he touch, try, buy method of purchase is almost gone.
Customers of this era are smart buyers.
Before making a purchase, they learn about the products and the brand from different platforms like social media, review blogs, company websites, google searches and what not. In fact studies show that customers interact at least 7 times with brands across multiple digital touch points before making a decision to buy.
Also, service has become a priority for customers of this era. Only a good product can no longer satisfy them. You need to offer an impeccable service as well.
Reach out to them via multiple channels and make each experience the best.
In this article, we’ll discuss everything that you need to know about omnichannel customer experience for your business. Let’s get started!
What is Omnichannel Experience?
An omnichannel experience for customers is their journey with the brand across multiple channels.
Basically, omnichannel marketing is a unified approach where a business intends to make customer communications across multiple channels seamless.
It allows customers to start their experience with the brand on one channel and conveniently continue on another.
For example, UK fashion retailer Oasis creates a perfect omnichannel experience by fusing its retail stores, ecommerce site and mobile app into a hassle-free shopping experience.
Walk into an Oasis store and you’ll be welcomed by sales associates equipped with iPads. Then & there, they’ll provide you with accurate and up-to-date information on products. The iPads also maintain the cash register to make it easier for the associates to call you up from anywhere within the store. What’s more special is that if something appears to be out-of-stock, the staff can immediately place an online order and get it delivered directly at your doorstep.
Hence, Oasis ensures that you don’t miss out on anything. If this isn’t a perfect omnichannel customer service, then what is?
Multichannel vs. Omnichannel - Are there any Differences at all?
The difference between multichannel and omnichannel lies in the level of connection with customers. Otherwise, both are quite the same.
In both, customers get to interact with your business across multiple online and offline channels. But, in multichannel experience, these channels aren’t connected to one another. While, in omnichannel experience these channels are connected, providing customers a wholesome experience.
Many businesses offer a multichannel experience to customers, but that doesn’t equate with omnichannel experience.
Let’s take an example here!
You see an ad on Facebook for shoes by a fashion retail company. To know more, you click through the brand’s Facebook page. Good start to the journey!
But then, you find no direct link to the brand product on their website. You go on to search and get it. After that, you see that your size is out-of-stock and there’s no way to contact the customer support for information. Even then, you find out a way to contact the brand and get to know that your size is available at their store. The next day you visit, but by then, the last piece gets sold out.
The customer journey here shows how the brand has interacted through different channels but these touchpoints were not connected. Hence, the lack of connectivity gives you all the more reason to abandon the product.
Contrarily, in omnichannel customer experience, all touchpoints are connected giving customers a seamless move from one channel to another. The result being improved customer experience and more sales.
Why Omnichannel Experience Matters?
A report by Clickz shows that for customers who use multiple channels to interact with brands, their frequency of purchase is 250% higher than those using a single channel.
Further, a survey suggests that businesses adopting omnichannel strategies achieve year-over-year customer retention rate which is 91% higher than businesses that do not.
So, we can say that using omnichannel customer service will not just increase purchase frequency of customers, but will also increase lead conversion and customer retention rates.
A reason why omnichannel experience matters is that it creates more valuable customers.
But, how? Let’s take a close look.
1. Personal Experience
First and foremost, omnichannel experience not just supports interaction through various channels, but helps in meeting customer needs simultaneously. For example, you can shop in-store or online and get in touch with the brand through live chats (24/7 live support) or Conversational AI like WhatsApp for Business, Facebook Messenger etc. Also, you can visit the store and show an online product to an employee and they’ll help you find it. This personalized customer journey does make a good impression. Rest assured, they’re very likely to come back!
2. Customer Loyalty
As you improve customer service and experience through a seamless omnichannel interaction, customers are bound to be satisfied. It’s no surprise that this satisfaction brings them back, making them absolutely loyal to the brand. A Clickz study showed that customers connected to the brand via multiple channels (3 or more) are 90% more likely to repurchase. So, preventing all hassles and frustrations, if you offer an amazing omnichannel experience, customers will stick to you.
How AI Chatbots can create a World Class Omnichannel Experience?
Integrated shopping experience can be challenging, though it may seem easy. It is here that AI chatbots come into play.
AI Chatbots can be employed across multiple channels- on your website, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp for Business etc. These omnichannel chatbots can help you manage customers from a single platform though they may be interacting from different channels.
For example, when a chatbot is reached out by a customer on any platform (your website, Facebook, voice assistant etc.), the chatbot can process the customer query. It compares the query to established FAQs or issues that have been successfully resolved in the past and quickly delivers the solution to the customer.
If the query is too complex to be resolved by the bot, it can seamlessly connect the customer to a human agent. This is possible because all your channels remain fully connected. Even though your chatbots operate across different channels, you’ll be providing customers with the exact same premium-quality support that you would personally offer to your website visitor or your caller.
Other than this, one of the most important aspects of omnichannel customer experience is personalization. It involves understanding of individual customer needs and interests. Here, once again, AI chatbots are tremendously helpful. They help customize each customer’s experience.
But, how?
AI Chatbot technology records data from all customer interactions – live chats, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and so on. This collected data is recorded in a single database that business can access to provide consistent customer service through multiple channels. It is from these data records that chatbots personalize conversations with customers.
A study suggested that customer-oriented chatbots can provide 300% improvement in customer lifetime value. One of Latin America’s major telecommunications brands, Movistar, improved their retention rates by 80% after employing AI chatbot. Moreover, they cut down on customer service costs by 30%.
A good bet. Isn’t it?
3 Chatbot Hacks you must know to create an omnichannel strategy
By now, you probably have learnt quite a bit about omnichannel customer experience and how chatbots can be your best friend in creating a perfect one.
Here, we give you 3 chatbot hacks for your omnichannel customer engagement strategy.
1. Keep your Omnichannel Alive 24/7
AI Chatbots can make this happen! Implementing chatbots across multiple channels will allow you to be active with 24/7 live support. Customers do not like waiting and chatbots are skilled in grabbing customers within real-time and engaging them. As people get in touch on different channels, you can avoid making them wait and get back instantly with automated responses.
2. Amplify Your Brand Recognition
When you’re available on different channels your brand recognition increases across the world, both online and offline. An AI Chatbot enhances this recognition.
Chatbots have the ability to engage customers, converse with them in multiple languages, pass on recommendations over past experiences of users and guide them.
Overall, if chatbots are right there when customers begin their journey with the brand, it can simplify the buying process through its product opinions and the perfect assistance.
You just have to ensure getting the best chatbot platform where your required functionalities will be provided. Like Konverse. It’ll help you build a chatbot with multiple languages, enhancing your customer engagement strategy.
3. Get More Audience
With Chatbots you can grab more audience, past spreading your network.
Chatbots help customers to remind them of different information throughout the purchasing funnel. You can engage customers with your marketing activities by sharing information on discounts, offers and increasing engagement. This way you can drive sales & appointments. In other words, prospects can be converted to customers and your sales can lead you to more potential customers.
Build an Omnichannel Customer Experience with Konverse
If you agree with us on how AI chatbots can make omnichannel customer experience easier, then we recommend you the Konverse platform.
Build your AI Chatbot with Konverse and use different communication channels to optimize customer engagement and experience.
Integrating your AI Chatbot with multiple communication channels will mean better customer engagement and a perfect customer service. It’ll allow you to conveniently turn your visitors into customers through personalization, by letting them know of your new launches, providing discounts and offers and so much more.
In short, you can engage and nurture your prospects better with the use of AI Chatbots across multiple communication channels. This is all you need to take your business to the next level.
Additional Readings
Reasons Why You Should have an AI Chatbot for your Business
Reasons Why You should include Chatbot in your Marketing Strategy
AI Chatbot Ideas for Your Business
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