The retail market is changing at a rapid pace. On the UK high street, shops are reinventing themselves to become more interactive, with things like smart mirrors and dynamic pricing designed to boost footfall and inspire sales. Online, the customer journey is becoming more personalised, with data enabling insights for improved product recommendations and better-targeted content.
Today’s retail landscape is multifaceted, multichannel and increasingly tech-driven. Which means as a channel reseller, you’re surrounded by opportunity. The reason? Despite all these new and exciting tech innovations, making sure that the right foundations still exist remains crucial.
True strength comes from flexibility
Fluctuations in retail demand are nothing new. While some can be forecasted (think florists and chocolatiers during Valentine’s Day), others can come as a total surprise. A sudden warm spell in March can lead to unexpected demand for sun cream. The death of a much-loved artist can lead to fans rushing to buy their albums and merchandise.
As a result, a flexible telecoms solution is vital to the success of any retailer. This is a foundation that no business can afford to ignore. Because, while supply can’t be created on short notice, customer dissatisfaction can be managed accordingly.
Solutions such as SIP trunking give retailers the ability to instantly add extra phone lines and divert calls at no extra cost, both necessary features for retailers with multiple locations and increasing numbers of staff. And there are also benefits to overall running costs, as retailers can rationalise multiple ISDN connections and run their telephony alongside their data networks.
Yet many businesses already know this. For channel resellers wanting to make a mark in the retail space, it’s necessary to highlight these features, as well as the unique benefits that a robust cloud hosted solution can afford. Recent developments in cloud hosted telephony mean that you can now offer your prospective retail clients features that can help them analyse their call data, make the most of intelligent call routing and use advanced distribution control. These features will not only help your retail clients to be more flexible, but also enhance their research and forecasting capabilities. From a reseller perspective, ensuring that your provider can equip you with these tools is key.
It may be an exciting time to be a retailer, but it’s also an exciting time for channel resellers. SIP has developed because of its popularity and is now a solution with many additional features. This means that the art of attracting new telecom customers is now slightly changed. Why not leverage your position as a trusted advisor and recommend the right products, then reinforce your recommendations with excellent service and support?
These are what will help you build a happy and productive relationship with your retail customers, now and well into the future.
