Businesses dial up Babl for online telephony and virtual conferencing
The steady increase in the number of businesses using virtual conferencing and online video calls accelerated rapidly when Covid-19 restrictions hit in March 2020. The trend towards virtual contact looks set to continue after the pandemic recedes, writes Tim Wickham.
Research firm Gartner reported that over 80% of the company leaders it surveyed last July said they planned to allow employees to work remotely, at least for some of the time, once businesses re-open after pandemic restrictions are eased. A survey by PwC of nearly 700 CEOs found that 78% believed remote collaboration would endure after the pandemic.
With the video conferencing software market growing, more providers are joining the likes of Zoom and Microsoft in aiming to offer businesses high-quality user experiences. Babl Group is in the position of having the right products at exactly the right time. It’s secure internet telephony and virtual conference hosting services have put the company on a rapid growth trajectory in the past year,
Lucinda Lamont, sales director, EMEA, explained: “Babl has built a strong reputation for secure telephony, mainly with financial services, government and public sector customers. After a year of Covid-19 restrictions, the company is successfully positioning itself as the go-to provider for a broader range of much-needed business services in the ‘new normal’ world of work.
“We design, develop and deploy proprietary technology that is entirely cloud based and fully customisable to suit customers’ requirements,” said Lamont. “Our aim is to offer completely flexible services that meet our customers’ requirements as they evolve.”
Global expansion
Babl was established as Speakserve in 2002. A name change last year to Babl Group reflected its global ambitions.
In March 2020, a team of 10 based at its Basingstoke head office was busy winning corporate and government contracts at a steady pace that accelerated with each new lockdown. Today, headcount has more than quadrupled, and Babl has opened offices in New York and Melbourne.
“Much of our growth has been through word-of-mouth recommendations,” said Lamont. “Our customers are generally very loyal. Once a business sees how easy our services are to use, and learn about the added benefits we offer in addition to telephony, they usually are keen to do more with us.”
Business and charity support
Its global presence means Babl provides a 24/7 helpdesk, where you’ll speak to a human, and that includes real-time hosting of virtual events. “We respond quickly to customers and that builds trust in us,” said Lamont.
She emphasised that competitive pricing isn’t the only deciding factor for customers in choosing Babl. “What they really like is our attitude. There’s a lot of hand-holding to ensure the experience is positive for them. We’re not trying to be another Zoom or Teams.”
As well as offering a very personal touch, Babl’s cloud platform is capable of hosting tens of thousands of attendees per event. Virtual events, many with live Q&As, range from AGMs, all-employee meetings and regional management roadshows to ‘fun stuff’, like social events. Babl also offers ‘white label’ services, enabling customers to brand them under their own name, if they prefer.
In addition to business and public sector customers, Babl has a growing number in the charity sector. For example, Sandwell Children’s Trust connects its social workers with young people and their families using Babl’s secure system to help it deliver social care, as well as support and training for foster carers and new adopters. Babl also works with a growing number of charities for people with visual impairments, who find it easy to set calls.
More to come
Looking ahead, Lamont predicts that budgeting for virtual conferencing and secure telephony will be less of an issue as businesses decide to continue with the flexible employee working arrangements forced on them by the coronavirus pandemic.
“After moving to online conferencing out of necessity, many businesses now realise they can make significant and permanent cost savings, especially from reduced travel and avoiding the logistics of putting on physical events,” she said.
Hybrid services currently under development will combine face-to-face events for the post-lockdown world, with live streaming and interactive virtual participation. “We’ve only really scratched the surface of what we can offer businesses,” said Lamont.
For details about Babl’s services, email:
