Recent research*, however, from digital call recording telecommunications specialist ComputerTel, has revealed that nearly one in five people (18%) worry about having their call recorded by a business when they telephone a call centre. “And, this is something which businesses need to address” says Sarah-Jane Heber-Hall from the company.

The study* also revealed that nearly a quarter of people (22%) would immediately end the call if they were told they were being recorded, which in effect indicates that some companies are in fact breaching guidelines, which .

So, how can a business ensure that their customers feel comfortable when a call is recorded and actually get them to see the benefits it offers?

First of all, ensure that your business meets relevant legislative requirements. If you are unsure about any of these aspects, speak to a telecommunications specialist, who will be able to help.

You need to make sure that your system is set up to store calls safely, that recorded calls are automatically deleted after a set period of time, in line with data protection guidance and, of course, that it is secure.

There are a number of associated call recording options that can provide your business with a comprehensive, failsafe, secure call recording solution whether the calls are being recorded on landline or mobile phones. The latest technology can be integrated seamlessly in to existing telephone systems or Customer Relationship Management Databases (CRM), so you will not have to replace your whole telephone system if you want to install or upgrade your call recording software.

Once everything is set up at your end, then you can focus on making sure that your customers are made aware that the telephone calls are being recorded, and why. There are a number of ways to do this:

• Many companies use a pre-recorded message along the lines of “Your call is being monitored for quality and training purposes…”
• Many companies inform customers via their corporate printed documentation and website.
• Some use a combination of both.

This applies to both inbound and outbound calls.

To further enhance the experience, you may wish to ask customers if they understand why their telephone conversation is being recorded. Research* shows that 14% of people do not understand why a call would be recorded, so explaining why you are doing so and how it protects the customer, may make them feel more at ease.

For many people, call recording is very much like something out of the George Orwell Novel 1984 – and it shouldn’t be. As a responsible business, it is your duty to make sure that your customers understand that the recording of calls is there to protect them and enhance the service they get, not to monitor them.

* Independent research carried out on behalf of ComputerTel in May 2013

Especially in the case of fraudulent claims, social media continues to be an important tool in the fight against insurance fraud. A new report from Timetric finds that searching customers Facebook profiles is one of the first things insurance investigators do to gauge the risk profile of potential and existing customers.

For instance in the case of property, casualty and fire insurance, underwriters are using social networks to check if claims are genuine.

By understanding the precise profile of the person on social networks and viewing the person’s previous records, insurance companies can get an idea of the payouts that need to be made.Since social data is still in its developmental stages, there is a long way for many insurance companies to fully integrate social media into underwriting practice.

Moreover, regulation concerning the use of social data and the debate surrounding the privacy of individual information has to be settled too. Various countries, including the US, are currently debating making their social media network related laws more stringent.

The Timetric report; ‘Trends in Non-Life Insurance Underwriting’ was published on the 26th April 2013.

• men are 10% more likely to buy cover online compared to women;
• females buy more life, travel, home and pet insurance online than men;
• 48% of people find the insurance they need by using a search engine – compared to just 8% who see a TV advert and then go online to buy a product;
• 13% of people want to buy online but cannot as their preferred provider doesn’t offer the facility to buy insurance online;
• car insurance is the most popular product bought online.

Jason Hulott, Director from Speedie Consultants says: “The reason why we commissioned the study was to see what drives sales, what turns off potential customers, and to see how what we learned could help insurance brokers build their business.

“It will also easily highlight to a broker where else they can be marketing for new business and also motivate them to get online if they aren’t already.”

The infographic can be viewed here: http://www.speedieconsulting.co.uk/online-insurance-survey-2013-infographic/

*Independent study commissioned by Speedie Consultants using Usurv.com, 01.02.13

The study* found that, of those questioned:

• 60% plan to buy a new or used vehicle within the next 12 months;
• 80% are planning to buy a second hand vehicle;
• 57% will use their own cash or savings, while 27% will use a car finance company;
• 86% of male motorists are opting to buy a used car compared to 63% of their female counterparts.

When asked why they plan to buy a second hand vehicle, understandably, 63% of people say it is due to the cost – with over a third (34%) citing how they can get the car they really want, at an affordable price.

Other reasons for buying a used vehicle instead of a new car include:

• 17% saying that you get more “extras” as standard (which the original owner would have paid for);
• 7% saying that any “teething problems” will have been ironed out

Emily Henshall, Marketing Manager at Carfinance247.co.uk, says: “While there is a lot of car buying activity around this time of year, it is interesting to see that while there are a lot of cars being bought, cash strapped Brits tend to be looking for a ‘newish’ car rather than a brand new one.  Buying a second hand car has become the affordable option to upgrade and still get the car buyers want.”

*Independent research carried out in March 2013 on behalf of Carfinance247.co.uk by Usurv.

Active Recruitment

Simply relying on your affiliate network is not going to do it.  You have to actively recruit from the networks directory of publishers by reaching out and inviting those affiliates that will work well with your products.  On top of this, find out where affiliates hangout and reach out to them there as well.

www.acorndomains.co.uk

www.affiliates4u.com

are a couple to get you started.  Also look at Google, carry out web searches on all your major keywords and see who appears.  If there are potential partners in those listings, again reach out and invite them to your programme.  Also look at doing the same with Bing.  Now that Bing powers Facebook Web Search you might be surprised at the amount of traffic certain affiliates could drive you.

Refresh Creative

Make sure your banners and ads are up to date and look to add new creatives during the lead up to seasonal events, even better if you have  specific events around your industry.  Look at new sizes and requirements – mobile is becoming more and more important, so look at creatives in mobile device friendly sizes.

http://www.iab.net/mobileguidelines

While this is not set in stone as yet, it will give you an idea of the types of sizes you may be missing out on.

Communicate

Leaving your affiliates to their own devices will probably mean they will do nothing.  They are all busy so they will not be looking for product changes, new product launches, new voucher codes, etc.  You need to make sure you update them regularly.

Summary

These are only a couple of ideas you can use to grow your affiliate programme or kickstart it back into life if it is floundering.  An affiliate programme can be a great way to drive traffic and sales, and also as a way to diversify your traffic sources. Having a few hundred affiliates out there working hard for you is a great way to keep the sales coming in.  But you have to work at it.

Overall, the three things that influence whether someone will rent a property are:

• Cost  – 71%;
• Location / Near to facilities (railway station, park etc) – 60%;
• Whether it has a garden – 34%.

One in five respondents (21%) said they would choose a property based on the landlord, with the decor and ease of parking being important to around a quarter of renters.

There were differences with these preferences between the genders, however:

• 65% of females said that having a garden is just as important as the cost;
• compared to 76% of males who were focused solely on the cost – with just 9% concerned whether the property has a garden.
• nearly a third of male renters (33%) said that getting on with the landlord was important, compared to just 6% of females.

When asked how many rented properties they have lived in during the last five years:

• 53% said they had lived in 2-3 properties (an almost equal split between males and female renters);
• 43% of male renters had stayed in the same property for five or more years, compared to unsettled females – 29% had not moved in five or more years while 18% had lived in four or more properties in the last five years (compared to 5% of males).

Overall, 81% of the renters questioned tend to have long term rental agreements (more than 6 months) and 31% hope to buy their own property within the next few years.

Richard Burgess, Director at Cover4LetProperty, commented: “It is interesting to read about what tenants actually want and what they feel is important to them. With more and more people being priced out of buying their own home, renting is still on the rise. Hopefully this snapshot will give landlords some food for thought about marketing their properties because, as we can see from the research, for some, it doesn’t simply come down to the price.”

Ends

*Independent study carried out for Cover4LetProperty March 2013 by Usurv.

The study* from car finance and dealer specialist carfinance247.co.uk found that:

• 57% plan to use cash or savings to fund a new or used car;
• 27% will use car finance;
• 10% plan to use a bank or other lending organisation; and,
• 6% say they will borrow from friends and family;
• the same amount of males and females say they will use car finance (27% males vs. 25% females) – quite a different result compared to research** carried out last year which showed that women were twice as likely to use car finance compared to men**
• 50% of those earning over £40,000 a year plan to use car finance;
• those aged 50-59 accounted for the highest age group (40%) turning to car finance:
• people in the 30-39 age band were most likely to use cash or savings (67%).

The survey also showed that 80% plan to buy a used car rather than a new car – citing cost as the major reason.

Emily Henshall, Marketing Manager at Carfinance247.co.uk, says: “This research shows what we have felt all along, that cars have become a necessary item.  With families spread across the country, longer commutes to work and busier public transport, these factors all point to families needing cars – and reliable updated cars at that.”

“On top of that, nearly 40% of respondents will use credit facilities to fund a car purchase, so while most debts are being controlled, a car purchase, however it is done, is seen so important to drivers that they will borrow.”

*Independent research carried out in March 2013 on behalf of Carfinance247.co.uk by Usurv.

** Independent research carried out in October 2012 on behalf of Carfinance247.co.uk by Usurv.

The study revealed that:

• despite the economic turmoil, 58% of people say they will be holidaying this year;
• 37% plan to go abroad;
• 75% of those questioned have holidayed in a caravan – or are planning to do so this year;
• 95% have caravanned in the UK, while 10% have holidayed both in the UK and abroad;
• females favour caravanning more than their male counterparts (87% vs. 69%);
• people in the 30-39 age band are the most prolific caravanners, compared to those in the 50-59 age bracket (100% vs. 57%);
• some reasons for not wanting to holiday in a caravan include that they are “too basic” (49%) and also there is a stigma attached (8%).

Commenting on the research, Richard Burgess, Director at Cover4Caravans, says: “Our study has shown that, for some people, a holiday in a caravan still carries images of being a noisy, cramped, tin on wheels, with communal showers and poor facilities.

“This has changed, however, and caravans nowadays can be luxurious, comfortable places, with the latest gadgets and gizmos. A caravan holiday offers all that other holidays do, but without the worry of a hefty price tag.

“Certainly, with celebrities like Patrick Duffy (aka Bobby Ewing), Dame Helen Mirren, 80s’s popstar Gary Numan, and Jamie Oliver** reportedly being keen caravanners – people who you may normally expect to see at a 5 star luxury hotel – there should no longer be a stigma attached to a caravanning holiday.

“Maybe it’s time for holiday park owners to start promoting just how modern their caravans really are and help change people’s perceptions”.

*Independent study carried out on behalf of Cover4caravans.co.uk by Usurv, March 2013

**Caravan Club

“Google does not actually own your business, but if you can’t live without the traffic they send you, then  you don’t really own it either.”

Think about that for a minute, if all of your site activities revolve around Google, be it Pay Per Click Adwords or SEO to get Google rankings then  you might not be building your business on a very firm platform.

But while I am not suggesting you forget Google completely it might be time to have a look at some other options to grow your site traffic without them.  After all, who knows what the next black and white animal update will do to your site rankings and revenues.

Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about other sources of traffic:

Email Marketing

One fast way to drive a good amount of traffic is find , rent or borrow other companies email databases.  But the key is not to simply try to sell to this list but to get them  onto your own email database so you can market to them consistently.

Site Advertising / Display Advertising

There are a huge number of websites out there that service the same audience you do, forums, blogs, information sites, portals are all open to advertising.  This could drive you some good volumes of traffic.  In this field there are also banner networks where  networks run  banner advertising on a range of sites.  Sign up with them and you can manage your display / site advertising through them that might also give you access to sites you did not think of, or on sites you even knew existed.

Pay per Click

Google Adwords are not the only pay per click site out here.  In fact there are literally hundreds. Now while they will not send you the same volume of traffic as Google, they will be able to send you some traffic that has just a good a chance of converting and it will probably be cheaper too.

Affiliate Programmes

Last but not least running an affiliate programme can be a great way to drive more traffic to your website and products.  There are many benefits of running an affiliate programme but diversity is a huge one, as your affiliates will have different techniques and sites available to promote your products. Signing up to a good quality affiliate network initially is the best way to grow your programme fast.

So next time you get hit by a Google update, rather than take all the time trying to repair it, why not take 10 minutes out to look at some other traffic options.    Over time this will mean you will have a wider base driving you traffic so if one falls over, your business won’t