Why cloud telephony is beneficial for ecommerce industry
Ground-breaking E-commerce Transformation
Indian E-Commerce industry will reach US$99 billion by 2024 according to IBEF. Google says 61% of the customers are likely to purchase if there is a click-to-call option in the mobile search. Shocked? Don’t be! Since 2020 there has been a clear shift in buying behaviour of the customers. Survey shows that Millennials and the Gen xers prefer to shop online than physical stores. According to research by Medium most of the consumers tend to buy durable items like clothes, accessories, furniture, gadgets online.
With the Ecommerce booming, communication with the suppliers and the customers becomes the biggest challenge any E-commerce industry faces.
Let’s take an example of a fashion website called Company A. One of their customer calls them to enquire about a dress, the customer mentions that they would like to purchase the dress only if a particular shoe is available to go along with it. Imagine this situation when a company has just one traditional phone, will the agent cut the customer’s call and call his supplier? If he does that, then the customer is lost. So what is the solution to this entire situation? Welcome to cloud telephony! The Cloud Telephony provider handles everything from installation to all the value added communication processes without burning a hole in company’s pocket.
Let us have a look at some of the communication challenges faced by E-commerce industry these days.
§ Absence of personalized user experience
When a customer calls on traditional phone the customer has to provide all the personal information and the order number which would be a big hassle for any customer. The younger generation prefer to keep communication simple and minimal.
§ Lack of Integrated communication platform
Some of the E-commerce companies still follow the traditional PBX system of communication. There is absence of single platform that can handle all kinds of communication from orders, deliveries to feedback. This leads to whole lot of confusion, many orders might get lost in translation or it might be wrongly delivered.
§ Non-existent feedback system
There is no way a company can get personal feedback from customers post sale. How will a company grow if they have no clue what the customers need and what they can improve upon?
§ Ancient approach to selling
Many ecommerce companies are failing because of their inability to sell online as they are stuck in the past. The companies lack insight into buyer behaviour data which is very essential to thrive in the current environment worldwide.
Cloud telephony or IVRS (interactive voice response system), refers to voice services and essentially replaces conventional telephone system. The replacement of conventional telephone system, such as a PBX, with third party Cloud Telephony service has proved very productive, simple and cost-effective for Ecommerce sector.
Why Cloud Telephony?
· Total Automation
When a customer orders from a particular website, a customer expects constant updates as to the whereabouts of their shipments. This can be done through automated SMS. When a customer calls regarding an order all they need to provide is their name and phone number. Since all the data is already present in the cloud the system can automatically retrieve the order details. iKonTel’s Cloud Telephony offers automated calls and bulk SMS which is very useful marketing tool.
· Effortless Installation and zero maintenance
There is no requirement of wires, bulky equipment. All that is needed is a stable internet connection to move from traditional set up to IkonTel’s Cloud Telephony. Ecommerce companies usually have their hands full with orders, returns, maintaining supply chain from vendors. The extra burden of installation and maintenance is non-existent with iKonTel’s cloud services.
· Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Cloud Services can be integrated with company’s CRM. This way all the customer details, orders and supplier data are organized and readily available for the agents to gain access. iKonTel’s cloud service can be seamlessly provide single interface of all data for better agent efficiency.
· Scalability
Ecommerce business will never remain the same throughout the year. With iKonTel’s Cloud Telephony, services can be easily scaled up or down. Let’s consider New Years’ time, when there is higher call volume rate than the month of March or April. With cloud it’s possible to have one agent or multiple agents, at one location or multiple locations. This transformation according to demand can be done in very simple way within few minutes.
· Unique call features
Some of the perks of using cloud are the remarkable call features
o Click to Call
o Call tracking
o Call Recording
o Virtual Receptionist
o Welcome greeting
o Music while waiting
o Auto generated calls for order confirmation
· In-depth report analysis
Ecommerce industry is constantly evolving according to customer needs. For ecommerce business to thrive it is very essential that business understands and change its marketing and operating strategies accordingly. Customer feedback reports, call recordings, incoming call volume analysis aid a company to create marketing strategies and reinforce their operations accordingly.
The purchasing method followed by consumers has completely changed with the onslaught of the pandemic. Communication, especially in the E-commerce industry does not happen just within the four walls of the office. Communication takes place through multiple channels on various scales all throughout the country. Online shopping, E-commerce has transformed to cater the new Millennials. To keep up with this new revolution, companies are forced to rethink their communication system and alter their marketing techniques. iKonTel’s Cloud Telephony system helps break barriers in the most innovative ways which is beyond imagination.
