The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 35: Feb/March 2018 | Page 22

TECHNOLOGY FIVE CRM HELPS BOOST CLIENT’S PRODUCTIVITY Chippenham headquartered FIVE CRM offer a suite of customer relationship management solutions which include a range of functionalities, including call facilities, email marketing, campaign automation and their latest offering a GDPR module to help businesses ensure they are compliant with the new General Data Protection Regulations coming into force in May 2018. Established in 1991, FIVE CRM has made its mark on the industry with their ability to offer clients highly flexible software in a single platform, catering for sales, service, marketing and more. The success of their products, built in- house has seen them grow an international client base and open a second office in Clearwater, Florida, USA. They have recently been working with specialist lifestyle and mobility suppliers, Selfsure, helping them boost their productivity with a new sales and marketing solution. Selfsure specialise in mobility equipment, from mattresses to walking aids, helping their customers take a more proactive approach to ageing. With over 15 years in the industry and a large and growing database, Selfsure decided to explore new CRM options. Paul Johnson, managing director of Selfsure said: “Our existing system was cumbersome and costing us a lot to maintain and update. As a result, we started to look for alternative options and found FIVE CRM to be the perfect fit. We made the decision to use a tried and tested off the shelf system where we could add a degree of personalisation. FIVE CRM label themselves as a ‘fully customisable sales and marketing solution’ and they certainly live up to that. We’ve been able to mould the system to our processes.” Within the FIVE CRM suite of products is DigitalPro CRM, their complete sales and marketing solution. This is the solution Selfsure use and it’s become an integral part of their business, helping them see instant results. Paul Johnson added: “DigitalPro CRM gives us the complete package from organising workloads, to managing the complete sale and aftercare process. We’re able to follow through on our promises and provide a service level above and beyond our customers’ expectations. We have a great relationship with FIVE CRM- they’re always on hand to help and their aftercare is outstanding.” FIVE CRM is based on the Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate, Chippenham. Find out more about them online at: www.fivecrm.com @FIVECRM @selfsure The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) what is it and are you ready? by Ian Sharpe, Branch Director for Bluefin in Swindon Data protection and privacy laws are currently a very hot topic. The biggest reform in two decades is currently underway, impacting businesses across Europe. But do you know what it means and more importantly how it will impact you and your business? The impact GDPR and cyber risks The new legislation, redesigned for the 21st century, gives both private and business customers increased rights and controls over their personal data held by your business. You will be required to: • Acquire explicit consent from customers before collecting sensitive data • Obtain consent from parent/guardian before processing data for minors • Demonstrate how “clear affirmative action” was used to gain this consent • Adhere to new restrictions on how you use data held to “profile” customers • Understand and adhere to the new and enhanced rights your customers have, including the right to erasure and enhanced access rights • Demonstrate and verify how you comply with the legislation When the new legislation takes effect on 25 May 2018, companies could face significant fines for failing to comply. The maximum fine for a breach of the data protection act is £500,000. A breach of the GDPR could result in a maximum fine of EUR20M or 4% of total worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher. In 2015, 74% of small and medium businesses reported a security breach, leading to an estimated £908m in fines. It is worth noting fines aren’t the only issue for businesses facing a security breach. Reputational damage, business disruption, and loss of revenue are also key risks. Fines are not limited to security breaches. The highest fines that may be imposed by data protection authorities relate to infringements of the GDPR concerning the lawfulness of the data processing, data subjects’ rights (including transparency on how individuals’ personal data is used), and international data transfers. With the increased fines and expanded scope of GDPR, which also applies to data processors, now is the time 22 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018 to review and remediate existing policies, procedures, systems, and documents. Risk mitigation strategies It is increasingly important for businesses to evaluate all the risks they face, and include IT security and protection requirements in their overall contingency strategy. It is increasingly important to check if your insurance adequately protects your business against cyber threats. Not understanding the GDPR is not going to be a good enough excuse, regardless of the size of your business. For a more detailed overview of your responsibilities under the GDPR visit www.ico.org.uk If you need more information about protecting your business why not contact your usual Bluefin adviser or visit our website. For more info: www.bluefingroup.co.uk [email protected] 01793 714431