Guide to Understanding Omnichannel Customer Support

Definition of Omnichannel Customer Support

Most companies typically focus on individual channels to support their customers, such as chat apps, email, social media DMs or a chatbot on the business' website but unfortunately, each channel is treated as a separate entity. However, as more and more consumers begin to engage brands on multiple channels, it has become clear that this approach needed to be more effective.

Omnichannel customer support is the integration of the different support channels to provide a seamless and consistent customer experience with the help of an omnichannel inbox.

This strategy aims at:

• Providing a consistent user experience across channels,

• Personalising the customer engagement with the company,

• Creating a unified view of the customer across all channels,

• Making it easy for customers to reach the brand between channels,

• Using data and technology such as CRM and AI to deliver better customer journey.

As technology and customer behaviours continue to evolve, omnichannel customer support will further change and adapt to better fit the needs of the customers.

Multichannel vs Omnichannel Customer Support

The two strategies of customer support - multichannel and omnichannel - are similar in that they both involve reaching customers through different channels. However, there are some critical differences namely:

• Multichannel customer support uses multiple channels to reach customers, but the individual channels are not connected to one another. For example, a customer can contact the support team on WhatsApp after realising their emails are not being responded to expediently. However, due to lack of a unified dashboard, the conversation does not continue across the two channels.

• Omnichannel customer support goes ten steps further to unify the multiple channels. The conversation continues regardless of the shift in channel chosen by a specific customer. In addition to traditional channels like email, and phone call, Omnichannel customer support can include newer channels like live chat, social media DMs, SMS, and chat apps like Telegram and WhatsApp.

In short, multichannel customer support is about having many channels but with little or no connection between them. Whereas, omnichannel is about connecting and aligning the various channels to provide a consistent customer experience.

Best Practices for Omnichannel Customer Support

Here are some ideas to help you get started with omnichannel customer support:

1. Identify your target audience: Understand your customer's preferences and what channels they use to engage with your brand.

2. Create a consistent brand message and experience: Develop a clear brand message and design guidelines that can be applied consistently across all channels.

3. Map the customer journey: Identify the different touchpoints where your customers interact with your brand and map out the customer journey to understand how they move between channels.

   

4. Integrate your channels: Connect your different channels by using an omnichannel inbox so that they can share data and provide a seamless experience for your customers.

5. Collect data: Use technology such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems for customer service and AI-driven personalisation to understand customer needs and the experience on each channel.

6. Test and measure: Test your omnichannel strategy and measure its effectiveness. Use customer feedback, data and analytics to make adjustments and improve the customer experience.

7. Continuously optimise: Monitor and optimise your omnichannel scripted chatbot by analysing customer responses and feedback to provide more relevant resolution and to stay ahead of the curve.

The Benefits of Choosing an Omnichannel Strategy

Choosing an omnichannel strategy can provide many benefits for your business, such as:

1. Increased customer engagement: An omnichannel approach allows customers to engage with your brand through their preferred channel, whether through your WhatsApp, website, social media, or in-store.

2. Improved customer experience: By providing a consistent and seamless customer experience across all channels, an omnichannel approach can help improve customer satisfaction and retention.

3. Greater insight into customer behaviour: An omnichannel strategy allows you to collect data from different channels, which can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. This data can be used to create more targeted and personalised customer support.

4. Increased sales: An omnichannel approach can improve the customer experience and increase brand loyalty, ultimately leading to increased sales.

5. Better ROI: Omnichannel customer support can be more cost-effective than conventional customer support and is less risky than channel-specific messaging. As it allows companies to engage with customers across multiple platforms with a cohesive message, it can increase ROI.

6. Enhanced competitive advantage: Omnichannel strategy can give companies a competitive edge, creating competitive differentiation and being a key differentiator from other players in the market.

7. Increased Customer satisfaction score: Omnichannel support allows companies to unify customer support across more channels. Therefore, it can help deliver a positive brand image.

Keep in mind that the benefits of an omnichannel approach will depend on how well the support agents are trained to implement it. The human touch is the glue between the business and its customers, as well as the level of investment in the technology and data.

Future of Omnichannel Customer Support

Technological advances and consumer behaviour changes will likely shape the future of omnichannel customer support. Here are a few ways that omnichannel customer support is expected to evolve in the future:

1. Gen-Z customer agents: This generation intuitively knows how technology works and how it can make our work and personal lives easier. As such, to employ this cohort of tech-savvy workforce into your organisation; you need the environment and the infrastructure that grabs their attention in the first place. Read all about hiring and retaining Gen-Z in the customer service department.

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): As these technologies become more advanced and accessible, companies will use them to create more personalised and relevant customer experiences. AI and ML can also help companies make more accurate customer behaviour and preferences predictions. Experience the power of Conversational AI for yourself!

   

3. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR): These technologies will be more widely used to enhance the customer experience and create more immersive, engaging, and personalised experiences.

4. Voice-activated Devices and Conversational Interfaces: With the rise of digital assistants like Alexa and Google Home, there will be increased use of voice-activated devices and conversational interfaces to engage customers, provide personalised recommendations and make purchasing more convenient.

5. Experiential Channels: The focus will shift from product-led to experience-led channels that create a tailored and unique experience for each customer based on their preferences, location and other real-time data.

With the advent of new technologies and innovations, new channels will continue to emerge, and companies will need to adapt to remain competitive and provide customers with the most convenient and engaging experiences.