newcomers to the jobs market. Perkbox reports that 75% of Gen Z UK employees think their employers could be doing more for their financial wellbeing, 70% think their employers could be doing more for their mental wellbeing and 56% think their employers could be doing more for their physical wellbeing – and even for those already in employment, this is something that needs to be improved.

You could introduce a number of measures to support staff wellbeing, such as:

● Weekly wellbeing walk-ins.

● Regular employee mental health checks.

● Online access to wellbeing tools.

● Access to an external employee counselling service.

Implementing these measures can improve staff wellbeing and create a more supportive and productive workplace.

Businesses can gain huge benefits by realising the needs of their workforce and putting measures in place to support them - avoiding high spending on recruitment campaigns is high on the list of gains.

Employee retention is a sign of a good work environment which can help you to build a positive business reputation that will attract – and keep hold of - young talent as they enter the industry.

that they can leave – treat them well

Workplace revolution: the rise of the office pod

The evolution of office design is fascinating to consider. We’ve gone from the entirely open plan facilities of the early 20th century, to the landscaped offices of the ‘60s, and then to the, often ridiculed, ‘cubicle farms’ of the ‘80s.

Today, modern offices retain some elements of all these ideas, with companies aiming to provide a sense of open planbut in a more attractive, less uniform, manner.

Today’s workers are more mobile, with WiFi, laptops and mobile ‘phones edging out the need for a dedicated desk littered with cables. Workers have broken out of the cubicle, and today have options to sit with a group or alone, in different positions around the office. Co-working and hot-desking are the buzzwords of the day, with contemporary offices striving to create a home-from-home, and to offer dynamic work settings which can facilitate different types of work.

However, not every office is suited to having a bar over here, and

beanbags over there, and not every workplace wants people lounging around chatting loudly while others are trying to concentrate. As employers look to entice people back to the office, they’re starting to think ‘outside the box’ - and ‘inside the pod’.

THE POST-PANDEMIC POD TREND

The demand for private spaces within otherwise open plan offices has seen a surge in 2022, and it’s easy to see why. With many people accustomed to working alone, in peace and quiet in their homes during lockdowns, returning to a chatter-filled office environment can be distracting at best, and stressful at worst.

Mollie Townsend, head of sales at The Meeting Pod Co, says that her company has seen a significant increase in demand for pods, postpandemic. She notes that, as employers seek to encourage workers back to the office environment, providing them with secluded working spaces for meetings, collaboration or relaxation has become an important asset

As more workers return to the office, meeting pods are emerging as a top trend to take the bustle out of being back at work

– and she points out that providing such spaces can increase productivity.

“Through the various projects we have delivered we’ve seen that providing dedicated spaces for users to meet and collaborate away from their desk increases productivity, without distracting others around.”

Studies agree, with research by Meavo, suggesting that more than half of workers wish they had more privacy in the office. Of those who struggled to find a quiet place, the average time spent looking for a suitable location was 19 minutes a week - in fact, 26% of those working in open plan offices admitted to having taken a call in the toilet because they couldn’t find another suitable spot.

Simon Howorth, marketing and design manager at DAMS, noted how office pods can provide that quiet, productive space for workers, helping them be more productive when in the office.

“Over the last year we’ve seen increased demand for a completely private space in the modern office – the acoustic hub.

“These are inspirational, multi-functional, spaces which provide anything from a designated shelter for employees to escape from the busy work environment, to a space for one-to-one chats, or a meeting place for working groups.”

THE FUTURE OF PODS

While the pandemic saw more of us conducting meetings remotely, the second half of 2022 is witnessing a significant return to the office environment for many companies. As we gradually move back to more in-person meetings, does this negate the need for pods in the workplace?

Molly thinks not.

“With the ever-growing trend of Zoom calls not looking like it will be disappearing anytime soon, employees who are now back in the office full-time need a private space in order to conduct their meetings - and traditional, built-in, meeting rooms are becoming less and less suitable.”

Simon adds that there is an ongoing demand for private, quiet spaces in the workplace, something he’s seen increased interest in over the past year. His view is that the office pod market as a trend is

set to continue to grow.

“Post-pandemic, businesses need personal spaces that offer enough privacy and sufficient openness to not feel claustrophobic or unhygienic.”

Pods don’t always have to be in the office either. Molly notes that The Meeting Pod Co has seen the highest levels of interest in its outdoor pods. Other businesses have found success with pods that are modelled on soundproofed telephone booths, and some are even installing ‘nap pods,’ to help employees recharge in the middle of a busy day!

WHAT DEALERS NEED TO KNOW

Molly believes that dealers who are keen to get into marketing pods to customers need to recognise the benefits they can bring.

“We feel dealers need to understand the importance of providing flexible spaces that are easy to re-locate, internally and externally, that offer a sense of privacy.”

Having a quick checklist of the many benefits pods can bring can help when targeting sales of these products. For example:

Noise reduction: soundproof pods can be a welcome retreat from a busy office, and can also help create a space where private conversations can take place in peace.

Support for diversity: conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyscalculia and dyslexia can make being in a big, open space stressful. Providing quiet corners for employees with different needs can improve the work experience for such staff.

Free-up meeting rooms: a scarce commodity in any workplace, providing pods for quick catch-ups or small group meetings can freeup meeting rooms for larger groups.

Improve focus and productivity: giving people a place to really get their teeth into a task can help them achieve their goals more quickly.

Cost-effective and easy to install: pods aren’t expensive investments – they are certainly a lot cheaper than an interior remodel – and can usually be installed in a matter of hours, not days.

With the office pod trend not going away anytime soon, will your dealership get onboard with this modern movement?

Dealers need to understand the importance of providing flexible spaces

Making the most of direct mailing

hen we say direct mail is an ancient form of marketing, we aren’t kidding. The earliest known direct marketing dates back to Ancient Egypt and the year 1000 BC. An Egyptian landowner used a piece of papyrus to advertise gold in return for the capture of a defecting slave; the papyrus is now on display at the British Museum in London.

We’ve come a long way from inking messages onto papyrus, but the impetus remains the same. We want a quick, effective,

way to deliver an important message to the people who will be most receptive to it. In a world where our inboxes are flooded daily with marketing messages, having something we can hold in our hands can make all the difference.

However, direct mailing is an investment, there’s no doubt about it. Email marketing requires just a little time and, perhaps, a small subscription to a distribution service. Direct mailing, on the other hand, comes with costs for designing, printing and posting the materials, so it’s essential we get it right.

IS DIRECT MAIL STILL RELEVANT?

As much as we’ve moved on in our digital lives, direct mail is still proving to be an incredibly powerful tool - in fact, it has seen something of a resurgence in recent years. A 2018 study by ANA/DMA found that 81% of marketers were planning to maintain or increase their use of direct mail over the coming months. Fast forward to 2022, and that notion is starting to emerge more strongly, with PostGrid reporting an increase in mail volume of 87% since 2012

But why? Check your email inbox right now, and you’ll see why! Kaspersky Lab

Despite being one of the oldest forms of advertising, direct mail still has the power to generate business – if you get it right…

estimates that the average person will receive in the range of 120 – 130 emails per day, around half of which will be marketing or promotional messages of some kind. In contrast, the average number of physical direct mailings a person will receive is in the region of two to three.

Central Mailing says that business managers open 82% of the marketing mail they receive – that’s a far higher open rate than the typical 23% for email marketing. In fact, research by the UK’s Royal Mail indicates that 70% of recipients feel more valued when they receive physical mail from a company - that’s up from 57% ten years ago.

Part of the attraction of direct mail is its status as a ‘trustworthy’ form of marketing. Trust, in general, between businesses and prospects is in crisis. Regular headlines relating to data breaches, scam emails and the like have sent email marketing to the bottom of the trust list – it’s the new junk mail, and nobody looks forward to getting it.

Direct mail, on the other hand, is personal and targeted – or at least it should be when it’s done right. It’s not intrusive either; we can put it to one side and read it over coffee later which is a far better experience than logging on, seeing 50 new emails, and feeling compelled to clean out our inbox.

TIPS FOR BETTER DIRECT MAIL

Once you’ve decided to make an investment in a direct mail campaign, you’ll want to make sure you get the return on your

investment you deserve. There’s less room for error here, so it’s crucial to get it right first time.

● Define your prospect: don’t work in isolation on direct marketing campaigns. Tap up the knowledge from your sales team to ensure you’re hitting the right prospects. Clean your list before anything is mailed to ensure you’re not sending something to a contact who has long ago left the receiving company.

● Make your call to action clear and simple: what do you want the prospect to do when they read your message? If it’s not abundantly clear from the moment they open the mail what it is you’re after, you’re unlikely to get the response you want. This doesn’t always have to be ‘Buy from us’ either; consider ‘Download our

THE FIGURES

● In the last ten years, advertising mail volume has increased by 87%

●

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whitepaper,’ ‘Request a catalogue’ or ‘Use this discount’ as alternatives.

● Get personal: there’s no excuse for ‘Dear business owner’ in this day and age. Personalisation can be as simple as including the recipient’s name on the mailer, or as complex as targeting specific businesses with messages that truly speak to their needs. Use the data you already have at your fingertips to make your message stronger.

● Be creative: stand out from the crowd with an eye-catching, attention-grabbing, mailer that can’t fail to be noticed. Use words, colours and copy to make yourself different from the competition.

● Walk a mile in their shoes: put yourself in your prospect’s position – what would you want from a mailshot today? What challenges or difficulties are they likely to be experiencing, and how can your dealership help them solve these issues?

Getting the most from direct mailing also means not just sending the mailshot and hoping for the best - have a way of tracking your success, perhaps by using personalised landing pages (PURLS), tracking ‘phone numbers or adding QR codes and coupons to the campaign.

Follow up with your prospect in good time; email or – even better –telephone. Direct mail can have good results on its own but, when combined with other direct marketing methods, it can be unstoppable.

How to keep business information secure across multiple sites

Should businesses be adopting new and existing technologies to keep their information secure and safe from cyberattacks? Martin Fairman of Kyocera offers some expert insights

Businesses are increasingly adopting a range of technologies to keep their information secure across multiple sites as documents are printed, scanned and handled, and demand for increased security continues to rise.

“Companies of all sizes are accelerating the implementation of new technologies, including cloud-print-scan and managed end-point security solutions, in a bid to keep information secure between multiple sites or remote workers,” says Martin Fairman, group sales and marketing director at Kyocera.

It can be hard to keep up with the fast-developing range of technologies competing to keep business information safe. For example, MFPs pose numerous security risks in the office. These include:

● Open access to MFP printer trays.

● The option to scan documents to external devices and systems.

● An inability to track and report output information.

● An inability to track and manage the activities of mobile users as

mobile working starts to increase.

However, despite these risks, Martin believes that MFPs are key to mitigating internal and external threats, “MFPs offer business a first line of defence,” he says, because MFPs use a number of onboard tools to prevent security risks in the document journey, such as:

● HDD encryption - prevents unauthorised personnel or hackers from accessing your business’ private information by using cyphers and algorithms to encrypt the MFP drive. These convert a physical disk or logical volume into an unreadable format that can only be unlocked by those with a key or password.

● USB port lockdown - restricts unauthorised devices from accessing endpoints and sensitive data and prevents data leakage.

● Firmware validation - by validating the device firmware, MFPs are able to function and communicate with other software running on the device.

MFP onboard tools provide solutions for the security risks posed in the office - but what processes can businesses put in place if something does manage to slip through the gaps?

For the 4th year, Antalis are once again proudly supporting the “Think Pink” campaign with HP paper. Over the next few months, through sales of specially designed, limited edition packs of HP Office and HP Everyday, Antalis will be helping to raise much needed money for breast cancer research.

THE SECOND LINE OF DEFENCE

Martin considers secure print release to be business’ second line of defence as it enables users to authenticate themselves at the printer using embedded software on the printer, or via an external device. This ensures that sensitive print jobs are held at the printer until they are ready to be collected by the user with the correct permissions.

Whilst MFPs remain the first line of defence for businesses, Martin believes that the future is in the cloud. “New technology should have a comprehensive cloud offering - a blend of infrastructure and software providing a highly available, secure and scalable hosting platform.”

Software across the industry is starting to offer the opportunity to print and scan to and from the cloud and a secure data store for business information. To keep your data secure across multiple sites, Martin recommends employing additional tools for security protection. “Businesses should invest in data loss prevention and a managed endpoint solution as an additional layer of security.”

DATA LOSS PREVENTION (DLP)

Products ensure that users do not send sensitive or critical information outside your business network by classifying and protecting confidential and critical information. This means that unauthorised users cannot accidentally - or maliciously - share data. Businesses are adopting DLP products to meet both data privacy laws and data protection and access requirements.

In order to adopt a DLP product successfully, your business must:

● Be able to classify, prioritise and monitor data.

● Understand when data is at risk.

● Communicate and develop controls.

● Train and provide guidance for employees.

MANAGED ENDPOINT (MEP) SOLUTIONS

A ‘managed endpoint’ does what it says on the tin. It manages and secures an organisation’s endpoints - including desktops, laptops, mobile devices, servers and other devices in the network - and the

management software allows an IT administrator to work from a single console.

To build an effective MEP, your business must:

● Identify your endpoints by cataloguing and assessing vulnerabilities.

● Build a data access policy for data access, storage and usage.

● Maximise your internet of things (IoT) security by changing passwords regularly, and updating software.

● Encrypt critical and restricted data.

● Enforce a bring your own device policy for your business.

● Implement advanced and automated endpoint protection to adjust to ever-evolving security threats.

● Make sure your staff know how to avoid security risks.

The implementation of new technologies is accelerating across the industry and, according to Martin, can be beneficial in all areas of business. “A big growth area is the secure automation of documenthungry processes, such as HR and accounts payable, which, typically, involve volumes of sensitive data to be inputted, routed and stored for retrieval by authorised users.”

Agile working has also provided a motive for business to adopt new technologies to protect data and information. Remote networks, and devices used from home, have generated new threats and put customer data more at risk of cyberattacks – and the havoc these attacks create cannot be underestimated, Martin warns. “It is difficult to recover from a data breach in terms of remediation and reputational damage.”

It is key that you implement measures across your business to protect your data from both internal and external threats. If you don’t act, you may certainly live to regret that decision.

It is difficult to recover from a data breach in terms of remediation and reputational damage

Bringing hope, peace and unity to the good brethren of business supplies

Far be it from me to throw a petrol-covered Christmas log on the already far from stable fire of the office supplies industry, but doesn’t it seem that, even though our prices are increasing almost daily, some very large corporates don’t seem to be under the same pressure?

They can keep their prices below cost no matter what pressure there is on the economy - in fact, according to our customers, they can get everything cheaper and nicer elsewhere and, whilst they are very understanding of our predicament, they like to explain that they, in turn, are under pressure from their bosses to buy from the cheapest supplier.

They can get office supplies which smell of roses and boil the kettle for them. We, of course, always treat this as a tactic to get more discount and carefully start to investigate which ones are genuine and which ones are chancers – wouldn’t it be easier if they wore some sort of uniform or badge so that we can sniff them out?

Buyers have become cannier than they ever were before. A simple Christmas lunch and a bottle of whiskey used to be enough to tie them in for another year at least, but now we have to put a lot more effort into it. Mrs O’ Reilly, who looks after our recruitment and dismissals, has offered all sorts of favours to the customers but her body odour stands in her way. To get round this

we’ve started to send anonymous notes to the buyers and then stand outside their premises in a threatening mannerhardly the spirit of Christmas, but we all have to do unpleasant things from timeto-time when it comes to business.

It is, of course, the Christmas season and plans are being made for parties and gifts; our company has already made a pledge to enjoy ourselves and escape from any shadow which the office supplies business casts over our, already miserable, lives. We’re going to drink and eat and be merryand compile a Christmas gift list for our customers which will grow and grow until it puts us out of business.

It’s lucky they’re worth it, eh? Season’s greetings to you all.

The good Father brings some festive cheer with his final thoughts of

the year

LIVE IT LIVE IT

Life hack

If you want your wine chilled over the festive season, but don’t want to dilute the flavour, try adding some frozen grapes to your glass instead of ice cubes.

Magic mushrooms for mental health

A single dose of a hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms can dramatically reduce the symptoms of intractable depression, according to the largest ever study of its kind, Sky News has reported. Around a third of patients given a 25mg dose of a synthetic form of psilocybin, along with psychological support, were still in remission three weeks later. All had failed to respond to traditional antidepressant treatments. In the international trial, 233 patients were allocated to one of three different doses of a manufactured psilocybin called COMP360. They also had support from a therapist to prepare them for the sixto-eight-hour hallucinogenic ‘trip’, which was clinically supervised; a further session after drug treatment cemented the experience.

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day.

Andy Rooney

Quote of the month

Did you know?

We all know that the same few handfuls of Christmas songs play at stores, and on the radio in a loop, all season long - but one of them has been adapted more than any of the others. Silent Night earns that title, as the most-recorded Christmas song in history, with more than 733 different versions copyrighted since 1978.

The love bus

THUMBS UP!

A couple who got married after meeting on a coach when a breakdown forced passengers to switch services have recreated the journey 30 years later, BBC News has reported. Alison and Paul Forrester’s eyes first met when they were travelling from Glasgow to Manchester in 1991; Alison was travelling home from a wedding when her coach broke down and she had to board another.

There was only one seat available - next to Paul - and the rest is history for the Bury pair, who now have two daughters. They have now recreated the journey after National Express put out a call for people to share their stories to mark the company’s 50th anniversary.

PUB QUIZ

1. In the Dr Who Christmas special in 2017, which actress made her first official appearance as the 13th Doctor?

2. Alphabetically, which of Santa’s reindeer comes first?

3. Who is generally recognised as the author of the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as Twas the Night Before Christmas)?

4. Snowflakes are often portrayed as being six-sided but studies suggest that fewer than what percentage of snowflakes exhibit the ideal six-fold symmetric shape? a) 0.1% b) 1% c) 10%

5. Who wrote the Band Aid song Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Knock me down with a feather

A sprouting smell

As reported by Sky News, Cambridge University Botanic Garden has revealed what it calls a ‘special gift’ to plant enthusiasts - and it’s a ‘total stinker’. Visitors will know they are close to the orchid bulbophyllum phalaenopsis when they start to smell the ‘delicate aroma of rotting cabbages’, the garden’s Facebook page says. ‘The odour has also been described as smelling like dead rats decomposing next to rotting fish, but to the carrion flies and beetles that pollinate it in the wild, it smells amazing.’ The orchid was collected from Papua New Guinea and is rarely seen flowering outside its natural habitat. The botanic garden said it was flourishing thanks to the care of its volunteer orchid expert Phil. ‘Our glasshouse team think it will reach its ponging peak any time soon,’ they said.

Christmas festivities and looking forward to a new year

The FINAL WORD articles this year have illustrated the struggles faced by dealers in 2022 and the incredible job they have done to come out the other side. Contributors have spoken about the value of giving, going green, office hygiene and, most recently, how to care for your employees in a crisis.

FINAL WORD has heard from Ben Thompson, Jeff May, Emma Davies-Carolan, Peter Clayton and Lawrence Savage and their conributions have illustrated the struggles faced by dealers during 2022.

This month it’s the turn of James Day, sales and marketing director at Durable, who is celebrating the end of a challenging year with Christmas festivities with his colleagues and looking forward to a new year full of opportunity.

“Durable UK has had a really positive 2022 and, as we look back, we

remember how much we’ve achieved. One of the things we focused on this year was rebuilding our team culture since COVID-19 hit the nation. We

from the German HQ. We also started quarterly ‘town halls’ to discuss how the company is getting on and keep the team up-to-date with what’s to be expected for the following quarter.

“To celebrate Christmas this year the Durable team are heading to a games bar in Bournemouth, to play shuffleboard and augmented reality darts, before heading to a luxury hotel to enjoy a well-deserved three course meal and dance the night away.

listened to our staff and continued hybrid working whilst also ensuring the team communicated effectively by implementing a new chat software.

“In 2022, Durable UK introduced three new staff members and invested in development training for our ever-growing team. We reintroduced our team socials, and company dinners, with our colleagues

“The short break over Christmas will ensure our team are re-energised and ready to take on 2023! As a team, we are looking forward to seeing what next year has to offer for Durable UK and we have big plans in store.”

Sounds great! Dealer Support hopes everyone at Durable UK has a brilliant Christmas celebration and our FINAL WORD is to wish all our readers a happy and restful holiday break. See you all next year!

JAMES DAY, sales and marketing director at Durable, shares how his team is celebrating Christmas and new year

As a team, we are looking forward to seeing what next year has to offer

James Day sales and marketing director, Durable