A potential customer might initially come across a social media post announcing your latest collection while idly scrolling on their smartphone, only to find your phone number to call and check if you have a particular item in store. Maybe they’ll remember your brand name to research more later when they’re at their computer. Then, when they come across a store with your goods, they might ask for a recommendation. All of these levels of communication are perfect opportunities for you to present your brand in the best possible light.
Today, the omni-channel experience is the pinnacle of marketing strategies. However, it is very complicated and difficult to pull-off. As such, most companies might want to start with a less complex strategy. A cross-channel experience offers excellent connectivity between touchpoints and provides a level of centralisation across vastly different channels. But to achieve as such, requires an adaptation of strategy.
Where are the customers?
Cross-channel strategies depend on this one major step in your process: selecting the channels where you should build your presence to begin with. If your target audience spends the vast majority of their time on Instagram and Snapchat, that’s where you need to be, as well.
Companies should analyse their digital footprint and assess where their customers are most active and where they spend most of their online time interacting with their brands. This lays the foundation for your cross-channel strategy.
Connect communications
Once you learn about all the channels that your customers prefer, you should start developing a communications strategy to enable all of your customer-centric employees to efficiently interact with customers. To do that, many companies utilize reliable VoIP solutions that encompass everything from internet-based phone calls, call recording and analytics, all the way to emailing, texting, and faxing.
Solidify your brand voice
Every employee within your company needs to understand the key ways the brand differs from competitors. Employees are the ones to ensure your brand voice persists through customer experience and defines it no matter the channel in question. Create a go-to guideline to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Train all customer-centric staff
Employees who are most often in contact with customers are the most important in ensuring a smooth and enjoyable customer experience. They are the true ambassadors of your brand. Once you have your brand guidelines ready and all channels of communication established, you should conduct workshops and training to help your staff internalise the voice of your brand when interacting with customers.
Evaluate yourself to adapt
It is a good idea to periodically perform a self-evaluation of the company strategy as well as its collected data. Based on all of your analytics tools on your website and social media, combined with the results you manage to collect via your VoIP phone lines, and dedicated email surveys, you can always find ways to improve customer experience. As always, it is important to listen to customer feedback about your brand and entire customer journey across all touchpoints.
