Blog

Pondering thoughts and random ramblings from Hightrees Organisation Limited

What is Website Consent Management image

Consent Management – its not as complex as it sounds.
Consent Management – its not as complex as it sounds. 940 788 Small Business IT Solutions

Why your website needs Consent Management.

Your website should allow your users to control the type of data being transferred to third parties.
Third-party sites are the likes of Google, Twitter, Facebook and other services, i.e advertising, that are used on your website.
Consent management allows the website visitor to opt-in or opt-out of the services you use on your website. read more

Free Cloud VoIP Trial Account

Get your free Cloud VoIP Phone system now
Get your free Cloud VoIP Phone system now 940 788 Small Business IT Solutions

Fancy a no-cost, no-risk trial to try out our Cloud VoIP system?

Here’s what you can expect when you sign up for our free 14 day VoIP trial.

Not signed up? Head over to our VoIP Portal to get your free VoIP trial account.

What does my business get in the VoIP Trial?

Once you’ve confirmed your account details, your free VoIP trial account will be ready to use – no payment details required.

  • You get a free phone number (for the duration of the trial) which can be used with our VoIP apps or linked with a SIP user from your dashboard for use with a VoIP desk phone.
  • You get three SIP users, each with their own extension, for internal calling. Each user can be assigned to a separate device and all three users can be linked to your free VoIP phone number for incoming calls by creating a new call route.
  • A call route will already be setup to get you started, as well as the first SIP user in your account. When someone calls your trial account’s number, this call route will direct the call to the device linked to your first SIP user. If there’s no answer, it will be sent through to your voicemail mailbox (also configurable within your account). This call route can be edited to fit your call handling preferences and can be as complex or as simple as you like.
  • You can create as many call routes as you like and assign them to your three users either singly or by combining your users into a hunt group, i.e a group of users that can be treated as a “single object” from within your dashboard.

What you can’t do with the VoIP Free Trial

During your trial, you’ll notice some of the VoIP features such as integrations, cloud storage and unlimited call recording are not available.

  • You won’t be able to add any more users to your trial account or any new phone numbers without upgrading to a full plan.
  • The other restriction is the number of minutes for outbound calls you’ll be able to make. You’re limited to five minutes per day of outbound calling on a trial account (this restriction obviously doesn’t exisit on our normal VoIP plans!)

We’d recommend spending time with your free trial to explore the Cloud VoIP platform. You may be surprised as to how powerful a phone system you’ll be able to create for your business with a small configuration.

If at any time you need help with your trial of the Cloud VoIP System, or would like a particular feature or section of the platform explained to you in detail, please get in touch.

Get your Free VoIP Account now

 

Microsoft NCE - What is it

What you need to know about Microsoft NCE
What you need to know about Microsoft NCE 1366 768 Small Business IT Solutions

What is NCE ?

The New Commerce Experience (NCE) is the latest pricing model for Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Windows 365, and Power Platform subscriptions.

read more
BT Telecoms Switch Off

What is the 2025 Switch Off?
What is the 2025 Switch Off? 1366 768 Small Business IT Solutions

BT Openreach is stopping, or “switching off” the PSTN and ISDN service in December 2025.

This doesn’t just mean they won’t sell these services anymore. BT Openreach will stop selling ISDN at what’s known as the Stop Sell date at the end of 2023.

Calls will be routed over broadband using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, rather than using “traditional” phone lines.

BT Openreach has already started switching its customers. This began in December 2020 and will continue at various trial sites across the country.

By 2026, then, every UK phone line will be digital.

read more
Time for a break

Back after the break
Back after the break 940 788 Small Business IT Solutions

Hightrees is taking a week off 9th-16th August as after checking the calendar we’ve not taken a break since January 2020!

The signal/data is a bit iffy and there may be some very loud bands and a modicum of alcohol but we’ll be contactable-ish. if needed.

The Role of Human Cyber Risk
The Role of Human Cyber Risk 150 150 Small Business IT Solutions
Human Risk Report Example

How long would it take an attacker to breach your business?

This is how your data can potentionally expose your small business – its not rocket science, but sometimes covering the basics is often overlooked.

You or your users’ credentials are exposed on the Dark Web

Millions of stolen data records, including usernames and passwords, are added and sold on the Dark Web every year. 63% of businesses reported the loss of sensitive data in 2019.

Compromised credentials are used for phishing & social engineering

Users often re-use the same password for multiple accounts, making it easy for attackers to conduct business email compromise (BEC). 88% of companies faced targeted phishing attacks in 2020.

Human error is exploited and your business is breached

Criminals prey on unwitting users and human error, such as downloading malicious attachments, as a gateway to corporate data. 95% of successful data breaches come from human error.

Did you know you can calculate your human cyber risk and help boost your resilience ?

Get your free report to learn:
» Your users’ overall human risk score
» Their resilience to social engineering
» Your company’s ‘time-to-breach’
» How to tackle your human risk areas

Get Your Free Human Risk Report (HRR)

Reclaim your personal time + phone number !
Reclaim your personal time + phone number ! 150 150 Small Business IT Solutions

Many small businesses start by giving their home or mobile numbers out to their customers. Keeping the costs down initially helps and new business so using a phone number you already have makes sense.

Your number is put on business cards, social media and websites – you need people to be able to contact you. 

Roll forward a few months……

  • The phone rings when you are on holiday
  • Calls come in outside your normal working hours
  • You already on a personal call and another one comes in
  • Taking a trip overseas – mobiles costs can be expensive

Can you afford NOT to answer your mobile, it may be a new client or a long-standing customer?

Do you give up your personal time to answer a call on the offchance ?

Reclaim control of your phone and your time

Control your phone, not the other way around

Our VoIP telephone system allows you to easily get a phone number for your business in 5 easy steps

  • Choose your a telephone number – keep it local or go national
  • How many users do you need (i.e who needs to be able to make/receive calls)
  • Choose a PAYG Tariff or get unlimited calls per month for each user.
  • Setup what happens when someone rings you & when you are available
  • Install the free VoIP app on your mobile or desktop

That’s it ! 

When someone calls your new telephone number, your app will ring – you know it is a business call and you can choose how to deal with it.

Clease check out all of our VoIP system features or contact us about our VoIP telephone system.

If your mind is already made up – head over to our VoIP Portal to get started.

WFH with VoIP
WFH with VoIP 150 150 Small Business IT Solutions

Move from the office, to home and back to the office with ease.

VoiP on your laptop, mobile or handset
Don’t be tied to your office phone line – work from anywhere !

One of the key benefits of VoIP during these “interesting” times is unlike your business premises, it isn’t tied to a location.
With our free VoIP apps , you can answer business calls as if you were in the office.

No matter your location, your customers and clients won’t even know the difference.

Never get caught off guard.

Global pandemic, local lockdown or personal emergency ?

It’s business as usual with VoIP.

If you can’t get into the office, or need to work from home, your business phone system won’t be holding you back. Using our apps, or by taking your handset home, your office phone number travels with you. No diverts, no extra incurred costs, no need to disclose your personal mobile.

Business Hours Changing ?

Need to reduce your business hours, either due to lockdown or some other reason ?

You can make use of our Time Diaries function to change functionality easily. Toggle call routes on or off at particular times of the day to suit your business or personal needs.

Keeping your customers up to date.

Keeping your customers informed of change is important.
Let your VoIP system can do the hard work. Simply record your “news” and play it to callers before you even pick up the phone.
This is ideal for schools and clubs where you have many callers asking for the same information.

Busy or unavailable – don’t miss a message.

Get the right information to the right people easily.


The easy to use call route menu helps guide your callers to the right person or department.This helps you process your calls and can make life easier for your customers.
Can’t take the call or demand is high ?You won’t always be free to take calls, no matter the situation. Everyone needs a brew right ?
Give your callers the option to leave a voicemail, to free up their time and reduce “on hold” frustration.
Voicemails are emailed to you automatically. No need to “check the machine” , just your email.

Unexpected Business boost or need to downsize ?

Some businesses are actually flourishing and growing in these Covid times, sadly some are not doing as well.
Getting your staff set up with the service is as simple as adding them to the system and call routes.
There’s no need to arrange for engineers to come in and install new phone lines or extra equipment.
All you need is an internet connection.
Users can be added or removed from your VoIP plan at any time.

Make your phone system do the work.

These are just a few of the ways in which a VoIP phone system can simplify the switch between remote working and being in the office.
If you’ve been restricted by your business phone system during recent times, you’ll be glad to know that switching your telephone service is easy.


Interested in making your telephone system work for you, not the other way around. ?
It’s time to get in touch with us to chat about our VoIP solutions.

Contact us to chat about VoIP
Already to go VoIP ? Visit our VoIP Store
The virtual Didmarton Bluegrass Festival 2020

Virtual Bluegrass Event with real products
Virtual Bluegrass Event with real products 1279 2000 Small Business IT Solutions

One project we have worked on recently was introducing a new online store for Didmarton Bluegrass Festival.

Due to Covid, the UK’s premier Bluegrass, Americana and Old-Time music festival couldn’t take place this year.
The Didmarton Bluegrass organisers worked hard to host a 2 day online, virtual festival via Facebook and wanted to make the experience a little more real by setting up an online store.

A very busy 2 days sorting out SSL certificates, creating merchandise, sorting artwork, testing products and shipping and fine tuning testing payment processing resulted in their online Didmarton store being live – just in time for the first performance.

You can till get your hands on the 2020 Didmarton Bluegrass Festival goodies including a limited edition t-shirt or hoodie !

Hit up the Didmarton Bluegrass Festival Site to check out their range of products

Laura Lian John Lennon Statue

New website for local Artist
New website for local Artist 2560 1784 Small Business IT Solutions

After Hightrees responded to a plea on a local Facebook Group, we’ve just launched the new website for local Artist Laura Lian.

Laura needed to do some work on her website but due to the previous design and lack of maintenance this proved to be quite complex.

The new website focuses more on the images rather than the text, allowing Laura to showcase her art pieces, including her John Lennon Peace Statue.

Behind the scenes, we’ve made some improvements to the SEO aspects of the site and have made some recommendations for further improvements.

A lots of the images on the site were not in a digital format originally so these will be replaced over time.

Due to an important Press function, the website needed to be up and running in less than 3 days. This included redesigning the entire site, adding all of the content and images and going live.

With a few early starts and late nights, the site was made live today with a couple of hours to spare !

Take a look at the new Laura Lian website

We can’t promise a fast turnaround all the time, but if you need to revamp your website, please get in touch.

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