Too often, customer service strategies consist of technologies and processes designed to provide customers with an opportunity to connect with the company. They are not necessarily designed with the customer in mind. In fact, the key to creating an effective omnichannel strategy is to constantly focus on the customer, who is to be the most important element of the company’s operation. If omnichannel does not provide this, it causes frustration not only for customers but also for employees. This affects business results such as satisfaction indicators, but also the company’s finances – operating costs or generated revenues.
Multi-Channel Customer Service
According to a 2020 North Group of Customer Service Experience report, 72% of consumers say that after one bad experience, they are likely to think of switching to a competing brand. How to avoid this and create an effective customer service strategy based on omnichannel?
Omnichannel – Understand What it is
Omnichannel is nothing more than multi-channel, which allows customers to communicate with the company through various channels and seamlessly move between them. It aims to ensure consistency of the customer experience in each of these places and at every stage of the service. Such consistency, when used in a good way, can be crucial to the success of a business. Omnichannel is much more than technology. It is the process of translating technological possibilities into business results. Multichannel does not mean that you offer your customers several different ways of contacting your business. It is not enough! Clients expect a seamless transition between channels, quick interaction with the company and the greatest possible experience of consultants. Omnichannel is therefore a process, not a one-time implementation. However, thanks to the right supplier, such a process can be significantly accelerated, to be able to enjoy multichannel faster and use its amenities. We wrote more about omnichannel in the article“Omnichannel – what benefits can it provide to your company?”.
Organize Omnichannel Experiences
There are a number of potential problems when deploying omnichannel to customer support. There may be times when the priority of services will be based on the interaction channel rather than value for customers. Customers may receive conflicting information, which will result in less trust in the brand. Multiple resources can work on the same client request through different channels. Such activities will cause huge costs for the company related to low customer satisfaction.
Remember that true omnichannel experiences are structured. It is a seamless customer journey through multiple brand touchpoints, resulting in benefits for both the customer and the company. When deciding to implement an omnichannel company, set the roles and communication strategy. Thanks to this, you will be able to take full advantage of all the advantages of omnichannel and it will become a factor in business success.
Understand Your Customer
Omnichannel is primarily a customer who is to be at the center of the organization. One of the most common mistakes made by companies that want to be multi-channel is not understanding the customer, their needs and what their purchasing process looks like. Get “in the client’s shoes”. Understand what he really wants. To determine this, ask yourself a few questions:
- where are my clients on their journey?
- what are they trying to achieve?
- with whom do they interact?
- how can omnichannel lead to the best result for them?
It is important to look at the customer through the prism of the purchasing process, not the sales funnel or the company’s marketing plan. To be well prepared for this, you should have personas and a list of different types of clients – each with different needs. With such a persona, it will be much easier for you to prepare a map of the customer’s journey and compile it with individual omnichannel channels. Also, avoid designing sales without customer involvement. There is no better source of information and inspiration than your client.
Create a Business Case
The next step is to create a business case. Understand all the benefits that can be generated from an omnichannel strategy. Assess all perspectives on the benefits to your business of multi-channel capability. If you improve at least one business indicator, you are likely to affect another as well. Create a strategy where different technologies work together and are unified to convey exactly what they know about the customer, their journey, intentions and inclinations. To prepare your business for omnichannel implementation, you will also have to redefine the processes that are currently taking place in the company. Well-described customer needs will help you plan the work in each department and communicate them properly.
When creating your business case, remember not to compare yourself to other companies. Every business should have an omnichannel designed only for itself – after all, every company is different. The business model is rarely the same. Even minor differences between companies may require completely different preparation for the implementation of omnichannel.