Door Industry Journal - Summer 2016

LOCKSTATE SEEK UK AND EUROPEAN INSTALLERS AND RESELLERS SmarterHome (UK) Ltd are the European distributors for the Lockstate range of connected ‘IOT’ (Internet of Things) devices which includes cameras, thermostats and smart locks. Lockstate are based in Colorado and their most popular product is the Remotelock Wi-Fi connected range of keypad smart locks which enables keyless access without the requirement of a specialist mobile phone app. Lockstate is currently setting up an installer/reseller network across Europe. If you are a locksmith/security/access company and are interested in tapping into this huge market opportunity, then please visit www.lockstate.eu Read more about Lockstate keypad smart locks in the feature on page 104. THE door industry journal summer 2016 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 29 industry news CREDIBILITY CHECK- LOCAL TRADERS NEED A LANDLINE ON THEIR MOBILES! For small local businesses supplying services such as plastering, emergency plumbing, roof repairs, installing garage doors, or anything that requires a fast response to telephone enquiries, the last thing needed is a potential customer ringing a business landline and having to leave a message on an answerphone. Quite simply, the vast majority won’t leave a message. In fact, over 67% of people looking for a local service will hang up when asked to leave a message on an answerphone. Worse, a staggering 84% of 20-29 year olds hang up straight away when they get voicemail. The 50-64 age group are most likely to leave a message ... although only 37% of them would bother. Voicemail is a failing service, most customers feel uncomfortable leaving a message, regardless of their age. They want to talk to a human, not a machine. Market research shows that companies with local landline numbers receive more customer enquiries. Not only do local calls cost customers less, but their perception is that traders with local landlines as the first point of contact are more trustworthy, and that the business is established. So, what’s the solution? A Bristol company called IG-Consulting might be about to put the final nail in the office answerphone coffin with its new app-based Biznu (biznu.co.uk) service for local tradesmen. The app allows traders to place a local landline number on their mobile phones, so customers can call that number at their national call rates. What’s more, when a trader dials out, they call customers using a business landline … from a mobile. Gone are the days of losing customers that call a landline and get asked to leave a message simply because a trader is out on a job. They’ll call a landline on a mobile. Traders have an office telephone system with all the benefits that come with it sitting in their pockets. The Biznu app service has many other compelling features like voicemail, auto attendant, call transfer, call forwarding and call recording. Existing numbers can also be transferred to Biznu quickly and the system is scalable enabling new contacts to be added into the mobile office system with a few clicks. The ingenuity behind Biznu is an international telecommunications software company called RIPTec. Visit https://biznu.co.uk to download the Biznu app.