Thanks to the fast-paced digital world that we’re now living in, consumers have more options than ever when it comes to where they spend their money. Because of that, competition is increasing in most industries all the time. If there are many businesses out there that do what you do, how you do it becomes your competitive advantage. To put it another way, the quality of the experience you’re capable of offering customers has never been more important than it is right now.
That’s part of what makes omnichannel communication so pivotal to an organization’s success. If a potential customer has a question, they want an answer. If they have a problem, they want a solution. They also want it on their terms — anywhere, at any time, and on any device they happen to be using at the moment.
Omnichannel E-Commerce Strategies: What You Need to Know
At its core, a true omnichannel strategy is designed to deliver a seamless, high-quality, consistent experience for customers, regardless of where they happen to be. If they choose to start a conversation on social media and continue it via a chatbot on your website, both touchpoints should feel like extensions of the same brand.
One example of how this might play out takes the form of product recommendations. If someone comes to your e-commerce website to make a purchase, you know basic information about them, including who they are and what at least some of their preferences are. You can then email them with custom product recommendations, increasing engagement via a different channel in a highly personal way.
Or, the next time a similar product is on sale, you could send them an SMS text message with this information — provided they’ve opted into such a contact method, of course. It keeps your brand at the top of someone’s mind and lets you capitalize on an opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell.
The Ongoing Benefits of an Omnichannel Approach
This is all especially notable due to the cost savings an omnichannel communication strategy can bring about in the long run. Yes, you will indeed need to invest in some type of platform initially to extend your capabilities beyond what you currently offer in terms of customer service. There are various omnichannel software solutions out there, with Mitto being just one example of many.
However, according to research, a call center interaction costs a business an average of $6, while a social media interaction costs just $1. Not only that, but the same research indicates that offering customer service solutions on social media can encourage people to spend more money on future purchases as well.
Overall, omnichannel messaging is about meeting the customers where they are rather than forcing them to come to you. Gone are the days when someone is willing to wait on hold and get passed around from person to person just to get a simple answer to a question or take care of an account concern. If they want customer service on Facebook, they expect you to give it to them. If they want to speak via SMS or text message, you have to offer that, too.
This is why omnichannel software is the key to a business’s long-term success in this way. Not only does it help distill all these disparate options into a single source of “truth” for workers, but it also enables the “anywhere, anytime” communication and service that people crave. It enhances customer experiences and increases engagement — two things that will only get more important as time goes on.
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