How to succeed with omnichannel customer service

Feeling overwhelmed by juggling emails, chats, and calls like a circus performer? 🎪😫 Your customers might feel the same! 

Traditional customer service often involves separate channels that don't talk to each other. This leads to:

• Frustration: Customers have to repeat information when switching channels.
• Siloed conversations: It's hard to get a full picture of a customer's issue.

Here's the good news: omnichannel customer service can fix that. 

Omnichannel means providing a seamless customer experience across all your communication channels. This way, your customers get faster resolutions and a happier experience.

What is omnichannel customer service?

Omnichannel customer service allows people to reach your business through various communication channels, seamlessly integrated for a consistent experience. Whether it’s email, social media, live chat, phone calls, or even in-person interactions, customers can switch between channels effortlessly and still receive consistent support.

The goal is to eliminate siloed conversations and ensure customers have a smooth, integrated experience, no matter how they choose to interact.

Here’s how it works:

Imagine you’ve just bought a new car and noticed an issue with the navigation system. You start by emailing the dealership. Later, you decide a phone call might resolve things quicker. The service rep on the call immediately accesses your email from their system, understands your issue, and schedules an appointment—all without you repeating a thing. How comforting and efficient does that feel?  

Multichannel vs. omnichannel—What’s the difference?   

In a multichannel setup, companies offer various communication channels like phone, email, live chat, and social media, but these channels operate separately. This means if you email one day and call the next, you might have to explain your issue all over again—frustrating, right? 

Omnichannel, however, connects these channels. All your interactions are known to every representative, ensuring no repeated information and a smoother customer experience. Picture the relief and satisfaction of having your concerns understood and addressed promptly, no matter the communication method. 

Meet your customers where they are   

Some customers are digital-savvy, while others prefer more traditional methods. Some have strong preferences, while others are flexible. 

In today’s complex world, it’s critical to provide a seamless customer experience throughout the customer journey. Meet your customers where they are—whether they prefer quick answers from chatbots, detailed emails for complex queries, or immediate assistance through phone calls. 

By doing this, you enhance their satisfaction and loyalty. When customers switch from one channel to another, their information follows them, reducing frustration and improving their overall experience. This adaptability makes customers feel respected and understood, building a deeper emotional connection with your brand.

Bringing voice into the mix  

Good old-fashioned phone conversations are still key in customer service, especially when you need help fast. In an omnichannel environment, following up an email with a phone call means the representative is already informed, thanks to CRM data. 

An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system can intelligently route your call to the right agent based on previous interactions. This ensures your issue is resolved quickly and efficiently, transforming a potentially frustrating experience into a positive, reassuring one.

Enreach's voice solutions transcend traditional PBX systems by integrating advanced analytics, detailed call reporting, and intelligent call routing based on CRM data, making every interaction more effective and personalized.

📢 Curious about the impact of voice? Why voice is your ultimate weapon for a super-connected CX

The business case for omnichannel service

Enhanced customer experience 

Integrating communication channels ensures customers can move smoothly from one to another without disruption. This seamless experience is crucial for customer satisfaction. It eliminates the need for customers to repeat information and reduces their effort in resolving issues.

When customers feel valued and their needs are met efficiently, they develop a positive perception of your brand. This leads to increased loyalty and repeat business. The joy of being understood and valued creates lasting emotional bonds with your brand.

Improved sales conversions

Omnichannel customer service isn't just about smooth journeys—it directly boosts sales conversions.

When customer data is integrated across channels, support agents can offer personalised recommendations during interactions.

For example, if a customer contacts support about a product, the agent can suggest complementary items or promotions based on their browsing history. This personalised touch can turn a simple support interaction into a sales opportunity.

A Harvard Business Review study found that omnichannel customers spend 10% more money online than those who stick to a single channel. This shows the trust and satisfaction they feel when their needs are met seamlessly.

Increased operational efficiency

When you integrate all customer interaction channels into a unified omnichannel ecosystem, you enable smarter routing and reduce redundancies.

The result? Quick answers and fewer costly call-ins. Imagine reducing your operational costs by up to 30% just by directing routine questions to AI-powered chatbots or email instead of the phone.

Automating routine tasks, like retrieving info from integrated knowledge bases, boosts agent productivity. With quick access to information, your agents can focus on solving complex problems faster and more effectively, setting a new standard for excellent service.

This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also improves your bottom line. Your team will feel empowered and proud, knowing they are providing top-notch service efficiently.

Richer customer insights

Omnichannel breaks down data silos and brings customer info from different channels into one central system. This consolidated data helps analyse and gain deeper insights into your customers.

With integrated data, you build rich customer profiles containing history, preferences, and journey across all touchpoints. These profiles provide valuable insights for marketing, sales, product development, and service improvements.

Knowing your customers better lets you tailor services and products to meet their needs, boosting satisfaction and business growth. When customers feel seen and appreciated, it creates a strong sense of connection and loyalty. 

How is AI influencing omnichannel customer service strategies?  

AI is transforming omnichannel customer service by making interactions seamless and personalised across all touchpoints.

Here’s how:

Predictive Analytics: AI can predict customer needs and make real-time decisions, enhancing the overall customer journey. For example, in a call centre, predictive analytics can analyse past interactions to anticipate why a customer is calling. If a customer has previously called about billing issues, the system can automatically route the call to a billing specialist, reducing wait times and improving satisfaction.

Automated Routing: AI can route customer inquiries to the right department or agent based on unified customer data. This means customers get quicker, more accurate responses.

Conversational AI: Chatbots and voicebots, powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP), handle basic queries—like checking order status or resetting passwords—known as level 1 queries. This frees up human agents to tackle more complex issues. For instance, if a customer asks about a product feature, a chatbot can answer instantly. If the question is more detailed, the bot can seamlessly transfer the customer to a human agent.

Sentiment Analysis: AI can analyse customer emotions in real-time, adjusting responses to ensure a positive experience. Imagine a customer expressing frustration in a chat; AI can detect this and escalate the issue to a human agent who can provide a more empathetic response.

AI not only boosts efficiency but also ensures customers receive prompt, accurate assistance, enhancing their overall experience. The intelligent, responsive support provided by AI makes customers feel understood and cared for, even without human interaction. 

⚙️ Curious how it all works? Peek inside Enreach’s AI-powered toolbox. 

Implementing an omnichannel support tool 

Enreach offers a range of solutions designed to help your business deliver seamless omnichannel customer service. Our tools integrate with your CRM of choice: 

Voice for Salesforce 

Is Salesforce your go-to CRM? Enhance it with Voice for Salesforce. Seamlessly integrate voice calls, making them a core part of your customer service strategy. Manage all interactions—calls, emails, chats—from a single platform, ensuring fast and consistent customer support.  

Voice for Dynamics 365

Using Microsoft Dynamics 365? Boost its power with Voice for Dynamics 365. This integration lets you manage calls within Dynamics, streamlining your workflow and improving customer interactions. Handle every customer chat—whether by phone, email, or text—in one unified system. 

Discover Voice for Dynamics 365

Measuring success in omnichannel customer service 

How do you know if your omnichannel investments are paying off?

To measure their success, it's important to track a variety of KPIs and metrics that reflect different aspects of customer interactions and service efficiency. Here’s what matters in an omnichannel context:

• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) shows if customers are satisfied with their experiences across all channels.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS) indicates if the overall customer journey across channels is fostering loyalty.
• Customer Retention Rate helps understand if the omnichannel experience keeps customers engaged over time.
• First Contact Resolution (FCR) measures the efficiency and effectiveness of resolving issues through any channel.
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) assesses the long-term value generated by customers who engage with the brand across multiple channels. 

Future trends in omnichannel customer service 

The future of omnichannel customer service is full of exciting possibilities. Imagine being able to connect with your customers on a deeply personal level, anticipating their needs, and providing solutions before they even ask.

Here are some key trends to watch:

Personalisation at scale

One major trend is personalisation at scale. By integrating customer data from various channels, businesses can create unified profiles for each customer. This means they can offer highly personalised interactions across all touchpoints, from tailored recommendations to custom content.

Imagine a chatbot offering instant solutions based on the customer’s past issues and feedback, making the interaction feel tailored and intuitive. These personalised experiences not only boost satisfaction but also increase engagement and loyalty.

Voice and conversational interfaces

Voice and conversational interfaces are becoming integral to customer service. Voice biometrics is a cutting-edge technology that can authenticate users based on their unique voice patterns. This adds an extra layer of security and streamlines access to sensitive information in customer service.

Conversational AI, using enhanced natural language processing (NLP), is also improving. Chatbots and voicebots can understand and respond more like humans. Picture asking your virtual assistant to troubleshoot a product issue and getting a detailed, conversational response. It feels almost like talking to a human, making interactions more intuitive and satisfying.

Human-centred AI

AI is not just about efficiency; it's about making customer interactions more human. Empathetic AI is a game-changer. These systems recognize and respond to customers' emotional states, providing more compassionate and effective service.

For example, a customer might type in a chat, "I need help now! My account has been hacked, and I'm locked out." The AI recognizes the urgency and potential security threat, prioritises the chat, and alerts a security specialist to intervene immediately. This rapid response can prevent further issues and demonstrate a strong commitment to customer security and support. 

Webinar: Finnair’s journey to 360° visibility (In Finnish)

Jenni Koskinen, the Operational Manager of Global Customer Care at Finnair, shares how they transformed customer support across 8 global contact centres using a unified omnichannel solution. This recorded webinar highlights Finnair’s path to achieving 360° customer visibility, which greatly improved the customer experience during peak times.

Watch the webinar now