Omnichannel #Customer Service #Self Deployment #CX #Customer Experience #Contact Center #Digital First

As consumers pivot from conventional customer service mediums such as telephone and email towards more contemporary digital avenues, organizations are recognizing the imperative to be accessible across a broader spectrum of channels simultaneously. Webchat, social media, and WhatsApp have emerged as prevalent modes of customer service, necessitating that organizations adapt promptly or risk obsolescence. Omnichannel customer service platforms facilitate this adaptation seamlessly by integrating all digital mediums into a singular aggregate platform.

We have previously delineated the concept of omnichannel customer service. Given its burgeoning indispensability as a customer service tool, a more detailed examination is warranted. This article aims to elucidate the reason for omnichannel customer service becoming the sole method through which organizations can meet the contemporary expectations of consumers

Proceed to discover the primary advantages of employing omnichannel customer service software.

1. Meet the demands of customers' choices

The primary advantage of omnichannel strategies lies in understanding the modern customer experience. Today's customers prefer to use the most convenient communication channel and switch as needed without any service disruption. Research indicates that 78% of consumers use multiple communication methods to start and complete transactions.

In practice, this may involve a customer reaching out via social media by messaging a brand’s official page publicly. Such interactions have been common for years, as customers engage with organizations on social media where they are most active. Depending on the nature of the request, an organization might need to shift customer support from public to private channels, necessitating a change in communication platforms.

Whether transitioning a public request to direct messages on the same social platform or to another channel such as email, omnichannel solutions allow organizations to maintain continuity and keep the conversation going. With a unified omnichannel console, agents do not need to start over by requesting a customer’s information. Instead, omnichannel systems enable agents to seamlessly continue the interaction without losing details or wasting time searching previous records.

To adapt to these new types of channel interactions, 48% of organizations expanded their supported channels in 2021 to better reach customers. Without omnichannel systems, however, supporting a variety of channels can lead to siloed customer information and fragmented interactions. This highlights another benefit of omnichannel customer service: enhanced efficiency.

2. Increase agent productivity  

While it is feasible to offer multiple communication channels without omnichannel customer service software, this approach creates significant challenges for both agents and customers. Agents must manage multiple open windows with various conversations, leading to potential missed incoming requests. When customers wish to switch channels, it becomes difficult for agents to track ongoing conversations and ensure that the same agent monitors the new channel. This results in customer frustration as they must restart their communication with each new channel and agent.

An omnichannel customer service platform streamlines this process by integrating all channels into one unified platform. Agent efficiency is enhanced as they can remain within a single console and receive all incoming requests. Customer history is maintained across channels, allowing the same agent to seamlessly handle a request initiated on one channel and complete it on another. This results in faster and more accurate service for customers. Given that customers now use an average of nine different channels to communicate with companies, seamless processes are essential.

By unifying all channels, omnichannel support is also cost-effective, enabling agents to achieve more with fewer resources. Traditionally, handling multiple channels requires additional agents to monitor each one. However, omnichannel customer service allows a single agent to efficiently manage multiple channels concurrently.

With omnichannel customer service software handling complex tasks, organizations can easily support new channels as they arise. This flexibility accommodates all customer preferences, increasing customer engagement and driving sales growth as organizations expand their online presence. Superior digital access compared to competitors provides a compelling reason for customers to remain loyal. Ultimately, greater channel access enhances the customer service experience, leading to further benefits of omnichannel customer service.

3. Enhance the customer service experience

By connecting every channel, customer service agents are better equipped to deliver exceptional customer service experiences. This benefits both customers and organizations, as 80% of consumers state they "would be more loyal to a brand that showed they really understood me and what I was looking for." Omnichannel data collection enables organizations to offer highly personalized customer service.

For an e-commerce site, personalized service through omnichannel allows an agent to access a customer's purchase history even before they make contact. The site navigation history can help agents understand customer preferences and initiate proactive chats to offer assistance. If a customer frequently buys shoes from a brand, an agent could use this information to share a temporary discount code to encourage another purchase.

The strength of omnichannel support lies in the abundance of information available to agents through each connected channel. With an integrated CRM, personalized customer support reaches new heights, as agents can utilize details such as client location, background, and organization size. Agents can also update the CRM directly from the agent console if new information arises.

Since omnichannel consolidates all channels into a single platform, customers aren’t left waiting for an agent’s response. With all channels monitored simultaneously, agents can respond quickly and efficiently. Additionally, agent tools, which will be discussed in the final section on the benefits of omnichannel customer service, further enhance response times.

4. Enhance the agent experience

Customer service is a challenging field, and organizations must invest in agents to retain talent. With agent turnover rates in the 30-45% range, organizations are now emphasizing the agent experience as much as the customer experience. Fortunately, omnichannel customer service software offers various features and tools to ease agents' workload, reduce repetitive tasks, and enable them to focus on more fulfilling activities.

Introducing automation to omnichannel begins with features like canned messages, which accelerate agents' work and minimize repetitive tasks. Teams or individuals can set canned messages to quickly address common issues with standardized responses. Agents can also personalize these messages to add their own touch. Additionally, an integrated knowledge base enhances the agent experience by allowing agents to link customers to detailed explanations instead of retyping instructions repeatedly.

For a fully automated solution that complements agents, organizations can incorporate a automation flow into the omnichannel customer service setup. When integrated with omnichannel software, a automation flow can handle up to 91% of common requests autonomously, 24/7. This reduces support volumes, enabling agents to focus on high-value and challenging queries, making their work more rewarding and interesting. With agent assist, flows can also work alongside agents, providing quick answers from the knowledge base, canned messages, or automation flow intents.

Conclusion

CloudFon offers a comprehensive digital omnichannel customer engagement software tailored for educational, governmental, and commercial organizations of all sizes. Our platform enables organizations to deliver exceptional digital customer experiences through configurable, value-driven webchat, secure messaging, and automation—all within a single, integrated system. Discover how CloudFon can enhance your customer service operations by contacting us today for a personalized demonstration.