With communication methods rapidly evolving, customers are demanding quick and easy ways to interact with businesses. The days of calling for support may not be a thing of the past, but in today’s connected world, a phone call is not the only way to reach out to businesses. In fact, the Omni-channel Customer Care study conducted by Aberdeen shows that more than half of companies use at least eight channels to interact with both current and prospective customers.

Some of the interaction channels companies are leveraging include:

• Live chat
• SMS
• Social messaging
• Social calling
• Web callback
• Email
• Fax
• Phone call
• Mobile app messaging

Multi-channel contact centers are great, but not seamless

Leveraging these various communication methods creates what is known as a multi-channel contact center. This type of contact center supports each channel independently but offers no interaction between channels. For example, if a customer sends an email to support and later follows up with a phone call, the support agent that receives the call has no visibility into the email exchange that has already taken place. This is where an omni-channel contact center can provide not only a better customer experience but also save a business time and money in customer support.

Creating an environment for outstanding customer experience

Omni-channel contact centers are designed to provide customers with a consistent experience regardless of the channel through which they interact. By routing voice and non-voice interactions between multiple teams and departments to a centralized site, an omni-channel contact center eliminates the challenges of communications living in silos. Agents can work within a single unified environment that not only houses all interactions but also provides more efficient reporting and analytics.

Making the transition to an Omni-channel Contact Center

Jumping into an omni-channel solution isn’t as easy as just flipping a switch. Before you can identify a suitable solution for your business, you need to address these critical questions.

1. How do your customers currently interact with you? (ex: Calling, texting, chatting, etc.)
2. Of the people that are calling you, how are they calling in? (ex: Toll-free, direct dial, IVR, Agent options, zero out)
3. Once a call gets to the person, what tools are they using to resolve the issue? (ex: API, customer lookups, searches, etc.)
4. Of the methods above, how are you tracking/reading/reporting? (ex: API, customer files, paper tickets and notes, reporting)
5. How happy are you with your answers to the above questions?

Once you’ve established a baseline of your current situation, you are now prepared to start vetting vendors. However, as with most other telecom and technology purchases, there are hundreds of options to choose from. Don’t have time to become an omni-channel contact center expert? Consider working with a trusted advisor like LanYap Networks to help you find the ideal solution for your unique needs. Your customers demand a great experience, and you deserve a solution that can do just that! Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help you get there.