Customers are core to the success of any company. But not just customers, happy customers. Happy customers stay with you longer. Happy customers make you more profitable. The rise of the digital age has transformed the way customers shop and share their experiences. They’ve become accustomed to the ease and speed of omni-channel focused industries — notably retail and financial services. Today, customers are driving the buying process using websites, blogs, forums and social platforms. It doesn’t stop there. Once the sale is closed, customers use those same channels to join forces and name and shame those that disappoint.
It’s not easy to keep customers happy nowadays. They are more knowledgeable and have far more options to choose from. They are intensely impatient. They want their questions answered and their problems solved quickly. To continue acquiring and retaining customers, organisations need to recognise this and adapt to these new dynamics.
Omni-Channel Customer Interactions
The explosion of digital services means that organisations need to understand the entire customer journey and not just optimise contact points individually. Building unified and pro-active cross-channel services will deliver differentiated customer experiences that drive loyalty and repeat sales.
When a customer is in need of service, they will decide to seek assistance on the platform that best suits the context of their need. Whether customers are interacting with a business via mobile, social media, web, email or voice, it is expected that each interaction offers a consistent experience regardless of channel. Omni-channel provides this seamless, cross-channel experience.
Brands that do not embrace omni-channel customer interactions ultimately risk a fragmented customer experience, aggravating and losing customers, and diluting their brand value.
Omni-Channel customer interactions pay off! According to a recent study from Aberdeen Group Inc., companies with the strongest omni-channel engagement strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers, as compared to 33% for companies with weak omni-channel strategies.
5 Reasons to use an Omni-Channel Contact Centre
1. Customers prefer text over voice
Customers want service on their terms, with minimal wait time. Waiting on standby or on-hold for an available agent is frustrating. Texting avoids this issue. After all, our phones serve as an extension of who we are, how we consume information, and how we connect to the world.
Then, if that same customer calls later to resolve an issue, agents in an omni-channel contact centre would be able to see a transcript and notations related to all previous interactions. No more customers endlessly repeating themselves to uninformed agents, receiving different treatment and varying degrees of urgency depending upon their method of contact.
2. More channels, more customer demand
Customers are using more channels than ever before, and the expectation for excellent customer service is soaring. Omni-channel contact centres are well-equipped to supply the demand for omni-channel communications with multi-skilled agents.
3. Support integration with future technology
Omni-channel contact centres are scalable, agile, and robust enough to be modified to integrate with new technologies at the rate they are developed.
4. Customers choose the platform
No two inquiries are the same. When a customer is in need of service, they will decide to seek assistance on the platform that best suits the context of their need. Omni-channel contact centres are able to provide a seamless customer experience, regardless of channel.
5. Data & Analytics
Your business is provided with the opportunity to truly understand customers through cross- channel data collection. This data collected gives insight into their potential needs and wants, allowing for a strategic communication plan to be tailored.
What is the future of Omni-Channel?
Omni-channel contact centres are equipped to adopt any technological disruptors of the future. With a higher demand for communication on multiple channels and platforms, the focus now is on speed and quality. Having an omni-channel approach to customer service will allow your business to thrive in 2017 and beyond.
Omni-Channel Contact Centre Solution by Blake Connect
At Blake Connect, a leading contact centre and BPO in South Africa, we strive to provide a more personalised experience, using the best in technology, quality control and agents to ensure that every customer interaction adds value, while boosting your bottom line and increasing brand loyalty. Blake Connect offers management and support system capabilities for the below channels & platforms:
- Wi-Fi
- Web chat
- Social media
- SMS
- Mobile
- Call
- MMS
- App
Find out more about Blake Connect and stay connected with us on Linkedin.
