The Rise of Omnichannel Contact Centres
Customer expectations are higher than ever before. With more and more customers viewing proactive service, personalised interactions and connected experiences across digital channels as the ‘norm’, it is easy to understand why organisations are turning to technology to help them respond to this growing trend.
In particular, businesses are adopting omni-channel contact centre solutions to create more seamless and personalised customer experiences.
What is an omnichannel contact centre?
An omnichannel contact centre utilises multiple communication channels – such as voice, SMS, web chat and email – to deliver a seamless customer experience.
By allowing agents and customers to switch between these channels via a single user interface, omnichannel contact centres enable streamlined and cohesive communications at every touchpoint, while providing customers with choice and convenience in the way they interact with a business.
Which types of channels might an omnichannel contact centre include?
An omnichannel contact centre will utilise a range of communication channels to interact with and engage customers.
The channels used in an advanced omnichannel contact centre solution may include:
- Voice over IP (VoIP) technology for telephony
- Web chat
- SMS messaging
- Social media messaging
What’s the difference between an omnichannel contact centre and a multichannel contact centre?
Many individuals may use the terms ‘multichannel’ and omnichannel’ interchangeably, to refer to a contact centre with numerous communication channels, the two are not the same.
While both a multichannel contact centre and an omnichannel contact centre will utilise similar communication channels to connect with customers, an omnichannel contact centre connects and integrates these channels to deliver a seamless end-to-end experience.
As communication channels are connected in an omnichannel contact centre, it allows agents to transition between channels if needed. For instance, a customer may have started a webchat interaction but then realises that further explanation is needed and requests a phone call with an agent. The agent can easily operate both channels simultaneously for a smooth transition, before officially moving to a call.
This interaction is recorded and stored in the contact centre solution for future use. This information can be used to tailor the next interaction regardless of whether a different agent services the same customer.
What are the benefits of an omnichannel contact centre?
An omnichannel contact centre can provide your business with a number of advantages, both in terms of improving operations and enhancing customer service.
The key benefits of an omnichannel contact centre include:
- Increased customer retention: An omni-channel contact centre solution allows your agents to access a complete view of your customers; their past interactions across all communication channels and then tailor their approach based on this information. Delivering an enhanced level of service to your customers will increase loyalty and improve customer retention rates
- Better customer service: A connected and integrated approach to customer service will better equip your contact centre agents to handle customer queries and interactions effectively, efficiently, and in less time
- Greater personalisation: The ability to view previous interactions and gain insights into a customer’s preferences, behaviour and past enquiries enables agents to personalise their subsequent interactions, delivering a more tailored experience
- Enhanced productivity: With an omnichannel contact centre, agents are able to easily and quickly access customer interaction history before answering queries, resulting in faster response times and greater productivity
Keen to discover how ipSCAPE can help you take customer service to the next level? Find out how ipSCAPE’s award-winning omnichannel contact centre software can help your contact centre operate more efficiently and effectively.
ipSCAPE is a cloud communication technology solution that is feature-rich, scalable and has advanced integration capabilities. We help businesses connect with their customers through multi-channel communications including Voice, Web Chat, Email, SMS, IVR, and other emerging channels
