Customer communication preferences continue to shift as consumers look for more immediate responses through digital channels. For marketers, sales representatives, and customer support teams, it only intensifies the need for them to adapt their communications strategies accordingly. For many contact centers, providing a great phone experience for customers has been a top priority. While it still is of utmost importance, creating a seamless experience and unifying your message across communication channels, such as chatbots and text messages, is just as important.
Implementing an omnichannel communication strategy can help eliminate the disconnect customers might feel when interacting with companies through different channels. An omnichannel communication strategy can provide a seamless experience no matter which channel customers prefer.
An omnichannel communications strategy unifies all messaging with potential customers across all channels. With an effective strategy in place, consumers can connect directly with your company through various touchpoints. From branding and visuals on your website to communicating directly with your customer service team, a proper omnichannel communications strategy should connect your customers with your company in a timely and effective manner.
Delivering a positive customer experience has never been more important. When customers reach out to a company, they expect to receive a rapid and satisfactory response. Once a company adopts multiple communication channels, it can create a seamless, omnichannel customer experience. Through each channel, companies can eliminate any disconnect for customers as they interact.
To succeed in business, companies must adopt an omnichannel communications strategy. When you consolidate and simplify your communications strategy, you can respond to customers more quickly and more effectively.
Improve Customer Service Productivity
In a call center, you may have a large cohort of employees dedicated to answering phone calls. On the other hand, you might have only one or two social media managers addressing comments and questions coming through those channels. In turn, consumers can get frustrated by having one customer experience through Facebook and an entirely different one over the phone.>
After an unsatisfactory experience, 91 percent of customers who are unhappy with a company will leave without complaining. While, of course, it is more expensive and takes additional time and resources, investing in coordinating your communication strategy will improve your ROI over time and help you gain a deeper understanding of your customers and their needs.&
Reduce Customer Wait Time
Often, customers associate shorter wait times with a greater sense of convenience. For customers, one of the biggest frustrations when contacting customer service is a lack of immediately available agents. In one survey, businesses reported losing 75 percent of customers due to waiting times. While many customers view acceptable wait times differently, receiving an email or social media message letting them know a response or resolution is coming is helpful. Overall, customers want to feel the business values their time.
Customers value convenience. It has a direct impact on their purchasing decisions, loyalty, retention, and levels of satisfaction. To create a positive purchasing experience, response time is critical.
Leverage Data Insights for Strategy
Communication tools and an omnichannel strategy can provide your company with helpful data to make decisions to fit your customers' needs. Through this data analysis, you can better understand consumer behaviors and their preferred methods of communication.
With the proper technology, the information can be used to establish outbound communications through multiple channels. These data insights allow companies to strategically allocate the resources necessary, including staff, to meet customer demand.
Companies can survive without omnichannel communication, though companies that choose alternative strategies often don't receive as high of a ranking in customer satisfaction. In addition to providing customers with multiple channels to access yourcompany, you also are able to maintain a singular, unified brand that will help improve awareness and drive customer loyalty./p>
It's no secret that customers today have high expectations for a consistent experience across all channels. For some companies, contact centers might be the only connection between the customer and the business. A customer's experience with the company can help establish trust and continue to build customer loyalty. Through an omnichannel communications strategy, a company can eliminate a customer's pain points and communicate through preferred channels all while improving the customer experience.
Jason Smith is a sales engineer at CallTrackingMetrics.