Omnichannel innovation: Key to extending good customer service

Omnichannel innovation is an efficient way to enhance customer experience, increase sales, and maintain company competitiveness in the market. 

When talking about omnichannel, we are referring to a marketing and customer service strategy that integrates communication and sales channels to offer a unified and personalized shopping experience.

That is, the different communication channels used to interact with the customer, such as physical stores, websites, mobile apps, social networks, and live chats; these are synchronized to provide a fluid, comfortable shopping experience that meets consumer expectations.

In this way, with omnichannel a consumer can research a product online, ask some questions on social networks, visit the store to see the product in person, and then purchase it online if they are convinced they need it.

For experts, there are three factors to consider for an omnichannel strategy to be successful.

The first factor refers to defining a clear vision of the omnichannel approach and a solid strategy to achieve it. This involves objectives, identifying relevant channels, and planning how they will integrate and coordinate with each other.

The second consists of training staff on the omnichannel strategy established by the company, aimed at understanding how the different channels work and how a coherent and synchronized service will be provided through them.

The third involves digitizing processes to make the integration and management of information more efficient. At this point, it is important to have specialized technologies to achieve data management and communication between the different channels.

In Mexico, according to the Online Sales Association (AMVO), 54% of consumers are omnichannel, which exceeds the Latin American average of 48%.

Furthermore, according to AMVO, retailers who adopted an omnichannel strategy experience a 23% increase compared to those who did not.

Key benefits of an omnichannel strategy

An omnichannel strategy offers a number of significant benefits for both companies and customers. Here are some of the major advantages:

1. Helps build customer loyalty. Consistency and continuity in customer service increase satisfaction with the service and reinforce the relationship with the brand. In addition, by having the freedom to choose the channel that best suits their needs, the customer feels more comfortable and valued.
2. Enhances operational efficiency. Coupled with the unification of systems, the integration of channels optimizes operational efficiency in relation to the management of inventories, orders, and internal business processes. All this translates into greater commercial agility, more sales possibilities, and even a reduction in costs.
3. Increases the scope. Using a greater number of channels increases the chances of reaching a wider audience and expanding the brand’s presence in the market.
4. Encourages real-time responses. In the omnichannel strategy, all data is integrated in real-time, making it possible to immediately have access to previous interactions with the customer, their preferences, their purchase history, as well as other relevant information, which allows us to understand your needs and offer you a personalized service instantly.
5. Allows you to take advantage of automation. By involving the unification and management of data, omnichannel facilitates the automation of repetitive tasks such as addressing frequently asked questions. The latter proves quite useful when customer service representatives are required to be available to handle other requests.
6. Greater customer data consolidation. The information collected through omnichannel is very useful for personalizing the content and offers shown to customers. Furthermore, it favors decision-making and the optimization of marketing and sales strategies.

How to implement an omnichannel strategy in your company?

Implementing an omnichannel strategy requires long-term commitment, investment in technologies, as well as training of human resources.

In matters pertaining to new technologies, companies opt for acquiring communication and sales solutions capable of integrating with each other to provide an experience that is coherent and convenient for customers, such as the Ikusi Engagement Center.

Ikusi Engagement Center is an advanced collaboration platform that unifies and responds to customer requests made through different contact channels in real-time.

With the Ikusi Engagement Center service, companies access a solution that streamlines customer service, monitors their interactions, and follows up on their requests to further improve the service experience and discover their consumer preferences.

The technology integrates voice, social media, artificial intelligence, mobility, and analytical services into a single platform, which adapts to the needs of each organization. Moreover, it integrates easily with other technologies and works with an on-demand model that provides for hassle-free scalability.

To find out more about this technology, see here.