Meetupcall dials up international expansion
A CONFERENCE call business which started life in a Yorkshire attic three years ago has dialed up a major deal with the Vietnam International Bank.
Doncaster-based Meetupcall secured the deal following a successful trial and now plans to target more overseas markets.
Meetupcall was set up by former IT manager and consultant Simon Moxon, who initially ran the business from his home attic before moving into offices and focusing on the business full time.
The company’s customers also include Travelodge, Easyjet, Waitrose, Office Depot, The National Gallery and The University of Cambridge.
Mr Moxon, 33, who is the managing director, said the Vietnam International Bank was the company’s biggest customer to date while the deal had highlighted the opportunities in overseas, emerging markets.
He said: “The bank still have to completely roll out the service so we expect it to grow significantly each month.
“The deal has highlighted the fact that there is a big market outside the UK for our services.
“We will be taking a harder look at the emerging markets in Asia and South America. We already offer our services in those countries for people in the UK who have suppliers or customers out there. But we have done no marketing or sales activity in those countries and that’s something we plan to do in the future.
“Hopefully, the fact we have a relationship with the Vietnam International Bank will highlight our services to their customers.”
Meetupcall also supplies conference calls for a bakery in Vietnam, which imports western pastries and breads.
“They have restaurants throughout Vietnam providing western food such as cakes and paninis and need to communicate with suppliers in different countries,” said Mr Moxon.
Mr Moxon launched Meetupcall in 2009 after he tried to source a cheaper conference call provider for his then employer and spotted a gap in the market.
He said: “I thought there was an opportunity to offer a reliable, quality service, charge less and specialise in conference calls.”
Additional services mean Meetupcall’s customers can now arrange a conference call directly from their calendar app or smartphone, view the LinkedIn profiles of all participants and be automatically called at the start of the conference call rather than having to dial in.
“It’s a competitive market but we strive to be different. The aim is to make conference calls as easy as possible. Our whole offering is based around minimising the effort required to take part in one of these calls. It should be as simple as a regular phone call.”
Meetupcall currently employs five people and is forecasting turnover of £200,000 in the 12 months to June.
The Vietnam International Bank has more than 130 branches. Up to 200 people will be able to take part in a conference call at any one time.
