First coined in 2010 to refer to marketing strategies andshopping experiences, the term omnichannel has evolved to also encompasscustomer service experiences. Businesses who provide omnichannel support treattheir customers to seamless interactions throughout their resolution journeys,regardless of how many communication channels they use.
Many organizations strive to provide omnichannel customer supportbut fall short of their goals. For example, NICE research revealed that overtwo-thirds of consumers say companies are doing a poor job allowingcustomers to switch seamlessly between methods of communication.
Providing an omnichannel experience is a complex undertakingthat often requires changes to people, processes, and technology not just inthe contact center, but throughout the organization. In today's experienceeconomy, achieving success through a disciplined omnichannel approach hasbecome a business imperative, regardless of the complexity. Customers value loweffort transactions, which is what omnichannel customer service is all about.
Omnichannel is the provision of frictionless customersupport across multiple customer service channels, enabled by integratedsystems and customer context that's available on demand in every channel.
Consumers often use multiple channels (phone, email, chat, mobileapps, self-service, etc.) when they try to get an issue resolved or find ananswer to a question. An omnichannelcontact center supports this movement from channel to channel by making thecustomer's interaction history seamlessly available in every communication method. For example, if a customer initially interacts with a chatbot and then decides voice support is a better option, the phone agent would be able to see thetranscript from the chatbot conversation. With omnichannelsupport, customers don't have to repeat the nature of their issues when theyswitch channels.
Although often used interchangeably, the terms"multichannel" and "omnichannel" refer to differentconcepts and capabilities.
Most sizeable businesses offer multichannel customersupport. For example, a customer may be able to search an online knowledge-base, chat with an agent, or use Facebook Messenger to find resolutions. However, if the organization they're contacting only has multichannelcapabilities, any customer who switches channels within the same transaction will have to "start from scratch" in the new channel. Requiringpeople to repeat themselves multiple times creates a poor customer experience.
Organizations that provide omnichannel customer service alsooffer multiple channels to their customers; however, because of theiromnichannel approach to support, the data and context follow their customersthroughout their resolution journeys. The elimination of the need to repeatdetails is a much smoother and lower effort customer experience.
Smooth transitions across multiple channels are ahallmark of omnichannelsupport, and they are made possible by several core features.
Scenario 1: John just bought an assemble-it-yourselfdesk online from his favorite office supplies brand, but he's a little confusedby the assembly instructions. He's having trouble attaching a drawer. He visits the company's website and searches for "how to attach a drawer." TheFAQ doesn't answer his question, but it does provide the option to video chat with an agent. The customer service agent initiates the conversation with, "Hello John! I see you need more information about attaching the drawer tothe desk you purchased from us last week. I can help you with that."Because the agent has access to John's search history, she can begin theinteraction with confidence and get right down to business with solving thecustomer's problem.
Scenario 2: Jane had an equally pleasant omnichannelexperience during her customer journey. When she ran into an issue with aninsurance claim she submitted, she opened a chat session with an agent, who wasable to co-browse her claim. Because shedidn't have everything she needed to complete and submit the claim at the time,she revisited it the next day. This time when she had questions, she decided tocall the company, and was pleased when her call was routed to the sameomnichannel agent she was interacting with via chat the previous day.
Because these customers were interactingwith an omnichannel contact center, their transitions across channels weresmooth and they had a consistent customer experience. They didn't have torepeat their issues and the agents they interacted with were prepped and readyto provide solutions.
As the examples in the previous section illustrate, a frictionless transaction creates a much better customer experience.
Consumers expect and value omnichannelcustomer service. Based on our research, 96%of consumers expect businesses to make it easy to switch channels and notbe required to repeat information. Additionally, 94% of consumers expectseamless access to a customer service agent even if they begin their resolutionjourney in a self-service channel.
However, customers are not receiving omnichannel services as often as they would like. Consumers report that they need to repeat information amajority of the time when switching channels.
Aside from meeting customer expectations and providingbetter CX, there are some very practical operational reasons for goingomnichannel. For one thing, omnichannel support improves first contactresolution rates, and thereby reduces volume and costs. And, since anomnichannel approach requires businesses to offer multiple channels, it canlower cost to serve. As an example, self-service is many times cheaper than phone support, so diverting a portion of phonevolume to effective self-service solutions can result in substantial costsavings.
Getting omnichannel right is often a significanttransformation effort that can involve changes to current systems and ways ofdoing things. Additionally, it may require the organization's culture to becomemore customer-centric.
The following activities should be part of everyomnichannel transformation.
Developing an omnichannel vision and a detailed road map for how to get there is a key to implementation success.
In TheInner Circle Guide to Omnichannel, ContactBabel identified several challenges businesses can encounter onthe path to becoming omnichannel, including the following:
The following omnichannel best practices will helporganizations avoid many of the major pitfalls that can be encountered whilegoing omnichannel:
The future of omnichannel is really about the future ofsupport channels. Consumers will continue to expect seamless transitionsbetween channels, but the nature and popularity of those channels will evolve. Whilevoice and other agent-assisted communication methods are still the most usedoptions, AI-powered self-service and other emerging alternatives are gainingground. Many people value the ability to handle their own matters, and as self-servicesolutions become smarter and capable of handling more complex issues, adoption should continue to increase. Agent assistance may ultimately becomethe exception rather than the norm. And, of course, customers will continue toexpect the transition from self-service to agent to be smooth and painless.
In the nearer term, businesses continue to pursue and investin omnichannel capabilities. For example, in one study NICE found that 35%of businesses planned to invest in omnichannel, a ten-point increase fromthe prior year.
