The future of awesome customer experience begins by unlocking the benefits of Omnichannel customer care. Have you ever experienced getting in touch with customer service multiple times in different ways and realized that the left hand might not know what the right hand is doing? Did you have to explain your dilemma to a new customer service representative all over again? Being unable to pick up a customer conversation from phone to live chat can be a nuisance to many, that’s why numerous businesses have started to venture towards omnichannel support.
Omnichannel support refers to a company’s ability to provide customer service through different means AND be able to centralize its customer service capabilities—may it be through phone, text, live chat, email, or whatnot—a customer will be able to continue a conversation or transaction without having to start from square one. Multichannel support, on the other hand, refers to a company being able to provide customer service through different means (as previously said, phone, text, live chat, email, or whatnot) but not being able to pick up where they left off. Which would you say is better for your business?
Innovations in technology may mean fewer face-to-face interactions between customers and representatives in brick-and-mortar establishments, but that does not mean that the human factor should go away too. A people-first approach is more important than ever.
Why do you need it? There are several particular, clear-cut reasons why you perhaps need omnichannel support in your business. First, chat apps like Facebook Messenger or Instagram may be accessible but customers may need more security than providing their private information on (albeit private) social media. Many individuals are not keen on sharing information through Facebook. If you are providing omnichannel support, you will be able to continue the conversation through another channel, like a phone or your app.
Second, if your customer is a busy person, as are most people on the go. If they got in touch with your contact center through your live chat and will not be able to respond for whatever reason, the customer asks you to call. This will not be a problem if your business offers omnichannel support, and your representative and the customer can pick it up from there.
Third, if your customer prefers to be notified through SMS. Your representative and the customer are in the middle of a transaction when the customer begs off of the call for personal important reasons. Your agent will be able to update the customer through SMS. Isn’t omnichannel support grand? These are just some examples of how customer-friendly omnichannel support is.
How do you start? Skills Development. Equipping your representatives with the right tools and knowledge is your first step. Ensure that everyone understands the goal and is on board. By providing elaborate training and education, your customer service representatives will be provided the skills necessary to not only make your customers happy but will also allow them to succeed at their jobs.
Understand customer expectations. The next step to providing omnichannel support is understanding what exactly your customers expect of your company, from your product to the type of customer service they are looking for. Profile your immediate consumer: who are they, what do they need, and what type of communication do they prefer? Asking them outright may help in this matter. Gather your data, analyze, and use it to your business’s advantage.
Ensure that your customer support is available ANYWHERE. Of course, being omnichannel means being available anywhere, and anyhow your customer contacts you. Text message? You are there. Live chat? No problem. Centralize your customer service tool and ensure everyone has access to it. Open your channels and make your business available to everyone.
The Human Touch. Chatbots are the thing of the future—but we are still some time away from human-like AI. Nobody empathizes, understands, and provides a human touch the way a real human does. Chatbots are a tool for your representatives, not the other way around. There should be a great deal of balance between automation and human representatives to deliver hybrid support that both help direct customers to the right place and deliver to them a tailor-fit customer experience that they deserve.
Excellent Mobile Experience. Everyone uses cellphones: from that little kid watching cartoons on YouTube to the old lady waiting for her grandchildren’s call. It is one thing for your website to look great on the PC monitor, but it’s a whole different thing if it looks good both on PC and on mobile phone screens. Not everyone can get to a PC, but almost everyone has a cellphone in their pocket. Make sure that your website looks inviting and accessible to both, and optimize your live chat capabilities. Representatives should be ready to answer whatever channel your customer prefers to ensure an outstanding mobile customer experience.
Social Media Boosting. There’s internet in every far corner of the world, so make your presence felt far and wide. A great marketing support group comes into play. Frequent posts about your company in all available social media outlets are a big help. Your marketing team can help draw customers by telling them about your company and help manage customer expectations about the type of service that you can provide, and your customer service team will be the one to execute those promises.
Omnichannel support brings tremendous advantages to your customer experience. It allows customers to reach you in multiple modes of media, help identify customer opportunities, resolve their issues faster, and increase your revenue. Customer needs change and businesses such as yours should and will change for the better. Transforming your business into omnichannel customer support ensures that you are ready for whatever the future may bring.
VXI is an omnichannel customer service provider to several Fortune 500 companies. If you need assistance with your omnichannel customer care strategy, allow us to help you prepare and equip your company with the right tools and knowledge for a lucrative, thriving, and positive customer experience. Get in touch with us.
