What Factors Must Be Considered To Implement An Appropriate Omnichannel Strategy?

Customers from all sectors have been waiting for self-service options. From chat services to applications to allow users of a website to talk to the customer service center in a click. These channels give customers another way to quickly and easily get what they need. While some companies are moving in the right direction with their omnichannel strategies, many lack an internal framework strong enough to understand the implications for the client.

According to a recent Salesforce report, 59% of consumers and 71% of business buyers claimed that self-service availability affects brand loyalty. Another study noted that 93% of clients think that providing this experience is important, placing it high on the list of priorities. As a result, companies are adding channels faster than ever, and sometimes to the detriment of the customer experience.

It is clear that digital self-service is a great piece of continuous success, but simply having a strategy is not enough. The experience of a client is not only about receiving the service, but also about obtaining the best possible service. When establishing new channels, it is important to take a step back and look at the big picture to analyze how those channels will impact the customer’s journey.

What Factors Must Be Considered To Implement An Appropriate Omnichannel Strategy?

1) Less Is More

Gartner predicts that by 2020, 85% of all customer service interactions will be carried out using a chatbot. It is true that this type of self-service communication channels can create a better experience, but in all the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, companies can be trapped in the pressure to innovate and deploy new solutions before they are ready.

According to a recent report, 44% of marketing leaders and customer experience say they offer four or more channels to communicate with their brand, but 58% admit that their customers only use two or three. Although many companies do not know exactly how their customers use channels, they continue to add more options. And that puts them at risk of dehumanizing the customer experience.

Even in a digital world, customers want a human connection, and technology will not cut it. If companies are too focused on looking for technology without adequate preparation, they risk ignoring customer service teams that have the ability to offer the best possible service when customers need them the most.

2) Technology Of Maps For The Trip Of The Client

There is no doubt that it is important to offer an immaculate omnichannel experience to the client, but only 45% of the companies think they are doing a good job. Why? Because they are not seeing the big picture: 39% say they do not have the ability to combine customer interaction data from all channels, and 42% say that employees are not being trained in all channels.

For companies to successfully implement digital self-service, they must see how those channels relate to the global trajectory of the customer. By using the data to see the path of the existing customer, companies gain a firm understanding of customer behavior and the steps that customers want to take. From there, they can implement comprehensive strategies that create a comfortable and connected trip that exceeds the client’s expectations.

3) Suitable people for the right channels

Customers interact with companies in different ways, but at the other end of those interactions are people who analyze interaction data to better understand what customers want. And those people have the power to make or break the customer experience. Unfortunately, only 55% of US companies have changed the way they hire customer service staff due to the increased number of channels, and only 59% of companies have customer service agents specializing in skills for specific channels, instead of combined customer service agents.

With omnichannel on the rise, the customer service staff working in the contact center is more important than ever. To adapt to the changing technological landscape, companies must hire specialized roles to ensure that customers receive exceptional service at all times. After all, the same agent who is fantastic on the phone may not have the same ability to delight customers through chat or text. When companies change their hiring practices to be channel-specific and skill-based, they are one step closer to reaching the brand for customers.

Omnichannel strategies are important for the future success of any company, but only if they are executed correctly. By implementing the right technology to meet the needs of customers and combining it with a qualified and specialized team of agents in the call center, companies can comply with customer satisfaction metrics and develop brand loyalty, regardless of the channels they prefer.