E-commerce business communication specifics
Brick-and-mortar facades are no longer necessary for launching a retail business. Financial analysis shows that about one quarter of the modern US retail market is occupied by e-commerce companies and this share is constantly increasing. That means even long-established enterprises of good repute are essentially committing economic suicide when failing to open an online shop.
One thing a budding e-entrepreneur should keep in mind, though, is that online commerce requires different marketing and cost-cutting strategies than traditional business. In this case study we’ll look at the General Manager of Greek Gift Shop, Sevasti Panagiotopoulos’s testimonial about how choosing the right business phone system can help an e-commerce business meet its needs.
Maximizing the communication cost-efficiency scale
Greek Gift Shop is a general merchandise retailer. It offers a variety of fashion items, jewelry, clothing, books and many other things that bring people closer to Greek culture. It has a store in Astoria, New York, but the most significant portion of its revenue comes from online shopping.
As many online stores can attest to, having great customer support is vital to customer retention and a healthy set of customer reviews. As Greek Gift Shop developed, it ran into an extensive stream of customer communications it had trouble responding to in a timely manner.
But Sevasti Panagiotopoulos found a way to optimize the overhead. Though the company wasn’t receiving tons of traditional phone calls, after considering many options, she signed up for a MightyCall virtual phone number to allow them to ditch the grossly-overpriced business phone lines she was using and substitute them with an equally-efficient virtual solution. Here’s how it played out.
Quick and easy set up
Panagiotopoulos was pleased with how seamlessly MightyCall was able to switch the company from conventional landline infrastructure to cloud-based technology. Due to MightyCall’s flexibility she had no trouble with retaining the same 1-800 number that the store had had for decades—a great way to keep business continuity going.
When talking about our setup, we always mention how easy the onboarding process for new MightyCall users is, which Panagiotopoulos agrees with:
I had to contact MightyCall customer service to find the most efficient way to optimize our current communicational setup. I was pleased with the personal attitude, so uncommon in today’s world of digital interaction.
That onboarding process helps VoIP beginners see how a business phone system can be set up to satisfy their needs while showing experienced users other advanced features that they didn’t know about, or how they can better incorporate them in their workflows. As for MightyCall’s customer support, as many g2 reviews prove, it’s one of our crown jewels.
MightyCall’s cost savings
Online business doesn’t require massive investment for getting started, such as paying rent for premises or hiring full-time shop assistants. The main areas of investment are usually marketing and user experience. Even more importantly, both of them ― if handled properly ― directly increase revenues.
Good news – you don’t have to spend a lot on them either. Switching out just two landlines, Greek Gift Shop has cut its monthly phone bill in half without losing any efficiency. The business is also looking at streamlining its processes to save even more money:
After we cancel the remaining two lines, we plan to route all our calls to a basic landline and our cell phones. We will be saving a lot more when that happens.
In real numbers, the cost-cutting has already reached more than $150 every month and that is just the beginning. The quality of customer service became more professional, meaning that the company minimized negative user experience. Sevasti Panagiotopoulos said that with MightyCall’s rich call management features and affordable value-added plans, her company serves customers better and has reduced operational costs at the same time.
No geographic limits
E-commerce is free of location-related troubles. You can sell goods nationwide or even globally. But what about communication restrictions and how they can be handled? This question can arise in several situations: teams working remotely or customers calling from other areas of the country or beyond.
With MightyCall’s virtual phone system, I could be working from home, or be on a beach, and still take all my calls and not miss any customers.
MightyCall’s advanced call forwarding system came in especially handy for Panagiotopoulus. It gave the Greek Gift Shop team an opportunity to stay connected regardless of their physical location. The business calls were forwarded to personal mobile devices, so the employees could answer calls even if they were out of the office—whether they were on a beach or elsewhere.
A virtual phone number doesn’t only allow your team to work from anywhere, it also provides international coverage. MightyCall has great pricing for international outreach for your business. Make it boundary free, make it global.
The value of the MightyCall experience
Sevasti Panagiotopoulos and Greek Gift Shop’s experience shows that getting a business phone system is essential, as customer communication, through any channel, is a core element of any online-based business’s success. To keep up high standards, a product like MightyCall is your best bet for ensuring great customer service and availability.
Choose the right MightyCall plan for your business today and get a professional call-processing solution at affordable rates.
