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Zen Internet received an award for making a valuable contribution to local employment earlier this month. The company received the employer award at the Greater Manchester Employer Coalition Awards in the SME Employer of the Year category. The winners were announced at a glittering awards dinner at The Renaissance Hotel in Manchester.
After recent success with a hat-trick at the ISPA (Internet Service Providers' Association) awards in the categories of Best Uncontended Service, Best Heavy Business Broadband and Best Business ISP, last month, Zen was pleased to have this level of recognition from the perspective of being an employer.
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Mike Ashton, Chief Executive of Chamberlink joined representitives from Zen who were delighted to receive the SME Employer of the Year Award |
Caroline Taylor, HR Manager, Zen Internet commented: “Zen were delighted to receive the award! To reach the level of success we have in the broadband market can only be achieved with the right attitude as an employer. We like to give staff the opportunities to reach their full potential. We are well on the way to offering the best ISP service in the UK, and we will continue to open our doors to jobseekers in the North West.”
Staff levels at Zen have risen considerably, from a starting headcount of 4 when Zen was established in 1995, to 22 in 2000 and now to over 200 employees in 2006 and more is to come in terms of job opportunities. Development of a new headquarters in Rochdale set for 2010 means that Zen will be able to offer further employment making Zen a business working hard to continue their success on all fronts.
Since 1995 Zen has helped put Rochdale on the map, with a reputation across the UK as a successful and reliable ISP. The company chooses to invest not just in the latest technologies but also in its workforce, and this consistency of quality across all elements is the key to Zen’s success.
Rochdale Online recently hosted a night of food, wine, music and dancing with friends and colleagues to celebrate business and community in Rochdale for 350 guests.
Rochdale Online http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk is an important source of local information in the Rochdale area, and their Web site covers many areas from local news to sport and entertainment.
Awards on the night were presented to:
• Message Board Member of the Year
• Best content for a Business Web Page/Mini Site
• Best content for a Business Sponsored Link
• Best content for a Community Web Page/Mini Site
• Best content for a Rochdale Online developed Web site
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Local MP for Rochdale Paul Rowen with Richard Tang and Sales and Partner Programme Manager Iain Johnstone
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Each winner received a unique piece of Blanthorn glass specially commissioned for the awards.
The judging panel was made up of John Kay (Senior Partner of Molesworths Bright Clegg Solicitors and a Director of Rochdale Online), Malcolm Journeaux (Founder and major shareholder of Rochdale Online) and Zen’s very own Managing Director Richard Tang.
The night was a great success and fun was had by all!
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Springhill Hospice with their Best Business Mini-Site Award
(Photo by Lambourne Images, Courtesy of Rochdale Online)
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The topping on the cake for the evening was the much needed funds which were raised for Rochdale’s Springhill Hospice. Funds such as these are especially welcomed by the hospice, as they rely on the generosity of the local community and businesses to buy important equipment and supplies for the hospice.
Zen was pleased to recently announce the overhaul of its Broadband Web site http://www.zenbroadband.com.
The new, user friendly site has been designed with assistance from Zen’s own Web Solutions team http://www.zenwebsolutions.com who have vast experience in Web site design.
Improvements have been made to the ADSL section of the Web site, which now delivers even clearer and more concise information about Zen’s range of Home and Business broadband products. Easier site navigation and the addition of recommended hardware solutions with each broadband product means that Web site visitors will find the right solution to suit their needs quickly and easily.
Iain Johnstone, Sales and Partner Programme Manager, Zen Internet, commented: “Our focus is always on our customers and hopefully these changes should make things even better for them. Ongoing design changes will continue to be rolled out across the remaining areas of the Broadband Web site in the coming months, and Zen would very much welcome any further feedback from visitors.”
If you would like to give any feedback on the newly improved Zen site, please e-mail this to webfeedback@zen.co.uk.
To maximise the chances of securing your customer’s .eu domain name when open registration begins on the 7th April, we recommend that you pre-register before the phase commences. That way your order will be placed as soon as possible on that date - it could be the difference between your customer using theirname.eu, and having to watch as someone else does! Before placing your order, we recommend that you check availability at http://www.whois.eu.
For further Information on registering a ‘.eu’ domain please visit http://www.zen-eu.com or contact your Account Manager.
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ZenPartner Welcome Pack
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The ZenPartner Programme introduced a full, detailed welcome pack recently as a reference point for all partner information.
The pack contains up-to-date information on key topics such as ordering online, faults/support process, payment and billing, and commission structures with an additional section on resources such as a full training programme. The pack also features the latest price lists for all products and services from Zen available to partners through the ZenPartner programme and a complete list of contacts.
The pack is updated regularly and updates since last month include updates on the hardware section, the company profile, the price list, the commission matrix and products section. For all the latest information please visit the member’s area on the ZenPartner Web site under Marketing and download the latest version of the pack.
Seeking out opportunities for our Web Solutions division is a great way to add to your product range whilst being very worth while for you in terms of commission.
Zen Web Solutions can create exactly the Internet presence customers are looking for - one that achieves their goals, be it better brand communication or increased business enquiries or even sales. Their experienced consultancy team takes pride in their unique MTRS approach in creating and growing any form of online business development.
One partner to benefit from using our Web Solutions team recently has been Gold ZenPartner SBS Networks. SBS have proactively approached their customer base about Web Solutions services and have already begun to reap the rewards, with clients such Manchester Deaf Centre, having already commissioned a Web site with Search Engine promotion to follow, and have noticed a real commission, and perhaps surprisingly increased spend from that client in other areas as a result of getting closer to them during the course of the Web project.
“Introducing Zen Web Solutions to our customer base has been a real boost to our business. The services that Web Solutions offer on top of the other award winning products on offer from Zen, really gives us the edge on competitors. We have noticed a huge increase in commission and the advice and help that Web Solutions have offered us has been invaluable! We were so impressed with the solutions that have been offered so far to our customers that we are looking to commission the team to overhaul our own Web site”, commented Daniel Franks of SBS.
The ZenPartner Programme will soon (April 1st 2006) be introducing a new commission structure in relation to Zen Web Solutions Web design. This new structure is designed to be clearer and fairer for partners. The changes will mean that a 5% commission based model with a cap of £500 per opportunity across all levels, will be introduced.
To check out the types of products that you could be offering your customers, check out the Web Solutions Web site http://www.zenwebsolutions.comor speak to your Account Manager.
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Full name: Michelle Jackson
Age: 24
Postion(s): Partner Account Executive
Length of time with company: Nearly 12 months |
THE QUESTIONS
Where are you from originally?
I was born and raised in Oldham, although most people seem to think I am from foreign shores!
What were you doing before you joined Zen?
I was at UMIST studying for a Masters degree in Biomedical Materials Science for which I obtained a First!
What are your 3 favourite Web sites (clean please)?
http://www.onestopgambling.co.uk– Why is this my favourite site? Well the answer is because I built it from scratch. It may not look much to all of you hard core Web designers, but as I have never designed a Web site before, I am pleased with the initial result. As time passes, I aim to build it up and eventually provide an informative gambling site that will hopefully have a bit of an edge to it and keep everyone interested and coming back for more.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk – One of my favourite investment sites. For someone obsessed with shares (gamblers anonymous here I come), the site provides a great discussion board full of like minded people who share some amazing tips (just wish I could develop the art of patience). Filled with the latest financial news, it also makes a good starting point for researching the companies that will one day make me rich beyond my wildest dreams (ok I can dream can’t I?).
http://www.amazon.co.uk – Well what can I say – I love shopping and this is one of the many shopping sites that I adore.
Which album /single do you have in your stereo?
The Kaiserchiefs.
Which football team do you support?
I don’t support any football team.
What is your favourite childhood TV program, and why?
Eerie Indiana - Based on a small country town called Eerie, Indiana, the place is described by the main character Marshall as ‘the center of weirdness for the universe’. I just loved the way that strange things happened on a daily basis and thought that it would be great to live somewhere that wasn’t considered the norm.
If you could be any one else for a day who would it be and why?
Summer (Rachel Bilson) from The O.C. – She’s rich, pretty, lives in the O.C., and gets to hang around with Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) – need I say more!
What was your best Christmas present?
A beautiful bracelet in the shape of a snake
Do you have any bad habits?
Me…erm…no way! Plus, even if I did, I would never disclose them!
What was your first computer?
Commodore 64
Thanks Michelle, and that concludes the inspirational interview with this month’s ZenPartner team member.
Next month:
Craig Stowell, Partner Programme Account Manager
Gold ZenPartner Keylogic was recently awarded with The National Housing Federation’s Direct Affinity Partner status in recognition of its track record and customer support within the Social Housing sector.
The direct Affinity Partner status encompasses Keylogic's Consultancy, Implementation and Support Services. These services currently span server infrastructure, firewalls & network security, disaster recovery, Thin Client solutions, and all Microsoft based environments.
Keylogic's continued strength in the Social Housing sector has made it the single most important sector to their business. Whilst Keylogic continues to grow in other commercial sectors their commitment to Social Landlords is illustrated by their dedicated portal and competitive pricing concessions to RSL organisations.
Keylogic will once again be a main exhibitor at the National Housing Federation principle event for Information Technology professionals working within the Social Housing arena this year. This event will show the influences ICT has at the decision-making table and what the future may hold for those working in ICT.
The 2006 event will be held at the Novotel London West Conference Centre on 8th May - 9th May. Further information on the event can be found on the NHF Web site at: http://www.housing.org.uk/prodserv/conferences/view.asp?conferenceID=6686.
Here at the ZenPartner team we are always looking at ways to improve our service to you. As we are growing so rapidly year on year and starting to work in partnership with so many more companies, we recruit regularly to ensure that partners get even more of a personal service and so that we can give them much more care and attention.
The most recent addition to the team has been Stephen Riley who has come on board as an Account Manager. Stephen has brought with him a large amount of industry and account management experience which should prove useful in his new role. Please look out for more information about Stephen coming soon in the meet the team area of our newsletter …
The ZenPartner team would like to say congratulations to those partners who have moved up levels in the programme this month meaning an increase in the resources available to them and a move towards a more strategic commitment.
These were:
Gold to Platinum:
SMT Network solutions
Silver to Gold:
Envision Technologies
Oakhouse Technical Services
WASP IT
Bronze to Silver:
Borg Technologies
Direct Data Systems
NRG Telecom
Tao Business Technology
Bourne Computer Solutions
Keep up the Good work!
ZenPartner would like to welcome all the new ZenPartners who have recently joined the scheme! We look forward to a long partnership and working together to offer the best support and solutions to customers.
One of the new partners to be welcomed into the scheme this month are CCTV System Specialists Ltd
http://www.cctv-systemspecialist.co.uk/.
They supply broadband to end users for one main purpose - to provide 'remote viewing' of CCTV.
Projects by the company have included things such as Neighbourhood Watch schemes using wireless links to connect the cameras to chimney pots and then to their broadband connections so that all the participants can view the CCTV footage on their computers.
CCTV System Specialists decided to move to Zen after delays in customer service with their last supplier became tiresome.
Iain Johnstone, Sales and Partner Programme Manager at Zen Internet commented: “We are delighted to be welcoming so many high calibre partners to the scheme each month and look forward to working together with them to offer the best support and resources in order to exceed their client’s expectations.”
Here at the partner programme we are always looking to help promote our partners (new and existing) both in the ZenPartner newsletter and via press releases that Zen distributes. If you are interested in becoming more involved with promoting your business through the ZenPartner programme please contact your Account Manager or e-mail theeditor@zenpartner.com.
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