Fun fact: Did you know that companies with omni-channel support retain 89% of their customers?

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It’s true. 

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What’s more, the same omni-channel strategies end up boosting purchase frequencies by a whopping 250% when compared to single channel strategies[2].

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How amazing is that?

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It’s no secret that omnichannel customer service is the way of the future. But how do you actually get better at it?

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This article will show you simple steps you can take to boost your omnichannel customer service skills.

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1. Personalize as much as possible.

Unless you enjoy a monopoly, you probably understand how ruthless the market has become recently.

Too many markets are over-saturated — and beyond — making it impossible for many businesses to grow.

In a world where competition is so cut-throat, what can you do to get an edge?

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Personalization is the answer. 

A study conducted by Forrester reveals that 73% of customers preferred and respected businesses that valued their time[3]. 

What does this mean?

It means that customers don’t like being told to wait. They want solutions, and they want it now.

Showing how much you care about your customer’s precious time is one of the best ways to hit it off, and you can do this with the power of personalization. 

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Look at all the touchpoints your customers interact with. Introduce high-quality personalized support at the most crucial areas. 

This can be hard in an era where customers expect great service on a 24/7 basis, but even a small investment in personalized messages and follow-throughs can win you their loyalty.

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2. Map out your channels.

The great thing about omnichannel support is that it forces businesses to really look at their marketing channels.

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Certain channels are good for certain demographics and terrible for others. 

You won’t find older demographics engaging with you on TikTok, just like you won’t find younger demographics engaging with you on newspaper ads. 

By mapping out your channels, you’re forced to understand the customer’s journey. 

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This puts you in their shoes and context when making purchase decisions. 

Understanding their journey helps you adapt your purchase practices at different points of the journey. Leverage this information to the fullest.

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3. Integrate into other platforms.

Here’s something that older businesses are missing because of their late entry into the omnichannel game: Your messaging has to be consistent across all your platforms. 

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Your customer should find the same kind of imagery, branding, and solution no matter where they engage with your brand. A uniform experience is essential to making them remember your brand in the long term.

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If you’re going to promote offers, make sure your messaging is the same across all platforms. Make sure they’re aware of the terms and conditions in each case. A uniform experience is a good experience.

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4. Integrate offline and online stores.

Everyone is online today, and that makes it easy to forget one of the biggest problems customers face when shopping today. The mismatch between offline and online inventory.

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Many customers prefer to research products online to find the best offer. They then drive to a brick and mortar shop to finalize their purchase. Clothes shopping and automobile sales are two examples where this is common.

But alas, customers might drive all the way to find out that the store is all out of stock. This is an infuriating experience for any customer.

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This is why it’s essential to connect your offline and online inventories together to avoid this very problem. In recent times, the click and collect concept has become a popular solution to this problem. Customers essentially reserve the product online, drive to a store, and pick up their purchase. Integrating your stores is essential for a smooth omni-channel experience.

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5. Optimize email campaigns.

Email marketing remains a favorite among many despite so many new competitors in the digital sphere. There’s something about email that’s just simple, trustable, and engaging.

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Email marketing holds a ton of promise. You can leverage the power of storytelling to repeatedly engage with your customers to build rapport over time. You can educate them, inspire them, and motivate them with stories. 

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But it’s important to space out your emails. Too many emails make even the best campaigns irritating and send you to the spam folder instead. You can take actions to make your customers reply as well. This allows you to gather valuable information about your customers that might be otherwise impossible to obtain.

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6. Embracing feedback.

Every business knows the best way to grow is to actually listen to their customers. They go through a lengthy and time-consuming survey process. They look at the results, nod their heads and say “I see,” when presented with the results.

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Then they completely fail to put their new insights into action.

Customer feedback reveals incredibly important trends and patterns in your business that would be difficult to obtain otherwise. Don’t forget to experiment with and actually implement this knowledge.

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Customers that feel listened to develop incredibly deep bonds with their brands and are likely to become life-time customers and walking advertisements. Of course, with so many customer bases, it can be hard to know which one to listen to. That’s where categorizing your customers comes into play. Play to your core audience, your ideal, dream, unicorn customers for the most benefits. 20% of the traffic bringing in 80% of the profits is a well known Pareto distribution.

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Conclusion

The online marketplace is incredibly competitive. It’s hard enough to compete with local businesses. 

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With everyone online, you’re going to be competing with businesses that are far, far away, yet willing to deliver to locals who would otherwise shop in your store instead.

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Many businesses are struggling with the digital revolution, but following the above tips should give you an edge that allows you not just to survive, but thrive in your marketplace.

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As customers get more tech-savvy, so too, should your business. Paradoxically, this makes live agent interactions more valuable, so the obvious next step is to focus on omni-channel experience, not just multi or single channels anymore. 

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No matter how high-tech things become, don’t forget your brick and mortar stores as well.