Adapters: Perth Business Captivate Connect Keeps Customers Calling Globally

Captivate Connect Mark Horwood

Perth-based company has revolutionised the dreaded 'on hold' experience by developing new technology that transforms call wait times into payday time.

Mark Horwood, chief executive officer of Captivate Connect, compares being on hold as akin to waiting for luggage at an airport. “There’s nothing you can do but stand and wait.”

His company, now run from modest offices in Burswood, stunned the corporate world in 2002 by offering daily news, sport and weather information to callers on hold.

“Commercially, it was very successful for us. The technology was internet-based to help accommodate the immediacy of updating the daily news and sport,” Mr Horwood said.

Captivate Connect is now inspired by internet multimedia technology and once again is refining the “on hold” experience; this time for mutual enrichment of callers and businesses.

The company sponsored a website called Horrible on Hold to determine exactly what people disliked about waiting on hold. There was an overwhelming response that it’s generic, repetitive and boring.

“This wasn’t anything new to me,” Mr Horwood said, “but how can we play audio everyone will be happy with? We give them the choice.”

Music not your thing? Perhaps a quiz or a podcast may be more up your alley. Globally, this interactive-on-hold has never been done before and there’s no-one else who can do it, he says.

Callers become immersed in the business, causing these callers to become loyal brand ambassadors, relaying their experiences to friends and associates – in turn, boosting sales.

“The only way to win word-of-mouth referrals is by delivering an experience that exceeds expectations,” Mr Horwood says.

Interactive-on-hold collects caller data. A caller being directed to the sales department can be offered a brochure on any new/best-selling products. The Caller opts to receive the brochure by entering their number, it is then sent via text and, in return, the sales team effectively gathers the caller’s details to follow-up.

After two minutes, callers are invited to leave their name, number and reason for calling to receive a call back. This costs as little as $1. Mr Horwood believes businesses employing more than 20 people would readily pay $1 to retain a customer.

Statistics suggest that, within five years, 68% of all business transactions will involve the human voice – down from today’s 72% – but the importance of these transactions will become more valuable.

“Fax is virtually redundant, snail mail doesn’t work, and trying to get anybody to respond to emails is like pulling teeth, which is why we’re seeing a shift back to phones,” Mr Horwood says.

Visit www.captivateconnect.com to find out more.

This column is part of the Adapters series produced by Perth Media. It profiles Perth Media small business and not-for-profit clients exclusively.

Adapters: Perth Naturopath Amanda Hobley's Retreats Help Lead Business People to Better Health

Perth naturopath Amanda Hobley

Perth naturopath Amanda Hobley is leading business people to better mental and physical health through personally-guided retreats to Kerala in India and, locally, to Chittering, north of Perth, at two upcoming exceptional retreats.

Mrs Hobley’s next Indian retreat, a revitalising two-week health trip to an Ayurvedan resort in  Kerala, runs from August 10-24, 2019, while the Chittering Spirit of the Land retreat is next month, May 17-19, 2019.

In India, the party will eat vegetarian food in a lush paradise and receive Indian herbalist consultations and various relaxation treatments. She also guides weekend retreats closer to home in Chittering where clients can relax in a beautiful Australian bush setting.

“It’s about getting out of routine and into the rhythm of nature,” Ms Hobley says.

“In our culture, success means working extremely hard, often in environments that are quite toxic, so people can be going to work and experiencing huge amounts of stress. For example, they may feel like they’re being chased by a lion every day and this will trigger a massive stress response that is hugely detrimental. However, immersing yourself in nature can rebalance your emotions and be enormously beneficial.”

In her popular clinic, she has helped dozens of Perth clients, over the past decade, recognise that stresses as well as old traumas or belief systems maybe be adversely affecting their current health and wellbeing.

Mrs Hobley is also an expert in BodyTalk therapy. For this, muscles are posed a series of painless yes/no prompts and the response is gauged to determine bodily imbalances. She then taps the subject’s head, chest or navel to stimulate or accelerate its natural ability to balance itself.

“My passion is to help people who are very stressed understand that their stress is impacting on their physical, emotional and mental health,” Ms Hobley says. Among many aims, she focuses on improving their energy, clarity and stamina as well as helping clients feel calmer and uplifted.

“There are so many beautiful herbs and nutrients that help support your ability to cope with stress by giving you energy and stamina,” she says. “Many herbs calm the nervous system, so really do bring down anxiety.”

Amanda has been inspired by her personal experience, and the women she works with, to create a four-week online course to reduce the triggers of stress and increase ways to care, love and nurture yourself. Amanda will support you every step of the way and share new meditations and techniques that are simple and effective, creating a new way of responding to the stresses in your life. 

She is also an expert in iridology.

Amanda Hobley Reconnect & Restore

This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WABN exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.

Adapters: Perth Businesswoman Tanya Finnie Launches Cultural Intelligence Magazine

Awkward working relationships that can destroy careers or damage productivity are the subject of a new magazine, Cultural Times, published by Perth businesswoman Tanya Finnie.

She identifies the causes of interpersonal blunders in places of work and measures their unwanted consequences for individuals and company bottom lines.

“The old golden rule is to do unto others how we would like to be done to ourselves – but that’s absolute rubbish,” Ms Finnie says. “The platinum rule should be to do unto others as they would like to be done to themselves.”

Put simply, it is illogical for a tea-drinker to assume that another person will also like tea. Logically, a tea-drinker should first discover the other person’s preference.

Yet that misjudgement, no matter how well-intentioned, can be the first in a series of errors that accentuate divisions between people who are meant to collaborate.

Brilliant careers in leadership can stall if aspirants ignore the demands of an increasingly diverse population pulled together by immigration.

Ms Finnie’s company, RedHead Communications, specialises in cultural intelligence (CQ), a new field of study dealing with our capability to deal effectively across different cultures. A culturally intelligent person is aware of others’ backgrounds but, more importantly, adjusts their behaviour in multicultural situations.

“Australia has the world’s highest proportion of migrant settlers in a developed nation,” Ms Finnie says. “A quarter of Australians (27 per cent) was born overseas, and almost half of Australian households (46 per cent) had at least one parent born overseas.”

In February, Australia’s top trading partners were China, Japan and South Korea. “It will therefore be great for our economy if we learn to adapt our cultural behaviour,” Ms Finnie says. Better collaboration and a happy workforce are associated with increased productivity.

Minority status is not confined to ethnicity. Generational, organisational and LGBTQI factors are relevant, too. Sometimes different professions in the same firm can clash because of opposing cultures.

Ms Finnie’s new magazine, Cultural Times, addresses all these issues. It is published online, and a hard copy version is planned for a gala launch next month – May.

The first issue tells how a woman became Australia’s youngest engineering executive. There’s a moving story about how one man overcame adversity, and advice on building cultural intelligence.

Ms Finnie is a keynote speaker and is starting a doctorate at the University of WA that aims to gauge the impact on the workforce if the cultural intelligence of engineers is increased.

She worked in several countries – including South Africa, Mauritius, Germany, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Swaziland – before settling in Australia 15 years ago. She advocates blind CVs, where a person’s name is erased from a job application so that selection is based mainly on merit.

“It’s too easy to chuck out names you can’t pronounce,” Ms Finnie says.

See: Cultural Times Visit: RedHead Communications

This article is one of many which have featured in 'Adapters', a series exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits in WA Business News.

Adapters: Perth Media Films and Script Writing Wins Business for Our Clients

Perth Media public relations firm is increasing collaborations with Australian film makers to tell corporate clients' stories.

 Bristow has been a highlight. Working with Courtney Waller Productions, dramatic footage depicted a rescue by helicopter at sea. The resulting film was used as a tool to pitch for business.

“We told the story of the people behind Bristow, their striving for excellence and how that drove them to perform daring rescues safely,” Rocchi said.

"The work is indicative of how our small public relations company has evolved into a multi-media firm. We work closely with film makers to ensure the right footage is shot and films are scripted and edited carefully to include correct messages, crucial facts and other important material. Our clients are typically extremely busy, and don't have media experience, we are stepping into film production because films are extremely effective at connecting with audiences. For businesses, that means good films are winning new contracts and investors."

Torrance Mendez, Perth Media’s creative digital consultant, has written several scripts.

At the height of the bitcoin frenzy, he wrote a script to launch the newly formed International Council for the Virtual Economy which was agitating for a regulatory body for virtual currencies.

“Fortunes were being made overnight but there was genuine concern that virtual currencies posed unacceptable risk that included money laundering,” Mendez recalled.

The narrative had to support the currencies because they created wealth, and cautiously introduce the benefits of a regulatory body. The video was launched in Dubai.

Bernard Shaw, director of Perth-based Red Empire Media production company, hired an American narrator and shot a fast-paced film.

“Our clients gave us great feedback on Perth Media being able to grasp the sometimes difficult and unusual concepts,” Shaw said. “This was particularly so when writing a script for the International Council for the Virtual Economy, which needed a strong understanding of the banking industry.”

Companies generally want videos to promote a product or service or to raise money for projects.

Another WA firm Callidus wanted to promote its unique services, customer focus and high engineering skills, once again Perth Media's script writing came to the party, working with Courtney Waller Productions.

This column is part of the Adapters series produced by Perth Media. It profiles Perth Media news, small business and not-for-profit clients, exclusively.

Perth Media Adapters: Business Strategist Wendy Davies Joins Nexia in Perth

More columns, written by Perth Media, are being published in WA Business News. Here is one of our favourites.

Nexia Australia has recently appointed Wendy Davies as a business advisory director in its Perth office to focus on strategic advice for small and medium businesses.

Ms Davies, who is originally from the UK, brings with her a range of high-level global experience. In WA, she is at the forefront of a new, innovative approach to accounting – a profession that can no longer rely on simply formatting tax returns.

In the Perth office of Nexia Australia, Ms Davies is offering bespoke advice to small and medium enterprises with annual turnover between $1 million and $20 million.

She works closely with start-ups and owners of small to medium-sized businesses, helping them understand and demystify the numbers side of the business. “It’s about identifying client needs – often focusing on cashflow forecasting and budgeting to help them manage and make informed decisions,” Ms Davies says.

Independent specialist advice can highlight opportunities not immediately apparent and potential problems can be foreseen before they are critical.

As Nexia’s business advisory director, Ms Davies visits clients’ operations, to educate and empower the owners. It is a new field for senior practitioners who have witnessed shrinking tax return work. “Technology enabled business owners and bookkeepers to do more, so those of us with accounting skills have had to adapt and innovate,” she says.

Ms Davies began her career 30 years ago in south-east England. After qualifying, she worked for a small practitioner in the northern city of York and bought him out when he retired. Her clients have the bonus of engaging the services of a former businesswoman. For over a decade in England she co-owned the accountancy practice which had 10 staff.

Her attendance at a migration expo in the UK led to an unexpected job offer in accounting in Perth. She flew to Perth in January 2008.

Here she became the only female director in the Perth office of her new employer UHY Haines Norton, a member of the global accounting network, UHY. She once again found herself as the only female director when the firm merged with rival Moore Stephens WA.

Ms Davies believes networking is key to ongoing success in her profession.

“In the past, the sector has been fairly complacent but a network of key business relationships will be critical to ongoing success, both personally and for the firm,” she said.

Prior to joining Nexia last month, Ms Davies had started a new firm, The Counting Room, to execute her advisory approach. “Before I joined Nexia, I made sure their values and approach aligned with how I saw the future of accounting, which includes advisory work and utilising softer skills to assist clients,” Ms Davies said.

In Perth, Nexia Australia is Western Australian owned and independently operated and a member of the global accounting giant Nexia.

This column is part of the Adapters series produced by Perth Media. It profiles Perth Media small business and not-for-profit clients.

Perth Media Expands Team, Client List and Opens New Nedlands Office in Perth

PERTH: Media content and public relations firm — Perth Media Pty Ltd — has opened a new office in Nedlands in line with continuing expansion plans.

The development is the latest news in a series of organic growth milestones for the Perth-based small business.

Perth Media managing director Cate Rocchi said: “Perth Media has, to date, been a small operation but we have consistently built powerful global profiles for our clients through tailored integrated media and communications services.

“We act in an advisory, creative and media service capacity and have a strong network of journalist and broadcast partners and connections, so are uniquely placed to deliver global-standard media management services in the sectors of finance, mining, renewables and agribusiness.”

Perth Media was established in 2015. It rebranded from Cate Rocchi Communications which began in 2011.

Major clients include: resources companies Australian Vanadium (ASX:AVL), VSUN Energy and Bryah Resources (ASX: BYH); urbi; Partners in Grain; and Rockcliffe winery.

The Perth Media team now includes editor/writer Torrance Mendez (formerly of The West Australian).

“Our team — which has welcomed high calibre artists, photographers, former reporters and film makers — produces some of Australia’s best, most consistent media content for corporates,” Ms Rocchi said. “It has taken many years to assemble productive working relationships with such a talented and professional group. We have also been careful to grow our business conservatively, so quality has remained excellent.”

Perth Media values include: staying true to the principles of integrity, authenticity and clarity; continuous improvement; and innovative thinking.

“We remain focused on improving media outcomes for our clients and enjoy the challenge of mixing social and traditional media as we embrace the communications of the future,” she said.

The company’s current list of services are: script/copy writing, investor relations management, content creation, blogs, photography, videography, social media strategy and delivery, infographics, strategic media advisory and support, campaign research, publicity, global TV, radio and press coverage, media training, CV writing and speech writing. Packages are available.

“We know how to achieve publicity and we will give clients authentic advice on which stories and media services they need to reach their customers,” Ms Rocchi said.

Perth Media Pty Ltd is now located at 47 Hampden Road, Nedlands, Perth. For the next four weeks (until November 15, 2018) the company is hosting some rarely-available media release writing sessions ($350) and media presentations, by appointment. There are only eight slots available. Terms and conditions apply.

There are other key developments ongoing such as a website rebrand, which will be launched in 2019.

Contact

Cate Rocchi

0428431699

cate@perthmedia.com.au

This story has also appeared in Perth Media’s Adapters column that features in Western Australian Business News.

Reaching 40000+ Readers: Perth Media Clients and Partners Feature in WA Business News' Adapters Column

Perth Media clients and partners are continuing to reach 40,000 plus audiences by being incorporated in WA Business News Daily e-news bulletins.

Here are the first couple Adapters, spreading innovative news of Perth Media, its partners and  small business, start-up and not-for-profit clients.

https://www.businessnews.com.au/article/Joondalup-Bike-share-Planning-for-Success

https://www.businessnews.com.au/article/Perth-Media-Official-Partner-for-Energy-and-Mines-in-Perth-June-27-28

The opportunity is only available to Perth Media clients. Terms and conditions apply, it is only for clients on monthly retainers.