Everyone was encouraged to come in dressed in suitable costume - knights, damsels and servants - and the office was decorated with shields, weapons and a row of battlements.

Best costume was awarded to Richard Loud for coming as a knight, complete with an inflatable horse - he apparently attracted a lot of attention in the supermarket on his way home As well as the costumes and office decoration, we had a suitably medieval lunch of chicken drumsticks, bread and cheese for all the staff.

Everyone was encouraged to come in dressed in suitable costume - knights, damsels and servants - and the office was decorated with shields, weapons and a row of battlements.

Best costume was awarded to Richard Loud for coming as a knight, complete with an inflatable horse - he apparently attracted a lot of attention in the supermarket on his way home As well as the costumes and office decoration, we had a suitably medieval lunch of chicken drumsticks, bread and cheese for all the staff.

Synergy Connections offers mailing services as a element of it's integrated marketing strategies - contact us today to find out how we can work with you on direct mail and telephone marketing

Gill Curran, Managing Director of Synergy Connections, believes the group will help deliver the vision that both Linvoy and Mick have for the future. "As local business people, we need to invest in the future – these children will be tomorrows employees – some of them need our help now. If everyone did a little something it would make a real difference," she said. "It was strange how we became involved in Faith and Football. I kept bumping into their director Mick Mellows at various charity events. We got talking about what Faith and Football were trying to do and offering our support on a Telephone Marketing capacity seemed logical. We have a call centre at our disposal to contact local business in both Portsmouth and Southampton to increase market awareness. "The broader concept of a Business Support Group is something that has developed over time. The official launch of the group will enable local business people to contribute on a local level" explained Gill.

Companies on board so far include: Synergy Connections, Technology House, Red Box, Amaze Marketing, HSBC, Oki Printing Solutions, CMS, Hampshire Flag, Glow Marketing, NEFU, Action Coaching, Strands Hairdressing, Classique Lingerie, Dartmouth Contractors and Liquorice with a Twist.

If anyone would like to become involved or help in anyway please call Gill on 01329 229300 or contact Synergy Connections via the website at www.synergyconnections.co.uk

Registration on the consumer TPS list is rapidly approaching the 15 million mark for this first time - and business numbers on the CTPS list are now in excess of 1.2 million.

The TPS regulations were originally introduced in 1999, with the rules extending to companies in 2004. Anybody making an unsolicited marketing call to a number on one of the lists risks being reported to the Information Commissioner and fined.

The increase in registrations has made it harder for many businesses- especially smaller ones - to manage their outbound telemarketing. "The increase in TPS registration causes both technical and strategic issues". Says Jonathan Elder, Systems & IT Director for telemarketing specialist Synergy Connections Ltd. "There is the requirement to regularly check the number you hold against the appropriate TPS listing to ensure you comply with the regulations, and there is also the strategic concern of ensuring that you are able to source appropriate, fresh data within the rules."

Synergy Connections Ltd offers a range of telemarketing, market research and database cleaning services. They can help organisations source TPS compliant data and screen existing data against the lists before a structured telephone marketing campaign.

Contact
Gill Curran, Managing Director, Synergy Connections Ltd
+44 (0)1329 229300
enquiries@synergyconnections.co.uk
www.SynergyConnections.co.uk

References
Current TPS listings as of 14^th January 2008, supplied by the DMA
Consumer: 14,843,887
Business: 1,249,405

Office of the information Commissioner

The Portsmouth football player officially declared the West Street offices ‘open for business’ at a gathering of more than 125 guests.

Synergy is one of the South’s most successful telephone marketing companies and Friday’s event was held to coincide with its decade anniversary. The company has been marking the occasion throughout the year, with a series of fun days for the team.

Gill Curran, Managing Director of the marketing specialist, said "The opening was a wonderful afternoon. It was fantastic to have so many familiar faces in one place and a great way to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has worked hard to make Synergy such a success."

Linvoy Primus was asked to be guest of honour as he is the patron of Faith+Football, the charity Synergy supports.

"Having Linvoy as our special guest made the event even more memorable. The opening marks a new chapter for the company and we are all excited about the coming months and years," added Gill, who won the Highly Commended Award for Business Personality of the Year at The News Business Excellence Awards this year.

Synergy Connections has a permanent workforce of 30, and an additional 25 temporary staff, and the company provides telemarketing, lead generation and market research for a range of blue chip clients. The company holds the prestigious ISO 9001 Quality Certification.

Synergy Connections expanded earlier this year by moving into new premises in West Street, Fareham. The official opening of the offices is planned for early October to coincide with the company’s 10th anniversary.

Gill Curran, Managing Director of the Fareham-based marketing specialist which has a permanent workforce of 30 and regularly employs an additional 25 temporary staff, said the gathering is to thank everyone who has supported Synergy over the last ten years.

"To be able to celebrate a decade in business is a real milestone for Synergy," said Gill, who won the Highly Commended Award for Business Personality of the Year at The News Business Excellence Awards this year.

This year has been a particularly memorable year for Synergy as one of its founders Alexandra Wiggins, who left the company 18 months into its start-up due to serious illness, rejoined in June as a full-time Sales Director.

"The expansion into new offices and Alex returning marks the beginning of a new era for Synergy. If the rate of growth and development over the last 10 years is anything to go by, the next decade looks set to be even busier!" added Gill.

Synergy has held events throughout 2007 and recently hosted a team day where 30 employees in pirate or nautical theme fancy dress, set off on a boat, ‘Seafin’, and sailed along the south coast. A bespoke ‘Synergy Connections’ flag was produced to fly during the day. Once moored they were able to ride on jet skis, sing karaoke and in the evening the team were invited to a party at Gill’s house.

Whilst at a charity action earlier this year, Synergy bid for and won a flight in the B&Q ‘Top Gun’ plane. The company put employees’ names into a hat for a chance to win the ride of a lifetime, which takes place later this month, and Shaun Weston was picked as the lucky winner.

For the next planned event, the opening of the West Street offices this month, Portsmouth football player Linvoy Primus will be declaring the building officially open. Linvoy is the patron of Faith+Football, the charity Synergy supports.

Synergy Connections provides telemarketing, lead generation and market research for a range of blue chip clients. The company holds the prestigious ISO 9001 Quality Certification.

Synergy Connections Ltd, the Hampshire based telemarketing company, has announced a move to new premises in Fareham town centre.

"This is a great opportunity for us" said Gill Curran, Managing Director. "We now are able to easily accommodate much larger projects. The new building has considerable room for expansion, and the proximity to main bus routes, train station and the motorway makes it easy for staff and customers to get here."

The expansion is planned to create up to 150 new jobs in the area over the next 3 years.

Claudia Hathway, editor of Call Centre Focus (CCF) magazine: "Many companies just didnt think the move through," she says. "It was all driven by cost, not the customer. But whats the point of saving money when a poor phone call is the first-hand experience of the quality of service. If it is a bad experience, people are not going to buy."

Language difficulties and mis-understandings are the biggest issues faced by customers of overseas call centres, but the focus on the lowest cost option has caused longer waits and reduces the time an operator can spend building a relationship with the customer.

Synergy Connections offers inbound and outbound telesales and customer service, run from offices in Hampshire. They have handled projects from small start-ups to FTSE 100 companies. "We have always focused on ensuring the quality of the call first," says Gill Curran, Managing Director "giving our operators the time to both build a rapport and establish the callers needs is vital to the success of any project."

For more information on the services Synergy Connections offers, please see www.synergyconnections.co.uk.

Ms Curran won the award based on her managerial, team-building and personal skills, which are reflected in the companies continued growth and low staff turnover.

Ms Curran said: "I was delighted to be nominated and so proud to be highly commended, particularly as its our 10th anniversary year on March 2nd. This is a team effort, so all credit to the team. It is 10 years of recognition for all the work we have put in. I am chuffed."