Catalog retail is a world all it's own. Many considerations that other
retailers don't have to deal with are of utmost importance to a catalog
retailer. To name a few, the ordering process, warehousing and shipping
must be streamlined for maximum efficiency. Maintaining a top notch
inventory control and receiving department is also very crucial to
business success. Above all, however, a catalog retailer must have a
quality business phone system.
Considering the fact that the majority of customers will reach you over
the phone, it is paramount to be able to not only handle call volume
during peak times, but also to provide your customers service
representatives with the features they need to do their job well.
Business phone systems should be capable of not only putting your
customers in touch with you, but also offer routing flexibility,
voicemail and forwarding options for the administrative side of your
company. Often, the difference maker for catalog retailers is not the
products they sell, but the service behind those products. People who
want to buy will have questions regarding an item that a simple picture
and brief description will not answer. Most companies have service reps
who take orders and product specialists who are familiar with the
inventory.
It is essential for the product specialists to have access to a phone
system that will accurately and easily allow them to receive and
transfer calls between departments. After the initial contact by the
sales representatives, the most common transfer of waiting customers
will be to product specialists and hopefully back to the sales reps. A
customer who is dropped accidentally during this transfer is likely to
not call back. Additionally, customers who are made to hold for
extended periods of time without an automated message thanking them for
their patience are a primary example of lost revenue that could be
curtailed by the proper business phone system. All in all, a well
thought out business phone system is an integral necessity for any
company, but it is especially important for catalog retailers.
