Valerie Moselle | Co-Founder | Luma Yoga
Luma Yoga has received over 100,000 visits from clients since they opened in 2012. This is largely a credit to their welcoming community space, dynamic classes for all experience levels, and friendly staff and instructors that encourage participation and inclusivity. Valerie Moselle, Co-Founder of Luma Yoga and Director of Adult Yoga and Teacher Training, stated, “My idea is that people in general suffer from a lack of community, and we need a second place away from home. My hope is that people come in for the services we offer, but they end up hanging out for a while and connecting with other people. We want people to feel very welcome in the retail and lounge area, and have it become more of a community space.” These ideals have helped them build a 375-member base.
“We wanted a simple system that would give us some of the features Nextiva offers...we wanted a provider that was affordable for small businesses, easy to implement, and well-reviewed, and that was Nextiva.”
When Luma Yoga was preparing to open in 2012, they began looking into communications providers, as reliable phone service would be a key part of their success. Moselle’s husband is responsible for the IT needs of the business. “He wanted us on a VoIP system because of features like call forwarding, and we didn’t want to use an analog phone system,” Moselle said. “We wanted a simple system that would give us some of the features Nextiva offers...he researched providers that were affordable for small businesses, easy to implement, and well-reviewed, and that was Nextiva.” After comparing their options, Luma Yoga signed up with Nextiva in July 2012.
Moselle said implementation was easy, and they were able to get their system set up working with Nextiva team members and using Nextiva Support online resources. They began using the system in August 2012, selling memberships prior to their grand opening in October 2012 as a way to market the business.
“One of the things I think differentiates us from other yoga centers in the community is that we have aspired to run a full-service center,” Moselle said. “We have a fully-staffed front desk, we’re open all day, and we run a wellness center.” Their front desk phone and portable phone, along with Call Forwarding and Nextiva Support, have been valuable aspects of Luma Yoga’s continued success. With the ability to customize voicemail message options and utilize Call Forwarding to Moselle’s cell phone if they are closed or the phone lines go down, they can provide personalized service from anywhere.
“We use the phone system a lot. We’ve always done a lot of grassroots marketing, which to us means directly communicating with clients on an individual level,” Moselle said. “So for example, if we run a program that a certain instructor is teaching, we will call every student who has ever attended one of that instructor’s classes, to let them know they’re having a special offering. We also use the phones for making marketing calls to our new clients. The system is definitely a tool for our business development.”
“We just implemented a growth option for our company using the Nextiva App which allows our Sales team to make calls from remote locations, since Luma doesn’t have a dedicated office space,” Moselle said. They rented an office space across the street from their center a few years ago, and to save costs, Moselle said they have not installed a phone line, relying on their cell phones. Since they have access to the App, their Sales consultant can make calls from anywhere.
“We use the phone system a lot. We’ve always done a lot of grassroots marketing, which to us means directly communicating with clients on an individual level, such as class offerings. We also use the phones for making marketing calls to our new clients. The system is definitely a tool for our business development.”
Moselle said that the best parts of using Nextiva are the simplicity, flexibility, and reliability of the system, in addition to responsive customer service. Nextiva Support has been beneficial for Luma Yoga, and the few times they had questions, they called Support and received assistance quickly. “I am generally one to call when I need support, because I often don’t have time to poke around on a website, trying to find the answer to my question,” Moselle said.
Moselle and her business partner are interested in growing and adjusting the business. “The last few years, we have been adjusting to our community and trying to grow the business into something that’s profitable and sustainable—which is challenging in a climate where there’s a lot of competition in a service industry like ours, where margins are traditionally small anyway.” Moselle said they have recently refined their operations and incorporated a structured sales and marketing program. In addition, she and her business partner are trying to poise the business as a boutique, by beautifying their center and converting one of the studios into a more functional space.
“If we ever expand our business to have more than one center, I can see how we could use Nextiva to coordinate between the businesses...using a central portal to manage the needs of various locations. The phone system would grow with us,” Moselle explained. Luma Yoga will continue to provide a relaxing experience for clients through classes, wellness offerings, and building an inviting and inclusive community space.
