Omnichannel customer service

Quality customer service is required in 2024 as companies try to improve customer experiences. Providing this support is a challenging task. Customers today have much higher customer service expectations than they did 5 years ago. 

So, how can you keep pace with these rising expectations? One solution is providing omnichannel customer service. An omnichannel approach allows you to connect seamlessly with your clients across multiple channels. Let’s take a look at how this approach can help you grow your business.

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What is omnichannel customer service?

Omnichannel customer service provides seamless service and support to your customers across multiple communication channels. With the proliferation of digital channels, companies can connect with customers in ever-increasing ways using various communication technologies.

However, having a presence on multiple channels is not enough. Your clients should be able to move effortlessly from channel to channel as they interact with your company. All relevant history and information should be available every step of the way. It’s no longer acceptable to silo information by channel or department.

Benefits of omnichannel customer service

Improve your customer experience

The biggest benefit to omnichannel customer service is how easily your customers can access help. When they have a question or issue, they reach out where they are most comfortable, and you respond. This helps improve the customer experience.

Reduce customer churn

Happy customers are loyal customers. And omnichannel customer support creates happy customers. When a customer can research, purchase, and troubleshoot without friction, they will be back. You show them you are there to help, and they don’t need to worry about you hitting the mark.

More sales opportunities

Omnichannel customer support enables purchases on multiple platforms. With mCommerce, people no longer need a desktop computer to shop online. They can shop easily across devices. And that means that when it’s time to buy, they can buy from you at the right time.

Fast resolution times

So many aspects of omnichannel customer service support faster resolution times. First, when you meet customers where they are, they don’t have to waste time getting to you. Then, the holistic view of your clients helps you resolve issues quickly. Chatbots can even gather initial information while the customer is connected to a live agent. In this business environment, seconds count.

The complete guide to delivering an omnichannel customer experience

What is the difference between omnichannel and multichannel customer support?

In this day and age, most companies have a presence and offer some level of support on more than one channel. However, multichannel is not the same as omnichannel customer support. Multichannel simply means customers can connect with you via more than one channel. However, there’s no guarantee, though, that information from previous interactions will be accessible on each channel. For example, they may be able to chat with an agent via Facebook Messenger, but that agent may not be able to see their purchase history or make changes to an existing order.

By contrast, an omnichannel customer service experience means that all channels can provide the same high level of service. Every channel is connected to a single source or truth that gives them access to a 360-degree view of the client and their entire history with your company. This approach helps to meet your customer expectations and improve customer relationships.

Read more about omnichannel customer service vs multi-channel support

Assessing your omnichannel service maturity

By now, most businesses have some type of presence on more than one channel. Maybe you advertise on social media, have a knowledge base or FAQs on your website, and offer support via email and call center. A first step toward an omnichannel approach is providing that seamless experience.

However, you’ll get better at this the longer you do it. You can fast-track your progress by leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Tools like Freshworks Freddy AI can collect customer data and insights.

When does a business need an omnichannel customer service strategy?

Maintaining privacy and security

Although you control the safety and security of some channels, if you’re using other providers or platforms, you are subject to the quality of their security and their policies around data usage.

If your customers want to chat with you on Facebook, you need to be there. But you may not want to share all of your data with the Meta-verse. An omnichannel strategy allows you to shift channels easily after an initial contact on a less secure channel.

Moving from one channel to another

Anytime you are providing service on more than one channel, you need an omnichannel strategy. That’s because, without transparency between channels, you can’t provide equally awesome service and support at every interaction.

With an omnichannel customer experience strategy, you will have a system that provides critical 360 views to all agents, and your agents will be trained in using that system.

Omnichannel customer service use cases and examples

Privacy and security

When a customer contacts your call center, they could be anyone. When dealing with sensitive information, you need a way to verify your identity. Omnichannel customer support can help you authenticate their identity by sending links to their already verified phone or email.

In this case, you’re using multiple channels simultaneously, which goes beyond simply providing service on social media and by email.

Extending service hours

Not every business can have a person available to pick up the phone calls or answer emails or SMS from the support team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Maybe you’re just getting started and can’t staff all the shifts. Maybe you’re serving a global customer base and are leaving some of your customers on the other side of the world alone for hours at a time.

Luckily, not all channels rely on a 24/7 workforce. Chatbots are never off the clock. And they do some tasks better than even your most experienced support agents with zero wait time. They can answer basic questions with quick response time. And with an omnichannel approach, they can still personalize customer-centric service with access to a customer’s purchase and support history.

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Challenges of omnichannel customer support

Omnichannel operations pose formidable challenges for businesses dealing with intricate products, complicating various facets from sales to customer service. The intricacy of such products typically demands adept sales representatives, yet the integration of rich media like video, 3D animation, and augmented reality facilitates customer self-service options, enhancing engagement. 

The shift from traditional to digital customer service agent processes introduces hurdles such as price transparency, compelling businesses to maintain consistent information across channels to retain customers. 

Organizational impediments include disjointed inventory management and employee training issues that affect customer support quality. 

Moreover, businesses encounter difficulties in training customer-facing employees to optimize omnichannel strategies. Despite the self-service capabilities of omnichannel, ensuring well-trained personnel remains critical for delivering exceptional customer experiences, especially for complex purchases requiring personalized experience in customer interactions.

The future of omnichannel customer service

It’s no longer enough to just show up on various channels. Today, you must show up as your best self on every one of those channels. You can get started today with a partner like Freshworks.