You may remember the article I emailed out to you on what faster broadband has done for me? It was based on me travelling to the office for just one day a week instead of five. However, this has now changed to one day a fortnight!
The savings made by not travelling to Peterborough from Rutland are now 16 weeks of my life back and a financial saving of £2,226 a year, that well over £11,000 for 5 years.
As a broadband champion for the Connecting Cambridgeshire programme, I campaigned for better connections for local businesses in Peterborough and was delighted when the new fibre cabinet serving part of Fengate went live in 2015 all be it a lot later than promised.
The phone extension at home allows me to make and pick up any phone calls coming into the office as if I were sat at my desk and I know that a lot of you have been very surprised by the quality of the line – it is as good as ISDN. I connect to the office via my PC and can work and print as if I am at my desk.
Working from home is second nature to me. Some of you may not know that I have a long track record in selling vending machines and contract hire for large corporate companies based in Slough, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham. None of them easy journeys from the Peterborough area! So I have always been very disciplined.
So what am I doing with my extra time? I now have the time to do regular blogs on the web site and spend more time on our marketing. I also plan to spend a bit more time contacting you my loyal customers by phone, email and the occasional visit.
On the home front I get a bit more relaxed time with the animals. Molly the black Labrador takes 45 minutes twice a day to walk and the cows, pigs & sheep take up another 15 to 20 minutes. I never thought I would be walking 15,000 steps/7 miles a day.
So what’s the next jump? Video conferencing or Skype! I am sure that you are not ready to see me without the war paint and in my scruffs – but it will just be a question of time before it becomes the norm!
If you read the next article it infers that this next phase of technology is well on it’s way to becoming mainstream.
*** If you haven’t got Faster Broadband yet please let me know and I will check to see if it is available for you. I am still in contact with Connecting Cambridgeshire and they are keen to fill in the gaps of coverage.