Why Is Omnichannel Important for Customer Experience?

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If you are a business owner would you not offer omnichannel support if a majority of customers expect it from you? As per a survey conducted by UC Today, nine out of every ten customers would like omnichannel experience from businesses.

That’s why it’s not surprising to know why businesses that offer omnichannel support manage to retain customers for longer, register higher sales volume, and witness more revenue year-on-year.

As per a research by Aberdeen Group, businesses with robust omnichannel customer engagement retain almost 90 percent of their customers on average, whereas companies with weak omnichannel customer engagement retain just a third of their customers.

Another study found that companies with robust omnichannel customer strategies witness 9.5 percent growth in yearly revenue, whereas businesses with poor omnichannel strategies report just 3.4 percent growth in annual revenue. Apart from that, brands with strong omnichannel customer strategies report 7.5 percent drop in cost per contact.

The blog explores nine compelling reasons why an omnichannel platform is important for customer experience. If you are curious to know why you need to have effective omnichannel strategies in place then read on and thank us later.

1. Ubiquity of Smartphones

Did you know that more than three-fourth of the world’s population has a smartphone? As per latest stat, there are 6.84 billion smartphone users globally. Now let’s think from the perspective of a smartphone user. When they have access to email, websites, social media, instant messages, and good-old text messages just at the tap of a button, would they still want to dial a customer care number and wait for the call to get connected? The ubiquity of smartphones and the rapidly growing users across the world calls for increased focus on omnichannel communication.

2. Change in Customer Expectations

As mentioned in the introduction, 90 percent of customers expect omnichannel experience from businesses. That’s because contact established using social media, live chats, text messages, and instant messages is convenient, fast, and less time-consuming. Businesses that provide omnichannel platform succeed in catering to customers’ changing expectations.

3. Seamless Experience Across Channels

Did you know that almost three-quarters of customers prefer to buy online after visiting a store? A study revealed that 73 percent of the respondents said that they visit a brick-and-mortar store first and then buy products online. When a customer visits a physical store, looks at some products, but leaves without purchasing anything, they are more likely to search for the same products online and buy it for the best price. Businesses that provide omnichannel strategies can send tailored emails and messages and provide more information about the product and update the price.

4. Higher In-Store Visits

In the above point, we discussed how strong omnichannel strategies can enable customers to transition from in-store to online purchases. Robust omnichannel strategies can also work in reverse. A Think With Google collected research revealed that omnichannel strategies help generate almost 80 percent of in-store visits by customers.

5. Personalization and Data Integration

Would you be surprised to know that an omnichannel platform can enable companies to personalize communication and integrate data? No, it wouldn’t. That’s because when businesses adopt omnichannel strategies they get better access to customer data and transaction history. So, undoubtedly, omnichannel support can result in better personalization and data integration.

6. Increased Accessibility and Convenience

The question may arise “How omnichannel can be more convenient for customers?” Businesses that leverage sophisticated omnichannel platforms enable their agents to keep a track of all customer interactions, which reduce frustration and enhance customer satisfaction. An omnichannel customer support data revealed that nine out of ten customers get irritated when they repeat their problems to several representatives. Aside from that, businesses provide their customers with the freedom to choose however they want to establish contact with them. Omnichannel strategies empower customers with multiple options. The convenience and accessibility enhance customer experience by leaps and bounds.

7. Brand Cohesion

Will you not agree that brands and organizations that provide omnichannel experience enjoy far superior brand cohesion compared to brands that don’t provide omnichannel support? That’s because omnichannel support provides consistent experience to customers and when customers get the same quality to support and service every single time, their trust in the brand increases.

8. Real-Time Customer Engagement

The best thing about having a robust omnichannel is that it not only enables businesses to engage with customers in real-time but also get analytics and reports pertinent to the interactions. When businesses integrate real-time data and monitoring tools to their omnichannel communication system, they can monitor communication taking place across a wide range of channels including voice calls, video calls, live chats, SMSes, instant messages, social media, and more.

9. Easy and Seamless Transition Between Channels

As per a Gartner study, 62 percent of customer service channel transitions are “high-effort” for customers. When businesses use traditional communication tools, they make transitioning between channels extremely difficult and time consuming. But when they leverage omnichannel platforms, they enable customers and customer service agents to transition seamlessly between channels without losing context or information.

All in All,

If you put yourself in the shoes of an average person of this age, you will realize why having a strong omnichannel strategy in place is extremely important in today’s time. Why would you rely on a single channel of communication when you have a plethora of options at your fingertips?

That’s why contemporary businesses should make sure that they offer high-quality omnichannel support to their customers, which would ensure that customers are satisfied. While looking for reliable and reputable communication systems like an omnichannel contact center software, businesses must research thoroughly service providers’ credentials and make sure that they join hands with the right communication partner.