MACQUARIE Telecom, part of Macquarie Telecom Group (ASX: MAQ), today launched a Microsoft Teams service to allow customers to integrate their desk phones into their Teams clients and bring staff a step closer to being back in the office.

The cloud-based service uses a secure session initiation protocol (SIP) trunk system which allows users to make and receive direct calls via Teams on their mobile, laptop or other device, using their same office or desk number.

“Earlier this year we introduced a new desk phone, but needs have changed and we need to virtually bring that desk phone into customers’ home offices,” said David Flanagan, chief product officer at Macquarie Telecom.

“The mindset that apps like Teams are used for video meetings and group conference calls, while mobiles and desk phones are used for day-to-day calls, is changing," Mr Flanagan said.

"The combination of widely available reliable broadband and a normalised work-from-home is driving direct calling using collaboration software.”

The new service follows demand from a range of Macquarie’s existing and prospective customers across industries, with many citing that their work-from-home policies would continue after restrictions were lifted and that many staff did not have business mobile phones to use for work.

Macquarie estimates the SIP trunking service could reduce line rental costs for organisations, with additional setup and maintenance savings through reducing the number of PABXs on site.

“The ability and adaptability of workers in Australia to jump straight into working from home has been rightly hailed, but it’s taken for granted that many are using their personal devices to do so, which may not be preferred or appropriate," Mr Flanagan said.

"Businesses need services like this to maintain WFH policies, because we won’t return to the norm as we knew it

Macquarie has been a Microsoft partner for more than 10 years and recently entered an agreement to deliver Azure public cloud services as well as SD-WAN via the Azure Marketplace to Australian customers.

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AS THE WORLD deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) is offering its WAVE push-to-talk service free to critical industries in Australia and New Zealand until the end of June 2020.

The offer will enable essential organisations to benefit from the capabilities the service delivers to mobilise frontline workers and unify group communications across multiple technology users.

As the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, commercial, emergency and volunteer organisations are at the frontline of the response, helping to keep the country safe. Motorola Solutions anticipates that many responding organisations do not have immediate access to instant push-to-talk communications they need to mobilise volunteers and other frontline personnel.

“The most important use of technology right now is helping essential organisations and frontline personnel to work more safely and efficiently,” Con Balaskas, managing director A/NZ for Motorola Solutions said

“We are working closely with our partners and customers throughout Australia and New Zealand to provide technology and our support to help them deliver their essential work.”

WAVE connects teams by enabling push-to-talk functionality across phones, radios and computers ensuring users have access to individual and group calls, texts, location and mapping services and secure communications. 

Further information about the offer is available here.

Details

The WAVE service is being offered free of charge for the next three months ending on June 30, 2020. Included in the offer and WAVE PTX Mobile Applications Licences for between five and 50 users and two Dispatch Console Licences. Normal terms and conditions apply (number of subscriptions may be restricted).

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SERVICESEEKING has crunched the numbers on their top 20 categories in April 2020 againt March 2020 to determine which tradies won and lost during Covid-19.

While job volume across the platform was down by 15 percent versus the prior month, Jeremy Levitt was surprised to see several key categories grow during the pandemic as home owners and renters alike fixed up property maintenance issues at home to make lockdown easier to bear. 

The April 2020 v March job data shows:

• Air conditioning and heating jobs up 152.38%
• Paving jobs up 99.51%
• Asbestos removal jobs up 87.12%
• Rubbish removal jobs up 67.85%
• Fencing repair jobs up 62.46%
• Electrical services jobs up 53.83%
• Roofing jobs up 37.52%
• Concreting repair jobs up 30.02%
• Carpentry jobs up 24.61%
• House Painting jobs up 9.57%
• Plastering jobs up 9.18%
• Plumbing jobs up 6.47%
• Handyman jobs up 2.45%
• Cleaner jobs down -3.06%
• Removalist jobs down -10.37%
• Renovation jobs down -15.55%
• Pest control jobs down -16.71%
• Tiling jobs down -22.39%
• Gardening jobs down -26.81%
• Flooring jobs down -58.09%

Jeremy Levitt, co-founder of find a tradie website, ServiceSeeking.com.au said, "We saw a dramatic fall in large renovation jobs month on month, down more than 15 percent, which we think may preceed a fall in property prices.

"Property owners typically pull back on renovating when their confidence falls," he said.

 "However, we saw the Covid-19 'nesting' phenomenon in full effect, with locked down home owners and renters increasing their spend on property maintenance categories like electrical services, roofing, airconditioning servicing and rubbish removal."

www.serviceseeking.com.au

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AS THE PEAK national body for caravan and camping, Caravan Industry Association of Australia is supporting the domestic initiatives recently announced by Tourism Australia to stimulate the domestic tourism market with the release of their Live from Aus initiative.

There are more than 710,000 RVs currently sitting idle throughout Australia, with an estimated 18 million Australians who are connected to the caravan and camping lifestyle, who have been cooped up in their homes.  This audience in particular will be eager to hit the road and explore once restrictions ease and will be key to reinvigorating tourism businesses and regional communities in all parts of Australia. 

Association CEO, Stuart Lamont said, “We realise the immense pressure that tourism operators are under right now.  The last few months have been traumatic and it looks as through international tourism is still a way off.  This will add to the pressure being felt by those tourism businesses who largely cater to an international market.

“We see an immense opportunity for the caravan and camping sector to help activate these businesses again through the dispersal of domestic caravan and camping visitors into regions hit hard by the loss in tourism dollars.

"It has also been encouraging to see the recent easing of restrictions in some states and territories.  While it doesn’t yet provide the detail to plan with certainty, travellers can look forward to a time when they are once again able to move freely around the country and experience our unique culture, natural beauty and amazing food and drink."

Caravan and camping would normally contribute more than $21 billion annually to the Australian economy, to be able to reactivate this market will go a long way to helping Australia heal.  Data out of Tourism Research Australia for 2019 showed that Caravan and Camping is Australia's favourite holiday accommodation, accounting for more nights than any other type of accommodation for leisure. 

"Tourism Australia’s readjusted focus to stimulate the domestic market is very strategic move to kickstart the recovery process for many hurting businesses," Mr Lamont said.

"Caravan Industry Association of Australia is very supportive of this shift and looks forward to being part of this journey to see travellers back on the road enjoying themselves and celebrating our wonderful home country."

www.caravanindustry.com.au

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