1.Apple iPhone 3Gs – Apple have been leading the smartphone market for nearly two years now and the latest iPhone is by far the greatest. With Wi-Fi, GPS, full stereo Bluetooth and up to 32GB of onboard memory it`s never been more ready for business. It`s also got an improved camera and software for cutting, copying and pasting text from any source.

2.BlackBerry 9000 Bold – BlackBerry have made their brand synonymous with business and with some of the best email and web functionality on the market, coupled with a full QWERTY keypad, this is certainly for the most prolific of wordsmiths amongst you.

3.Nokia E75 – Based on the Symbian mobile operating platform the E series of phones from Nokia has always been a hit with business users and like all Nokia smartphones it packs in more functionality per pound than anything in its class.

4.HTC Touch Pro II – HTC make a wide variety of sexy and functional business phones and this is one of the latest, with a huge touch screen as well as a full keyboard. It`s a pity that the iPhone`s interface trumps it.

5.Nokia N97 – Again, a phone so packed with features you won`t know what to do with half of them. Criticised for the bland design of its interface, this touch screen/hidden keypad phone can`t be faulted for the connectivity and applications.

6.Samsung Omnia HD i8910 – Samsung know business and the Omnia HD stands out from the crowd with its styling, 3.7 inch huge touch screen and the ability to record video in 720p. That`s HD folks.

7.Nokia N86 – This phone is the embodiment of value for money when it comes to business phones, taking most of the features of the popular N95 and repackaging them in a slimmer, sleeker body. Will do everything more expensive business phones do, but without the hefty price tag.

8.Samsung Tocco Ultra – With an 8 mega pixel camera, a large touch screen and a hidden alpha numeric keypad hidden beneath this is a powerful media phone with all the modern trimmings. Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G and HSDPA you`ll be equipped with some of the fastest mobile internet available in the UK.

9.BlackBerry Storm – The first touch screen handset from BlackBerry, it features a neat click-down screen which makes the whole experience of pressing virtual buttons that much more familiar. Everything else you`ve come to expect from BlackBerry is present and correct.

10.Sony Ericsson W995 – Though this descends from media with HSDPA, iPlayer and Youtube access it`s an entertaining proposition.

Lauren Fox

Top-10 is the market-leading mobile phones website (www.top10.co.uk/mobilephones) which specialises in simplifying the process of choosing the right mobile phone package online.

So, if someone asked you for a testimonial, would you supply it?

Of course you would, if you were happy with their service. So why are business owners still afraid to ask for testimonials? I always look to see what other people have written about a provider before I use them, and I’m more than happy to write them for others when I get a good service.  It says a lot about your business, however make sure your client is happy for your to quote them, and use their details for your marketing purposes.

Anonymous testimonials don’t really mean very much, and sometimes appear less than genuine, however sometimes clients choose to be anonymous, in which case it can’t be helped, however if you have one or two anonymous testimonials amongst several named ones it’s not going to do you any harm!

I make a habit of collecting testimonials, and asking my clients if they are happy with the service they receive. I use feedback forms which I regularly send out to make sure I am informed of the service we are providing, and that our clients are happy.

One of the most powerful ways of gaining testimonials is by video. We still get comments about our testimonial video over a year after producing it. It’s a great way of promoting both you and your clients. It needn’t be expensive to produce either.

It’s amazing how much time is wasted due to insufficient filing systems. If you’re not very organised when it comes to filing, putting a system in place for your documents and records can seem like a daunting process. It needn’t be. One of the biggest problems facing businesses is the misconception that they need to keep every document, and every email.

When it comes to managing your records, and putting an efficient filing system in place, there are several things you need to consider…

Which documents do you actually need to keep? What documents would you consider to be a record of your business? Are you likely to refer back to it? Is the document accessible elsewhere? How are you going to store your documents? Have you considered what happens to your emails?

Having a good clear records management system in place will also greatly assist with ISO compliance.

There are a few tips below which will help you with organising your systems:

Think of everything through the READ / ACTION / DELETE cycle Do you really need to keep it?

Introduce naming conventions to all your documents and stick to them. This will make  them easier to find in future.

Make sure you incorporate version control into corporate policies and procedures. You are then able to make sure you are always looking at the most recent document.

Name your emails to stand out! If you ensure all emails are titled with the area of business to which they refer, and whether there is an action to complete, this will improve efficiency immensely.

Think about who you are sending your email to. Nowadays our in boxes fill up with so many emails and more than half of them are irrelevant to us.

Where possible, try to stick to paperless working, and scan paper items. By keeping your documents online, you are only dealing with one system which is easily backed up and requires less storage space!

A lot of people have suspension file holders in drawer units in their desks, and they use them for a myriad of different things, but right now I’m going to give you an idea of how to use them to organise your time more effectively by setting up daily & monthly rotating files. It’s a simple idea but it works well, and you can use this same philosphy on emails too.

• Take 12 suspension files, label them January through to December, and place a document wallet into each, for your monthly file.
• Take a further 31 suspension files and label them 1-31, for your daily file

Everytime you come across something that doesn’t need actioning just yet, you place it in the appropriate monthly file. At the beginning of every month you empty the current monthly file into the daily files based on when they need actioning. Give yourself a few days breather by placing each item in a date a few extra days ahead of when it’s due. The monthly folder can now go to the back of the section.

Get in the habit of checking your daily file first thing every day by setting yourself an email reminder, or putting a warning tape over the PC on button until it becomes a habit! You will likely find you check it several times throughout the week, and on going this system should enable you to become more disciplined with paperwork too. Getting into the habit of using the RAD system; Read, Action & Delete for all paperwork will also help declutter your desk.

Working with a clear desk helps you concentrate.

This process can be used to aid invoicing and bill paying too. By writing out your payment cheque, placing it in an envelope and putting it in the day file three days before it’s due to be paid, then posting it on that date means it will get there on time, but the cash is in your account until the invoice or bill to be paid.  

Just think how lovely it will be to always be able to find that document when you need it!

Organising your emails increases productivity and improves time management. In the last two days I have spoke to two people with email fatigue! One of whom had just returned from their two week holiday and it’s taken them 2 days just to shift through the mountain of emails they received, and the other had over 1500 unread emails in his inbox!

There is a better way!

Most Virtual assistants offer an email filtering service, where, for a relatively small fee, they have access to your emails and they sort and organise them for you, keeping you up to date with any urgent messages, responding to requests for standard information on your behalf, and deleting any unnecessary spam. You even get a summary at the end of the day of what you’ve had in, and what action has been taken. Imagine freeing up the time you spend on emails to be able to get on with your real work!

Of course, If you really can’t bear to hand over control of your emails, then you can organise emails yourself easily by utilising the functions your email client (such as outlook) provides. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Be strict when responding to emails. There isn’t a need to answer each email as it comes in. If you want an instant answer, pick up the telephone. You won’t get much more instant than that!
• By setting rules for each newsletter you’ve subscribed to so that it goes into its own folder means they’re not clogging up your inbox and you can read them at your leisure.
• Set aside a couple of hours each day to go through your emails, say 1 hour at 11:00am & 1 hour at 4:00pm. If you are really concerned about delaying responses to people, put an auto responder on your email informing people you will respond within a set time.
• When you do check your emails, be strict! Look at every email with RAD in mind – Read, Action, Delete. If you don’t need to keep it, then delete it straight away. If you have to take action, consider whether it is going to be a quick action (in which case action immediately), or whether you need to schedule it into your diary

So now the big question is: once you’ve organised your emails, what will you do with all that spare time?