Why ignoring an omni-channel approach will cost you sales and customer satisfaction
The vast majority of people have smartphones and use several different channels for communication: web, mobile web, SMS, calling, apps, bots, email etc. Consequently, you should be prepared to serve them in the channels they want to be served in.
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Omni-channel contact centers are the future of sales, service, and support. The omni-channel strategy focuses on the cooperation of all channels and touch points to the benefit of the customer.
The vast majority of people have smartphones and use several different channels for communication: web, mobile web, SMS, calling, apps, bots, email, etc. Consequently, you should be prepared to serve them in the channels they want to be served in. The customer experience should remain excellent and consistent in all channels.
More seamless interactions between customers and businesses
Customers prefer companies that allow them to consistently interact in different channels and devices without delay or disruption. Omni-channel communication is consumer-centric by nature because it makes navigating between company touchpoints seamless. The contact is consistent between desktop, mobile device, telephone, or in person.
To provide omnichannel service, you need smooth blending between channels and queues and escalations from one channel to another – although a customer journey may begin on one channel, they might want to continue it on another one. Customers should always be able to switch between channels and still have a quality experience that boosts your sales.
Omni-channel communication is necessary, as from a customer point of view, nothing is more frustrating than repeating the same issue to different recipients. Instead, you should make the process seamless by making sure that the agent always knows the customer’s history and can resolve the problem quickly. Agents with access to details across all channels provide the best service.
What are the implications for Contact Centers?
Contact centers will need to build omni-channel service into their offerings. All channels, including messaging and web chat, need to be native channels. This requires using a contact center software where all channels are part of the same core product, sharing the same UI to deliver a unified brand experience. They have standardized actions, reports, supervisor monitoring, and management.
Contact centers are naturally used to selling and providing customer service in the voice channel. Although people will continue to communicate through voice, consumers want to use email, chat, co-browsing, and SMS, depending on what they are trying to accomplish.
The core technology in these departments should be an omni-channel contact center solution – such as LeadDesk. That’s the only way to deliver a consistently seamless and quality service experience.
