Extending the team and working remotely with Birchills Telecom
Like many professionals in Birmingham over the past year, Nic 
Corns was one of those unfortunate enough to be made redundant. But, rather than accept the lack of employment opportunities available within her PR field of expertise, Nic, 32, decided the time was right to start her own business. Thanks to virtual PR agency Vitis PR, Nic has now successfully set up her own PR business, working from the comfort of her own home.
Being a virtual technology PR agency, with a team based across the UK, Vitis PR afforded Nic the chance to work remotely but as part of a team managing client accounts from her house, using cloud-based technology and equipment. This gave Nic the flexibility she wanted in order to spend more time with her husband, James, and was perfect as she no longer had to commute to work every day. In addition, Vitis PR’s flexible working meant that Nic was working with like-minded individuals, without any chance of office politics since every team member worked from home.
Vitis PR’s team meet regularly but are able to instant message and chat from their PCs using online services, which also allow them to record chargeable time and manage work allocations and priorities as well as access a central filing and document storage system. However, one of the biggest technology advantages that working with Vitis PR provided Nic was having a Birchills Telecom telephone switchboard at home that offered a simple, cost effective connection to staff and external contacts.
Birchills Telecom’s system is not a switchboard or box but rather a real UK number landline phone that simply plugs into Nic’s broadband router, allowing her to make cheap calls to landlines and mobiles while staying in touch with the Vitis PR team for free. Her contact number is an extension on the same line as Vitis PR’s main office number, meaning anyone who calls the agency looking for Nic can easily be put through to her quickly. Her team mates can also transfer calls from the main number to Nic’s Birchills Telecom phone if they are out of the office or in a meeting, meaning the phones are always covered. These internal calls are free, so Nic and the team can talk to each other any time of the day or night without it costing more than the low monthly charge that Vitis PR pays for its staff to stay connected.
Nic concludes: “Being a specialist technology PR agency, Vitis PR introduced me to a host of new technology that has made setting up my own business and working from home easier. My favourite though is the Birchills Telecom phone system as it means I can stay in touch with clients and the media for next to nothing. Vitis PR simply pays for the service and all of my calls are discounted through using the system. I think my success in setting up on my own and working with Vitis PR is all down to the ease of communication I enjoy now I have a Birchills Telecom system. I would recommend Birchills Telecom to anyone thinking of setting up their own business and wanting to reduce their monthly outgoings, or those who are just fed up of the higher and higher costs for standard phone services.”
David Hill, Chairman of Birchills Telecom: “We are supplying a growing number of freelance teams and virtual companies, who are working from home for both flexibility and cost reasons. Nic works as part of a team that is spread across multiple locations, but still need to transfer and manage calls as though they are in one office, so our phone system is perfect for them.”
Birchills Telecom’s business phone system costs a fixed monthly fee from as little as just £8.50 and comes with free internet phones and an internet-based switchboard providing functionality such as call forwarding, voicemail and conference calls. The subscription also includes unlimited free calls within the Birchills Telecom network and low-cost local, mobile and international calls. Calls are charged by the second rather than rounded up to the nearest minute like most telecoms suppliers, offering even more of a discount.
About Vitis PR
Vitis PR is a specialist public relations agency, delivering high impact campaigns for technology, telecoms and high growth companies. Its clients benefit from an experienced all senior team, that is passionate about delivering successful, profile-building PR activity for start-ups and small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) right through to listed companies.
An award winning technology PR agency, Vitis PR won gold in 2007’s CIPR New PRide Awards for Outstanding Small Consultancy and went on to win silver at 2008’s CIPR New PRide Awards for its work with the West Midlands ICT Cluster.
Vitis PR’s consultants each have at least seven years of PR experience from either consultancy, in-house or journalism backgrounds. Unlike traditional PR firms, Vitis PR is virtual and its cloud-based business model minimises overheads, meaning it can provide clients with high quality yet affordable PR.
For further information, contact Vitis PR via
info@vitispr.com or visit the website
www.vitispr.com.