Omnichannel: Your Communication Channels as a Whole
Companies that deliver flawless Omnichannel experiences have created high expectations among today’s consumers in terms of consumption, communication, and service. They have left the rest of the companies with the challenge of executing a proper omnichannel experience in order not to disappoint their customers.
An omnichannel experience is one that can begin in one channel, continue in another, and conclude in yet another, with the transition between them posing no obstacle for the customer.
Omnichannel does not mean all channels
Omnichannel focuses on providing a seamless user experience across more than one channel; however, this does not mean having a presence on every possible channel, but rather ensuring a connection between the ones that are most functional.
A common mistake companies make is confusing omnichannel with having accounts on every social network just for the sake of presence. If these touchpoints are isolated from one another, customers are more likely to encounter difficulties than benefits when trying to interact with brands.
According to a study conducted by Hootsuite on social media trends in 2021, more than 98% of users on a given social media platform also use at least one other platform. For brands, this means that an omnichannel strategy does not need to include every platform; in fact, according to the study, having a presence on one or two of the largest platforms offers the greatest potential to reach nearly all social media users worldwide.
By analyzing who potential customers are and which contact channels they prefer, a centralized CX solution can be offered—one that delivers much more favorable and accurate results.
Differences between Omnichannel and Multichannel
Today we have technology that enables more connections than we could have ever imagined; however, there is still a disconnect when it comes to meeting CX needs especially when brands confuse omnichannel with multichannel and cross-channel experiences.
Unlike the good user experience offered by omnichannel, multichannel—as well as cross-channel experiences—refers to multiple communication channels or touchpoints with the consumer that are not connected to each other. As a result of this disconnect, potential customers end up repeating information they already provided through other contact methods or receive different information when making an inquiry across different channels. These are examples of a poor customer experience.
Example of a single-channel experience
This type of experience is common in small businesses. An example is a store that has a single point of sale but no other means of contact for placing orders or requesting information.
Example of a multichannel experience
A company that operates in more than one channel is offering a multichannel experience. Being able to purchase in the physical store or on its eCommerce site already qualifies. The flaw in these experiences is that information from one channel may not match the other, and therefore the experiences are isolated. A consumer would want to know, for example, from the eCommerce site whether the physical stores have a certain product in stock, so they could choose to pay online and pick it up immediately at the store.
Example of a cross-channel experience
Parcel services like DHL, with a tracking number assigned to each order, automatically provide real-time access to information about the shipping status of a package (whether it’s on the way, delayed, or not yet sent by the seller), whether by phone, WhatsApp message, or through one of their apps. This offers a better user experience, since communication is consistent regardless of the channel the user prefers. However, these touchpoints are not connected to each other—in other words, the information is consistent, but the experience cannot continue seamlessly from one channel to another. An omnichannel strategy, for example, would allow the recipient to schedule a delivery time in any of these channels.
Example of an omnichannel experience
I bet the last thing you imagined as an example of an omnichannel experience was buying a cup of coffee. But the reality is that Starbucks has combined apps, points of sale, social media, payment methods, and reward programs into an impeccable mega omnichannel experience.
The Starbucks Rewards card can be reloaded at the point of sale with cash, through the app with rewards, or from the website with a credit card. Once the reload is made, the updated information is accessible from any of these means, and you can place an order at the counter, from the app, or from the drive-thru, and use the balance or points accumulated in the digital experience to pay.
If the customer makes a change to the card profile, it is applied across all channels designated for this specific experience, which increases the customer’s trust in the brand once they find the information they need at any time. As seen here, for this omnichannel experience three main contact channels were selected—that is, not “every possible channel,” but only those necessary to create a good interconnected experience.
¿Why is omnichannel important?
Today’s consumers are permanently connected and ready to research, compare, or evaluate offers, and they acquire goods and services in new ways. This presents both an opportunity and a great challenge for companies to deliver an omnichannel experience that meets the consumer’s expectation of being served through multiple channels orchestrated together.
Surely, all of us—consciously or unconsciously—have dismissed a business for not meeting this new standard. We’ve chosen a restaurant with online reservations over one that left us hanging on the phone for hours. We’ve bought from the store that lets us track our order the moment it’s completed. And we’ve built consumption habits with those companies that make it easier to buy from them through satisfying omnichannel experiences.
Towards omnichannel
If you’ve made it this far in the post, you probably already know the importance of implementing omnichannel strategies, but you may not know how to do it. There are various mechanisms to create omnichannel experiences; there is no universal formula, since each experience depends on the Customer Journey of the specific product or service. Here are some best practices to consider for achieving an omnichannel experience, regardless of the size of your company:
Create customer or user journeys to understand the stages of the buying process and the brand’s touchpoints. This way, you can decide which channels are most appropriate to maintain contact with your customers.
Unify data throughout the entire Customer Journey. Consolidate information into a single repository that serves as the single source of truth. Typically, a CRM stores information about potential and current customers along with each of their interactions, regardless of where they occurred. In other words, the CRM must be connected to all consumer touchpoints and collect relevant information about each interaction.
Encourage the use of open technologies—that is, those that can connect through APIs. Whenever possible, include or add information from consumer interactions to complete the customer profile and thereby offer personalized, omnichannel, and continuous experiences. This will make your omnichannel strategy scalable, as you will be able to incorporate more and more technologies over time.
In conclusion…
- Omnichannel is not about having a presence on every platform, but about creating good user experiences that are consistent across the channels strategically chosen.
- Today’s consumers are permanently connected and ready to research, compare, or evaluate offers, and they acquire goods and services in new ways.
- To implement a successful omnichannel strategy, it is essential to consider the Customer Journey of different types of customers.
- It is important to have a hub to centralize customer information in order to provide personalized experiences.