The e-commerce industry has been highly regarded as the channel of choice for several businesses over recent years. According to Digital Commerce 360, consumers spent more than $861.12 billion the last year of 2020 with US merchants.
There is no doubt that social media continues to contribute to this impressive number. With the digital advancement we have today, companies now have the tools they need to move a conversation to a channel that offers a richer experience for their customers.
When an omnichannel marketing strategy is used, support teams can easily transfer conversations from a chat app to email, or an email to SMS. This includes any platform that the customer deems more convenient.
Businesses can also offer customers a set of options for where they’d like to receive a reply later on.
When the interaction gets transferred, the conversation history and context come with it, so both parties—support team and customer, can benefit from a continuous, and centralized thread.
What is an omnichannel marketing strategy?
Omnichannel marketing strategy is an organizational business method of integrating various channels to interact with consumers, with the goal of giving them a consistent customer experience.
The ultimate goal of an omnichannel marketing strategy is to create a convenient, seamless, and personalized user experience for consumers for inquiring, purchasing, or requesting any support.
Thanks to these online channels, consumers can expect easier transactions and faster responses in real-time.
The liberty that omnichannel system gives users the ability to transact with brands on their own terms, leading to a better customer experience.
Why do you need to provide omnichannel customer service and marketing strategy?
All customers want a seamless experience as they choose to switch between channels. Your job as a service provider is to find ways to make the process comfortable for them.
As consumers live in the fast-paced environment we have today, they would expect businesses to open avenues where they can interact across multiple platforms.
This is an opportunity for you to step up your business strategies and meet these growing demands as more competitors delve into this chance.
Businesses should strive to provide seamless and if possible, almost perfect customer service in all platforms. Efficient omnichannel customer service will not only impress customers – they’ll also win more clients in the long run.
Benefits of an omnichannel customer service strategy
Consumers would love to use a knowledge base system rather than make a phone call to solve their issues. It’d be easier and less time consuming for them.
With the huge amount of customer data gathered and integrated across different channels, you can give this information to your customers and let them independently resolve their needs.
Apart from this, here are some of the major benefits of establishing an omnichannel customer service strategy for your business:
Flawless customer experience
Integration is the key factor to optimize your omnichannel customer service strategy. Every channel should work cohesively to steer the customer journey in one direction.
If your business makes use of that integration and centralization of data, you can tailor your support team and their responses to suit the customer’s individual needs.
It not only improves the quality of customer engagement but also saves your support team’s bandwidth by promoting self-service and a faster response rate.
Also, take note that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more when a business has a great customer experience.
Gives options to your customers
Today’s time demands consumers to do things more rapidly. The last thing they would want to do is to queue up and wait for support.
Customers want to engage with a brand or business through the channel they want to, when they want to. Options such as email support, phone call, in-app chat, chatbots, social media, or live chat, are the most common channels they can choose from.
With the help of these integrated channels, you can expand the scope of customer engagement. You can also easily facilitate a smooth transition of communication.
Boost customer satisfaction and retention
Improving the speed of resolution in customer support is just one thing about the omnichannel customer service experience.
If you are able to cater to these channels, you’ll have more conversations with your customers. More conversations mean more sales and revenue.
Choosing omnichannel customer service will allow your business to offer a more personalized experience to your customers, hence reducing churn rates and increasing retention.
If they decide to switch channels, you can simply send a discount or vouchers for an abandoned cart item rather than wait for their reply to your third email.
Incorporating the omnichannel approach
The omnichannel approach is tailored around the customer journey. It opens numerous possibilities for meaningful engagement with your customers.
If you have a customer-focused approach, you‘ll be able to standardize all the information you gather from various channels. You’ll be able to handle significant amounts of data, while you also provide resolutions for your customers.
As the e-commerce industry continues to revolutionize the buying experience, consumers will adopt new purchasing habits and will need to acquire more knowledge about your product and services.
Incorporating an omnichannel approach can address all of these changes and put you ahead of the competition in the growing market.
