Preston online sales group in telephones move

EKM, of Fulwood, has linked with challenger telecoms provider, CircleLoop in a deal which could see small and medium sized online traders move away from traditional deskphones, lines and contracts.

EKM hosts a fifth of Britain’s online shops and through its partnership with Manchester-based CircleLoop, is now able to offer professional business telephony to its 25,000 customers.

It will use CircleLoop’s online phone system, so that EKM customers who sign up to the service will be able to make and receive calls through desktop and mobile apps, using the devices they already own such as their computers and mobile phones.

EKM said it will allow its online retailers to handle sales enquiries and customer service issues professionally, eliminating the problems and frustrations many small businesses face in dealing with traditional telecoms vendors.

Damian Hanson, co-founder of CircleLoop said: “E-commerce in the UK grew by almost 18 per cent last year, and with this comes increased competition and a need for retailers to provide great customer service to stand out from the crowd. We’re delighted to be joining forces with EKM.”

In just over a month, CircleLoop has seen more than 500 sign-ups with EKM customers.

Marc McKeown, head of partnerships and business development at EKM, said: “Our customers rely on us to provide the tools they need to run their e-commerce business effectively and profitably.

“From our heritage in enabling business owners to build and create their own websites and take payments, we’re thrilled to have expanded our remit to include business telephony services.”