Client Spotlight: All Abroad UK

SocialEngine - Community Software

Rusty Goodall of All Abroad UK, a home for expatriates in the UK, is featured in this latest Client Spotlight. Here’s Rusty!

SocialEngine: So how did All Abroad UK get started?
Rusty Goodall: We decided to start All Abroad UK simply because as expats ourselves, we realised that the information for expats living in, visiting or relocating to the UK was very poor and limited. We were over websites full of celebrity gossip and flashing banner ads that diluted the quality of the content we were after. Our mission is to bring a fun, cutting – edge, interactive and rewarding service where expats can get the information they need and make friends in a new country with ease. We are also heavily focused on partnering with high quality businesses that specifically cater for expats needs.
SE: How do members typically interact on your site?
Rusty: We offer several different methods for members to connect with others. Our forum section provides the perfect platform for expats to ask questions and give advice about topics they are interested or knowledgeable in. Our main wall is really where all the action goes on though, it’s the best place to ask questions, keep others updated and share their suggestions with our community. It’s a fantastic welcome for any newcomer to the UK who doesn’t know anyone to instantly get to meet people and introduce themselves.
SE: What are Member Benefits? There’s a free discount card?!
Rusty: Yes – that’s coming very soon! We’re getting ready to launch our discount card which will enable members to receive special member discounts and benefits from our affiliated business partners. Our members will be able to flash their card at the participating businesses and claim their discount – even jump the queues at certain venues! We also have businesses which sell discounted goods and services to our members.
Of course, members are also rewarded with the information they receive and with the social interaction they gain from being a member of our community!
SE: Sounds great! What can you tell us about the upcoming jobs feature?
Rusty: Many expats are worried about finding a job in the UK, so our job section will be the perfect place for members to search for and apply for jobs directly from our site. This feature is still in development; however, members can still read interesting articles about employment and the recruitment process.
SE: Anything else in the works?
Rusty: Ohh yes – we’re always thinking of new and exciting ways to boost interaction with members and be the best we can be. We invite members to suggest services or features that they would like to see on the site. Our members are the reason we are here so what they say, they get! We have a few top secret projects in development right now, so you will have to wait and see what happens next – they are going to be awesome!
SE: Very cool, so why are you using SocialEngine?
Rusty: We like the flexibility to fully customize our site to our needs – the possibilities are limitless. The software does exactly what it says on the tin and the service and support is simply fantastic!
SE: Who designed the website? It looks great by the way!
Rusty: Thanks! We are using a theme by a Social Engine developer; however, the site has been heavily customized to suit our specific needs and personality. We wanted the site to be bright, bold and fun and to excite users right from the start! We have had a lot of member input to it’s design as they are the ones who will be using it everyday.
SE: Any final thoughts to share?
Rusty: We know that expats are quite often limited in funds and like to get the best possible deals, which is why we have introduced our business directory. Unlike other directories, we accept businesses via invitation only. We review each application to ensure that the business is suitable and can provide a quality and reliable service for our members. We also only accept a limited number of businesses per category so that members aren’t overwhelmed and also to make the service as beneficial for our affiliated businesses.
Members are able to ‘like’ a business and then receive their updates via the wall feed. This ensures that members are not inundated with advertising, and it also builds a quality relationship between the business and the user. We’re all about brand building and quality service at All Abroad UK!
SE: Thanks, Rusty!
Send us an email if you’d like to be featured in a future Spotlight!

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