Beyond Chat: Exploring the Multi-Channel Contact Center Experience

According to a Zendesk survey, 35% of companies plan to invest more in adding new service channels to their customer engagement strategy.

Modern customers prefer using a mix of channels to communicate with businesses. As more and more businesses adopt multi-channel engagement strategies, it is just a matter of time before those who neglect it lose out to the competition.

Why Multiple Channels for Customer Engagement Is Essential?

The first commercial call centers primarily focused on telephonic channels to address customer inquiries. However, with the rise of the internet and other digital technologies, customer service changed drastically.

With more communication channels becoming available, customers expected businesses to offer support on more than one channel. Hence the emergence of multi-channel support.

With a multichannel contact center, businesses can engage with customers on the channel of their choice, such as phone, email, chat, social media, WhatsApp, or Telegram.

Here are the main advantages of adopting a multichannel approach.

To expand the reach of the business to different demographics

Multi-channel contact centers enable businesses to engage and satisfy customers belonging to different demographics.

You may already know that millennials and Gen X prefer email over instant messaging while Gen Z prefers instant support through a live chat channel.

When your business caters to both these categories, it becomes essential to engage with each customer on their preferred channel of communication.  This customer-centric approach makes every customer feel valued.

To enhance customer satisfaction levels

Contact center success is driven by customer satisfaction.

Offering customers the freedom to communicate with your business on the channel of their choice improves brand perception, and subsequently customer satisfaction. They are more likely to engage with you in the future.

Typical communication channels integrated into modern multichannel contact centers

Phone calls continue to be the preferred channel for customers who prefer direct and personal assistance. Integrating IVR systems streamlines such inquiries and enables reduced call handling times.

Live chat and messaging apps are also widely preferred by customers who seek instant responses. They typically use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and Snapchat to communicate with businesses.

Email is the preferred communication channel for complex issues and inquiries. Although it is slower than other channels, it is preferred for its formality of communication.

Video calling is relatively new but growing quickly, especially in industries like healthcare and tech where issue diagnosis is more challenging. They offer a more personalized.

Main challenges of multichannel contact centers and how to overcome them

The main challenge with incorporating multiple support channels into the contact center experience is ensuring seamless support.

There are two main challenges to overcome:

Maintaining consistency across channels

Customers expect the same quality of service regardless of the communication channel. However, your agents may be adept at certain channels more than others. To enable your agents to proficiently handle all channels, training and continuous upskilling become necessary.

Adjusting the workload across channels

In a multichannel contact center, it is difficult to predict the flow of inquiries. When there is a surge in incoming communication, distributing the workload becomes a challenge. It becomes necessary to allocate resources where they are needed most.

Now, the good news is that it is not too difficult to navigate these complexities.

Here are some practical ways to address them efficiently.

Adopt a unified CRM

A unified CRM system will compile all customer details and interaction history and present them to agents on a single platform. This will empower agents to offer informed and context-based responses regardless of the channels on which previous engagements were held.

Leverage automation and AI capabilities

Growth-oriented businesses can greatly benefit from AI and automation in scaling contact center operations. By leveraging chatbots for routine and direct inquiries, agents can focus on higher-value interactions. This optimizes contact center operations and increases customer satisfaction levels.

Analysing data and reports

Regular monitoring and analysis of customer interactions across channels is more challenging in a multi-channel setting. However, efficient contact center solutions enable businesses to compile all data efficiently. Supervisors can thus monitor the analytics and reports to identify areas for improvement, track KPIs, and refine the strategy.

How to Optimize Contact Centers for Multichannel Capabilities

Since each business operates differently, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for adding multichannel capabilities to a contact center.

Nevertheless, the following sequence of steps will help with systematically approaching the process.

Audit your customer contacts and check your current operations. This step will help you identify where your business lags in meeting customer needs. Use this information to evaluate how you can streamline communication to improve the customer experience.

Depending on the current capabilities of your contact center, evaluate the feasibility of expanding to more channels. Identify the different channels that are relevant to your target audience. Choose suitable technology like computer telephony integration, CCaaS, or IVR for enhanced reach.

Find out whether you need a fully-featured contact center or a cloud-based CCaaS, where you pay only for the channels and features you need. Cloud-based contact center solutions help businesses to balance the fine line between budget and meeting business objectives.

Find a service provider who understands your objectives, key metrics, and goals to tailor a contact center solution that aligns with your business needs.

Key Takeaways

Multichannel contact center experiences are crucial for sustained business success. Even while engaging customers on existing communication channels, businesses must anticipate the emergence of new communication channels and adapt to evolving needs.

Engage 360 by Voxtron stands out as a comprehensive solution, empowering businesses to elevate contact center operations through advanced multichannel capabilities now and in the future.

This end-to-end customer engagement solution provides a unified interface for seamless customer interactions across various channels. It supports diverse message formats such as buttons, location details, texts, and images.

By optimizing communication on platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and web chat, businesses can significantly augment customer satisfaction through personalized interactions. For in-depth insights into the capabilities of Engage 360, feel free to reach out to our team today.