Read time: 7 minutes.
In this post, we’ll jump straight into what omnichannel customer engagement means, before looking at the key benefits it provides.
Omnichannel is a customer engagement strategy that ensures seamless and consistent customer experiences across multiple channels. These often include phone, email, live chat, and social media.
When omnichannel is implemented successfully, customer journeys are connected end-to-end; customers can move across devices and channels without losing context or having to repeat themselves along the way. From the business’s perspective, meanwhile, all customer interactions are consolidated into a single conversation. They gain a holistic view of their customers, which allows them to provide speedier and more personalised support and engagement. And on top of that, businesses are empowered to take the conversation to the channel that’s best suited for it.
In today’s business landscape, this sort of streamlined digital experience has become almost an expectation for customers:
In short, customers want businesses to meet them where they are, and expect all the touchpoints of their interactions to be connected.
The difference between omnichannel and multichannel. Omnichannel is distinct from the similarly named multichannel approach, and provides a far more cohesive customer experience.
But it’s not only to keep customers happy that more and more businesses are embracing an omnichannel strategy. Besides increasing customer satisfaction, it can improve efficiency, drive sales, provide valuable data insights, and allow businesses to maintain brand voice across interactions.
Here, we’ll take a more detailed look at some of the key benefits – both from a customer service and marketing perspective – that come as a result of switching to omnichannel. Taken together, they provide a compelling case for why omnichannel needs to be a key part of any modern business strategy.
Companies that offer omnichannel support typically see higher CSAT ratings than those supporting customers through a single channel alone, or multiple disconnected channels.
Besides the greater convenience and flexibility of service, customers appreciate not having to repeat themselves. They want their support journey to be connected and harmonious, and when it is, they are far more likely to advocate for the business, and come back for more themselves.
When omnichannel flows together as it should, customers experience:
Customers have different preferences for the way they communicate with businesses. Not only is there variation among individuals, but between generations, too. One study found that the phone is still the “must-have” channel for most people, as it’s seen as being especially reliable. But for Gen-Z, who value convenience above reliability, the critical channel is social media (Pitney Bowes).
This is just one example of the differences that exist in communication preferences. But it doesn’t stop here. Each customer has a personal level of receptiveness to each communication channel – there are people who prize email above all else, and others who would go to any lengths to avoid it, preferring to find a quick answer through live chat or a phone call. The point is – a business that engages with its customers through one channel alone risks cutting itself off from whole segments of the user base. With an omnichannel strategy, no one is forced to use a channel they dislike, and everyone gets access to faster and more convenient support wherever they need it.
An omnichannel approach can significantly reduce the amount of time and resources support teams need to find resolutions. Armed from the outset with a complete cross-channel view of customer interactions, they don’t need to waste time gathering context over and over again. They have the full customer conversation at their fingertips.
Support teams can also improve resolution speeds by taking the conversation directly to the channel it’s most suited to – sending out a canned response via webchat for a quick fix, for instance, or sending a webmeet invitation to resolve a more complicated issue.
Having a full picture of all customer interactions – conversations, purchase history, support requests – provides businesses with valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviour. It also lets them see how this behaviour varies across the different communication channels.
This data can be used to inform business strategy and decision-making, and help identify areas for improvement in customer engagement.
A study from The Harvard Business Review found that 73% of customers choose to use multiple channels across their shopping journeys. Couple that with findings from Accenture that one in five customers are prepared to leave a company because of poor sales channel integration, and the importance of omnichannel from a retail perspective becomes clear.
When customers can move easily between channels and devices, they get a more holistic shopping experience and an obstacle-free purchasing journey. It lets businesses be more proactive in their marketing, too – reaching out via webchat to customers who are browsing their sites, for instance, and anticipating questions before they’re even asked.
In addition, an increased cross-channel presence means fewer abandoned purchases.
With omnichannel, businesses can be everywhere at once to give their customers the information they need before they start thinking of going elsewhere.
Omnichannel makes it easier to build long-term relationships with customers, and is one of the most effective ways to improve retention. In fact, one study claims an omnichannel engagement strategy can increase customer retention by over 90%. This surely owes in part to the convenience omnichannel provides for customers, and in part to the level of personalised support that businesses are able to deliver as a result of it.
Besides building trust and loyalty, an omnichannel approach can also increase revenue – repeat customers are thought to spend as much as 60% more than one-off purchasers.
When communication across different channels is inconsistent, it can create confusion for customers, and weaken the message that a business wants to get across.
An omnichannel approach makes it easier to ensure that brand voice stays cohesive and recognisable. This consistency, in turn, can help strengthen brand identity and build trust among customers.
The seven top benefits of omnichannel engagement:
When implemented correctly, an omnichannel approach offers businesses a host of benefits. And at the same time, customers can enjoy more convenient, more personalised support through the channels they feel most comfortable using.
If you want to set your business apart from the competition, get started with omnichannel now. Sign up with Floji for free, and see how smoothly it integrates your customers’ favourite channels into one attractive and easy-to-use workspace.
Floji provides a simple yet powerful Helpdesk solution with full omnichannel capabilities.
But unlike other omnichannel solutions, Floji also covers all your collaboration needs. It’s the one platform that lets you work with colleagues and external partners, as well as provide customer support.