Do you operate multiple customer service channels? Are you always seeking to improve your customer service? Then you may need to ensure that you provide optimal omnichannel support.
What is Omnichannel support?
Omnichannel support refers to the ability for your customers to be able to switch from one customer support channel to another in a seamless manner. This means that if the customer engages your support staff on one channel (for example live chat) they are then able to pick up where they left off and continue the conversation on another channel (for example Twitter) as if they had never switched channels.
Why omnichannel customer support is necessary
Omnichannel customer support has become necessary for businesses for a number of reasons. These include:
- High customer expectations
The expectations of customers that they receive exceptional customer support is continually increasing. For example, 64% of people expect to receive real-time assistance no matter what channel they use, 37% expect to be able to contact the same customer service representative no matter what channel they use, and 87% think that brands need to work harder to create a seamless omni-channel experience for customers. - Rise in smartphone devices
With the increasing adoption of smartphone devices, the lines have been blurred between the traditional channels of customer service. Now email, chat, telephone, and social media customer service can take place on a single device. As a result, customers now have all their options immediately available, which increases the likelihood of channel switching.
Benefits to providing Omnichannel support
While many see the new need to provide streamlined omnichannel support as an added challenge to overcome, the truth is that companies that provide omnichannel support see a wide range of benefits from the streamlining of their customer service channels. A recent report by the Aberdeen group into omnichannel support shows that companies benefit in a number of ways that include:
- 7.5% increase in first contact resolution
- 9.5% increase in revenue
- 7.5% decrease in average cost per customer contact
- Companies with omnichannel support recorded a whopping 89% customer retention as compared to companies which didn’t offer omni-channel support only recording 33% customer retention
These improvements have come about largely because providing omnichannel support forces companies to provide external data into customer support systems, providing customer support agents with relevant information the instant that they are contacted by the customer. Thanks to relevant software such as HappyFox that integrates this data into a customer support system, this produces benefits such as:
- Increased productivity because agents no longer need to ask or wait for this information from their customer or customer support agents who previously handled their case.
- Higher levels of customer satisfaction from customers who now have their issues resolved more quickly.
If you have any questions about how to manage customer support on your various channels, why not check out this HappyFox video where we tell you all about the other benefits to unifying your support channels and providing omnichannel support and how our software will be able to assist you in providing omnichannel support for your customers.
Schedule your personal product demo today and see how HappyFox really helps you win at omnichannel support!
