Welcome to the September 2021 PNORS Group Newsletter.

Welcome to the September 21 PNORS Group Newsletter.

This month we have included an item on company culture, specifically living our values.  At the PNORS Technology Group, we have carefully considered and embedded company values.  These values guide the way we, as an organisation of over 70 staff members, work to create excellence both internally and with our clients. 

Our values were developed not to be aspirational but provide base-level behaviours to be displayed throughout businesses.  We can refer to our values in any situation and know they will set us up for success. 

Our company culture held us in good stead over the past year and a half as we made the dramatic mindset shift to working from home and became used to not having daily face-to-face contact with our colleagues and teams. We have supported each other in the adoption of new communication tools, worked seamlessly on cross-company projects utilising technology and goodwill and perhaps become better workmates through shared experiences and challenges. 

I hope you enjoy reading our September Newsletter and wish everyone good health and success as 2021 comes to a close. 

Warm regards,

Paul Gallo
CEO
Netway Networks

In this issue

1. What is Unified Communications and why is it so important for organisations?

2. Preparing your Omni-Channel Sales experience with eCommerce

3. How living your values can dramatically improve your organisational success

What is Unified Communications and why is it so important for organisations?

This is a sponsored post by our partners at Access4.

The way we communicate is constantly changing. The problem with many communication methods is they are not built to change. Traditional phone lines are static and become obsolete over time and need replacing. Now, more than ever before,  it is important to understand the options available when it comes to reconsidering the way we communicate, both as businesses and consumers.

Access4 allows for an integrated communications platform, giving businesses a way to move beyond the cumbersome phone lines and direct connections of years gone by, rolling many important forms of communication services into one platform.

Access4 have created a blog on What is Unified Communications and why is it so important for organisations? Covering:

• How unified communications work

• The benefits of a unified communications solution

• How to get started with unified communications

Read the full blog here

Preparing your Omni-Channel Sales experience with eCommerce

By Dimitri Margaritis - Head of Sales, Marketing & Client Relations (PNORS Technology Group)

Over the past 18 months, eCommerce has seen such a substantial rise that it has almost reached the previously projected uptake levels of 2025. With ongoing lockdowns, purchasing online is now the norm and businesses failing to produce an omni-channel sales experience are unfortunately being left behind.

“Offering a compelling omnichannel experience used to be the bleeding edge of retail. Now it’s a requirement for survival.” – McKinsey Report

What is Omni-Channelled sales?

Omni-Channel Sales is the method of utilising more than one sales channel to provide your customers with a seamless and unified buying experience. Most commonly, businesses utilise an online store (eCommerce) and a physical location but can delve much deeper into affiliate sales and marketing and other channels. 

A vital element of providing a seamless omni-channel sales experience is your online presence. In the B2C world, Omni-Channel sales have been a part of most retailer’s business plans for years where the internet and all the websites, apps, and services come together to provide consumers with a seamless experience while also providing retailers with a 24x7 sales engine.

This has had a knock-on effect to all levels of business with eCommerce becoming the norm for traditional B2B businesses as consumers are so used to it in their personal lives. That’s why all businesses, regardless of B2B or B2C need to adopt an omni-channelled approach to survive. 

How to get started?

Despite the immense value omni-channel sales can provide, just as with any major digital transition or transformation project, errors within the implementation phase can impact negatively on your business.

The best method for reducing risk of failure is two-pronged:

1. Make it about the customer

2. Choose the right technology 

#1: Your customer and their buying experience should be the focus of this journey. Making it easy for them to purchase and delighting them with the procurement process will make it easier for returned purchasing. 

#2: Reduce the risk of implementation failure by utilising a solid eCommerce solution as your foundation. Full-featured front/backend eCommerce solution offer a reliable and stress-tested platform that can form the core of your omni-channel sales presence and the springboard from which you can build off to other platforms.

Ultimately, the key to omni-channel sales is placing your customers at the centre of your purchasing channels and providing them a seamless experience.  One where they are free to purchase from you via the method that best suits them.

CTA

How living your values can dramatically improve your organisational success

By Sonia Tammaro - People & Culture Manager (PNORS Technology Group)

Values are at the core of company culture. They are what makes your organisation unique and guide your thinking and your actions. Whilst competitors can copy your business model, they can’t replicate the unique culture you create or the personality of your organisation.

Not only do values reflect how you do business, but well embedded organisational values can also provide much needed guidance for ambiguous scenarios and tough decisions. This is especially important as companies begin to scale and decisions become more and more devolved.

Many organisations don’t start out with clearly articulated values. Often, in the early years, they reflect the personal values of the business owners and founders. But once the business grows, these values can become diluted as the founders become less visible and new leaders and managers emerge.

Getting the values right is critical so that everyone knows where they stand and what is expected in how they do business. A great example is Atlassian, the well-known and highly successful software development company. It was famously built on five core values, reflecting their founder’s ideals. These include – “One company, no bullshit. Build everything with heart and balance. Don’t f*** the customer. Play as a team. Be the change you seek”. Many years later these values still make them unique and drive the way they do business.

When the values are clear and well-articulated, you can attract the right talent, create a more effective and harmonious culture, and retain good people who are willing to do business the way you want it done. Only when you have alignment between the organisational values and your people’s values can your business operate authentically.  

Consider also, the important link between the business strategy and your organisational values. Focussing solely on strategy (i.e. target markets, customers, revenues, financial goals, product lines and services) in the absence of shared values (how you will do business) can lead to a lack of direction or even ‘results at any cost’…

Read the full article here