Delays in decisions are causing financial harm as the average business lost an average of £1.2m this year, according to research by Samsung Electronics.

Surveying 1,000 business executives across the UK, the research highlighted that 65 per cent of businesses are frustrated about having to invest more capital due to avoidable delays in decision-making.

In fact, 26pc say decisions take five months or more longer to get over the line compared with just one or two weeks longer in 2018/19. 

The survey showed that 43pc of business leaders say they believe the chief financial officer (CFO) holds more power this year compared to 2018/19.

This is more than the chief executive officer (CEO), chief operating officer (COO), and chief technology officer (CTO) with 36pc, 36pc and 31pc respectively.

With more executives believing the CFO holds more power, this is in line with research that 34pc are worried about budgets and 33pc are worried about inflation.

However, 55pc of business leaders suggested they want to find ways to prioritise greater optimum and business prosperity this year.

Businesses are also looking at ways to save money as 30pc say they would like to slash the number of vendors they work with and 36pc are looking for a ‘one stop shop’ fix to researching and buying tech solutions. 

Work Wonders

The findings come as Samsung announced the expansion of its ‘Work Wonders’ B2B platform which brings together business-focused products and solutions to help grow British businesses. 

As 94pc say complex decision-making processes are stopping them from making better investments and decisions, Samsung aims to offer a ‘one stop shop’ approach to its technology purchasing. 

Mark Seaman, Head of New Business Development, Samsung UK said: “Our research clearly shows that business decision-making continues to stagnate in 2022 as leaders struggle to shrug off decision-making fatigue in favour of more simplicity, streamlined purchasing and an all-round more collaborative experience.

“That’s why through our Work Wonders One Samsung platform, we’re focused on giving companies a more singular touchpoint to access Samsung’s entire suite of technology products and services.

“Whether it’s equipping an entirely mobile workforce with the latest Samsung Galaxy smartphone or talking to housing developers about the very latest in smart home appliances, Samsung wants to help businesses take a more holistic, value-driven and longer-term view of their purchasing requirements.” 

For more than 20 years, ArmaFone has been working across East Anglia offering a range of repairs and mobile-related products and services, expanding over time to serve a range of customers.

Starting out as part of B2B dealer TMAC Wireless Solutions in 2001, the company originally served business customers as technology was advancing and becoming more expensive and fragile as Nokia phones began to fall out of fashion.

The company then branched out into the consumer segment in 2013, offering repairs, accessories, screen protection and a callout option to residents in East Anglia.

ArmaFone managing director Chris Everitt says the company decided to try out the consumer side, as there was a big opportunity to reach a wider audience.

However, he adds that business customers still make up a large portion of the customer base, attracted by the option to have an account with priority repairs and
monthly invoicing.

Meeting needs

In recent years, Everitt says consumer demand has been growing and so the company needed a better way to serve its customers.

In 2018, the firm therefore moved from the high street in Ipswich to an Asda store in the same town– believing it could gain more traction within a popular supermarket.

More supermarket points of presence were planned from as early as 2019, but COVID halted this.

Then, when ArmaFone came back to the idea, it kept the supermarket idea but with a
slight change in approach.

This began in July 2022, when ArmaFone launched its first TechPOD at a Sainsbury’s store in the Stanway area of Colchester, Essex.

Rather than being inside the supermarket, the concept is that this is a separate store just outside that gives the firm more of a clear presence in providing accessible tech repair services.

“As we learned more about the specifics of the grocery-sector concession landscape, we realised that we needed an alternative to internal space if we were going to achieve
our strategic and geographic goals.”

Everitt saying that a further two TechPODs are in development in partnership with
the supermarket retailer in as-yet-undisclosed locations, and are set to open in the
autumn and winter.

“We think the units are really eye-catching,” he says. “The presence of an ArmaFone TechPOD on a Sainsbury’s site is designed to add value to regular supermarket visits.”

Everitt says that while ArmaFone’s current focus is on landing TechPODs with Sainsbury’s, it is also in discussions with several other big supermarket brands on the same concept, as well as a number of retail-park operators.

Everitt says ArmaFone is also planning to potentially have supermarket-based repair points that will have callout, pick-up and drop-off support.

“I think the ideal ratio between physical locations and vehicle support will become more apparent over the next 12 months,” he says.

In another move, ArmaFone this spring debuted an academy offering a qualification
in tech repair.

Under this, Everitt says apprentices can take IT courses and accompany technicians in one of ArmaFone’s supermarket locations or a callout vehicle to gain experience.

“Since we launched the academy in April, we’ve been busy training the staff of a retail chain as part of its plans to offer tech repair,” he says.

“The results have been great and the feedback we’ve received is better than we
could have hoped for.”

ArmaFone is now expanding its courses and their content to ensure that technicians
are well-equipped to meet industry standards.

Everitt says ArmaFone will continue to focus on the training academy and keep growing the TechPODs with Sainsbury’s.

Apple Repairs

As for its other aims in 2022, the next big thing for ArmaFone is its plan to secure Apple independent repair provider (IPR) verification, enabling it to offer repair providers
access to genuine Apple parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostics.

“This will further underpin our quality ethos and our credibility, as well as giving our customers additional options for repairing Apple devices,” he says.

“In addition, we are soon going to be launching the last core module of our own in-house software to manage our end-to-end workflow across retail, B2B and callout channels.”

Everitt says he is also busy organising more projects for 2023, and that he sees
a bright future for the firm over the next few years.

“I’m confident that given the opportunity, ArmaFone could become a nationally
recognisable brand,” he says.

Three UK’s customer base has increased six per cent year-on-year to 8.2m contract subscribers and allegedly outperforming the rest of the market in the half-year results.

The B2B customer base increased by 134 pc year-on-year, which Three say reflects its ongoing investment into the customer proposition.

Three UK’s CFO Darren Purkis said: “B2B has been a big focus for us as two years ago we didn’t have a B2B team.

“We built a small base very quickly and last year we doubled that, and we’re trying to double it this year which we are on track to do.”

Wholesale margin grew 25 pc year-on-year, but revenue was flat and remained at £1.18bn compared to the half year 2021.

The provider was voted as the UK’s fastest 5G network by Ookla for the third consecutive year, and Three have reported that its 5G home broadband customer base has more than tripled since H1 2021 and 5G went live on its SMARTY network.

Purkis added: “We knew we had an opportunity with 5G and we’re starting to see the benefits of rolling that out fast and will continue this as we have market leading 5G spectrum.”

“Our propositions are strong, we’ve got good price points, we’re offering a good amount of data, we’ve got certainty in our contracts and I think we are competitive pricing wise.

“We want to improve on everything as we always want to be better, so if we can continue to improve the network and customer experience, everything will grow from that.”

Overall perfomance 

Speaking about the half year results, Three UK CEO Robert Finnegan said: “Our performance in the first half of 2022 is clear evidence of how our strategy to invest in our network and technology is delivering meaningful growth across our business divisions. 

“We now cover 56% of the population with the UK’s Fastest 5G Network offering our customers a fantastic experience.

“As a result, we added almost half a million contract customers year-on-year, adding almost as many contract customers as our competitors combined in H1. 

“Beyond network investment, we have also made significant progress in the development of our customer propositions and continued to evolve our B2B offering – with this customer base increasing over 130% in the period – and we believe there is a lot more to come from Three Business.” 

Vodafone UK has appointed Kathryn Platt to lead its channel strategy in the UK.

It represents an internal promotion for Platt, who replaces Joe Llewellyn, who had been in the role on an interim basis.

Platt is the long-term replacement for Kathy Quashie, who departed the company in January.

She has been at Vodafone since 2006, after initially helping to set up B2B reseller Yes Telecom in 2000.

Her new role will see her lead Vodafone’s UK channel strategy, plus supporting Vodafone’s partners to market and sell its latest mobile, fixed, converged and IoT solutions.

Experience

During her time at the operator Platt has worked in a number of positions within the channel business at Vodafone, joining initially as a principal sales manager.

Most recently Platt was commercial segment lead for Vodafone’s indirect segment.

“I could not be more excited about this new chapter in my career at Vodafone,” said Platt. “Our valued partners play a vital role in enabling us to deliver our channel strategy.

“I look forward to working even more closely with them, as we continue to deliver the most effective products and solutions to help their own customers drive their digital journeys successfully.”

It’s been just over two years since formerly Marlow-based distributor Data Select was acquired by Westcoast.

At the time, the company said it would continue operating as an independent distributor, with Westcoast acquiring 100 per cent shares of the business.

A key reason for the acquisition was down to Data Select’s relationship with South Korean giants Samsung, said Westcoast Group financial director Sunil Madhani at the time.

Since the acquisition in September 2019, a lot has happened. The world has been battling against a pandemic, while industries and businesses have began to rebuild and recover this year.

Mobile News talked to Matt Pasco, sales director at Data Select, to catch up on the past couple of years and see how life has been post-Westcoast acquisition.

How has the business adapted and changed since the Westcoast takeover? 

From the point of acquisition in 2019, we have strived to ensure continuity for our customers, brand partners and colleagues.

It was important as a business that we continued the great levels of service, knowledge and channel engagement that the business was renowned for, but further enhanced with the financial leverage and stability of the UK’s fastest-growing privately held IT business.

We moved onto new platforms and systems, our team moved into Westcoast’s office in Theale, and our supply chain capability was strengthened. All of this was executed as seamlessly as possible for our customers.

This collaboration continues to be incredibly exciting for all involved, reflected in the immense growth experienced in the last year alone.

We have developed a leading position within the B2B mobile reseller channel, grown our share within all our tier-one brand partners and experienced overall growth alongside many of our B2B resellers.

We have also rapidly grown within retail, winning multiple high-street and online customers in 2021.

Through a laser focus on execution, investing in our mobile solutions capability and adding resource into the business, we are on track to double revenues this year.

How has the company been able to work through the pandemic?

We were able to pivot fast as we all faced fundamental changes to doing business and rapidly moved to a fully operational working- from-home (WFH) model.

Putting our suppliers, customers and colleagues at the forefront of what we do, we were able to continue delivering the great levels of service we have become known for and keep products flowing. We were fortunate to still grow throughout this period, as the mobile technology we offer saw an increase in demand.

We remained incredibly resilient, which we believe was true of distribution as a whole.

Does the pandemic highlight how reliant businesses are on technology? 

Absolutely – and while no one predicted the pandemic, we were already at a point where we were well-equipped. Digital transformation within the channel was well under way already, but this was dramatically expedited, driving demand for mobile technology.

As end users were forced to transact online, e-commerce surged, along with the entire supply-chain infrastructure sat behind it. This increased the need for mobile devices, whether a rugged smartphone or tablet deployed for use in the warehouse, transportation or logistics networks, or simply the latest smartphone, tablet or laptop for users to work from home.

Ultimately, this also drove the need to manage and secure these fleets of mobile devices, with mobile device management increasing in importance.

How significant is your relationship with Samsung, as one of your big partners?

Samsung remains hugely important to each and every one of us at Data Select.

Personally, I have worked in distribution for 20 years and it’s the strongest relationship I have experienced.

We collaborate daily across every interface to ensure we grow and succeed together, from senior leadership to sales, marketing, and the commercial, vendor and finance areas, ensuring we leverage every opportunity. We support the entire Samsung mobile ecosystem.

Our certified Samsung distribution status and solutions partner of the year award highlight our deep partnership approach, as we truly act as an extension of their brand and all that Samsung wants to achieve within the channel.

What’s the importance of the distributor in today’s world? 

We remain an integral growth engine, sat firmly between our brand partners, and reaching and developing a comprehensive network of B2B resellers, retailers and e-commerce businesses.

The need to add value, enhance margins and create points of differentiation remains firmly at the heart of our promise to bring together and simplify mobile technology.

Whether through best-in-class marketing execution, imparting mobile solutions knowledge or acting as an extension of our brand partners to reach a depth of customer they can’t support alone, distribution remains an integral part of a collaborative partnership.

Is Data Select satisfied with its current vendor partner list, or is it looking to add more? 

Our strength remains in our “narrow and deep” focus for the brands that we partner with. We remain open to all opportunities, but they must be accretive to the value we bring our customers and the brand partner itself.

Naturally, we have access to Westcoast’s brands and work closely with them where we see opportunities for all parties.

What are the big opportunities in mobile in the coming years?

Not that we were ever in any doubt, but the events of the past two years have further highlighted the increasing demand for the very mobile technology we deliver, alongside the software and services to make the most of it.

The rhetoric for a ‘work from anywhere’ mindset is here to stay and will permeate society with more and more businesses needing to flex to this approach and provide the tools and infrastructure to support it. The need for secure and robust devices that can withstand knocks and spills will continue as supply chains look for enhanced efficiencies and productivity tools to equip field workers.

The always-on connectivity of everything from smartphones to tablets to laptops, and the need to secure and manage these devices will only increase – and whether that is served by the mobile or IT channel, or a blend, will be interesting.

We remain enthusiastic about the industry we serve, with a laser focus on being the best mobile-centric distribution partner for both the mobile and IT channel. We go into 2022 with much optimism and hungry for growth.

Three UK is scaling up plans to overhaul the business market, starting with the launch of a new platform in January.

Three UK’s managing director of business Mike Tomlinson was appointed in September 2020 to create a B2B presence for the company.

Tomlinson has over ten years of experience running business units for telcos.

“[Three] took a really strong price leadership position because we didn’t have any legacy margin to protect; we were starting again,” he said.

“Because we kept the cost base down and we used technology where we could, we could make a really good return and have a considerably lower price point than all of our major competition.”

Three has showed immense growth and progress in light of the pandemic, said Tomlinson.

“I think we probably could have moved faster without the pandemic, but there has been so much disruption in the market, which normally means people look around to see if there’s a better alternative.

“It might be one of the reasons why right now we’re giving the customer exactly what they need and lots of people are having to rethink how they work, and what they pay for and prioritise.”

Tomlinson reveals that even though competitors might be outselling Three, the company has taken about 30 per cent of the small business market this year.

“The market response has been phenomenal and we know why. We’re price leaders, we know we’re good service at a great price, and we put £2 billion into the network to make it better,” he said.

The next steps for Three include building services, moving to the medium-sized business segment, sales enablement, continuing to work in small businesses and partnering with competition.

Three UK has completed phase one of its multi-million pound investment in business infrastructure in a bid to reshape the business connectivity market.

The new IT infrastructure will serve the needs of the market and create a customer experience and service model that can respond to the changing business environment.

Partnering with Amdocs, Docusign, Adobe, Tariffcom, Astute and more, the new platform shows the beginning of an improved omnichannel experience for customers across digital sales, telesales, indirect partners and retail sales.

Three UK’s managing director of business Mike Tomlinson said: “To support our channel and customer experience we have completed phase one of our digital transformation providing a much improved modern, reliable business infrastructure.  

“We now have an innovative, digital platform upon which our future propositions will be launched and we look forward to sharing more exciting news throughout 2022.”

The new ecosystem is set to launch in January for new customers with existing customers added over the next 12 months.

Samsung for Business has launched its ‘Work Wonders’ campaign that focuses on how technology can support British businesses.

The campaign launched in October, creating awareness of Samsung’s business technologies, solutions, support, and security.

Many businesses partake in hybrid or remote working and Samsung wants to use its ecosystem of products, tools and services to aid workers into this new normal.

An event was held on November 24 at Samsung’s Kings Cross experience store where panelists discussed tech, small business, and the impact of coronavirus. 

Samsung’s director of business technology solutions Joe Walsh said: “Small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are on the rise. I think there are 100,000 start-ups every quarter… There is so much innovation there to be harnessed, but to the point, there needs to be a program and organisations like Samsung who play a critical role in helping these businesses get off the ground.” 

Research shows that when measuring business performance, companies with unlimited digital skills generated twice the amount of revenue than companies with limited technology. 

Walsh emphasises that Samsung for Business helps by providing a broad range of devices, Knox security which is a defense-grade built from the chip up, interoperability and support.

“Another point is affordability. It is such a big thing and again this is where Samsung has a key role in supporting British businesses,” added Walsh. 

A new study has found that just over half (51 per cent) of UK small businesses are likely to leave their current broadband provider.

The study, which was commissioned by B2B telecoms provider Sky Connect and conducted by Censuswide, found this to be the case despite nearly three quarters (71 per cent) investing in their business broadband in the last 12 months.

Bad customer service, slow upload and download speeds and unreliable broadband speeds have been cited as key reasons for wanting to switch providers.

More than three quarters (77 per cent) of small businesses have been hampered by slow broadband during the last year, with this impacting dealings with customers.

Sky Connect managing director Kevin O’Toole said: “Broadband is not something businesses will – or should – be thinking about day to day, but it’s noticeable as soon as it isn’t up to standard, and can have damaging consequences.

“As SMEs continue to adapt to an increasingly digital world and deliver additional online services, more than ever before, broadband providers must prioritise reliability to enable small businesses to focus on what really matters to them.”

The study also highlighted the significance of 4G and 5G services, as 74 per cent of small businesses said they would be ‘more likely to recommend a business provider that provided a more reliable connection to someone else if it offered 4G or 5G backup’.

Exertis has appointed Sam Williams as its director of sales for B2B.

Williams has been with the distributor for 15 years, working in both retail and B2B roles.

Prior to his appointment as director of sales for B2B, he was director of sales (accessories and own brand) for the past 18 months.

Williams will be based at Exertis’ Basingstoke office and report to chief sales officer Mike Buley.

Commenting on his appointment Williams said: “We have a great foundation to work from with an ambitious, talented and highly experienced team.

“Exertis is a fast moving and dynamic business and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”