Office Chatter

An insightful article about the high-tech company reveals simple management ideas that small businesses, in any market, could copy.

We told you that Ofcom had warned ISPs about promised speeds and real speeds.

Turns out they could be, because they can affect staff emotionally, who then don't provide as good customer service to other people.

If you put the "personal" into your social network marketing and customer service, you could get far more payback than the global brands with their massive online promotion budgets.

Retail banks are now making less profit on average per customer since the start of the financial crisis, as price-sensitive consumers shop around for the best deals and special offers.

According to Which Magazine, manufacturers and retailer labels on technology and gadget products have been confusing customers.

How do you go about getting people passionate about their business again?

There's a cafe my father goes to regularly. The prices are reasonable (some might say cheap), the tea and coffee is good and the full-English breakfast is tasty. The staff are pleasant, the loos are clean and there are free daily papers to read.

Small businesses know only too well that if their websites are slow to react, customers simply go elsewhere. So Office Chatter is on the broadband case for you. While users should check their speed and should complain to their provider if they are not getting the speeds agreed, an Ofcom spokeswoman also told us that Ofcom would be interested in hearing from SMEs who are not getting the speeds their contract seemed to promise them.