At this point, most of the brands are working towards managing and running omnichannel strategies in their businesses, so it is a pretty common word. Having omnichannel customer service isn’t about the number of channels that are being connected, rather it is about the quality of communication that is being carried out by the customer service team. This article will provide in-depth information about how omnichannel customer service works.
Omnichannel Customer Service
This is a strategy that is used to provide customer support across multiple channels. It is different from the traditional support in a way. That they focus solely on single channels like phones, email, or live chat. One main thing that makes the omnichannel approach stand out from the single-channel. Is that it contains a synchronized customer service model; meaning that all the channels are connected and functioning simultaneously. In an omnichannel approach, messages from customers flow in a single, that provides the context of the conversation to support agents across all channels. This makes it an excellent customer experience.
Omnichannel vs. Multichannel
These two terms might seem the same but they are really not. Multichannel refers to providing customer support across multiple channels. Instead of providing just one channel of communication, there are many others through which customers can initiate conversations. Many brands have such an approach so that customers can reach out through channels of their preference. Comcast Xfinity has multiple channels of Xfinity customer service on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc. where subscribers to Xfinity internet can reach out for any issues.
However, Omnichannel also supports a multichannel feature but what makes it different from the multichannel approach is that customers can switch to another channel mid-conversation without having to worry about losing their chat history or having to repeat their problems all over again to a different support agent.
Also, the focus isn’t customer-centric in the multichannel approach, rather it is the way through which customers can reach out to the brand. Rather than delivering a genuinely consistent experience, with a multichannel approach, conversations are started right from the beginning. With omnichannel, on the other hand, there is a prioritization of consistency across all channels. For instance, if a customer is communicating with the support agent through live chat, but he somehow loses the signal to that live chat, but manages to pick up the conversation via call. Even when there are different support agents behind the live-chat screen and phone call, they were still able to keep up with the concerns of the same customer by reading through chat history.
Benefits of Omnichannel Customer Service
As can already be guessed through its definition, there are many benefits to having the omnichannel communication approach, and some of those will be listed below;
- Improved Customer Satisfaction. Brands that focus on implementing an omnichannel approach have reported having better retention and increased customer satisfaction than those that haven’t really put their focus on being a customer-centric brand.
- Engaging More Customers. When a brand is providing more options through which their customers can reach out to them, they are also expected to have more customers engage with them. Customers who don’t prefer communicating via phone. Might feel more comfortable reaching out to customer support through live chat or text.
- Gain Additional Context. With an omnichannel strategy, brands would be empowering their customer service team to readily help out their customers. Each of the communication channels should be connected and linked to allow the flow of information. If implemented properly, customer service teams will have information about the customers from the beginning of their conversation.
- Better Data. Your brand will be able to make metrics-driven decisions about customer service experiences and strategies with such data. Your customer service team will have an idea of how customers interact over different communication channels. And what is their channel of preference? Tweaking your support strategy will allow you to deliver a better, more personalized customer service experience.
Conclusion
If you are considering the omnichannel strategy in your business, remember to start small. Consider first the communication channels that your customers often use before moving on to widening the number of communication channels.
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