What if you were told you could retain a whopping 89% of your customers? Does it sound impossible? It is not – this high retention percentage is now attainable when you use an omnichannel contact center.
Studies have shown that omnichannel communication does indeed grow customer retention to that impressive rate versus a minor 33% for companies not employing an omnichannel communication perspective.
The demand for omnichannel contact centers is growing exponentially because of digitalization. Customers now have a variety of ways to contact businesses – the traditional telephone is no longer the only means of communication. Yet, if you don’t answer their communication requests immediately, they will more than likely switch to someone who does.
First and foremost, what does the term omnichannel mean exactly? You can think of it as an interconnected combination of traditional and online communication across multiple devices. For example, maybe a customer goes to your website to research a blouse and then goes to the store to purchase it. Or they are in the store, see the blouse, but need it in a different color or size they can get online.
Taking omnichannel in another direction, maybe you advertise a sale in your store and then direct your customers to your Facebook page for a coupon. Or you send a promotional email that directs your customers to social media and then into your brick and mortar location.
There are thousands upon thousands of scenarios in which a customer and business may use multiple channels to make a purchase or provide marketing, but the main aspect of omnichannel customer service is that all of these channels are seamlessly interconnected.
In fact, omnichannel support isn’t just used in marketing and in-commerce. It involves using all available media channels and, above all else, it is centered around the customer. In the end, the customer will receive a seamless, interconnected purchasing experience from beginning to end by having the opportunity to start and complete their purchases using a variety of channels.
So, you understand what omnichannel means, but what about an omnichannel contact center? Just like a traditional contact center, an omnichannel contact center is your customers’ first point of contact. Whether it is to answer a question about a product or remedy a service issue, a customer can receive a response immediately no matter what form of communication they use (hence, omnichannel!).
For example, an omnichannel contact center may represent a business and answer questions and concerns through a variety of means – email, text, social media, etc. In omnichannel contact centers, these different forms of communication can all be combined for one customer.
Whatever communication avenue a customer prefers, an omnichannel contact center representative will be available, on demand, to deliver fast and superior service. This could be by answering a traditional phone call, monitoring a Facebook page, or communicating via an email address or even video conferencing! Whatever way your customers want to get in touch, an omnichannel contact center will be available.
You may be thinking, I already use a multichannel contact center so I don’t need to look into an omnichannel option. Well, there are some very important differences between omnichannel and multichannel services.
Multichannel means using more than one channel, one at a time, and is centered around the product or service. Omnichannel, on the other hand, uses all channels that are available to the customer simultaneously and is centered around the customer, not the product or service. This customer-centered approach ensures they receive a quality and consistent experience every time.
Because a multichannel call center doesn’t integrate all communication channels seamlessly, the customer may not get the same smooth and seamless experience as with an omnichannel contact center. Let’s look at an example…
What if your customer started an interaction with a multichannel contact center via the traditional telephone but didn’t get the answer they wanted? With a multicenter call center, they may have to start their complaint process all over again if they switch to email or via social media.
With an omnichannel approach, the communication between the phone, email, and social media are all integrated so that the communication is continuous. In this scenario, a customer may start a complaint or request through a phone call, follow-up via email, and then get the final update and response through social media. The entire process is integrated and seamless for a more satisfying customer experience.
One of the biggest issues in having omnichannel communication in-house is communication amongst your employees. Have you ever called a customer service line, got transferred to email, only to have to re-explain your situation over and over again because the employees aren’t communicating with one another? That is not a successful form of omnichannel communication and will just leave a customer more frustrated.
This is why it is beneficial to have one designated contact center that is taking care of all the inquiries and following up with customers through different means. And the numbers don’t lie – we already discussed the higher customer retention rate, and marketers that use three or more means of communication earned a 287% higher purchase rate than those that used a single-channel campaign!
Using an omnichannel contact center will help you gain, and keep, loyal customers while also building a solid reputation for your company.
Since omnichannel call centers follow a specific structure in which they answer customer communication requests, they can quickly route calls to necessary departments and assist customers on different topics by connecting them to relevant specialists.
For example, if a customer needs to be transferred from sales, marketing, or technical support, this will be done quickly and efficiently. And, since this contact center is “omnichannel,” this routing can be done through the telephone, email, social media, chat request, and so on.
Omnichannel contact centers run their operations smoothly and seamlessly because they have access to all the data required. Just think about why customers like dealing with smaller companies who can answer their questions smoothly rather than larger ones located all over the world.
A smaller company will more than likely be at one single location for smooth and seamless operations. The same holds true for omnichannel contact centers.
Although omnichannel contact personnel may not be at the same physical location, they are privy to the same customer data. This means an omnichannel contact expert in Philadelphia can continue smooth and seamless email communication with a customer who initiated a phone call to someone in Austin.
No matter what, your customers will receive a smooth operational transition between communication channels to ensure a seamless (and stress free!) experience. Not only does this seamless process save time for your customers, but also boosts your own brand’s reputation – they will more than likely tell others about how efficient your customer service was and help build your brand’s reputation!
Contact centers have always been known to collect and analyze data for their clients, and omnichannel contact centers are no different. Omnichannel contact centers regularly conduct quality monitoring and customer satisfaction reviews and make improvements based on the data’s results.
This doesn’t mean they simply collect data and spew out numbers. Instead, omnichannel contact centers know how to monitor and interpret the data collected so that they can continue to adjust and improve your customers’ communication experiences.
For example, a quality omnichannel call center may monitor what communication channels your customers use most so that they can choose to monitor those platforms regularly. They also regularly review your customers’ purchasing journey from beginning to end. That way, they can supply data to your sale’s team so that they can increase your company’s sales.
One way contact centers are streamlining communication for clients is through Interactive Voice Response (IVR). IVR is an automated telephone system that helps customers navigate to the right department or live agent. However, a poor IVR system can be detrimental to your company’s omnichannel approach.
Have you ever called a company just to be put through an endless loop of redirects? This is one of the major ways company’s lose customers. Ansafone’s IVR system will help your customers get the answers they seek efficiently and effectively without the need for a live agent.
An IVR system is the perfect compliment to an omnichannel contact center’s offerings because it helps your company answer common customer questions quickly, offers short click paths to route calls to the right person, and accessible self-service options. It also will mediate the normal frustrations customers have when calling an automated system because they can speak directly with the representative they need – every time.
The number one goal of an omnichannel contact center is to create a smooth and seamless communication journey for a customer through all communication platforms. This is why it is beneficial to work with one and what sets it apart from multichannel contact centers. Communicating efficiently across multiple platforms takes time, the time that an omnichannel contact center will have to ensure your customers’ journey is a pleasant one.
Ansafone Contact Centers is an award-winning BPO provider with 50 years of world-class customer experience and brand care. We are a national call center with omnichannel services, fully equipped to help you with your business and with any special circumstances.
Please request a quote or call 800-510-0514 to learn more about how you can benefit from outsourcing a call center and how we can improve your business. We’re happy to offer insight into what your customers seek from your company’s language offerings and tailored customer solutions.
