Technology has advanced and it has paved a new way for customers to shop. People are now more inclined to enjoy the comfort of buying from wherever they are rather than going to a physical store. It is exactly why brands need to understand the importance of having an omnichannel presence. For reaching every customer no matter where they are or what platform they use.
Customers expect a seamless and consistent experience across all channels, an omnichannel experience. And to remain competitive, businesses need to provide this type of experience to their customers.
What is Omnichannel Customer Experience?
Omnichannel customer experience is a strategy that combines all of a company's communication channels, including social media, email, phone, website and physical stores, into a cohesive and integrated experience for customers.
This allows customers to interact with a brand in a way that feels seamless and effortless, regardless of the channel they use. So every touch point they have will lead to the next without trouble and will give them an enhanced experience.
Why is Omnichannel Customer Experience Important?
Let’s take an example. A customer has been surfing through Instagram and suddenly comes across a dress she likes, she clicks on it and goes directly to their official website. There she further checks the features of the dress but wasn’t able to find one that matched her size.
She goes to the website’s chat section and enquires with the assistant whether the missing size would be available soon. And after doing a check the assistant informs that the same dress matching her size is available at their nearest retail shop and immediately the assistant reserves a piece for the customer.
And on the next day, the customer visits the shop and gets the same dress she saw on Instagram fitting her size. A potential shopper converted into a happy customer.
So if we look at this example, you can see that there have been four touchpoints for the customer. The Instagram ad, website, chatbox and retail store.
What if the customer went to the retail shop the next day and didn’t get the dress matching her size as told by the chat assistant? It would lead to a disappointed customer and she may not try to associate with the brand in the future.
This is why the omnichannel experience has turned out to be an essential factor which can decide the fate of a brand. Because it directly impacts customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention.
A report by Harvard Business Review has found that 73% of customers used omnichannel platforms throughout their buying journey. And 23% of the customers came back to purchase again from the same brand. This indicates how the omnichannel presence of a brand can not only enhance the customer experience but how they can retain customers and create a loyal audience base.
How to Create a Seamless Omnichannel Customer Experience
1. Identify Your Customer's Needs and Preferences
Before you start you need to understand your customer’s needs and preferences. Start by collecting data on your customer’s behaviour, including which channels they prefer to use, what types of content they engage with and what their pain points are. This will help you create a personalized experience that meets their needs.
2. Use a Centralized Customer Database
To provide a seamless omnichannel experience, you need a centralized customer database that stores all customer data, including purchase history, communication preferences and personal information. Brands often would have a separate database for online and offline customers but in order to bring a seamless transition, it is necessary to unify these channels.
Allowing you to provide a rich experience across all channels and ensure that customers don't have to repeat themselves when they switch channels.
3. Create Consistent Branding Across All Channels
The brand needs to be consistent across all media. And it is crucial for creating a seamless omnichannel experience. This means using the same logos, colours and tone of voice across all channels, whether it's your website, social media or physical stores. This will create a cohesive and recognizable brand image that customers can easily identify with.
4. Provide Multiple Channels for Customer Support
Customers should be able to reach out for support on the channel of their choice, whether it's the chat box on your website or email or phone or social media. Customers are more willing to buy products when there is human interaction. Be it chat or social media, when customers feel they are provided support and cared for as a human, they are more inclined to stay with the brand. Make sure that support is available 24/7, so customers can get the help they need whenever they need it.
5. Implement a Mobile-First Strategy
More and more customers are accessing brands through their mobile devices. To create a better customer experience, you need to implement a mobile-first strategy. This means designing your website and other channels to be mobile-friendly, using push notifications to communicate with customers and offering mobile-specific features, such as mobile payments, WhatsApp or text message marketing and Pop up notifications.
6. Measure and Optimize
To create a truly seamless omnichannel customer experience, you need to constantly measure and optimize your strategy. This means tracking customer behaviour across all channels, analyzing data to identify areas for improvement, and making changes based on those insights.
Also constantly engage with your customers by knowing how they interact with the product. Acviss’s Bonus helps your brand to learn the customer's behaviour and interact with them. The custom-branded app acts as a platform where you can engage with them and reward them for staying by your side.
So by continually opting for new strategies, you can create a more seamless and personalized experience for your customers, which will lead to increased satisfaction, loyalty and retention.
It’s a necessity!
Creating a seamless omnichannel customer experience is crucial for businesses that want to remain competitive in today's market. By understanding your customer's needs and preferences and measuring and optimizing your strategy, you can create a personalized and seamless experience for your customers that will lead to increased satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
Remember, the key to creating a successful omnichannel strategy is to focus on the customer. By putting the customer at the centre of your strategy and creating a personalized and seamless experience for them, you can create a competitive advantage that will drive growth and success for your business.
