We all know that VoIP is the future of communication for business (or if you’re not convinced, you can read more in our blog about the benefits of VoIP) but does that apply equally to all businesses? Or are some more suited to it than others?

Unsurprisingly, as the UK’s best dedicated VoIP provider, VIP VoIP’s position is that every single business can benefit from having a VoIP telephony system. And we’re not lying about that; it genuinely is true.

Nevertheless, some business types are naturally more suited to it than others, and ecommerce businesses are one such category.

Hence, as Black Friday is almost upon us – the one day of the year when the world of internet shopping is about to blow up – we thought this would be a good time to focus on those ecommerce businesses out there who could benefit massively from having a VoIP phone system. Which is all of them!

Saves Money

Obviously, this is the number one priority– and this applies to any business whether they’re ecommerce or not. Any business who uses an office telephone system will save money if they move to VoIP, simply because the costs are so phenomenally cheaper.

However, for ecommerce companies, such a huge proportion of their overheads are spent on telephones that moving to VoIP will not only save money but will literally slash the cost of overheads for the business.

Just think about it; if the majority of your business is transacted online, you might as well transfer your calls there too – your internal calls will be free, your external calls a lot cheaper and the other features you receive will more than make it worth your while.

Improves Customer Experience

One of the biggest paybacks that VoIP has over the traditional telephone system is the fact that you get so many additional features, all of which simply make the experience your customers receive so much more efficient and constructive, meaning happier customers in the short term and more customers in the long run.

Until now, your ecommerce business has just had one landline number; if it was busy, the customer had to either wait or leave a voicemail. If you didn’t have round-the-clock people manning the phones and your customers called out-of-hours, they would have to wait until the next working day to get a response from you. Not great if your ecommerce business is operating overseas.

Now thanks to built-in features such as IVR (the system whereby customers can be routed through to the correct operator to help solve their problem quickly and easily i.e. “dial 2 to speak to Finances” etc.) and Voicemail access from anywhere (voicemails can be sent to any email so they can be listened to away from your office), even the smallest ecommerce business can now emulate the big boys and provide a world-class customer experience.

Improves Customer Service

The last thing any business wants are customer complaints, however they’re going to happen – and with ecommerce they’re even more likely to happen. It’s just the nature of the game.

One big thing about VoIP is that you can automatically record every call made, which can be used to train new staff and learn from the customer’s journey, which enables an ecommerce business to constantly improve their customer support.

Similarly, the ability to provide what appears to be a round-the-clock support desk can ensure customer’s complaints can be nipped in the bud quickly and not left to fester, ensuring happier customers, which in turn leads to more customers.

Ensures You Stay Open 24 Hours From Anywhere

Again, as we’ve already touched upon, one of the biggest benefits of being an ecommerce company is that you are operating online, so are essentially an open shop for 24 hours a day, all around the world. If you’re doing ecommerce right, anyone from any location on the planet should be able to purchase a product or service from you at any time they choose. You are never shut.

However, especially if you only have a handful of people running your ecommerce business, having someone on duty to man the phones 24 hours a day is just practical. People need to sleep.

Also, due to the way the world of work is changing now, people don’t all work in one single office in one single location. More and more people are these days working flexibly, from all over the country, or even globe. A single landline with a single voicemail is simply not appropriate any more.

Instead, ecommerce businesses require a flexible solution, which enables staff to work from anywhere yet appear to be working for one single company in one location. Local phone number prefixes ensure ecommerce businesses can appear to be local, in any country, and a multitude of other features will ensure your ecommerce business is open for business, everywhere, all the time.

Enables Upselling

Obviously, the goal for any business is not to have customers waiting around on phones for ages – the aim is always to get them on and off a call again as quickly as possible, so their problem is solved and they can get on with their day. However, if you have got customers waiting on phone lines, even if it’s for a short period of time, then it’s a great opportunity to upsell to them.

Most people will tell you that listening to ‘hold muzak’ for any length of time will drive even the calmest of people insane, however, if you remove the inane music and provide an on-brand message instead, you are much more likely to retain your customer’s attention.

Obviously, there’s no point in hard selling at this point – most people on the phone do not want to hear about a special offer they should buy immediately (because they’re on the phone, not at their laptop) but a subtle sales message or information slot can often plant a seed for future sales.

With VoIP, it’s really easy to record an on-brand message that will reach your customers at a receptive point, which can help to ease a situation and upsell your products or services at the same time, as opposed to putting them off you forever.

Get In Touch

If you’d like to find out more about how VIP VoIP could help you grow and improve your ecommerce business, then get in touch with us today. We could make your ecommerce business slicker and more effective, and all for less money than you’re currently paying, so why wouldn’t you do it?

You can contact us via the contact form on the website or by phoning 03300881182 or drop us an email at sales@vipvoip.co.uk.