How are Modern Enterprises Using Omnichannel Communication to Boost CX
We have progressively moved from linear customer journeys to more complex ones. Customers are evolving in terms of preferences and expectations. So, it’s safe to say that how customers discover products or services has moved from brick-and-mortar establishments to online means. This involves every operation online, from sales prospecting to third-party product reviews
Recently, customers have more ways of interacting with businesses than they had decades ago, from the comfort of their homes. As a result, companies need to expand their reach on multiple platforms and devices. But here’s an issue that emerges when providing customers with various ways of interacting: siloed interactions. Although the ways a person can reach your business have increased, many organizations still have a long way to go when integrating those and offering an omnichannel experience to each customer. Because of this reason, customers are more likely to repeat themselves each time they use a new communication channel, leading to frustration and incomplete information. Enter omnichannel communication.
What Is Omnichannel Communication?
Omnichannel communication involves integrating different communication channels into a central communication hub to provide seamless experiences, regardless of the chosen communication channel combination. Simply put, a customer can contact your business via phone call, email, or chatbot without losing the primary context of their concerns when switching between different channels. Ultimately, this delivers a unified brand experience, increasing customer satisfaction.
However, many brands still struggle to consolidate the information generated from this kind of interaction and make it readily available regardless of your customer’s chosen means of communication at any given time. Omnichannel customer experiences should be consistent and relevant to your customers. Meaning, each time a customer reaches out to your business, they shouldn’t have to explain themselves all over again their concerns.
Omnichannel Or Multichannel?
When it comes to omnichannel communication, many businesses still confuse it with multichannel experiences. The two have several significant differentiators, and the two terms cannot be used interchangeably.
- Multichannel communication— this involves expanding communication strategy to a multitude of channels. The channels themselves remain separate, and each of them is operated on different strategies. With multichannel experiences, customers most likely have different experiences, depending on the channel they use each time they interact with a brand.
- Omnichannel communication—this involves many interconnected channels, and moving between them to provide a seamless experience. As you may guess, this enhances customer experience, allowing companies to quickly boost CX. The strategy and messaging are consistent across all channels and devices customers may use.
The quickest way to implement omnichannel communication is by integrating an omnichannel contact center platform into your operations. Some similar platforms even provide unlimited calling and texting opportunities, accelerating CX.
Perks and Benefits of Omnichannel Communication
As previously mentioned, having a tightly-knit communication strategy encompassing multiple communication outlets can enhance CX. But let’s dive deeper into those perks of omnichannel communication and potentially help you identify gaps in your communication strategy.
1. Delivers Consistent Customer Experience (CX)
Omnichannel communication strategies enable customers to start conversing with your business and seamlessly transition to other channels. Omnichannel communication strategies enhance customer interactions and drive higher customer engagement levels. Satisfied customers are also more likely to become brand ambassadors. With the help of a similar communication strategy, you meet one of your customer’s greatest expectations in this day and time: consistent, streamlined interactions with brands. Whether your customers prefer traditional support channels, such as phone calls, or digital interactions, like chats or email, ensuring customer satisfaction with omnichannel communication is possible. Omnichannel platforms unite all customer touchpoints, helping your business deliver streamlined messaging and interactions.
2. Boosts Customer Satisfaction
Switching between different communication channels in customer interactions increases the chances of losing some information. This can quickly become a source of frustration for your customers, generating bad experiences. For example, when customers wait longer to have their inquiries solved, your business loses the opportunity to establish a positive relationship with them.
Omnichannel communication platforms are customer-centric and aim to streamline customer journeys by eliminating friction and misunderstanding.
3. Increases Customer Retention Rates
Omnichannel communication is not only helpful when customers reach out with an issue they have. It can also be used to reach out to customers after purchasing through a satisfaction and improvement survey. You can use it to enroll them in loyalty programs, reach out to them on their anniversaries as your customers, or even on their birthdays.
Alternatively, you can send educational materials concerning their most recent issues or questions. This is an excellent way to redefine personalization and retain the customers you already have in your portfolio. Customer retention is a more effective strategy for boosting ROI for many enterprises, so focusing on customer experience with the help of omnichannel communication is a way to meet modern consumers’ standards. It also is an excellent way to increase your customer’s Average Lifetime Value (ALV).
4. Accelerates ROI
Apart from enabling organizations to boost customer retention rates and, thus, accelerate ROI, you can use a similar onmichannel communication strategy to offer enterprises a glimpse into customer needs, buying behavior, and preferences.
A system of interconnected communication channels allows you to offer customers pain-free experiences, making them more likely to buy and complete transactions in a natural fashion. Suppose a customer placed several products in their baskets and forgot to complete the transaction. In such cases, you can gently nudge them through email or push notifications. This is how remarketing opportunities also arise based on previous customer purchases. Having siloed communication channels prevents you from having all this data and missing opportunities.
5. Offers a Centralized Customer View
Omnichannel communication platforms are not only great at offering your customers the opportunity to start a chat with your brand, but also by then moving them seamlessly through other touchpoints pre-planned within your customer journey. It also provides your teams access to centralized information on your customers. This way, you can contact them using their preferred communication method.
Doing so will also allow you to gain a deeper understanding of customer behavior and integrate the data generated by such platforms with other analytics tools.
Contact SugarCRM for Omnichannel Capabilities
There is a clear distinction between multichannel and omnichannel communication strategies. Boosting CX with the help of a clear communication strategy is closely related to offering customers the opportunity to reach out to your business through their preferred communication method at any given time and ensuring frictionless interactions. A dedicated platform can lift the burden and guesswork of a similar approach, helping your organization rise to modern consumers’ standards.
Need help with deploying omnichannel communication? We’re here to help! Reach out to our team, and let’s chat!
