It’s safe to say that 2020 is not our year. That nasty virus has sure thrown a wrench in the year and all industry has felt its depressing presence. So, since we have to stay indoors to flatten the curve, the customer experience industry experienced a rapid change. It’s pretty obvious what contributed to the change – online shopping and work from home.
In fact, Christenberry from Business 2 Community says companies that have braced through 2020 with minor damages already had strong omnichannel systems in place. They saw that consumers have gone completely digital – from buying groceries to furniture online, hence they’ve built goals with the future of omnichannel in mind.
Be that as it may, we are not sure what will happen in the future but one thing for sure, omnichannel solutions are not going anywhere.
To keep up with the future of omnichannel, here are four strategies you can follow.
Make It Personalized
Did you know that some 79 percent of customers revealed that personalized customer service is more important than personalized marketing? Since that is what customers feel, you should put effort into an omnichannel strategy – keep their needs and interests in mind.
Plus, according to Gladly’s 2020 CX Report the top three things customers want their companies to know are
- Who they are (name, location info)
- What they’ve already talked about (previous conversations)
- What they’ve purchased
It’s Chatbots Era
Customer service agents are swamped with questions and complaints from customers and other tedious tasks. On that account, 50 percent of businesses say they are putting a budget on chatbots than mobile apps.
Despite its name, with the right tools, bots can get the right customer data so each interaction still feels personal. Additionally, chatbots can cut pressure on agents drastically. You can assign chatbots to handle tedious, but simple tasks that free up agents to solve customers’ problems that are too complex for chatbots.
Best part is, bots and automation can also increase customer engagement. They can help customers with easy problems around the clock.
It’s All In The Cloud
Some of us are already familiar with cloud-native systems and kind of prove that people can work from pretty much anywhere. In fact, the systems not only make things easier for your employee, but they are also an opportunity for better customer engagement.
Companies that have integrated CX strategy on all channels have earned customer loyalty. To clarify, Groove reported that companies with strong omnichannel engagement strategies retain 89 percent of their customers.
Mobile Integration
In April 2020, the average mobile users have spent 4.3 hours on their phones – an increment of 20 percent from 2019. The research also shows that customers seek assistance on mobile channels.
In fact, 77 percent of consumers aged 18-34 have positive perceptions of companies that respond quickly. Actually, even before the pandemic, customers have used messaging apps to communicate with businesses. 50 percent of them are more likely to buy from a company that provides customer service via chat.
It is high time for your business to integrate mobile channels into your omnichannel strategy. It will boost your business. Keep a lookout for these tech and contact centre trends in 2021, you’ll see the difference.
