5 Tips To Create An Omnichannel Customer Experience

5 Tips To Create An Omnichannel Customer Experience

In business, the customer is always king. Organisations must know their customers and prospects to attract and keep them. Apart from providing the best experience, companies must be present and reachable through omnichannel platforms to hook and maintain customers.

Omnichannel customer experience means prospects and clients can interact with a business across all touchpoints and in a seamless manner. To this end, all efforts and contact channels must sync to provide customer convenience. For instance, a contact centre as a service solution or CCaaS software should enable buyers to contact company representatives before they purchase and complete their buying journey without any hitches, like opening and closing multiple applications. Ease of contact and transaction encourages customers to return for more—making an omnichannel investment worthwhile.

This article discusses the importance of implementing an omnichannel strategy and the most critical elements to consider in formulating a plan.

The importance of an omnichannel strategy

A 2017 Harvard Business Review (HBR) study on the impact of omnichannel strategies on retail buyers revealed that over 73% of customers shopped across multiple channels, while 20% preferred buying in-store, and 7% exclusively shopped online. Further research found that omnichannel clients spend more than single-channel customers by about 10%.

These HBR-backed studies confirm that being present and reachable across all channels can enhance customer experience and increase sales. Conversely, when a prospect or client can’t reach the company to find answers and solutions to their issues, they aren’t likely to push through with the purchase. This brings us to the first element to consider in creating customer experience across all channels.

1. Understand your customers

Investment. Before choosing the best solution, a company should have reliable customer data to ensure optimal results. Formulating an omnichannel customer experience demands that you know what the clients want, when and on which channel they prefer to reach you and how they want to access or receive such a service.

Study the client demographics and get insights into their behaviour and preferences through built-in data analytics, surveys and other means. For instance, companies targeting the younger population must prioritise online channels, including social media, to engage with their audience.

2. Don’t forget traditional channels

While online platforms often work well with younger people, some customers still prefer the voice channel and calls with agents. Consider a balanced approach to traditional customer touchpoints to expand business reach, and address customer needs more effectively. Train your staff to be helpful with in-store customers and callers interested in your offers.

3. Provide seamless connections across all platforms

An omnichannel can boost a company’s marketing and sales strategies, but only if you use the right tools and approach. Several contact points are available to businesses, including live web chat which is often integrated into the website. Video calls also offer one of the better solutions, especially in cases wherein a customer needs immediate personalised support.

Meanwhile, others are content with communicating through e-mail channels or social media chat messaging services. Regardless of the audience’s preference, a business must ensure an omnichannel presence and easy access across all channels.

The simple act of making a company website easy to navigate and mobile-friendly can improve customer experience and boost engagement. A survey discovered that up to 52% of clients weren’t keen on engaging with a company that doesn’t provide seamless mobile experience.

4. Push for personalised customer service

Customers will likely engage with and purchase from a brand that makes them feel valued and heard.

Enhancing customer experience takes more than knowing a customer’s details. Ensuring that all your information, for instance, those in the customer relationship management (CRM) app, is accessible to all key players helps provide personalised customer service.

Making information accessible enables members of different teams to adopt the right approach and provide efficient service to customers. Impeccable service is the foundation of customer loyalty, and personalised service is at the core of a solid customer experience.

5. Offer the best experience from start to finish

One of the pitfalls of other companies is failing to sustain a customer’s seamless experience after a sale. One of the common issues in shopping for retail items online is with regard to return policies. Any client would likely ask for a replacement and seek after-sales support to fix issues with a product.

Suppose your reps aren’t around during this critical stage. In that case, you might end up with a disgruntled customer giving your company a negative rating and potentially damaging your reputation across all channels. Issues like this can easily be averted with after-sales support integrated into the omnichannel strategy.

Conclusion

Formulating an omnichannel customer experience considers a client’s experience before and after an actual sale. The client’s preferences and convenience must also be of paramount consideration.

As customers’ needs and preferences change over time, your omnichannel strategy might not be as relevant in the coming years as it is today. For this reason, it’s essential to regularly revisit and review your customer’s journey and assess whether your strategy is working and how else your company can improve in providing the best customer experience.

References

1. Sopadjieva, E. Dholakia, U. and Benjamin, B. 03 January 2017. A Study of 46,000  Shoppers Shows That Omnichannel Retailing Works. www.harvardbusinessreview.com. https://hbr.org/2017/01/a-study-of-46000-shoppers-shows-that-omnichannel-retailing-works. Accessed 12 July 2022  
2. Lead Genera. Undated. 5 Ways to Improve Omni-Channel Customer Experience. www.leadgenera.com. https://leadgenera.com/knowledge-hub/marketing/5-ways-to-improve-omnichannel-customer-experience/. Accessed 12 July 2022
3. Lemzy, A. 08 February 2021. Omni-channel Customer Service Best Practices. www. Superoffice.com. https://www.superoffice.com/blog/omni-channel-customer-service/. Accessed 12 July 2022
4. Boing, B. and Friberg, M. Novermber 2019. 7 ways to improve your omnichannel customer experience. www.thinkwithgoogle.com. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-154/consumer-insights/consumer-journey/7-ways-improve-your-omnichannel-customer-experience/. Accessed 12 July 2022