August 2019 - Sandyx

Why is Manchester favoured by tech start-ups?

Add Your Heading Text Here

Manchester's rich history in tech

Manchester is a city globally recognised as being creative and innovative.

Leaders of the industrial revolution, creators of the world’s first stored program computer and a frontrunner in UK media creation and football teams, Manchester has achieved a lot as a city.

Tech start-ups flocking to Manchester

According to an analysis by RSM, there were 1,079 Manchester-based software development and programming companies incorporated in 2018, which was a 48% increase from the previous year.

This was the highest growth out of all UK regions.

Leaders in tech paving the way for the North West

Given some of the prestigious names to come out of Manchester, such as LADBible, the BBC and Kellogg’s, it’s hardly surprising that new companies aspire to work next to such big names.

Manchester boasts a flourishing tech scene like no other city and is currently home to many companies using technology in a groundbreaking way. Auto Trader, Missgudied and On the Beach are also great examples of Manchester-born companies that have built a strong digital presence despite operating in completely different industries.

Why is Manchester so popular with tech start-ups?

Research by CWJobs revealed that of the 9% of employers who feel Manchester has the best talent in tech, 56% of them believe this is because Manchester has better ‘tech-focused’ educational institutions. Only 43% from the same group believed London has better institutions.

Aside from offering top-notch education, Manchester hosts a variety of popular events and attractions all year round and is located within easy reach for the rest of the UK.

Being a city that offers affordable yet idyllic locations next door to industry leaders, combined with generous SME support, why would you want to set up anywhere else?

New research highlights the success of the city

Tech Nation revealed in their 2019 survey that there is a total of 13,665 digital tech businesses operating in the North West, with 88,000 people currently employed in the sector. Furthermore, a survey by Yorkshire Bank has shown that 63% of business owners based in Manchester rate the city ‘very highly’ in regards to the business community – quite a lot higher than the national average of 47%.

Manchester chosen for IoT development

Manchester was specially selected to become an IoT City Demonstrator as part of an innovation project called CityVerve. £10 million in funding was awarded to help build a powerful IoT presence across the city through the creation and installation of smart connected devices, especially relating to public transport, healthcare and environmental services.

Look out for the following - this is how the CityVerve project is making Manchester smarter:

Initiatives to attract more people to the industry

Schemes designed to attract people to the tech industry are aplenty in the North West, including one Government-backed initiative designed to encourage young people into the tech sector.

There is also a project currently in operation called Tech Manchester, which was put in place to boost Manchester’s tech scene within the business community through efforts like collaboration, funding opportunities and extra resources.

Manchester is a competitive city with big ideas

Ever since splitting the first atom back in 1917, Manchester hasn’t stalled in regards to technological developments. We’ve seen huge broadcasters like ITV and the BBC setting up headquarters in Media City in 2012 and 2013, which has naturally brought more wealth and prestige to the area.

According to Deloitte, 2018 saw more building work taking place in Manchester than Chicago or Los Angeles. Both city centre offices and apartments are in high demand due to Manchester’s considerably lower cost of living compared to the capital, making the North even more welcoming to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Get in touch with Sandyx today

Being located in Media City ourselves, we understand why so many companies are drawn to Manchester – there is opportunity everywhere. We know we don’t need to be London-based in order to attract the top clients and given the evidence above, we’re not the only ones who know that.

If you would like to discuss any aspects of the topics discussed in this article, or understand how Salesforce can help your business, then please get in touch. You can also ring us directly, on 0161 710 3250

Why your team should be using myTrailhead

Add Your Heading Text Here

Does your company use Salesforce? If so, then you should be using myTrailhead.

The benefits offered by using myTrailhead are unparalleled by any other online learning platform – it helps you get to grips with the world’s most robust software in an engaging and no-pressure way.

What exactly is Salesforce myTrailhead?

Salesforce initially released the free online platform under the name Trailhead in 2014, a gamified learning platform intended to provide developers with all the resources necessary to learn about Salesforce products.

By 2017, Trailhead had become myTrailhead, which is essentially a much more customisable version of Trailhead. You can personalise every part of myTrailhead to reflect your company branding, values and nature of work, which helps staff see the relevancy of what they’re learning to their role. Rather than simply offering courses relating to Salesforce in general, you can create your own content for tasks from scratch. What’s more, myTrailhead can identify (through a set of triggers) when users need help with specific tasks and assigns the right information and quizzes accordingly.

As of today, it has over 1.2 million users who have collectively earned around 12 million badges through completing modules, units and quizzes.

By using myTrailhead, you will:

1. Nurture a more skilled and motivated team

When your employees are able to learn more skills at work, it has an uplifting and motivating effect. Days in the office are no longer a continuous 8-hour grind through work – instead staff members can break up the day with periods of learning, followed by testing out their new knowledge in myTrailhead modules.

2. Encourage Salesforce adoption in your company

Training is a natural albeit timely part of the hiring process, especially if the role involves a specific skill.

By using myTrailhead, employees can quickly learn anything about Salesforce but also how they’ll be expected to use particular tools – and even practise their newly-learnt skills before delving into the real world of work.

Salesforce have made it as easy as possible for literally anyone to learn about their products, which we believe is a vital step towards enabling skilled but non-Salesforce-specific developers to join such environments. Both reskilling and upskilling opportunities are made widely available to your team and you can keep track of their success by checking Trail Tracker, an app available on Salesforce AppExchange.

3. Stay on top of product updates and Salesforce changes

By regularly using myTrailhead, you eliminate the risk of missing critical Salesforce updates and product changes. This means that no-one is left behind, you save time which can be focused elsewhere and everyone is safe in the knowledge that they’re learning from the best.

4. Create a fun and flexible learning culture

Your team can access myTrailhead whenever they please and from any device, allowing them much greater freedom to pick up skills when necessary. There’s also an element of friendly competition surrounding the badges and credentials up for grabs on myTrailhead.

Sign up to myTrailhead to bolster your Salesforce management

For only $25 per month, signing up to myTrailhead really is a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you want an app that automatically identifies when your staff need help with specific tasks and also provides new starters with everything they need to know? You can sign up to myTrailhead here today and see if it’s right for you. Alternatively, you can contact Sandyx if you need any help with Salesforce whether through user training, customisation or integrations.