The onset of the pandemic has shown businesses that there is little to no room for mistakes. Those invested in great customer service have thrived, and those who haven’t have had to deal with the rapid shift in consumer expectations.

In light of this, omnichannel communication and customer service is a requirement that many business can actually take advantage of.

What is omnichannel customer service?

Omnichannel refers to retailing across different methods of shopping, like over the phone, online, or in a physical store. Omnichannel customer service is much the same, but across communication channels instead.

The omnichannel customer service approach to aspire to is the ability to give customers an experience across communication channels that is seamless, consistent, and most of all, satisfying.

Customers are expecting (and even demanding) to be able to communicate where and when it’s most convenient for them. Businesses have to factor in different consumer behaviours, preferences, and devices.

Tools such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, email, SMS, and more all need to be carefully gauged by a business to see which channels of communication they should offer to their customers. If their client base is mostly in the elder category, chances are they would prefer emails for example.

Why the omnichannel approach?

When customers feel that they can communicate effectively with a brand and receive convenient, quality customer service from them, this accomplishes a few things.

Customers feel more satisfied, are highly likely to tell people that they know about this business and their excellent customer service, and are highly likely to remain loyal to the brand even if another brand is hot and trendy.

Trust and customer loyalty are not simply given. They must be built through consistent, high-quality interactions between the business and customers, and there can’t be any slip-ups. About 80% of customers switch to another company after a single poor customer experience, and with the plethora of options available with the internet, they absolutely can.

Additionally, there is a growing reliance on online reviews, whether posted on a business’ own website or elsewhere. Consumers listen to other consumers and if there’s even one negative review, a seed of doubt is sown.

It’s clear that companies need to take the omnichannel customer service approach seriously and consider that their customers’ journey needs to be pleasant from start to finish, and sometimes even after. Customers have to be able to enjoy consistent, helpful and convenient customer service before, during, and after (if they have any issues) their purchase, or they’ll take their business elsewhere!