Monday, 28th June 2010
Unicom donates £5000 to NSPCC
Unicom has donated £5000 to the NSPCC, helping to support the important
work they carry out to prevent cruelty to children.
“This donation is the result of Unicom customers switching to email billing rather than receiving
a paper bill.” explains Chris Earle, Operations Director, Unicom.
“Customers benefit from receiving free fully itemised bills, and because as a business we have
made monetary savings we decided to make a donation to the NSPCC. This is the second
donation we have made to the NSPCC and it coincides with celebrating the 2nd anniversary of
the introduction of email billing.”
“We fully intend to continue to encourage customers to switch to email billing, and hope to
make an even larger donation in the future.”
Tuesday, 1st June 2010
Unicom mobile sales exceed projections by 47%
Unicom has exceeded mobile sales projections by 47 per cent in its first month of trading
in this market. The outstanding take-up has further boosted the company’s UK growth
strategy to be positioned as a total communications solutions provider.
Designed with simplicity in mind in an increasingly complex market, Unicom’s
mobile customers only pay for the calls and services they actually use, rather
than exposing themselves to additional bundle costs. Calls are charged per
second at landline prices.
Mike Willmott, from Shrewsbury, has switched to a Unicom mobile and is a
strong advocate of the company’s transparent ‘no nonsense’ approach to tariffs:
“I switched from BT because I was unhappy with the service. I like to have a
single point of contact and one account to avoid confusion. When I moved to Unicom I
found the service a lot more helpful. With one pricing system and an emphasis on
simplicity and efficiency.”
Monday, 3rd May 2010
Unicom joins the mobile market
Unicom is continuing its growth strategy to become the UK’s total communications solutions provider
by launching its mobile phone product.
From today, Unicom’s 80,000 existing customers will be able to benefit from its new simple mobile
phone package, with one bill and one contact number for all telecoms services.
The mobile package is designed so users only pay for the calls and services they actually use, rather than
paying for inclusive bundles that are rarely all used or paying for expensive out of bundle costs. Calls
will be charged per second at landline prices.
Tuesday, 27th April 2010
Unicom invests in its future with staff NVQ training scheme
Eight employees from Unicom are investing in their future by training to gain national vocational qualifications (NVQs), thanks to the company’s new training scheme.
As part of its commitment to staff and the Investors in People standard gained last year, telecoms provider Unicom has launched its NVQ scheme in partnership with Damar Training.
Damar will be implementing one-to-one sessions with the eight Unicom staff who will be completing NVQs in customer service, team leadership and accounts.
Each training course will be tailored to the employee and will demonstrate how the skills learnt through the NVQ can be integrated into current roles.
Charlotte McHale, head of training and development at Unicom, said: “The qualifications gained not only enable staff to build competence in their current roles but also gives recognition and credit to the skills they already have.
“After the first eight staff complete their NVQs we are going to roll out the scheme to further Unicom employees.”
Staff undertaking the NVQs will be assessed on a portfolio of their work, evaluation in the workplace and end of course exams.
Jonathan Bourne, director at Damar Training, said: “It’s encouraging to see a North West business which is happy to invest in its workforce. We are certain Unicom’s new NVQ training scheme will help its staff realise their full potential.”
Monday, 8th March 2010
Unicom graduates raise over £5k for Children in Need
Jump, bake, wax and quiz; that’s what three Unicom staff did to raise an impressive £5,145 for BBC Children in Need.
As part of their graduate training scheme, which aims to develop innovative and creative managers
over a 12 month scheme, the current graduates from Unicom were set an Apprentice style challenge
of raising as much money as they could, in as creative way as possible, for Children in Need.
Unicom agreed to match every pound they raised.
“It has been great to see the initiative our team of graduates have shown in their fundraising efforts. We are always eager to support both
national and local charities. As well as the community support schemes we recently launched,
we will be donating money to worthy causes throughout 2010.” said Chris Earle, Unicom’s Operations Director.
Thursday, 11th February 2010
Prime Minister recognises Unicom Customer Service Excellence
Gordon Brown has recognised Unicom’s recent achievement of meeting the Customer Service Excellence
standard via a letter to the company. Recognising the importance of gaining this standard the Prime
Minister writes:
“Your achievement demonstrates that you have recognised the importance of developing an in-depth
understanding of your customers’ needs. Consultation and customer insight is vitally important if
we are to continue to make the improvements we all want to see in public services.”
As well as the Customer Service Excellence standard Unicom recently gained the Customer First
and Investors in People standards.
“We are delighted to have received this recognition from Gordon Brown. Achieving this status
and gaining recognition from the Prime Minister has reinforced our view that delivering excellent
UK based customer service is key to a successful business.” Said Chris Earle, Operations Director
Monday, 1st February 2010
Unicom launch training support programme
Following the achievement of the Investors in People standard, Unicom has announced
to staff it is to launch a Training Support Programme. In addition to the extensive inhouse
training already provided, employees have now been given the opportunity to apply for
external training provided, which will be fully funded by Unicom.
“This is an exciting development for staff who wish to gain further development or qualifications
via external training schemes. We will consider any type of external training, from management
training to completing a Masters Degree. Providing it is relevant to the person’s role within
the company we will fully fund and support them.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director.
“The training support programme is only phase one of our planned expansion to the training and
development options available to staff. For phase two we are looking to develop an in-house
learning resource centre and offer job related NVQ accreditation to existing staff.” added
Charlotte McHale, Head of Training and Development.
If you would like to know more about working for Unicom please visit
the Recruitment Section.
Monday, 4th January 2010
New products being developed for 2010
Today, Unicom announced plans to launch 2 new key products in 2010: telephone systems
and mobile phones. The Unicom telephone system will offer a range of advanced features for
a very low monthly rental charge and is especially appealing to BT Featureline customers.
The Unicom mobile offering is set to be a ‘pay for what you use’ offering, rather than paying
for bundles of minutes and texts that won’t be used.
“We see 2010 as a year of evolution. Our overall aim is to be able to offer small businesses
a total communications solution, all backed by fantastic customer service. We are working
hard to develop both products and hope to begin selling them in the first quarter of 2010.”
said Chris Earle, Operations Director.
Monday, 21st December 2009
Unicom plans for expansion in 2010
Today, contractors began renovation work on a recently purchased property that will allow Unicom to
continue its staff expansion. The property is being renovated for use as a storage unit, allowing space
to be made available to recruit further staff at Unicom’s Northenden HQ.
“2009 has been a strong year of growth and, in order to maintain the highest level of service our
customers have come to expect, further recruitment is required. Once completed, the renovated storage
building will allow us to relocate items currently taking up valuable space at our customer service
centre, and will allow us to expand our existing customer contact teams.” said Chris Earle, Operations
Director.
The renovation project is expected to be completed February 2010 with staff recruitment taking place
from March and continuing throughout 2010.
Friday, 20th November 2009
Unicom staff organise fundraising events for Children in Need
Unicom’s current graduate trainees have been challenged to raise as much money as possible for
Children in Need 2009. Each graduate came up with ideas on how to raise as much money as possible,
organised the events and collected all the donations.
Events included a series of competitions, a skydive from 12,000 feet by a graduate scared of both heights
and flying, cake sales, raffles and the most successful of all, a sponsored leg wax!
In total the events raised £2,444.57 which has been generously matched by Unicom, donating a total
of £4889.14 to the charity.
“This project tested the graduates initiative, organisation and motivation skills as well as having
the very positive side effect of raising money for a good cause. The total amount raised in such
a short space of time is phenomenal, we are very proud of the graduates and very happy to match
the money raised. Children in Need is a very worthy cause and we will certainly be running this
project again with future graduates.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director.
Thursday, 12th November 2009
Unicom launches community support scheme
As the leading telecommunications supplier to businesses and charities Unicom are keen to
play a part in recognising and rewarding some of the fantastic community groups and
organisations providing invaluable services that improve the quality of life for
residents close to our regional offices.
We have therefore launched the Unicom Community Support Scheme
to grant financial awards to applicants we believe will truly benefit and that truly make an impact in the
local community.
Monday, 2nd November 2009
Unicom recognised for Customer Service Excellence.
Unicom is the first utility company in the UK to be awarded
Customer Service Excellence status following assessment of its customer insight, the culture
of the organisation, information and access, delivery and timelines, and quality of service.
Unicom is only the second private company to have achieved the standard, following rigorous assessment.
Customer Service Excellence (CSE) was developed as a tool for public services to drive
customer-focused change within organisations and ensure customers were at the heart
of public service provision.
Peter White, Unicom’s Head of Customer Services, said: “Working towards Customer
Service Excellence status was a useful and practical way of revisiting our core business
objectives, ensuring we strive for continuous improvement and a way to enhance our
skills.”
Friday, 30th October 2009
Unicom recognised for ‘Putting the Customer First’
Unicom has added to the list of awards it has gained by being recognised as meeting the Putting
the Customer First standard, a nationally recognised service standard.
Unicom underwent independent examination of working practices and had to demonstrate it meets the
standards 32 criteria statements. The standard focuses on the company’s relationship with customer,
market awareness and the ability to recruit and develop the best staff for the job. The standard
confirms Unicom provides an exceptionally high standard of service to its customers.
“Once again Unicom has been recognised for the high level of service and standards. Through the
accreditation process we have demonstrated to external assessors our commitment to providing the
customer with the best possible service throughout their period of service with us.” said Peter White,
Customer Services Manager.
Monday, 26th October 2009
Unicom recognised as an Investors in People
Unicom has been awarded the nationally recognised Investors in People standard following rigorous
independent assessment. The Investors in People standard focuses on 3 key principles:
- Developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation
- Taking action to improve the performance of the organisation
- Evaluation of the impact on the performance of the organisation
To achieve the Investors in People standard Unicom demonstrated it met the 39 evidence
requirements via interviews with staff at all levels of the business. The interviews covered a
range of topics including strategic planning, effective management, culture and communication,
developing people, and managing performance.
“Unicom’s success in attaining this standard demonstrates the company’s commitment to improving
business performance via staff development. It is an accolade all members of staff can be proud
of and one that demonstrates to potential new employees we make a commitment to long term employment
of talented and dedicated staff.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director.
There are a number of positions currently available at Unicom, for further information please
visit the recruitment section.
Friday, 16th October 2009
Unicom files record sales and profits.
Unicom has today filed accounts showing a 7.0% increase in sales and a 14.3% rise in pre-tax
profits to the end of April 2009, its tenth trading year.
The Manchester-based business saw turnover increase from £41.6 million in 2008 to £44.5 million
in 2009, with pre-tax profits up from £9.8 million to £11.2 million.
“2008/09 has been another excellent year of trading and forecasts for 2009/10 are equally
positive – we’re expecting turnover to reach £48 million and profits are projected to rise to more
than £12 million,” said Chris Earle, Unicom’s Operations Director.
Friday, 18th September 2009
Unicom helps Wythenshawe schoolchildren learn new skills.
Unicom has supported Manchester Enterprise Academy, formerly Parklands High School, for the
past five years and this year donated £15,000 to ensure the whole of Year 7 could benefit from an
educational and bonding break outside of school.
The donation paid for pupils to attend an adventure and challenge course at The Outward Bound
Trust’s Aberdovey centre in North Wales.
“We believe businesses have a vital role to play in supporting their local community and we will
continue to build on our relationship with the Academy and help the educational development of
schoolchildren in Wythenshawe.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director of Unicom.
Certificates were presented to pupils to reward their achievements on the
Aberdovey trip. Lorraine Carrington, head of Year 7, added: “The Year 7 trip is a fantastic
way to ensure the children experience outdoor learning.”
Thursday, 15th September 2009
118 777 starts directory enquiry price war.
Unicom is going head to head with the market leaders and is slashing the cost of directory enquiry calls.
New figures released show Unicom's 118 777 is on average 28 per cent cheaper than 118 118 and 53 per
cent cheaper than BT’s 118 500.
Calls to 118 777 have trebled in the past three months as customers discover the
huge savings they can make.
Buoyed by the new figures and proud of its Manchester base, Unicom has branded Manchester Airport
with 118 777 imagery. Returning holidaymakers can now start saving money the minute they
land by saving 118 777 in their mobiles.
Thursday, 8th September 2009
Unicom announce £10m deal.
Unicom has tied up a £10 million pound deal with network operator Verizon to supply
voice traffic in the UK for the next 12 months. The new agreement consolidates a long standing
relationship which will help maintain Unicom’s competitive pricing which has helped them win a
customer from BT every three minutes.
Sourcing call traffic from a huge global provider such as Verizon means prices for business customers
are kept at their lowest possible levels and avoid the price increases noticed by customers of competitors.
Monday, 3rd August 2009
Graduate scheme launched.
A group of new recruits have today started Unicom’s graduate training scheme. The successful
applicants were whittled down from over a hundred applicants and will spend the next 12 months
working in all areas of the business.
“The number of applicants and the quality of applicants has been outstanding. Those starting
the course stood out and showed us their desire for the position and that they want to take
advantage of this long term opportunity.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director of Unicom.
“Previous schemes have proved fantastically successful and I look forward to seeing what new
ideas and suggestions the new intake has to offer.”
Unicom are continuing to expand and will be running another graduate scheme in the future.
There are also a number of non graduate positions available, for further information please
see our recruitment section.
Monday, 6th July 2009
Unicom first to reach business as usual on WLR3.
Following the successful testing of ISDN2e’s on the BT Openreach WLR3 Equivalent Management
Platform in March, Unicom has been confirmed as the first UK company to reach ‘business as
usual’ on the WLR3 platform.
Unicom operations director Chris Earle said: “Being able to access the full WLR3 product range
on Openreach is key to Unicom providing superior service and products to our customers in the
fixed line marketplace.
“We’re delighted to be the first communications provider to hit this milestone and are grateful
to Singularity for helping us achieve this.”
Dr Robert McGarry, director of telecommunications at Singularity, added: “Being the first to go
to BAU on WLR3 in its entirety is a huge achievement. We are proud to again be at the front of
the pack in adding service capabilities to the WLR3 offering.”
Monday, 22nd June 2009
Unicom appoints Manchester based RMS PR.
Following another strong year of growth Unicom has appointed RMS PR, a leading independent marketing
and public relations consultancy also based in Manchester.
“We have dabbled with PR in the past but after several phenomenal years of growth we decided it was
time to consult the experts.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director of Unicom.
“It was important for us to use a local, highly recommended, PR company. As we are both based in
Manchester it makes communication much easier and we look forward to seeing the results of their
work raising Unicom’s profile.”
Monday, 18th May 2009
Crawley office creates new jobs.
Defying the current economic downturn, Unicom has today opened a new telecom sales office in Crawley, creating up to 30 new jobs.
The new office has been opened to satisfy the growing demand in the South for Unicom’s telecommunication services.
The office address is:
Crawley
Unit C
Brittingham House
Orchard Street
Crawley
RH11 7AE
Unicom are proud to have created jobs during a recession, if you are interested in applying please see our
recruitment section for further information.
Monday, 27th April 2009
NSPCC Donation.
Unicom has donated £6000 to the NSPCC, helping to support the important work they carry out to prevent cruelty to Children.
This donation is the result of Unicom customers switching to email billing rather than receiving a paper bill.
We introduced this system to reduce our business costs, for example printing and postage costs, and to reduce our environmental costs, for
example paper usage and the environmental impact of transporting bills across the UK.
Customers benefit from receiving free fully itemised bills, and because as a business we
have made monetary savings we decided to make a donation to the NSPCC. A year after
the scheme has launched we feel the time is right to celebrate the anniversary of the
introduction of email billing by making our first donation to the NSPCC.
We fully intend to continue to encourage customers to switch to email billing, and hope to
make an even larger donation in the future.
Monday, 30th March 2009
Unicom complete WLR3 pilot testing.
As part of its commitment to provide the very best service to it’s customers, Unicom has completed the pilot testing of integrating
ISDN2e’s on the BT Openreach WLR3 Equivalent Management Platform.
Pilot testing began at the beginning of February with a handful of telecom companies, by the end of the scheme Unicom had stood out as
the driving force behind the testing. Commenting on the success was Matt Madden, Openreach General Manager - Wholesale Line Rental
who said "This is a great achievement for the whole team involved in moving Unicom to WLR3. WLR3 ISDN2 is the final product to be
delivered on our Equivalence Management Platform and forms the basis on which we will leverage the strengths of WLR3 to provide new
benefits and features to customers like Unicom."
Monday, 16th February 2009
Fifth graduate scheme announced.
Unicom has today announced the launch of its fifth graduate training scheme. Building on the success of previous graduate schemes new
graduate recruits will spend a year working in all areas of the business before being assessed on an individual level for a full time
position within the company.
Previous graduates have gone on to fill pivotal roles within the company, dealing with a wide range of issues from company compliance to
training and development. The recruitment and selection process starts today, with successful graduates commencing employment during
August 2009.
“The competition for jobs is fiercer than ever. We plan to pick the graduates that really stand out as being able to off Unicom something
special, we will take the time to ensure they have the tools required and we will then place them in a role where they will really make a
difference and contribute to the company.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director, Unicom.
Monday, 1st December 2008
118 777 huge success.
Unicom’s new directory enquiry service, 118 777, has proven to be a huge success with more than 150,000 callers taking advantage of its low
cost service during 2008. Following recent price increases by the main competitors, the service is now 38% cheaper than
118118 and 41% cheaper than 118500 for an average duration call.
“Once again Unicom is leading the way with a high level of service at a competitive price. The memorable number and sensible, credit
crunch busting price means that when customers have used the service they will be happy to use 118 777 again and again.” said Chris Earle,
Operations Director of Unicom.
A successful marketing campaign led to a 1125% increase in calls between September and November. Further investment is now being
planned on a larger marketing campaign in order to make 118 777 a leading provider of Directory Enquiries.
Thursday, 20th November 2008
Unicom files record sales and profits.
Unicom has filed accounts showing a 12% increase in
sales and a 29% rise in pre-tax profits to the end of April 2008, its ninth trading year.
Turnover increased from £37.1 million in 2007 to £41.6 million
in 2008, with pre-tax profits up from £7.6 million to £9.8 million.
“2007/08 has been another excellent year of trading and forecasts for 2008/09 are equally positive
– we’re expecting turnover to reach £45 million and profits are projected to rise to more than
£11 million,” said Mark Whelton, Unicom’s Company Secretary.
Wednesday, 1st October 2008
Quality Award for Unicom.
Following an independent assessment Unicom has been awarded ISO 9001 certification.
This prestigious award is recognised world-wide and has only been achieved by about 5%
of UK businesses.
“Having worked towards this award for the past 6 months I’m thrilled we gained certification
first time without any problems. Unicom prides itself on the service we offer our customers
and the way we conduct our business. With the award of ISO 9001 certification our
high standards have been confirmed by outside experts who judge standards on a daily
basis across a variety of trades and industries.” said Paul Cagna, Quality Manager.
Sunday, 28th September 2008
Unicom makes it into Tech Track 100 companies ranking of 2008.
Unicom is celebrating this week as the company will be named in this
weekend’s Sunday Times list of the UK’s fastest growing tech companies by turnover
growth over a three year period – its fifth Sunday Times listing in three years.
In both 2006 and 2007 Unicom was ranked by both profit growth and turnover
growth over a three year period – the only company nationwide to be ranked by both
profit and turnover.
“Some companies may enjoy growth in terms of either profit or turnover, but it is
unusual for companies to enjoy such growth in both profits and turnover at the same
time,” said Chris Earle, Operations Director.
Thursday, 18th September 2008
Unicom help raise money for Children with Leukaemia
The 5th Comms Dealer 5-a-side charity football challenge was held today in Leicester.
In aid of Children with Leukaemia,
the fund raising event was entered by 26 teams and helped
to raise £4,750 for the charity. Winning all but one match the team were knocked out of the
competition by the winning team (the final score was 3-2).
“I’m very pleased with the team’s performance; this is the first time we’ve played together
as a team in a tournament. I’m especially proud that our playing skills were recognised
with Dean winning the Player of the Tournament trophy. We’ll be back next year to win the
competition!” said Jordan, Team Captain.
Team Unicom, consisted of
(from back left to front right): Dean Soller, Michael Wood,
Jordan Robinson (Captain), Paul Cagna, David Keenan, Chris Hamlin and Alpesh Pankhania.
Monday, 1st September 2008
118 777 marketing campaign launched.
Today sees the launch of Unicom’s first radio marketing campaign to advertise 118 777, our directory
enquiry service which matches the service level but undecuts the price of the three biggest players
in the market.
The catchy radio advert, which can be heard on the
118 777 webpage,
will initially be played across five key strategic regions: London (Magic 105.4); Leeds
(Aire FM and Magic 828); Sheffield (Hallam FM and Magic AM); Hull (Viking FM & Magic 1161);
and Middlesbrough (TFM & Magic 1170).
Monday, 11th August 2008
Real time stats to improve Unicom efficiency.
A new method for providing staff with real time performance statistics has been launched today.
Developed as a graduate management project, the new system displays a range of statistics and
graphs on plasma screens in various departments.
“The new system has proved extremely successful. Rather than having to wait for management reports
to provide feedback, staff simply look up at a plasma screen to get instant feedback regarding their
workload and performance.” said Janette Palmer, Customer Relations Director of Unicom.
“By assigning this as a graduate project we have not only involved them in a company shaping
project, we have also harnessed the feedback they provided after working in various departments.”
Monday, 14th July 2008
Unicom appoints PricewaterhouseCoopers as auditors.
The move to appoint a “big four” accountancy firm comes as Unicom continues its relentless
growth having just posted 2007/2008 financial year sales of £41.6 million.
“Our customer retention level is currently running at 86% against a sector average of
around 70%. Of the 14% we lose, only a third go to competitors, the remainder being
businesses that close or move premises for one reason or another, which is obviously
beyond our control.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director of Unicom.
“By appointing PwC as our auditors, we are also sending clear signals that it is our intention
to operate to high standards, and to provide the highest-quality products, service and
support.”
Monday, 30th June 2008
Unicom launches fourth graduate training scheme.
After 3 successful schemes, Unicom has today started it’s fourth graduate training scheme.
After receiving over 100 CVs, 5 successful candidates have been successfully selected to start the
scheme today. “Previous schemes have proven hugely successful, with the first and second intake of
graduates now performing vital business functions.” said Chris Earle, Operations Director.
Previous graduates now enjoy roles tailored to their skills, including competitor investigations, data
analysis, and even developing literature to use at graduate recruitment fairs.
Monday, 2nd June 2008
Unicom reports another strong year of trading as profits continue to rise.
Unicom has reported a 13.5% increase in sales and a 23.6% rise in profits to the end of April 2008,
its ninth trading year.
The Manchester-based business saw turnover increase from £36.7 million to £41.6 million, with pre-tax
profits at £9.5 million compared to £7.7 million to the end of April 2007.
“2007/08 has been another excellent year of trading and forecasts for 2008/09 are equally positive – we’re
expecting turnover to reach £45 million and profits are projected to rise to more than £11 million,” said Tony
Eagleton, Unicom’s Finance Director.
Monday, 5th May 2008
Unicom creates 80 more jobs.
Unicom has completed the refurbishment of its headquarters enabling it to
open a new floor and create up to 80 new jobs to meet the demand for its services.
Named several times in the Fast Track 100 list of the UK’s
fastest growing companies, Unicom is bucking the current economic trend; something it says
is down to its careful pricing policy which is attracting business from its competitors.
The company now provides work for almost 600 people. It pledged to create 300
new jobs when it moved into its Northenden HQ in 2006, and achieved that figure.
The new jobs will be primarily in sales but opportunities in credit control, customer
service, IT and administration teams will follow.
Monday, 7th April 2008
Go paperless phone bill - save half the local football ground's worth of trees.
Trees covering an area half the size of the local football ground could be saved from deforestation
every year if a telecoms company succeeds in persuading its customers to switch to paperless billing.
Unicom is working on converting its 70,000 business customers to online billing. Customers can quickly and easily
make the switch by filling out the Go Green form online.
Monday, 3rd March 2008
Unicom undercuts competition with new directory service
Unicom is launching a directory enquiries product, 118 777, which
will match the service level but undercut the price of the three biggest players
in the market.
118777 from Unicom is available to both business and residential users.
Priced at 49p connection charge and 14p per minute, it will mean 118777 undercuts
the three main current directory enquiry service providers - 118118 by 28%, Yellow
Pages' 118247 by 30% and BT's 118500 by 31% - for an average duration call.
"The price may be more than competitive, but it does not mean we will be providing
a cut-price service," said Chris Earle, Operations Director of Unicom.
"118777 will provide a high level of service along with all the other types of directory
enquiry information a customer might expect. It's a notably memorable number so
we expect that if customers use it once, they will be happy with the service and
price and will use 118777 again and again."
Tuesday, 19th February 2008
Unicom launches 2008 graduate training scheme
Unicom has recruited its latest batch of University graduates to join its training
scheme.
The four; Stephen Wallwork, 27 from Whalley Range, Hayley Smith, 22 originally from
Lincolnshire, Saqib Hussain, 22 from Rusholme and Irfan Suleman, 22 from Irlam were
chosen from around 50 applicants.
The formal part of the programme will take one year to complete and graduates will
be assessed based upon their individual skill sets and recruited into the business.
We plan to recruit and train graduates on a fast track program to become our managers
of the future, as well as promoting talented employees within the company.
“It’s important that employees start at grass roots level and understand the business
from every angle - a formal graduate training programme will ensure that the successful
applicants learn every aspect of the business so they are equipped to take on managerial
roles in the future,” said Chris Earle, Unicom’s Operations Director.
Wednesday, 2nd January 2008
New jobs created at Unicom
Unicom is planning to create 100 new jobs in 2008 to meet the demand for our services.
We now employ nearly 500 people. We pledged to create 300 new jobs when we moved
to our Northenden headquarters a year ago, and we achieved that figure. Our new
positions will be in sales, credit control, customer service, IT and administration.
"We seem to have a great affinity with the small business community, and I think
a great deal of the growth and success is down to nothing more complex than a no-nonsense
personal service, priced highly competitively and operated from a local base," said
Chris Earle, Unicom’s Operations Director.
"We have developed a focussed small-business telecoms product and service, and the
result has been that business seems to have embraced it."
Tuesday, 27th November 2007
Unicom provide bursary for Lake District adventure
It may only be 280 miles away, but for 44 boys and girls aged 10 and 11 from The
Ravenscroft School in Barnet, North London, the Lake District was a world away from
their usual surroundings.
The pupils attended a three-day residential course at the Outward Bound centre at
Ullswater in the Lake District to pursue their Duke of Edinburgh Awards - an opportunity
that was presented via a bursary from Unicom.
"The funding has meant that we were able to offer the trip to many students who
normally would not have been able to afford it," said Paul Wollaston, Deputy Head
at The Ravenscroft School.
"The trip was invaluable, and helped us to build an ethos that, whilst academic
achievement is important, the enrichment curriculum which the Duke of Edinburgh
Award is part of is also important. In the past we have conducted the awards closer
to the school but the opportunity that Unicom and The Outward Bound Trust provided
in the setting of the Lake District takes it to a totally different level for the
pupils - they would never have been 'wild camping' or had the experience that the
instructors provided."
Thursday, 25th October 2007
Unicom's Calendar Girls
Female staff at Unicom ditched their day jobs for the afternoon to take on the role
of calendar models to raise money for the charity, Breast Cancer Care.
Despite a few last minute nerves, everything went swimmingly for the poster girls.
Senior training manager Rachel Gryckiewicz - who is set to appear as Miss February
in the calendar - said: "None of us are professional models, so the nerves really
did start to creep up on a few people a couple of days before the shoot. But everybody
was fine and really managed to get into it."
It is expected that the calendar will be ready in the next month and it will be
on sale internally within the company and family and friends of the models will
also have the opportunity to buy the finished product.
Donations have already been made for the eagerly awaited calendar, with one person
donating £100 for a copy.
Thursday, 27th September 2007
Unicom celebrates Tech Track 100 ranking
Unicom is celebrating this week as we will be named in this weekend’s Sunday Times
list of the UK’s fastest growing tech companies by turnover growth over a three
year period.
This is our second ranking in 2007 confirming our place as the fastest growing telecom
company in the UK - having already been ranked in April this year as the 96th fastest
growing company in the UK by profit growth over a three year period in the Sunday
Times Profit Track, and appearing in both the Fast Track and Profit Track tables
for 2006.
"Some companies may enjoy growth in terms of either profit or turnover, but it is
unusual for companies to enjoy such growth in both profits and turnover at the same
time," said Chris Earle, Operations Director, Unicom.
Monday, 10th September 2007
Bullseye for Danielle as she scores top role
Danielle Henderson is targeting success as new Branch Manager at the Sheffield city
centre-based regional HQ of Unicom.
Budding archer Danielle, 24, from Rawmarsh near Rotherham, has been appointed to
head up the Carver Street office and manage its 30-plus strong workforce – a combination
of both field sales consultants and telesales executives.
Danielle has demonstrated her managerial skills both in and out of the office, having
been in the Army Cadet Force as a Second Lieutenant for a number of years – where
she first took up archery.
“I've always been competitive and love a challenge – both in and out of the
office,” said Danielle.
“In the coming months I'll be looking to grow the branch and expand the sales
team in Sheffield and make it one of Unicom's key offices in the UK. It's a completely
different set of targets, but I'll be aiming to score as highly in business as I
do at archery.”
Of course, that won't stop Danielle from her weekend pursuits.
“I'm just about to move to the level at which I can compete in archery– and
enjoy getting down to Sherwood Forest to do a bit of a 'Robin Hood' at weekends,”
she said.
Monday, 10th September 2007
Andy Hancock puts hockey on ice
Andy Hancock has put his pursuit of ice hockey goals on hold and relocated to Milton
Keynes to take up his new role as branch manager at our offices at Sovereign Court
in central Milton Keynes.
Andy, 23, originally from York, has been promoted to head the Milton Keynes branch
and manage its 35-plus workforce – a combination of field sales consultants and
telesales representatives.
"Hockey is high on my must-do list, but business success with Unicom gives me a
completely new set of goals. I won a scholarship to attend Sheffield University
- and also the offer to play for the Sheffield Scimitars professional ice hockey
team," said Andy. "When I was playing for Sheffield, we beat the Milton Keynes Lightning
to take the EPL National Cup – I never thought then that I'd be relocating to Milton
Keynes to take up a new job."
Andy will help to grow the Milton Keynes office in the coming months and to develop
our business in the Southern region of the country.
Thursday, 2nd August 2007
Unicom appoints new financial director
The Board of Universal Utilities PLC, trading as Unicom, has appointed Tony Eagleton
as Financial Director with immediate effect.
Tony has a wide variety of experience in the professional and commercial sectors.
After graduating from Leeds University, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant during
a 10 year spell with Deloitte & Touche, before becoming the first Executive
Finance Director of the Rugby Football League.
He later spent a period of time with a PLC motor dealership, prior to taking up
a position with Parkhouse Recruitment, firstly as Finance Director and later as
Managing Director. His most recent role was that of Commercial Director with Connaught
Compliance Limited.
"I am delighted to have been invited to work with the largest independent provider
of telecommunication services, and one of the fastest growing companies in the UK,"
said Tony.
"It is a tremendous personal opportunity and I look forward to making my contribution
to the further development of the business as it continues to go from strength to
strength."
Thursday, 2nd August 2007
40 new jobs as Unicom opens in Milton Keynes
Unicom has opened a website sales office in Milton Keynes, creating 40 new jobs.
The new regional office is a response to demand from South East businesses for its
website design and hosting service.
"The vast majority of small business owners appreciate the benefits that having
an online presence will have for their business, but are usually put off by the
high design costs, and most do not have the time or skills to design and develop
them themselves," said Chris Earle, Unicom's Operations Director.
"It is becoming common practice for consumers of all goods and services to only
make a purchase or use services after viewing the seller's website – a website provides
comfort and credibility, as well as information about products and services. There
is a danger that small businesses will be left behind their larger competitors by
a lack of an online presence – at Unicom we hope that we can help reverse this trend."
Thursday, 19th July 2007
Unicom hits 500 million calls, 1 billion minutes
Unicom has hit a double milestone.
One of our 60,000 customers has made the 500 millionth call routed since we launched,
and at around about the same time we also completed 1 billion minutes of call time
sold.
"We add around 20 million calls and something like 40 million minutes of talk time
every month," said Chris Earle, Unicom's Operations Director.
"We're a relatively small business with a small, closely-knit and efficient management
team – and we are absolutely clear in our minds about what makes the difference
to our customers: a UK call centre with real people answering the telephone, 98%
of calls answered within six seconds, and managers and directors who are hands-on
and accessible."
Tuesday, 26th June 2007
Unicom appoints two new customer relations heads
Unicom has appointed Sam Sadreddini from Northenden and Lee McEvoy from Fallowfield
to the new roles of Section Manager.
Sam and Lee - both 25 - will oversee the five customer relations teams which make
up Unicom's customer relations department. The promotions come in conjunction with
the appointment of Janette Palmer to the position of Customer Relations Director
- a board level position. Both Sam and Lee will report directly to Janette on all
customer relations issues.
Sam will head up the customer contact administration, change of ownership and correspondence
teams, which together total 12 employees, while Lee will manage the retentions and
escalations teams - also totalling 12 employees.
Sam and Lee joined Unicom in 2003 and 2004 respectively after graduating from University
with BA Hons degrees. Both have steadily progressed their careers in the organisation,
working their way through sales manager roles and varying customer relations departments.
Tuesday, 19th June 2007
Unicom appoints new board director
Unicom has appointed Janette Palmer to the board as Customer Relations Director.
Janette began working for Unicom in 2002, initially as a sales manager during the
period it sold gas and electricity on behalf of British Gas. Janette was also a
sales manager during the early years of Unicom becoming an established telecoms
supplier.
In 2004, Janette was appointed as Head of Credit Control and has subsequently taken
responsibility for retentions, escalations, correspondence and the administration
work involved in servicing customers.
"The past five years have been an exciting and challenging time and I'm so proud
to be part of Unicom's growth and success. I take great pride in looking after our
customers - all of them small business owners who expect a high level of service
from us," said Janette.
Tuesday, 14th June 2007
Unicom appoints Singularity for WLR3 Migration
Unicom has appointed Singularity as its WLR3 integrator as part of Ofcom's stipulation
that BT Retail and third party Communication Providers (CPs) should use the same
mechanisms to access the OpenReach network to ensure 'equivalence of input'.
BT must provide equal market conditions for line switching for all CPs, including
BT Retail and from 30th June, BT Retail will be obligated to process all new orders
through WLR3.
Currently CPs interact with the BT wholesale network using the WLR2 platform. From
2007, as part of BT's undertakings to Ofcom, OpenReach will be asking all CPs to
migrate to the WLR3 platform as part of its restructuring, while continuing to support
WLR2 for a period.
"Unicom chose Singularity to develop its WLR3 Solution because of its extensive
expertise within the area - it demonstrated that it is clear leader in WLR3 integration
with work it has already completed for the UK's largest telecom provider," said
Chris Earle, Operations Director, Unicom.
Tuesday, 5th June 2007
Unicom donates £13,000 bursary to the Outward Bound Trust
Unicom has donated £13,000 to The Outward Bound Trust to allow disadvantaged children
in the North West and London to attend Outward Bound courses - something they would
otherwise be unable to experience.
The schools to benefit from the donation are Flixton Girls High School, Manchester,
and Ravenscroft School in Barnet, North London.
Flixton Girls High School, Manchester, has a mixed range of pupils, some who can
afford to attend the Outward Bound courses and others who cannot, due to severe
financial restrictions. Seventy pupils between the ages of 14 and 15 are booked
on a course in November at Ullswater in the Lake District, and the bursary will
enable those who would not normally be able to afford a course to attend along with
their peers who can.
Ravenscroft School in Barnet, North London is one of the most disadvantaged schools
in its area. Of a school population of 900, around 40% of pupils are entitled to
free school meals and wouldn't normally be able to consider participating on a residential
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. The bursary will provide 45 pupils between the ages
of 15 and 17 to attend a course at Ullswater.
Monday, 21st May 2007
Unicom launches second graduate training scheme
Unicom has launched its second graduate recruitment scheme, with the interview process
starting in June.
We plans to recruit and train graduates on a fast track program to become our managers
of the future, as well as promoting talented employees within the company.
"It is a graduates' employment market, and while for many it is all about finding
the best package, for some it is about finding the best employer - it is the latter
we hope to find, attract and develop." said Chris Earle, Operations Director, Unicom.
Wednesday, 9th May 2007
Unicom grows in Sheffield
Unicom is planning further development following ahead-of-plan growth in the region.
The business has moved to new offices in Carver Street, Sheffield to accommodate
the current team and allow for further expansion of current and planned services
following a strong take-up of our products in South Yorkshire.
"We anticipate creating a number of new roles in the Sheffield office to cope with
growing demand," said Chris Earle, Unicom's Operations Director.
"We seem to have clicked with the South Yorkshire small business community, and
I think a great deal of the growth and success is down to nothing more complex than
a no-nonsense service, priced highly competitively and operated from a local base."
Friday, 20th April 2007
Unicom in Sunday Times Top 100 UK companies for third time
Unicom has been named in the Sunday Times list of the UK's fastest growing companies
for the third time.
Profit Track charts Britain's fastest-growing companies by profit growth - and Unicom
is rated at 96th place in the Sunday Times PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100
league table of Britain's private companies.
Profit Track measured the growth in profit between the year ending April 2003 and
2006. During that time, profits have risen from £1.7 million in 2003 to £5.2 million
in 2006 - an average growth of 44% each year.
Monday, 16th April 2007
Five-fold growth as Unicom hits 100,000 business customer landmark
Unicom has signed up its 100,000th small business, a five-fold increase in 36 months.
Our 100,000th customer is Browntex Limited of Steeple Road Industrial Estate, Antrim,
County Antrim, in Northern Ireland.
We credit our success to a call centre with a difference - a 'normal' 0161 phone
number, and UK-based people answering incoming calls in around six seconds.
Monday, 2nd April 2007
Unicom grows in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Having opened a website design and hosting centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in December,
Unicom are planning further growth following ahead-of-plan development in the region.
We had originally planned for 40 roles to be created, but have moved to new offices
in the centre of Newcastle to allow growth - and potentially 20 further jobs.
Unicom has seen a strong take-up of its website design and hosting service - but
a newer version of the product has driven demand even higher. Customers are now
able to develop a presence on the internet for their businesses for less than £1
per day.
Wednesday, 6th December 2006
Unicom becomes Public Limited Company
On 6th December 2006, Universal Utilities Limited, trading as Unicom, became a Public
Limited Company (PLC).
Universal Utilities will remain privately owned and at present has no plans to be
listed on the London Stock Exchange, the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) or
any other stock market.
The change from a Limited Company to a PLC does not mean that the ownership or control
of the company has changed in anyway, but does reflect the growth of the company
over the past few years and the status we have now achieved.
Friday, 1st December 2006
Double Fast Track success for Unicom
Unicom has been named in the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100, to add to its Sunday
Times Profit Track 100 success earlier in the year.
We are one of only three businesses nationwide, and the only one outside London,
that appeared in both the Profit Track and Fast track top 100 for 2006.
Fast Track charts Britain's fastest-growing companies by turnover growth over a
three year period – and Unicom is rated as the 89th fastest growing private company
in the UK, in the table published by the Sunday Times on Sunday 3rd December 2006,
with Unicom's turnover rising by 65.3% each year.
Profit Track measures Britain's fastest growing companies by profit growth over
3 years, and Unicom's annual profit growth of 85.6% each year led to it being ranked
26th in the Sunday Times PriceWaterhouseCoopers Profit Track table, which was published
on 2nd April 2006.
These two prestigious awards make us one of only three companies nationwide which
have managed to achieve the magical combination of both rapid sales growth and accelerating
profits. Two other companies featured in both tables for 2006 - Central London based
Barchester Healthcare (70th and 16th), and Gladedale, from South London (35th and
40th).
Monday, 27th November 2006
Unicom Launches Graduate Training Scheme
Unicom has started the interview process to recruit up to eight graduate trainees
to start with the company on January 3rd, 2007.
The formal part of the programme will take one year to complete and graduates will
be assessed based upon their individual skill sets and recruited into the business.
We plan to recruit and train graduates on a fast track program to become our managers
of the future, as well as promoting talented employees within the company.
"It's important that employees start at grass roots level and understand the business
from every angle - a formal graduate training programme will ensure that the successful
applicants learn every aspect of the business so they are equipped to take on managerial
roles in the future," said Chris Earle, Operations Director, Unicom.
Monday, 6th November 2006
Newcastle office opened
As part of our nation-wide expansion program we have opened a new sales office in
Newcastle. This office has been specifically opened to support the growing interest
in our website package which offers domain registration, website design and hosting,
and personalised email addresses all for £19.99 per month.
Market research shows there is significant demand for affordable websites for small
businesses. It is envisaged that the Newcastle office will be the first regional
office opened in a series, which will provide Unicom with a network of offices so
that they can supply small businesses throughout the UK.
Due to this expansion we are currently seeking telesales and fieldsales operatives.
To see how you could work for Unicom or to see any of our other exciting vacancies
please visit our Recruitment page for a list of currently available positions.
Monday, 6th November 2006
Ford Ka winner announced
All customers entering into an agreement during September, and commencing supply
during October, were entered into the prize draw, with the winners being chosen
at random on 6th November 2006.
The winner of the recent prize draw for a Ford Ka has been chosen. Mr Barnard, of
Sigman AV Ltd, in Bourne, Lincolnshire, is now the proud owner of a new Ford Ka!
MR Barnard was stunned to have won a prize for the first time in his life, and was
clearly delighted with his prize.
Mr Barnard was not the only customer to benefit from the prize draw, as Mrs Abiona,
of Lazy Daze Ltd, in Cheltenham, has won free calls for a year up to the value of
£1000! Our third prizewinner, Mrs Lynch, of Auto Solutions, in Newport, has won
free line rental for an entire year for up to 3 lines.
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